Still Waiting for Spring, Changes in the Garden

Again, I start with a photo from last year, March 22.  Spring did come earlier last year, but when I looked at some photos from 2011, saw that the season was pretty close to this year, just a touch farther along.  I realized that I am ahead in getting the winter growth taken off this year than I was in 2011, so that's a good thing.

While waiting for gardening season, I've been hatching plans to make some changes in the yard.  Even though I've thinned out some of the Irises, they are still taking up more room than I'd like.  They and the daylilies are pretty when blooming, but don't look so good when they aren't.   Plus, last year's hot dry weather was hard on them.  I have decided to dig out the ones in the curb area and replace them with some plants that are native to our area, or nearby areas.  I'm thinking of putting a few prairie dropseed clumps along here, and maybe some Prairie Smoke plants or Heuchera in front of them.  I won't know until I place the plants here and there, and see what I think will work.  I am not good at planning ahead of time.

Yes, we had more snow this weekend.  These Crocus blooms have been through a lot, but they sure are keeping their color awhile!

I also plan on removing the couple clumps of Kniphofia plants from the east flower bed, which is on the right of the sidewalk as one approaches our house.  They get very ugly when not blooming, and I want to put some pale coneflowers, and maybe some Foxglove Penstemons and/or Liatris liguilis in there.  I'm also going to thin out the Drumstick alliums, leaving just a couple or three.

I can't remember what kind of Penstemon I planted in the west front planting area, but I'm pleased to see a couple clumps looking ready to grow.

I fall sowed some Prairie Larkspur, and sure hope they come up.  This is a seedling from the annual kind.  I deadheaded them last year, so I'm thinking this must be from seeds left the previous season.  I guess I'll let it grow if the others don't come up, but will be sure to not let it go to seed.  I also planted seeds of Cleome serrulata, Euphorbia corollata, Desmanthus illinoensis, and Penstemon cobaea.  I haven't seen signs of them coming up yet.  I'm not sure how early they normally start growing.  I know the non native Cleomes don't come up until the first part of May or so.

I've had this Ornamental Onion plant awhile.  I don't know how to tell if it's one of our native ones.

After growing several clumps of Heuchera richardsonii, I am not as fond of the hybrids that I have.  I want to divide these and move them around so I can have more.  They look good all year.

There are several kinds of Pussytoes, and I don't remember which one this is.  I tried to find it on the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum site, because that's where I got it, but they don't have it on the current list of plants they are selling.  This is a nice native groundcover, and I have been dividing it and placing it around.  I found out there are male and female plants.  I need to pay closer attention to the blooms this year and figure out which these are.

The cup plant is up.  It looks like it is not spreading farther than I want it to so far.  It's one the books say to be careful of in the home garden.  I chose to cut the blooms off last fall before they could go to seed so that the neighbors would not end up with it in their yards.

Even though I am currently only planning on buying perennials native to our area, I will keep my favorites that are not.  Hellebores are such early bloomers, that they are keepers for me.  Can you see the snow under and behind this clump?

I am pleased that some Pasque flowers that I planted either last year or the year before are up and about to bloom.

I liked how the water drops were clinging to this bud.

The tulips are peeking through.  Last year, at this time, they were blooming already.

There are more things coming up, but I still have a lot of leaves on the ground, waiting for the temps to warm up.  It looks like we will have several highs in the 50s next week.  I hope it keeps getting warmer after that.

I have had a cold since Friday evening, and have not had much energy.  I spent a lot of time today, rereading sections of a book called, Prairie-Style Gardens, by Lynn M. Steiner.  I like how she talks about different ways to go about planting more natives, or even an all out prairie.  She speaks to both beginners and the more experienced.  In her section on the individual plants, I like all the information she gives on where each is native to, what growing conditions it prefers, whether it is suitable for the smaller garden or a larger prairie, and also what kinds of wildlife are attracted to the plant and for what purpose.  She even talks about which plants rabbits and dear either prefer or don't usually eat.  I know from experience what the rabbits like here that I've planted so far, and her book did confirm that.  Oh, and she suggests other plants to have growing near the one profiled.  She does also mention cultivars of different plants, explaining that some would not ever consider those, but that maybe it is better for these to be planted than more exotic plants.

When I first started trying to find native plants, I was steered by some workers of the plant sales to get some cultivars, like the Heavy Metal, Northwind, and Shenandoah Switchgrasses.  Later, I found the native kind, and got one of those.  At this point, I hope to only choose the natives, but will keep the cultivars for now.  They are nice looking plants. 

Some other books I like are, Gardening with Prairie Plants, by Sally Wasowski.  There is a lot of good information in that book.  I have also enjoyed reading Field Guide to Wildflowers of Nebraska and the Great Plains: Second Edition.  I have some other books, too, but these are the ones I'm liking the best right now.

I hadn't ordered plants from a nursery since I first started growing herbs in the 1970s, and there were not many available locally.  Since I ordered seeds from Prairie Moon in the fall, I got their catalog, and decided to order some plants online a few days ago.  They have a deal where you can order 38 plants, up to 6 different kinds for $105.  When I ordered, there was a promotion with $10.00 off.  I have seen the prices that are going to be charged locally, so figured this was a pretty good deal.  There are a few plants I still hope to get that they didn't have as plants, but this will help a lot.

I am getting 7 Pale Purple Coneflowers, 7 Button Blazing Stars, 6 New Jersey Teas, 6 Foxglove Penstemons, 6 Meadow Blazing Stars, and 6 Prairie Drop Seed Grasses.  I hope they all grow.  Some of the native plants I've tried have done very well, and some have not.  It's a learning experience, and I am enjoying it.  I just want spring to get here, not only so I can be out there gardening, but so I can see what all has grown, and if anything has self sown.

I hope all is well with you and your gardens!

Oh, and by the way, Gail's Wildflower Wednesday is this week, so I plan to link this in.  Remember to check out her blog for others who show their wildflowers.