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What's happening now

May 14, 2011

This headline should really read “What WAS happening a few days ago.” Blogger was down for much of the end of the week so I couldn’t post this, but I hope you enjoy it now. Sorry for the delay.
Sometimes I feel like everything I write on this blog is old news because my zone 5 garden is so far behind so many of those of my readers. I can’t believe that some blogs have pictures of tomatoes on the vine this week!
The situation seems to be particularly bad this year, although I’m not sure if that’s because the weather really has been worse than normal or if it’s because we had a lovely spring last year so things are slow in comparison to last year when they were probably ahead of schedule.
I planted climbing rose CanCan in front of the downspout in the front of the house. I was so upset when I found out there was no option to putting that downspout smack dab in the middle of the front of the house, although I have to say it doesn’t look as bad as I thought it would. Cancan is developed by Bill Radler who created the Knock-out rose series and grows to about 10 feet so I have hopes that it will do well in this place and not eat the house.
Update1
 
Some of the daffodils are blooming. Is there any cheerier flower than a daffodil? OK, maybe daises, but daffs are close.
Lately2
 
Other varieties have yet to bloom. I should have daffodil blooms for at least the next two to three weeks.
Lately3
 
I was thrilled to see the wonderful purple spikes of ‘Blue Angel’ hosta poking up. Certainly a favorite in my garden.
Lately5
 
The Serviceberry tree has fuzzy little buds getting ready to bloom. The Serviceberry trees at work usually bloom four to seven days before the one at my house does so I usually have a little warning. My mother-in-law bought this tree for us the second summer after we bought the house, so it’s been in the garden for eight years now. It’s a lovely little tree.
Lately4
 
Dicentra ‘Gold Heart’ is coming up. I think everyone should grow this plant. It’s just amazing.
Lately8
 
The mini greenhouse is full of plants: some plugs from the Yahoo plant co-op, some from last year that I overwintered in pots heeled into the ground and, believe it or not, I finally potted up the poor amaryllis bulbs that were forgotten in the basement.
Lately6
 
There are a lot of plants by the garage waiting for a spot in the ground. Three beautiful Hydrangea ‘Little Lime’ are waiting, along with some roses I overwintered (again in pots in the ground) and a few other random things.
Lately7
 
They back yard looks like a graffiti artist attacked it. That’s the rough layout for a path and new beds that I have planned. I’m not at all looking forward to doing the hardscaping, but paying someone to do it just isn’t in the budget so that too is going to be a (back-breaking) DIY project. I hope to complete it by Memorial Day but I suspect that, like a lot of my DIY projects, that is a totally unrealistic deadline. (There is nothing like taking a picture of your own space to realize what a dump it looks like!)
Lately9
 
And very exciting news: The cable railings are finally finished on the deck! I was going to do a post on installing these because Mr. Much More Patient did the honors, but honestly, it’s a pretty high-level DIY project that is a bit more complicated than a post on a blog would cover. They are however, sailboat lifelines. No seriously, they really ARE sailboat lifelines. There is NO difference and we actually bought the materials for this project from a company that sells both marine stainless steel products and has an architectural line. By the way, if you’re looking for something like this, email me for the contact information. Anyway, since Mr. MMP has experience with lifelines, he figured this out pretty quickly, but it was still a three-weekend project just because drilling all the holes and cutting all the wire took a long time. I’m happy it’s finished now. All we have to do now is touch up some of the stain on the deck and pergola and install the stair lights and the deck is finished!
Lately10
 
So as Al Roker would say, that’s what’s happening in my neck of the woods. What’s up in yours?

co-op daffodils dicentra gold heart garden hosta hydrangea remodel
by Erin @ The Impatient Gardener 
8 Comments

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Comments

  1. Ms. Wis./Each Little World says: May 17, 2011 at 3:16 am

    Now I know what my gold dicentra is supposed to look like! I just moved mine this week because it is still very small after more than three years. Think it needs more sun than the more typical plant. We are at least a week behind last year; not sure about the year before.

    Reply
  2. threeacres says: May 17, 2011 at 5:45 pm

    Wow you're even behind us! All of the many kinds of daffodils we have are done expect for a few very shaded ones. Oh don't worry about how your yard looks now it will always look worse before it gets better. Plus it makes for even more dramatic before and afters! ; ) I can't wait to see how the path turns out!

    Reply
  3. Tanja @ Postmodern Hostess says: May 18, 2011 at 6:53 pm

    Love those daffodils! I think they truly are the cheeriest flowers.

    I'm envious of all of your space! We have a tiny balcony packed with containers, and I make do with that, but I'd love to have all of your beds and yard to play with… a girl can dream. 🙂

    Here's the latest on our garden, if you care to see.

    Reply
  4. Kylee says: May 23, 2011 at 6:11 pm

    Erin, I LOVE that railing! We need to replace ours in front, and although I don't know that it would look right there, I will figure out a place to put some, because THAT is über-cool!

    Reply
  5. Stephanie says: October 22, 2019 at 8:10 pm

    The cable deck railing is awesome! Can you email me the info on it, please?
    Thanks so much!!

    Reply
  6. Amy says: April 18, 2020 at 11:57 am

    I love your deck! Can you include details on stain colors and the cable deck railings? Is your deck made of composite materials or natural wood? TIA!!

    Reply
  7. Lisa says: September 25, 2022 at 10:10 am

    Same here. Deck and railing details would help me on my project if possible

    Reply
  8. Lisa says: November 3, 2022 at 12:52 pm

    I see another reader requested railing details. Can you provide.

    Reply

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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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Erin Schanen 🌿 The Impatient Gardener
Get your dahlia engines running. All the dahlia th Get your dahlia engines running. All the dahlia things are happening very soon. I actually started dividing my dahlias last weekend, about two weeks earlier than I usually do because the weather kept me cooped up inside. I’m glad I did it because I had some (not unexpected) losses that I’ll have to adjust some plans for. So stay tuned: we’ll be talking lots about dahlias soon. 😀
Want to give a gift to your future self? This fall Want to give a gift to your future self? This fall plant snowdrops and winter aconites and I guarantee you that it will bring you happiness the next spring. They are tiny blooms of joy.
A favorite groundcover and a favorite reseeder. Fi A favorite groundcover and a favorite reseeder. First off, you should know that I really love groundcovers. I would rather see a plant than bark mulch any time. Ajuga is a favorite because there are several forms (my favorites are ‘Black Scallop’, shown here, and ‘Chocolate Chip’) and because they can handle most conditions from sun to shade. Popping up next to it is Talinum paniculatum ‘Limon’ (Jewels of Opar). It reseeds around the garden and I just move it around where I want the chartreuse, succulent foliage. Tiny flowers in red and pink bobble on with stems, looking a bit like peppercorns. Then they drop their seed and come back the next year.
Make this the year that you grow a plant you know Make this the year that you grow a plant you know very little about. If you love your garden that’s all that matters. BUT I promise you’ll find even more joy it it when you broaden your horizons. I feel like I’m starting to see the same plants in gardens over and over again. By all means appreciate and love those plants, but also add something you have to learn about. There is great reward in getting to know new-to-you plants. 

Here are two good candidates you might consider: Athyrium niponicum (Japanese painted fern) ‘Crested Surf’ and Persicaria (or Bistorta, thanks to the taxonomists) amplexicaulis ‘Golden Arrow’.
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