TODAY IN THE GARDEN

With tomorrow being the Spring Equinox, the Gates of Spring are almost open, and so we are at an end of winter (or nearly so).

It is perhaps appropriate that a spring blooming plant, an iris that I bought last year, has just started its show.

Unlike the common bearded irises (which need sun), this iris, a hybrid of Iris japonica with the curious name of 'Nada' (which in Spanish means "nothing"), needs shade (or at least, part shade). I bought two plants of it for one of my problem spots, a small pocket of fairly heavy shade in the side yard.

I have to say that I was somewhat skeptical that it would survive there (that spot does not have a good track record, even with shade loving plants), but I took a chance, and I am glad that I did. The flowers, although small, are beautiful. (If we could just clean up some of that clutter behind the fence in the brick patio area, the plants in bloom might look even more beautiful.)

 

Closeup of bloom on Iris X 'Nada'

Iris japonica supposedly spreads by underground rhizomes, so over time I expect that little pocket to fill up - or mostly so. (I have two small evergreen shrubs and a struggling clematis also in that pocket. I want to retain those shrubs there, but I should probably risk digging the clematis (which do not like being disturbed) and moving it elsewhere (presuming I can find a suitable spot).) Fortunately, this particular iris is not (supposed to be) invasive. I hope that is true.

Elsewhere in the garden, Narcissus 'Thalia', which is my second-largest planting of daffodils, is in bloom underneath the Back 40 willow. (There are also a few bulbs of this daffodil which got planted in the Maple Grove, on the lower creek bank near the bridge, but those are just a few. While they have survived, they do not seem to be spreading.)

Narcissus 'Thalia', under the Back 40 willow

'Thalia' is a Triandrus form of Narcissus, bearing 2-3 star-shaped blooms per stem. It has a sweet scent, and being registered over a hundred years ago, is considered an heirloom daffodil; it is also known as the 'Orchid Narcissus'. I have grown it for a long time, and I look forward to its bloom each year, following that of the February blooming 'Ice Follies'.

Closeup of bloom on Narcissus 'Thalia'

Over in the Maple Grove, some of the Calla lilies have started blooming. I have to say that sadly, the plants all seem stunted this year (and it seems to me that some have gone missing), and the bloom is rather sparse. I don't know what the problem is. Maybe they were impacted by the reduced irrigation that has been in place since early last year. Or perhaps they need a heavy dose of fertilizer?

Chewed foliage and bloom on a Calla lily in the Maple Grove

Ignoring the Iberis (which I have already written about), rounding out today's parade of Winter Whites are the white flowered Loropetalums. As I mentioned previously, these shrubs (at least, those cultivars grown here) do not seem to be as healthy and robust as their magenta blooming cousins, and their bloom display seems somewhat lacking. (Descriptions of these shrubs usually hype the "beautiful sage" or whatever fancifully named color of the foliage. Do not be deceived; compared to the purplish-greenish foliage of other Loropetalums, they look sickly.)

I have three plants of 'Snow Dance' in the Moon Garden (not shown), two of which have been struggling to survive there since I planted them. (It did not help that the rabbits apparently ate their lower branches, and that the Miscanthus and a variegated licorice plant keep swamping one of them.) The third one, which maybe is somewhat protected in its corner between the pool stairs and a retaining wall, has done better, or at least has grown larger and somewhat lusher. Like its mates, however, it has sickly looking olive foliage. I suspect some kind of malnutrition or deficiency, but they have not responded positively to any of the fertilizers I have thrown at them (when I have remembered to throw it at them).

Loropetalum 'Snow Panda' (supposedly; it does not look "vase shaped" to me), being overtaken by the vinca and weeds on the creek bank

Off in the Back 40, along the southeast creek bank fencing, I have three shrubs of Loropetalum 'Snow Panda'. This cultivar (supposedly, which brings into question possible nursery mistakes) has a naturally vase or upright shaped form (and so is, or should be, different in form from the other Loropetalums here). If the cultivar is correct (I have my doubts), it is supposed to attain a height of something like 10' high. Apart from identity crises, I am skeptical that mine would ever attain that height here, but at least they are surviving, and the rabbits haven't found them (yet). The vinca (and grassy and other weeds), on the other hand, have found them and want to be way too friendly. We are going to have to go out there and clear a space around each of these shrubs.

~*~*~

I have mostly talked about white flowering plants in this entry, but it is worth noting that the Redbuds are now in bloom, and that bloom is to be celebrated.

Not white, but not to be overlooked: the Redbuds, seen from the opposite end of the weedy lawn, are in bloom

A closer view of the Redbuds, from a different angle

 

And so, farewell to winter.

 

 

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