We’re in the middle of Fall clean-up mode in this area of the state. I wanted to share this lovely photo taken by an East-side gardening friend. She snapped it while pruning in her garden today.
Praying for a Good Winter
Category Archives: pruning
Spring Pruning – Lady’s Mantle
Lady’s Mantle (Alchemilla mollis) was purchased for the Lot a couple of years ago. It wasn’t even in bloom when it found it’s way into our shopping cart and rode home with us. What caught my eye at the nursery was how the slightly hairy, cup-like leaves had caught water droplets. Instant love.
I had read before how Lady’s Mantle is semi-evergreen so the plant should be left alone in the Fall and cleaned up in the Spring. Not a problem. I did just that… Ta-da!
Pretty, huh? After brushing away the fallen tree leaves, I was able to get a closer look at the plant. The majority of the foliage from last season was shriveled up and brown. However, new Spring growth was already growing up from the plant through the previous season’s dead foliage. No matter how much you plea with them, plants will not wait for you.
To avoid cutting the delicate, new growth near the plant’s base, I followed the stems of the old foliage into the plant with my fingers. It allowed me to better see where I was trimming. Then I snipped the old leaf stem off a few inches away from the plant.
Resist the urge to pull off the old leaves. There’s a chance the plant will be torn and damaged. When I was done clearing out all the dead bits, the plant was looking clean but a bit pathetic. It was the sullen teenager, and I was the mom giving it a haircut at home.
However, take a look at all the new growth. This is an uber close-up to show what this plant has planned. There are a ton of new shoots on the way.
After four more days of warm weather and a Spring rain, this is how the Lady’s Mantle appeared. Not bad.
A Wild Weekend
With the Heritage Hill Garden Tour on Saturday, I wasn’t able to play in the dirt until Sunday. Most of the day was spent deadheading and pruning. We had a stellar Spring season and a beautiful beginning to Summer. The plants on the Lot are still about two weeks ahead of last year’s dates. In Ms. A’s full sun beds, the plants are even further ahead.
Already, most herbs on the Lot are wildly overgrown. Last year many of our herbs grew ill because of the ridiculously wet Spring and dense growth of the plants. The Catnip was lost to powdery mildew. (I know, who could possibly kill Catnip?!) This year the growing season doesn’t seem nearly as wet, but I’ve tried to pay special attention to allowing enough air to circulate between and through the plants. The Chocolate Mint, Salad Burnet, and Winter Savory were thinned by trimming out the oldest (largest) stalks near the base of the plant. The Tarragon was cut back by 1/3, leaving about a foot and a half of height. The Sage, Lemon Thyme and Oregano are on the radar for tomorrow. I’d like to look up each one on the Lot for specific care instructions.
Deadheading befell the Foamflower (long overdue because the seed heads are pretty), Beardtongue, Roses, Early Sunrise Coreopsis, Dahlia and some more Jupiter’s Beard. I also went through three hanging baskets and containers deadheading annuals. Tomorrow some Lilies and Blanket Flower will be losing some spent blossoms.
In full bloom after this weekend are the Bridal Veil Astilbe, Purple Knockout Salvia, White/Dark Bee Delphinium, Hollyhocks, Moonbeam Coreopsis, Tequila Sunrise Coreopsis, Snapdragons, and Chameleon Plant. The Hostas, Nicotiana, Key West Astilbe and Gayfeather are all well on their way to producing blooms.
The most exciting news this past weekend was an unexpected visitor to the Lot. My Other Half and I were chatting in the backyard, me pruning and he keeping our four-legged garden helpers out of trouble and vegetable beds, when we heard this low buzzing/humming type of noise. When we looked over at the back bed, sure enough there was a ruby throated hummingbird dancing around the Jupiter’ Beard! It’s hard to withhold a squeal of delight when you see something that cool. We make efforts to lure this beneficial-to-the-garden type of wildlife to the Lot. As soon as the little guy buzzed away, my Other Half took off for the kitchen to whip of a batch of Mom G’s hummingbird feed. The feeder is now filled and ready for any additional visits. Next up will be a minature terry cloth robe and pillow mint.