Hello, and welcome to my new series inspired by
her and
her. Every Friday, I will share the good, the bad, and the ugly from my garden...any maybe others. I live in zone 6, and my garden is just starting to wake up.
Today, I am working on a spring clean-up in the garden. I do my own spring clean-up because my gardener does such an excellent fall cleaning...it isn't overwhelming. My property is just over 1 acre, and there is always something to do. Through the years, I have been trying to incorporate more perennials and ground covers to help decrease the need for excessive mulching. Let's get started.
Here is how I protect my manicure
Black plastic gloves that I get from the beauty supply store (the kind used for hair color). Then, I wear these
Gloves purchased at Home Depot...they come in packs of 5 (I think) and they are washable when they get totally filthy. Next, I use a pair of pruners
This is how I prepare my hostas, grasses, hardy geraniums, and any other perennial that does not grow on old stock. This example is a hardy geranium
Cut the dead stems and leaves off at the base
This will help the new growth get light and breathe
Next, my groundcover roses
The leaves that acted like a blanket in the winter, now need to be removed
This is a good time to examine plants for dead branches
A quick cut back to the healthy part
Here is the plant ready for some natural fertilizer (in the next few weeks)
This is my favorite ground-cover, Lambs Ear. However, not all Lambs Ear are created equal....I only like
this kind. It never flowers...just beautiful, soft silvery-gray leaves. This will spread, so you will need to trim it back from time to time. It is also super easy to transplant...which I will be doing this season. This is what it looks like when it is waking up from winter
Gently remove the obviously dead leaves
Now it is ready to spread out
Soon, it will look like this
This is also the perfect time to start weeding. If you are going to mulch,
here is a great way to do both. This weed is a big troublemaker. Those white flowers will soon dry out, and when you brush up against it...dozens of weed seeds will fly out.
Make sure to get the roots...otherwise, it will be back.
This is onion-grass...it is a weed, and needs to be removed from the bulb
Make sure to dig down deep, and scoop it up to the surface
It is not a success, unless you see this
That's it for this week. Do you garden? Have any tips to share?
