The Big Spring Cleanup continues! And it has revealed several “hidden” flowers. Underneath layers of matted dead plants, these long-dormant plants have been waiting patiently for the sun to warm them once again.
Here are some highlights that have kept me from despairing at the seemingly endless amount of work:
Poppies
My biggest moment of joy last week came when I learned that the dozen or so exotic-looking plants that seemingly sprouted overnight are actually poppies. My sister had pointed them out to me the prior week, but neither of us knew what they were. Then we visited a fantastic nursery over the weekend that had spectacular bright orange poppies ablaze in their garden, and I immediately became obsessed with them.
Within the last 36 hours the first bud bloomed, then overnight another two bloomed as well. They’re stunning and look so elegant as they sway in the wind. I think they are Papaver atlanticum. If I’m right, they’ll bloom until August! None of them “popped” the last two years. I think they grew this year because I removed years of debris from their flower bed about six weeks ago. What a great incentive to keep clearing dead foliage – so many other dormant flowers may return later this year or next.
Peonies
What can one say about the empress of flowers? They’re drop-dead gorgeous, and you can never have too many. My mother grew them, and I always think of her whenever I see a peony anywhere.
This year’s spring cleanup uncovered several peonies growing on the west side of the house. What a lovely surprise! I’d never noticed them, hidden by a forest of ferns. Several weeks ago I removed years of dead ferns which is probably the only reason why I saw the peonies’ distinctive shoots.
They’re already being crowded by this year’s crop of ferns and they may not be getting enough sun, but I’m excited to see what kind they are if/when they bloom in the next few weeks. I know they don’t like to be transplanted, but I’ll move them if they don’t thrive in their current location after I yank the nearby ferns. Notice how short the ferns are in the above photo; they’re now tall as the peonies.
Hostas
I just love these plants in all their variations. My mother grew them as well so they’re another wonderful reminder of her. They’re reliable performers, and they look so much better when they’re not standing in inches of debris.
I should mulch the area to suppress weeds, but I’m spending my time and money elsewhere this year and hoping the hosta beds won’t end up looking unkempt.
Below are just a few of the hostas here. The photos don’t do them justice.
Ferns a/k/a Free Landscaping
I’m almost done removing a carpet of dead ferns on the north side of the barn. It never seems to smother the next year’s crop, it just looks unbearably messy. The below photos were taken 25 days apart.
I like ferns, but not that much! While there are several varieties growing on the property, these basic woodland ferns are everywhere. I may add some other shade-loving plants near this area, but I’ll gladly keep nature’s free landscaping. At least it keeps this space relatively weed-free, and for that I am grateful.
Inspiration Everywhere
Spring cleanup is hard work around here, but I usually see something that’ll spur me on – even if I know I probably can’t focus on a specific area until next year – or the year after that. The gracious crabapple tree shown below was loaded with blossoms a couple of weeks ago – just like the poppy blooms, they seemed to appear overnight.
The tree is surrounded by dead bamboo canes and weeds, but I imagine what a great focal point it will be once again when I clear around it (maybe this fall or winter).
Unexpected Projects
Then there have been the unexpected cleanup projects, such as when a massive pine tree limb broke off several weeks ago and landed on an area that I’d re-seeded (unsuccessfully, it turns out).
My sister and I spent six hours removing every last bit of debris. Luckily, three kind men who work in the area passed by and cut the trunk into pieces and put them in my cart, otherwise it would have taken us much longer.
However, there was a silver lining. We’d already transported and dumped a few big chunks when my ever-resourceful sister said that we should keep them because our brother may be able to build something with them. Yes! If you read my post about my reclaimed wood desk you’ve seen some of his handy work. So, we plucked the pieces out of the brush pile and hauled them back to the barn.
And the Dandelions
Back to these weeds: I’ve given up trying to pluck them out the ground one-by-one. In fact, I gave up two hours after I started. Not because my new hand tool doesn’t work, but because there must be at least 10,000 dandelions on the lawns. My new approach is to whack them with another hand tool that I bought two days ago. My parents had the perfect, lightweight hand tool for this task for decades, but now my siblings and I can’t find it – I hate when that happens. This new tool is a bit heavier, but it works very well.
Now, when I mow the smaller lawns with my manual reel mower they won’t be marred by an army of bald dandelion stems. An imperfect, temporary solution perhaps, but it quickly gets me the results that I want and that’s good enough for me right now.
Healthy Lawn Report: The First Mow of the Year