Garden Chores
We were recently blessed with some cooler weather, so having completed the sewing of the new art quilt top, I was able to dedicate the whole morning to the bank between the house and the new storm shelter. Earlier in the spring we planted some burning bushes and a few perennials there, but then it went to weed grasses. At least they held the soil in place during the heavy rains. I pulled most of the weeds and started to plant Liriope. I’ve mentioned this plant before as it does so well here that I always have an excess ready to be thinned and planted somewhere else. It will hold this bank wonderfully well and look good doing it! Then I added the stepping stones to channel the dogs and us through the plantings. So far I have Liriope every 4-6″ in the top half, and the bottom half yet to do.
It will fill in quickly- probably too quickly! I left a few weeds to temporarily hold the soil in the meantime. In the fall, I think I will transplant some Plumbago to the space between the stones and the wall where it will drape over the edge.
I love the brilliant blue flowers, but it is a pretty plant even when it is not blooming. And it grows well enough for me that I have plenty to move . And maybe a few Dayliles will go nicely.
Every year about this time the blister beetles hit the Clematis and they can strip it overnight.
This year, since the Clematis has grown so vigorously they were only able to eat half of it overnight and with the cold morning, I was able to knock many of them off into a container of soapy water. Usually as soon as they sense you coming they dive off the plant, but the cold makes them sluggish. I checked a couple of times throughout the day and they seemed to be gone, but by morning the next day there were hoards again so – more knocking them off into the container. By then there was not a whole lot of green left so I applied some Sevin to try and save what’s left. So far, so good!
