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Moving Day

August 19, 2011

There are so many garden chores that escaped me earlier this season since I was busy basically redoing our entire backyard (including this path and these walls) so one of the many things that needed attending to was some plant moving. Sadly it seems like the worst of the heat is behind us (90 degrees? I’ll take it. PLEASE.) so I thought it was safe to start moving things around. I never like to wait too long to move things because I worry they won’t have time to get established before the temps drop dramatically. I’d rather have to baby them a bit more in the beginning than take the risk of losing them later.
The target of most of the moving was the fringes of a garden I created four years ago or so that served as a holding bed for things that didn’t have another place.
Move1
 
As you can see, it wasn’t exactly stunning to look at. The first thing to get moved was the Nikko Blue hydrangea that you see in the middle, which was moved to that location before the house renovations last year. When I dug it out, it was actually two plants. I think a branch rooted itself awhile ago and actually that part of the plant is nicer than the mother plant. This hydrangea, which blooms on old wood (that often freezes out over winter), isn’t a great performer. But a couple years ago it gave me five gorgeous light blue blooms and I fell in love with them enough to keep trying.
Move2
 
I moved the two plants to the west side of the house where I’ve never really had anything great growing. I’m hoping that a protected spot by the house might help keep those buds safe. And in the front I planted a ‘Let’s Dance Moonlight’ hydrangea that I got through the Yahoo co-op a couple years ago and have been growing out in a container. (By the way, do you like how I can’t even manage to take the shovel out of the garden before I take a picture?)
Move3
The next thing that needed to happen was to get rid of a potentilla shrub I’ve been chasing around for NINE years. And what you’ll be interested to know is that I didn’t like it to begin with. My extremely sweet and well-intentioned mother-in-law took me plant shopping shortly after we bought our house. I didn’t have the faintest idea what was already growing in the yard nor did I have a clue what my gardening plans were, but I was reluctant to pass up free plants. So we went to a nursery and my mother-in-law asked an employee what was deer resistant and I came home with three potentillas. Two of them (thankfully) died (and that may or may not have something to do with how I “cared” for them) but one just kept on going. I moved it once, and still hated it, so I finally moved it to an empty space. It never bloomed again and got rangy and unattractive. But for some reason I had a hard time throwing away a plant I really didn’t like. Well, no more. It had to go. And I think a far more noble purpose for it will be serving as compost several years from now.
After I freed myself of that monkey on my back, it was time to move a couple of hosts that had also been relocated last fall before the renovation. I blogged about the process of moving them here, and I’m happy to report they handled the move wonderfully and looked great this year.
Move4
 
I divided both Blue Angel and Paradigm (just into two divisions) before moving them to the back yard where they are flanking the east-facing stairs off the deck. I didn’t cut the foliage off them, but I may if it starts looking shabby.
And then I filled in the newly cleaned out area with more hydrangeas I’ve been growing out in pots: two Incrediballs and one Invincibelle Spirit. I hope they do well and fill in that area that until now has been just a storage spot.
Move5

co-op hostas hydrangea
by Erin @ The Impatient Gardener 
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Comments

  1. Ms. Wis./Each Little World says: August 21, 2011 at 6:52 pm

    I'm also back to moving plants, including shrubs, now that the temps have dropped to normal. I figure we've got a good month to play with plants before we have to worry about serious temp changes. Have to agree about potentillas; I didn't "care" for mine very well either. Your new garden with the blue and pink hydrangeas looks good. Personally, I like to leave a hose in the garden to photograph!

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The Impatient Gardener

Do you love gardening? Me too! I'm Erin and I garden in Southeastern Wisconsin, zone 5. The Impatient Gardener is all about real-life gardening: the good parts, the bad bits and even the funny stuff. It's part information, part inspiration and a little bit commiseration. Thanks for visiting.

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These sister dahlias are big, beautiful girls. Pen These sister dahlias are big, beautiful girls. Penhill Watermelon (first picture) and Penhill Dark Monarch are the best two HUGE dahlias that I grow. They share slightly twisty petals (Watermelon more so) and, when you look closely, subtle striations that add a beautiful depth of color. Watermelon grows taller than Dark Monarch (7 feet tall or more sometimes) and they both need serious staking, but it’s worth it because they produce a lot of flowers for a large-flowering dahlia. 

I like them both but if I was forced to choose (and who would make me do that?) I’d give the edge to Dark Monarch because it’s a little easier to manage size-wise, produces more flowers and has a bigger variation in flower color so it’s always interesting. 

Which do you like better?
I don’t love tools that only do one thing. But w I don’t love tools that only do one thing. But when there’s only one tool that does that one thing really well, I’m here for it. This pottery/container knife from Sneeboer makes it possible to actually get plants out of pots without breaking or damaging the pot. It’s also really expensive. 😀
A little snippet of a bouquet from the weekend. Zi A little snippet of a bouquet from the weekend. Zinnias, pycnanthemum muticum and bronze fennel shown here.
My love for Nicotiana is not a secret. I love tryi My love for Nicotiana is not a secret. I love trying out new varieties and I feel like they just work so well in my garden from both a design standpoint and a cultural standpoint (they are happy here). Because I grow so many, the ones that self sow can be surprises. 

All of these self-sown Nicotiana are probably at least partly the children of the F1 hybrid Perfume series, which grow to be about 24” tall or so. Last year I grew purple, pink, white and lime versions and these are likely new variations on those. 

Picture 3 is, in my opinion, a good example of how these self sown second-year hybrids can go wrong. I’ll probably rip that one out. 😀

And the last photo is of my favorite colorway, lime, popping up amongst the Zinnias. I find these self-sown Nicotiana popping up all summer, so there’s always a fresh-blooming supply. 

Are you as enamored with Nicotinana as I am?
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