One of the MANY promises I made to myself this winter was to be more “experimental” this gardening season. Take some chances, be a little fearless and make sure to document the results through “before” and “after” photos.

Well, today was the day I put my big boy underwear on, grabbed my pruner and started the experimental … um … experiment.

Before I get into things, I have to first share an article/blog post I read this past weekend that was a huge inspiration for what I accomplished today. Noted author, Nancy Ondra, wrote an incredibly in depth piece on cut-back shrubs which you can read here. It is filled with amazing photos and detailed “how-to’s”.             

So, today’s victim subject was Weigela ‘Wine and Roses’:

I have three of these and decided to prune one severely:

Before

After

Selectively pruned another:

Before

After

And left one as is:

It felt good to get outside and in the dirt and to have the pruners in hand once again. And it felt invigorating to play around with varying pruning techniques. I will be watching each of these shrubs intently over the next few months and will be sure to share the results along the way.

I may have sacrificed these in the name of experimentation:

But ultimately, I am after the beautiful foliage color these offered when they were a bit younger:

Let the fun begin!
John

I hate “mission statements” and “plans of action” and all of those cute, catchy and inspirational terms that are involved in any type of planning. Maybe I’m just jaded from all of the times I’ve had to brainstorm and come up with these only to be asked to go in another direction the next day. Or maybe I’m just a “simpleton”. Probably a little of both … but I digress.

I live on a decent sized lot out in the “country” (yes, that is possible in NJ) and have only scratched the surface when it comes to designing and planting my garden beds. Already though, I realize I need to do a better job of planting to scale. And what I really mean (regretfully, I do have a “mission statement”), is that I need to “Think Costco”. I need to focus on planting more “in bulk” or in larger drifts. By doing so, the plantings will have more of an impact and will be more in scale with the size of my property.

This is my plan going forward, but here are some of the challenges I know I will face:

1. Cost – buying perennials in lots of 7, 9 or 11 (odd numbers of course) can be expensive. My best solution for that will be to continue to divide my existing perennials. 
2. Poor conditions – when I do purchase new plants, I tend to buy 1 or 2 initially as a means to test their staying power. They need to be deer proof, handle poor drainage and handle full sun. Only after careful analysis, am I confident enough to purchase in larger numbers.
3. Avoiding plant lust – spontaneous purchases lead to squeezing in plants and that can impact the overall design. I end up with lots of groupings of 3 and that can take away from the garden as a whole.

Patience will be the key (as always) but I am determined to stick with my Costco tag line. Here are some additional photos that are already serving as an inspiration:

My kids know I write this blog and that it is about “flowers”. But I never really thought they cared about all of my rhetoric or even wondered why daddy was taking photos in the Downward Dog position each morning.

Well, I was shocked this evening when out of the blue and without any prompting from me, both of the kids displayed an interest in gardening like I’ve never seen before. Even better, I just happened to have my phone with me so I could spontaneously capture it on film. Here they are:      

There may just be hope for them both.

ONG

I am not going to complain today about this never ending stretch of horrendous weather and the nasty impending storm that will turn my backyard into one big bowl of pea soup.

I am not going to talk about being frustrated that the ground is still frozen solid and that the crunching sound I hear when I walk in the grass makes me want to heave my shovel on to the roof of the house.

I am not going to show you my jealousy over the fact that you have crocuses or daffodils blooming or have deciduous shrubs that have leafed out. I’m OK with taking photos of microscopic green growth while you gather bundles of hyacinth blooms.

Nope, I have matured and I will take it all in stride.

I won’t even mention that the deer and/or rabbits have strategically found a way to devour all of the new growth on my plants. It’s just so darn cute, yeah nature!

And finally, you will never hear me utter the words “poor drainage” or “heavy clay”. Seriously, it’s like totally not even in my vocabulary any more.  

Nope, I’ll keep it simple and to the point – I just want to get my hands dirty some time soon.

Wishing you and yours happy bloom watching and be careful not to over indulge in the exciting hoopla of Spring Fever.

John

I knew the question would be asked at some point.

All those days of laying in the dirt with my camera at all sorts of odd angles did not go unnoticed. In the middle of spring or in the summer, sure, you can see why I’d be taking those photos. But now, not so much.

My neighbor finally approached me and asked “What the hell are you taking photos of all the time? Are you like way into dirt and rocks?” Well Mr. Neighbor, that would be a “no”. I am looking for any signs of green (sometimes red) growth, signs that indicate a plant survived the winter. You may say “boring” but I say “signs of things to come.”

