For oft when on my couch I lie In vacant or in pensive mood, They flash upon that inward eye Which is the bliss of solitude, And then my heart with pleasure fills, And dances with the Daffodils.
Yesterday, I woke to drizzle and temperatures around thirty-five degrees Fahrenheit. By the afternoon, it was sunny and around sixty degrees Fahrenheit.
We had a long, cold and blustery winter; overall, there was little snow.
Despite the cold and varying weather, plants are starting to grow.
I don’t know how.
Lenten Rose – Helleboris sp.
One of my favorite early spring bloomers is Lenten Rose (Helleboris sp.).
I cut back the foliage last fall, and the plant is performing wonderfully.
Some years, I don’t cut the foliage back until spring.
There’s no correct answer.
Oriental Poppies – Papaver orientale
While poppy flowers are delicate, poppy plants are tough as nails.
These poppies are emerging with some nights below freezing and cold, damp, windy weather.
Oriental Poppies (Papaver orientale) thrive in inhospitable environments and love hot, dry soils in cold climates.
Oriental Poppies prefer full sun to partial shade and won’t tolerate damp soils (over-irrigated) or organic soils (over-mulched).
Catmint – Nepeta sp.
Over five years ago, I planted one of the catmint cultivars, most likely Walkers Low (Nepeta x faassenii ‘Walker’s Low’).
Ever since, I’ve watched catmint spring up everywhere in my yard. When I say everywhere, I mean all over the place.
The catmint has reverted to the species, and if I don’t cut it back, it will grow about three feet wide and two feet tall.
It’s a stout grower.
I like the look of catmint spread through the gardens.
Catmint prefers dry, inorganic soil and full sun to partial shade. It will also do well in average garden soil.
Damp soils (over-irrigated) and organic soils (over-mulched) discourage Catmint.
I never see catmint thriving where its boggy or damp.
The buds are swelling on my Cornell Pink Rhododendrons.
This grouping was planted about five years ago.
Cornell Pink Rhododendron should be placed where it can shine for two to three weeks in the spring and blend in the rest of the year.
Cornell Pink Rhododendron is covered with pink blooms from early to mid-April.
Even though Cornell Pink Rhododendron will never be as compact as a PJM or Olga Rhododendron, you can prune it immediately after bloom to keep it more compact.
This Cornell Pink Rhododendron hasn’t been pruned in years.
