I love Saturdays, or even more to the point, I live for Saturdays. Especially early May Saturdays when the weather is pleasant, the nurseries are brimming with plants and I have all the time in the world to play in the garden.
Temperatures are on the cooler side for this time of year, and I noted it was a brisk 38 when I stepped barefoot onto the patio. Normally the low is around 52. I hauled several annuals into the garage last night including Kimberly fern, hibiscus and gerbera daisies because they forecast temperatures down to 34.
The azalea reacted predictably by shedding some of its lovely pink petals. But it is nearly done with its fashion show anyway.
So much is emerging right now. I do believe this is my favorite time to garden. The oak leaf hydrangea is beginning to bud. Within a month it will be an explosion of 12 inch blooms.
I checked on the budding white “Shirley Temple” peonies I planted in 2017. I’ve had my eye those and the “Eden’s Perfume” peonies I planted that year because they’ve not really bloomed well. This year there are buds on all of them. I’m feeling pretty optimistic.
My coffee inspection led me to the “May Night” salvia I moved to a raised bed last spring. No complaints here! It sits by betony, which I installed last year. I also moved some of of the salvia to a large bed at the edge of the patio and it too is doing nicely. The betony is bushy and looks vigorous but no blooms yet.
Also enjoying a moment is the variegated Solomon seal. A transplant from a friend’s garden a few years ago, I have divided it this season and shared with a neighbor. I love its string of pearl-like blooms. They are short lived.
The Japanese Forest Grass is emerging nicely. I was worried it looked a bit lackluster, but is seems to be rebounding for another year in the shade garden.
Hostas are another tried and true and rugged as can be plant frequently found in many area gardens, including mine. The morning stroll found them enjoying this spectacular morning as much as I did. I have several varieties but I do not know their names as I got them from garden club plant sales or as cuttings from friends.
I hope you’re enjoying your garden in your corner of the world.
Penstemon’s lettucy looking red leaves. I love this plant, which has been happy in this spot for five years.
Karl Foerster grass is coming up
Just a couple of gumballs to deal with. This is Round 3 of the rake up.
Cranesbill Biokova Karmina (geranium x cantabrigiense). What a wonderful groundcover. And talk about easy care!
The oakleaf hydrangea “Alice” looks deceptively docile. My pet name for her is “Godzilla.” The blooms are incredible.
Planted about six years ago, this low-growing juniper (Juniper horizontalis) is a slow creeper and provides lovely texture with a green-yellow tint. Behind her are stella d’oro day lilies.
The fiddleheads of Ostrich Fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris) begin their graceful unfurling. Ferns are my favorite plants to observe.
Peonies–Eden’s Perfume, Shirley Temple, and Sarah Bernhardt–peek through the leaves. The peonies were a new additions last year to the bed below the paperbark maple.
Creeping jenny groundcover is vigorous and advancing. It had better dry up so I can get out there and rake.
Paperbark Maple (Acer griseum). When I embarked on my backyard gardening journey in 2012, I was intent on only planting shrubs and perennials with the rationale that I didn’t want to get into pruning trees. Don’t ask why. The gardens were going to be easy, carefree and filled with shrubs and perennials, even though the first specimen I planted was a Japanese maple–like I said, don’t ask. In 2014, I amended my rule further and planted a dwarf Colorado blue spruce and rationalized that by the fact that it is a dwarf specimen. Dwarf is the operative here and it explains my justification for planting a paperbark maple in 2016. This beauty will top out at 20 feet and I can live with that. What I don’t want is a towering tree. I love this tree for its cinnamon-hued peeling bark, multi-stemmed trunk and vibrant trifoliate leaves in autumn.
More hardscaping. The garden beds soften the patio and the hardscaping provides structure to the garden. At least I think that’s the principle. My flagstone path is small but it draws the eye through the garden bed and in a couple of years, I hope to be able to walk on it. I know I am relying on the Japanese maple to grow, but I have faith. For now, crawling down the path suits me fine. Most of the time I’m down low digging out weeds anyway. On the left of the photo, you’ll notice I added a bird bath. I like the structure it provides to the softly flowing hydrangeas. And it’s a nice to provide birds a place where they can frolic.
Rain barrels were on the top of my list when I started gardening. Now I have two in the back and two in the front (delivered and installed by surprise in December–more on that in another post). I am happy with the rain barrels but they did come with a bit of an adjustment. The hose from the house spigot is a much faster way to water, but I enjoy being out and I have a system for filling up my watering cans. Each rain barrel in the back has two spigots so I can maximize the fill. I was amazed at how quickly a 50-gallon rain barrel will fill up. One good gusher and they are full. There is not enough pressure in the rain barrel to run a long hose from it and soak a garden and there are times when a good long soak from the hose is required, so a rain barrel is not a solution for everything.
Birds, butterflies and bees. For a new point of view, look no further than a garden. I’ve had a true attitude adjustment when it comes to gardening. I went into it for the flowers with nary a thought to the side benefits of providing shelter and food for insects, birds, butterflies and other critters. 2016 was a good year butterflies, birds and insects. 
Sometimes I am repelled (crawly things can freak me out) but mostly I’m fascinated by what’s moving around the foliage. Is it a friend or foe? My new discoveries take me to a Google search to learn more. A garden gives you a real sense for the symbiosis of nature. To my delight, a tree in my neighbor’s backyard is home to a bard owl, which I have enjoyed watching hunt at dusk. I have several voles I would gladly offer to its diet. More about that in Part II.
Overall, I’m enjoying them. I think in a typical summer, I would be supplementing with the hose much more than I have this year. When I water, I simulatenously fill both a bucket and watering can. Because the water pressure in the barrel is limited, containers are a little slower to fill. I rely on the hose when I’m either too lazy to wait for my containers to fill up or I’m in a hurry.I have no doubt, though that I have saved water. Strange to say, but I actually look forward to receiving my summer water bill to see how much I have saved versus last year.
I’ve attached a short hose with a spray attachment to one of the barrels, but, again, there is not enough pressure for the spray attachment. As you can see below, debris from the roof runoff collects in the top of the barrel. This can clog a small overflow hole near the top, so I keep a small stick handy (kabob skewer works well too) to unclog the hole so that standing water doesn’t attract mosquitos.
The Arch City Gardener 