Mistakes Were Made

We all make mistakes in the garden. Sometimes the consequence is small and easily fixed and other times the correction takes time and a lot of effort. I have had to take shrubs out that were supposed to be four to six feet at maturity, they were over eight feet and growing. That mistake correction took a bit of elbow grease, digging up as many of the roots of said shrubs and dragging them into the woods to decompose. The culprit? Loropetalum chinense var. rubrum 'Daruma'. It was billed as a dwarf. While I know the straight species can get twelve to fifteen feet tall, I had hoped this would behave better. In the photo below you see the large shrub covering a bay window? That is the mistake shrub.

Unruly, Unpruned, and Unsightly

  I pruned this Loropetalum often, each time it felt like it wasn't enough to get ahead of the rapid growth. This garden has always been in flux. Trial and error, mostly error.

Pruned but still largely covering the window

Bushes cut- check

Roots getting dug out

New small shrubs were purchased and planted. Raw soil and clay still exposed, mulch needs to be added but first one of the other mistakes needs to be addressed. Does my current mistake fall under the "easy to fix" or "time and effort" category? I think it is a middle of the road mistake. 

Do you see the yellow ground cover? Yes, this is my current mistake to be addressed. Creeping Jenny, Lysimachia nummularia 'Aurea'

I know, I know. I knew it would spread but I thought I could contain it within the small garden area. Well, it had other ideas. Creep it did, through the Purple Pixie Loropetalum chinense 'Peack' and the  Salvia farinaceae 'Victoria Blue' and into the Dianthus gratianopolitnus 'Firewitch'. This is unacceptable! I did like the contrast in foliage though- bright yellow and purple or blue-green or even a bright red Salvia (name unknown) each made the other pop. 

Firewitch Dianthus and Jenny

Red Salvia pops against the bright yellow

Since digging up the aforementioned Loropetalum I have been hand pulling the bright yellow mistake. I have a large black plastic bag I have been adding to on a regular basis. Usually I just toss pulled vegetation into the woods to break down. This is too invasive so it will decompose in the black plastic bag. Well, I have not been able to keep up with the aggressive ground cover. Time to attack it with vigor. Today's plan is to take the shovel and dig out the Lysimachia and sift out the roots and any above ground growth. Any clean soil will be replaced. Plants in this area I want to keep will be dug up, root checked for any wayward Lysimachia, then replanted afterward. I don't want to use an herbicide if I can do it without. Time will tell whether I was able to get all of it removed. Later this week I will get some mulch and top dress this garden and other spots in the yard that need mulch. Time to get busy. Stay tuned for some after photos, hopefully without Creeping Jenny.

Do you have gardening mistakes? How do you address them?


©Copyright 2020 Janet. All rights reserved. Content created by Janet for The Queen of Seaford. words and photos by Janet,The Queen of Seaford.

Pink and White and Pink and White and....

My front garden wasn't what I wanted it to be last year.  I moved some of the Phlox subulata to the backyard where I had some erosion issues.  This allowed me to add some new plantings to the front garden. This spring I find I had a color theme going on.
I like having white in the garden as it really is a nice bright spot.  From the house forward the white plants are- Iberis sempervirens, Candytuft, Phlox subulata, a white variety, and finally a white Iceplant, Delosperma 'Jewel of Desert Moonstone'.   The phlox will fade into the summer as will the Iberis so other color will dominate the garden later in the season.

The pink color, again coming from the house forward, Loropetalum 'Daruma', Dianthus 'Sunflor Margarita', Loropetalum 'Purple Pixie' a weeping form of Loropetalum, Delosperma 'Jewel of Desert Garnet', and a a weeping Redbud, Cercis canadensis 'Ruby Falls'.

Here are the close-ups of the Delospermas and Dianthus--

Delosperma 'Jewel of Desert Garnet'

Delosperma 'Jewel of Desert Moonstone'

Dianthus 'Sunflor Margarita'

Apparently I have an affection for pink blooms.  This time of year a pretty pink in the garden makes me smile!
Still working my way through blog posts, with Google Reader going away in July I have been trying out a few other readers.  Feedly from Google is ok, though not perfect and Bloglovin' also not a favorite.  I don't know which one I will use in the future, do you have a favorite?


©Copyright 2012 Janet. All rights reserved. Content created by Janet for The Queen of Seaford. words and photos by Janet,The Queen of Seaford.

Travelin' through Many Gardens

I feel as though I have been gone for a long time, but I look at the calendar and it has only been three days. Each year the York County Master Gardeners take a study trip. I have been a Master Gardener for almost 11 years and this is the first time I have been able to go on the trip. Last year they went to Ashville and hit multiple gardens in North Carolina. I had a couple college graduations that conflicted with the trip, so even though I was really interested in going, I just couldn't do it. This year it worked out and I was able to go.
This year's trip was north to DC and then east to the DelMarVa peninsula and south over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel to home. There was a multiple car caravan -- many outfitted with walkie-talkies. (that was too much fun--they shouldn't have given me one) DC traffic is wild and we were glad to have communication with the lead vehicle. About 31 Master Gardeners went on our trip as well as our Extension agent and a former Botany/ Biology professor who taught our botany portion of Master Gardener training-- imagine traveling to gardens with so many knowledgeable people!
Our first stop (after lunch) was to Green Spring Gardens. This was a real treat for me as I went to high school across the 'street' from this garden. No, it was not there as a public garden when I went to TJHS.
Green Spring is a twenty-eight acre public park in Fairfax County. There is a wonderful garden walk in from the parking lot. From the garden walk we meandered up by the old manor house and across the grand lawn --- each garden beckoned you to come hither.....


Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola' was a plant that we saw in multiple places within this garden as well as others on the trip.

This is a striking grass for the shade.


Another plant I saw a couple times on the trip was the Styrax japonica 'Pink Chimes'. Beautiful pink bells!


Here is one plant that drew my attention-- it is purple!! It is a native to Brazil, Tibouchina urvilleana common name 'Princess Flower'
For more info on this beauty check out this website.

There was a grouping of roses and peonies that drew us over to check out all the heady fragrances. One of the roses was a Bonica Rose- pink, fragrant, long blooming, 'Modern Shrub Rose'....just beautiful!


There were many peonies in this garden bed....one stole the show. (At least for a time, we are fickle folks we gardeners...loving one flower after another) Unfortunately we could not find a name for this cultivar... I vote for 'Jewel Box'.



This garden included a children's garden, an orchard, a veggie garden, a swale garden (where I took this hummingbird feeder photo) and many many more garden areas.


As we left the Rock Garden was our parting view.....the fragrance of all these Dianthus was wonderful!

Each of the gardens we visited we could have stayed twice or three times longer...but there were more gardens on the horizion. Over the next few days I will give each garden a post unto itself.