April and May... So Far

All the gardening books and magazines tell you to keep track of what happens in your garden at particular times. The idea is that you'll have a reference from season to season about how quickly or slowly some plants emerge in spring, when things are in bloom, etc. It's a great idea: there are plenty of times this year that I've wondered when/whether something particular was supposed to be happening. I tried to take notes in a calendar off and on last year, but wasn't remotely consistent about it. Next year, though, I can just look back at this blog!

April Highlights

• April 10: Oo, there are little green tips on the lilacs!


• April 15: Tulips are poking out of the ground -- after I thought the squirrels got them all! Planted two kinds of spinach seeds in a wide bowl-type container. I’m hoping this will prevent me from doing what I did last year: pulling up all the spinach seedlings because I couldn’t tell the difference between them and weeds. The seed packets say that the spinach should be mature within 45 days.


• April 20: Raked up all the pine needles and old leaves out from under the pine tree and wow, what a difference!


• April 23: Got most of the raised beds built and about half of the perennials back in. Muscle paaaaiiinnn.


• April 25: The mystery groundcover under the pine tree is abloom with ephemeral white blossoms. I wish I knew the name of this thing! The leaves look like wild ginger, but the flowers are completely different.

May Highlights

• May 1: The clematis is just going wild! I don’t think it was this green or leafy until about August of last year, and I planted it in June. It looks so healthy -- a relief because I didn’t pull it away from the fence when we installed the raised beds.


• May 2: The tulips are completely pooped out already. Various resources say that if I want them to rebloom next year, I need to let the foliage completely yellow and die, then remove it from the bulbs, which should be stored until next year -- and even then, their re-emergence is a question mark. My first impression: it’s not worth it.


• May 3: The tulips have ended up in the compost pile. Maybe I’ll try different bulbs (Muscari?) next time.


• May 10: The peonies that I divided and replanted as part of the raised-bed project are about two feet high and have little buds on them. They look completely miniscule compared to our neighbors’ peony bush, but I figure that dividing and replanting them basically takes them back to square one, so I’m just glad they have buds on them. They also look a little crisp, maybe from all the wind we’ve been having? I’ll water them a little more as we go. Oh, and in theory, May 10 is the last average frost date in the Twin Cities -- meaning that it’s safe to plant almost anything now. But I think I’ll wait a little longer on the tomatoes.


• May 11: Oo, everyone else’s lilacs are in bloom -- it’s heavenly! It’ll probably be a few years before our little lilacs are bloom-ready, so I’m jealous! Stopped by the U of M Horticultural Society's plant sale and got eight Thunbergia (black-eyed Susan vines) for the trellises near the patio. They don't look great, but they were cheap. We'll see how they do.


• May 12: I’ve been waiting patiently for various perennials to re-emerge before I assume that the winter killed them, but it’s starting to become clear what did and didn’t make it. One of my three Campanula Carpatica “Blue Clips” looks terrific, and the others aren’t even visible, so I’m guessing they’re goners. Ditto with one of my three Heuchera “Vesuvius,” all the cinnamon ferns and, unfortunately, all the Gaillardia “Burgundy” -- which are favorites because they’re native, they attract hummingbirds and butterflies, and they’re a beautiful red. On the other hand, the four crested lady ferns under the pine tree are coming up, but soooooo slowly.


• May 14: Cold snap! Glad I waited on the tomatoes!


• May 16: So much wind lately! Brian and Brian down the street gave me a bunch of ostrich ferns, which I planted below the pine tree in the “woodland” area of the backyard. It was a great effect, but the wind has snapped the fronds (below) on most of them. I'm guessing two out of the ten will make it. Maybe it's the wind or maybe not, but clearly not all of the Thunbergia for the trellises are going to make it.



• May 18: OK, it’s been a month and the spinach seedlings are less than an inch tall. Something’s not right -- foiled again! I’ve given up and replaced them with lettuces: “Red Sails” and “Black-Seeded Simpson.” The good folks at Mother Earth also mentioned that they’d recommend putting in tomatoes now, so we’ve planted two Brandywines (sooo delicious), a Halfmoon China and a Black Cherry -- all on the bamboo tomato "teepees" that M thinks are so weird. Also bought more Thunbergia for the trellises -- these not only look healthier but much further along, as you can see in the photo below.