And to prove my point to Nosy Neighbor Guy (who doesn’t read this blog but maybe should start now) I give you new growth shots and … what they will eventually turn into. You feelin me now dawg?          

How you like me now?
ONG

Today kicked off the regular routine of plant shopping during my lunch break at work. It may have been 30 degrees and it may have only been at one of the “big box stores”, but it kicked some major booty.

Today’s highlights include:

$14.99 for giant redtwig dogwoods are a dream come true. Winter interest like no other.

If you see a Honda Civic with a giant goofball driving and a bunch of large plants stuffed in the back, make sure to say “Hi”.

I recently managed to get my flux capacitor fixed in my ’82 DeLorean and as a result, was able to to “go back in time” (cue the Huey Lewis music).

I didn’t going back very far actually; only back to September of last year. But what was unique about this time travel is that John 2011 was able to speak directly with John 2010. There were severe risks though, the slightest change to John 2010’s actions could have a dramatic, if not lethal effect on the world (although telling him to bet heavily on the Packers to win the Super Bowl was innocent enough, right?).

All kidding aside, I had only one message for John 2010 – “Plant more bulbs you friggin dope!”.

Sure I get a few random Camassia blooms in mid Spring:

And the Summer Snowflake blooms are nice and one of the few Spring bulbs that seems to be OK with wet feet in the Winter:

And the few Daffodils that mysteriously appeared in one bed are “cute” and all:

Even the tulips planted in containers are a nice touch in mid April:

But, more is needed. Here is a sampling of the conversation between John’s that will hopefully get us there:

John 2011 – Dude, you can do better than what you have planted right now. You should see the photos so many others are taking of their crocuses and their many different cultivars of daffodils in Spring. It is awe inspiring. 

John 2010 – I know, I know, but is it worth the effort in the Fall to dig through this clay soil just to get a brief display of blooms in Spring?   

John 2011 – Are you kidding me? You complain all the time about hating winter and the cold but all you would need are these blooms to make you forget the nasty weather.

John 2010 – You’re right, but what about all the ratty foliage after the bloom? Doesn’t that detract from all else going on in the garden? It’s not like you can just cut it off since the bulbs need it to produce the following year. 

John 2011 – When have you ever backed off of a challenge when it comes to garden design? You just need to be strategic and plant around the decaying foliage so it can be hidden. Think perennials. I ain’t buying that excuse dummy. 

John 2010 – Fine, you win. I’ll get on that right now. Let me know what you think when you get back to the Spring.

John 2011 – Way to go my man! One last thing, be sure to check out the movie The King’s Speech, I’m smelling an Oscar winner. 

Back to the present – if this time travel thing works, I’m expecting quite the bulb display to appear overnight. I’ll be sure to pass along the results.

ONG         

Where to begin? How to share it all? Let’s try chronologically and in bullet form for ease of reading:

Thursday

• Half day at work 
• Down to Atlantic City with my boy, Alex
• Watching NCAA basketball tournament 
• Many a Guinness in hand
• No money lost gambling 

Friday

• Some more basketball watching
• Nice greasy “breakfast” at Johnny Rockets
• Back home with the family and still financially in tact

Saturday

• Children both staying with family for the day/night
• Daddy getting some “outside time” and a chance to catch up on all things plants. Here are the photos: 

The first blooms of the year … OK, it’s indoors, but still, the Meyer lemon tree is in full bloom.

The garage raised tulips have grown like gangbusters and it’s time to get them outside.

The weeping cherry tree buds have formed so the blooms cannot be too far behind.

While this new growth on the Monarda is exciting, I was more taken in by the scent, that strong mint smell brought me to the summer and love the fact that the deer despise it.

Some serious foliage growth on the Achillea.

And then it was time for one of my favorite tasks. One that symbolizes spring and that the best is yet to come. time to cut down the ornamental grasses.  

The cool season grasses, like this Calamagrostis ‘El Dorado’ already have signs of new growth.

As do the Calamagrostis ‘Karl Foerster’.

• Saturday night, after a hard day’s work, my wife and I went out for a nice dinner and didn’t have to cut any one’s food or bring anyone to the bathroom multiple times. Here is where we ate – Lily’s on the Canal in Lambertville, NJ. Incredible dinner and an awesome chance to be alone with my bride.
• Took my Cialis and just like in the commercial, my wife and I were transformed into individual tubs:

Sunday

• Sleep late and a leisurely breakfast
• A run outside on a nice crisp morning 
• More NCAA basketball watching 
• Some blog time 
• Kids back home and couldn’t be happier to see them

ONG