Tag Archives: japanese maple

Ye Olde Garden

Late winter garden update

3/8/2011 Asahi Zuru Leafing OutThe biggest challenge in the outdoor space is the henbit and broadleaf weed invasion that has dominated all of our yards. Because of unseasonably warm weather in February, the weeds grew in and spread like wildfire. We’ve sprayed the lawns twice, after taking stock of the situation, because the infestation is extreme. Hopefully the weedkiller we’ve applied will make the difference so we can finally get to applying the preventive.

3/8/2011 A Bundle of Tiger LiliesSome observations I’ve made of the outdoor space: Prairie Sky hosta is displaying a crown of leaf buds, Emerald Snow loropetalums are blooming, daylilies have all leafed, yarrows are spreading. I’ve done some additional pruning and mulching on salvias. I’ve transplanted the Japanese maple into its new home, an 18″x18″ redwood cedar box. Yesterday, I planted 2 scabiosas that I obtained from Home Depot and added a Sinaloa sage to the blue bed. I brought indoors the other Sinaloa sage due to some serious dieback after going without water for several days. I am uncertain at this time but I believe that one of the foxtail ferns is attempting to make a comeback. However I don’t know how it will fare given the cooler temperatures we’ve been seeing lately. This morning I had the honey plant a bag of Tiger lilies purchased from Home Depot in the front yard shade bed. Given their vigorous nature, I feel comfortable in knowing that these Tiger lilies will endure in this space.

In addition to my Home Depot purchases, I have a lavender and a bag of Crimson Pirate daylilies that have yet to be planted.

3/8/2011 Mushrooms in my Hosta?Indoor space: all the hostas have now begun to sprout. They must like sitting in the bathtub, getting warm and cozy. I transplanted all the seedlings in the first cell pack into their own pots, with only a few basil and one pepper plant lost in the transition. I’m debating on whether to put them outside; but currently cool temperatures prohibit that.

Did I mention the vinca have sprouted within a few days? I should bring them into the light soon, I imagine. Also it appears that the golden fleece are making a showing…though the sprouts are extremely tiny. At this point, I highly doubt that they are daisies, but I’m hoping.

I bought a Jiffy tray full of coir pellets this weekend. Ever since the 2nd tray of seedlings has been exposed to air, some of the seedlings have perished (ice plants) while other seeds have failed to sprout (phlox/blue knoll chrysanthemum). Because I’ve had some luck with the coir pellets, I think I will use them from now on. They seem easier to transplant than the Burpee XL Growing system. In addition to the seedling tray, I also bought a packet of convulvulus.

Need to plant those cool season annuals now!

Ye Olde Garden

Germinating seeds, more plantings

After 3 days of non-stop light exposure, the first seeds to germinate are the Dianthus Super Parfait Red Peppermint, hybridized by Goldsmith. It appears that all 3 rows of seeds that I sowed have sprouted. The impatiens show no signs of life, which I suspected, given the lack of bottom heat. I believe when the dianthus reach 3 inches in height, I will be transplanting them to individual pots. According to the hybridizer, dianthus plugs are generally ready for transplant in 6-8 weeks. It will be interesting to see how fast these dianthus grow under 24×7 light. I’m excited enough to purchase another flat and heat mats to continue growing plants from seed. My basil seeds for example need to be put into trays if I want them out in the garden asap.

I’ve fetched the callas I had stored in the pantry, and were happy to see that some of the pup-chewed bulbs were growing shoots out of their eyes (remember to plant them eyes up!). I collected the Picassos and the 1 Devil’s Wine and put them out in the azalea/lily bed. I am hoping that they will get enough sun near the front border. I reserved only one of the Picasso callas for use in a future potting.

Finally, I’ve brought the Asahi zuru indoors in hopes that the indirect light will help it regain some of its variegation. I’ve read that removing the non-variegated leaves will stop this behavior, but I am not inclined to strip the tree of all of its foliage. It is more likely that the direct morning sun that it received in the past few months has affected it. But here is a forum thread that gives me some hope of seeing variegation this year…I’m just too impatient I guess!

Ye Olde Garden

Damp ground, green maple

With most of the flower beds laid out, the weather has taken the opportunity to halt all attempts of finishing the job. My brand new Fiskars garden claw only saw action once this week before the rain decided to wet things down. I’ve been keeping a careful eye on the new hostas that we purchased at the big box stores. I’m worried that they’re not going to thrive much longer in their packing bags. 

New daylilies are in-house and what beauties they are. Large 3-fan specimens of Dallas Star came packed with a bonus daylily: Hyperion, a lemon-yellow flowered dormant, supposedly vigorous and fragrant. Oakes Daylilies also sent some very nice catalogs…which are even now persuading me to buy more daylilies.

My Japanese maple is causing me some concern. I have not seen any variegation on any of the leaves it has budded. For all intents and purposes, it appears like a normal, solid-color maple. I’ve read up on what might have caused this issue, and it seems that only over-fertilizing will cause it. Strangely enough, I have not made any fertilizer applications to it since I got it almost two years ago. The only difference from its old environment is that it gets direct morning sun nowadays, compared to the nearly-total shade it used dwell in. I may have to contact the nursery and see if they can offer further advice.

With all the rain, it seems my weed-and-feed activity has probably washed away. I hope the weather this weekend will allow me to make a new application.

Ye Olde Garden

Caladiums denied

Due to extreme weather, Brent and Becky’s Florida supplier of caladiums has determined not to ship any of the Blushing Bride plants that I order. Dismayed as I am to hear this, it just means going back to the online catalog to decide on new plants to grow. I’ve settled on a Snowdrift Astilbe and 3 bulbs of the Picasso calla lily. I only hope this won’t further delay my receipt of these plants. With the warm weather we’ve been having lately, it takes a lot of willpower not to skip work and putter around in the garden all day.

On the other hand, I’m excited to report that my Japanese maple has begun leafing out.