More Signs of Spring

 I've been off work this week--taking a "stay-cation"--and I had ambitious plans to get all kinds of work done in the garden.  Looking back on the week, it seems like I didn't do much of anything really.


OK, so my husband and I replanted a couple of things, and I potted up some verbenas I got at the garden center.  


But the garden still looks bare and brown...


... until you look closer...

The smaller of my Rose of Sharon shrubs is putting out new growth.

As is this unknown plant I received at a plant swap last spring.  It has since become separated from its plant marker and I just cannot remember what it is.

The Tropi-Cannas that I had to cut back to soil level because of freeze damage are starting to put out big healthy leaves.

And this little yarrow (Achillea), which was a passalong last year, is multiplying.  I hope I see some flowers this year.  I didn't get any blooms on any of my achillea plants last year.

I was surprised that the Homestead verbena has put out flowers already.  The one on the other side of the garden is a tenth the size of this one, and has no flowers.  Obviously this one has the prime location, but it almost got buried in nijer thistle seed hulls this winter because it's growing underneath where I hang the sock feeders for the goldfinches. 


I bought a new verbena at the garden center this week.  I potted this one up, rather than plant it in the ground, because I'm not sure where it would be happiest.  In a pot, I can move it around until I find its sweet spot.

Isn't it a lovely color?

I remember lamenting in my blog a couple of weeks ago that I might not get to see my blooming daffodils because I leave the house before dawn to go to work, and I don't get home till almost dark.  Well this week I got to enjoy them fully.


I thought I'd let you see them too.

Words and photographs by Jayne Wilson, Green and Serene, Jayne's Country Garden.

Signs of Spring

I got all excited last week when I noticed the daffodil bulbs I had planted just a few weeks ago were putting up leaves, which at the time were only an inch or two high.  One Friday evening, I took more photos because I was surprised at how quickly the leaves were growing.  They were now 6 to 8 inches high. As I snapped photos, I noticed a swelling bud on one of the plants.

 This morning started out a bit windy and cloudy, but as I surveyed the garden, I caught sight of a little ray of sunshine...

There are buds on a lot of the others now, but I'm not sure if I will get to see them as I leave the house before dawn to go to work and it's more or less dark by the time I get home at this time of year.  

That's what made this little gem so precious!


Words and photographs by Jayne Wilson, Green and Serene, Jayne's Country Garden.

New Year's Clean Up

We were blessed with absolutely gorgeous weather this weekend so I made the most of it and spent time outside, planting daffodil bulbs and doing some general clean up.

I haven't grown daffodils in 20-something years, when I stuck some in the ground at the first house I lived in when I moved to Texas. Those did.. okay... and that's about all you could say, so I just didn't bother again.  But I've always like daffodils, they're such sunny, happy flowers, so when I saw some supposedly especially for warm climate gardens in WalMart, of all places, I grabbed a couple of bags of bulbs.

We'll see how they do and I can take solace in the fact that, at $5 for 12 bulbs, at least I didn't spend a fortune if they fizzle. 

I planted them in the relatively new bed I created in September, as well as in around the trees in the front garden.

As I was planting them, I was able to use some of my very own Black Gold -- compost!!

Since I only started composting in October, I was thrilled to find I actually had some usable compost!


After I planted the bulbs, I got on with some clean up -- which involved trimming back the dead sweet potato vine, as well as several other plants that had died back in the freeze.

It was exciting to see signs of new growth already...

At the base of most of the milkweed, there was a flush of new green leaves. Most of them I just trimmed back to make the front look tidy, but a couple I had to pull out because they were growing in inconvenient places.

Underneath the seemingly dead chrysanthemums was healthy new growth waiting to be uncovered.

Behind the utility boxes, the hollyhock that I had to cut back to the ground last summer because of rust seems to have made it through the winter frosts with no problem.

I didn't think these were perennials and wasn't expecting it to come back at all after it bloomed its second year.  Does anyone know if it will bloom again this year or will I have to wait till next year to see it bloom again?

And finally, this chrysanthemum was blooming, even underneath all it's dead stalks from last year.  I took this photo as I was part-way through trimming it back, I was so amazed to see flowers!

Several times throughout the morning, I found myself smiling at the thought of, "Where else would I be planting and weeding on New Year's weekend with the sun on my back and a glass of ice tea in my hand?  Only in Texas!"


Happy New Year everyone.





Words and photographs by Jayne Wilson, Green and Serene, Jayne's Country Garden.