The first day of February is beautiful Cool and sunny, the perfect day. I cut down my giant blue mistflower. I collected the fluffy seed heads as I went and spread them throughout the Meadow. I'll have to cover the whole area where I cut them back with compost because it produces so many seeds that drop to the ground that it makes the ground look fuzzy. I don't want all that sprouting in the Star Garden.
I filled the big asparagus bed with compost and part of one of the raised beds.
I was so excited about some of my phlox coming back from the rough summer last year, that I planted 2 more pots of phlox right next to them. They are in the Water Garden. I weeded, turned the soil and spread compost all around the phlox and throughout that corner of the garden. I dug all that phlox up last spring. It was in the Long Border, and it never prospered after the first year. So I rescued it from a long slow death - I potted some up and planted the rest in the Water Garden and in the Rose Garden.
Second weekend of February. I dug Martha's Vineyard rose out of its bucket and planted it in the ground. Spread compost around it. I pruned my Champneys Pink Cluster noisette hard, composted. Pruned several others that were already mulched. I also pruned Cramsoisier Superior hard too. That means I cut them to knee height which isn't really supposed to be necessary for old roses, but I'm looking for some genuine renewal in the Rose Garden. My rose collection is so sad looking.
I cut back the hyssop leaf eupatorium dead debris and cleared away all the seedlings that were going to smother it. Pulling up wildflower seedlings is always hard for me despite the fact that there are a zillion out there in the Rose Garden. Spread compost. I also cut away the dead debris on the Pringle Asters and spread the seed in the Meadow. Aster seed is very confusing to me - is it seed or is it fluff? But, whatever that was, it's in the Meadow now.
For some reason, I have been thinking lately about my Blush Noisette. It died many years ago. I drove to the Antique Rose Emporium and bought another one. I moved the tiny little Anacua seedling and planted the rose in its spot.
I composted in the Star Garden in some spots where I pulled up chickweed. And I pulled up small handfuls of Blue Eyed grass from a big clump and made a border edging along one flowerbed.
Worked in the Orchard next. I loaded up 2 truckloads of compost and spread it in the Orchard beds. I weeded before I spread. I finished spreading compost around my blueberry bushes and spread some around some of the fruit trees - the fig and one of the peach trees and one of the apple trees. I tucked some mulch around a lot of the day lilies that I transplanted a month or so ago.
As I was leaving and headed home to Houston, I noticed one lone Sweetness daffodil blooming in the Daffodil Border. Texas springtime is about to start.
Third weekend of February. I finally planted the second Western Soapberry tree that I got from the fall plant swap last year. I planted it in the bed next to the pool.
I bought 6 Guara at Buchanan's so I planted those in the Rose Garden. And I spent time watering each of my roses while I was in there.
All of the Indigo Spires that I transplanted are starting to leaf out.
I also bought a Beauty plum tree. I used to have one, it died a couple of years ago. Beauty has red flesh and red skin. It is one of my favorites. I planted it in the Orchard. While I was down there, I cleared out the 2 blackberry beds at the back of the Orchard. That took a couple of hours. I cut away dead canes and also poisoned the peppervine and greenbriar that had taken hold in there. I cleaned one bed out completely and got the other bed only partially completed. I sat in an ant pile and got a dozen bites before I got them all off me. That let the wind out of my sails pretty good, so I gave up.
Pruned all the roses in the front beds - 8 or so, mostly Perl d'Or, and one Marie de Orleans, one Franziska Kreuger and one pink shrub rose whose name I can't pull out of my memory right now. I wasn't planning on doing that this morning because I'm short on time this visit. But it's time to prune - it's Valentine's Day!
Spread compost along the back bed and a few trees in the Orchard. Pruned my peach trees.
Fourth weekend of February. Saturday was beautiful,such perfect weather. It feels like spring is here, and it's hard to imagine that we might get another cold snap. But it could still happen. I immediately noticed the step change in growth of everything. All the wildflowers and early-emerging plants are a little bigger. Teeny tiny leaves are covering the Bee Brush. The familiar rusty-reddish yellow tips of the Johnson Amaryllis are peeking out. The Celeste fig has broken dormancy.
I worked the entire morning in the Long Border. I raked out the whole thing as well as the path that runs along one side. It was full of leaves and pine needles. I cut down all the aster debris and cleaned out all the debris around the crinum lilies. Next, I spread compost around all the crinum clumps, my tiny Anacua tree that I moved there last week, and the big Althea. I watered in the Rose Garden as I worked in the Long Border. Next, I spread compost in the Rose Garden in some bare spots. And I distributed moth balls, half a dozen or so around each rose bush to try and deter the deer.
I loaded up the cadet several times and spread compost in the Mountain Laurel bed in the Star Garden. I cleaned out the Moudry grass bed in the Star Garden. I cut down all the grass debris, cleaned out the canna debris, pulled weeds, then spread compost over it.
In Mom's Garden, I cut back the White Trailing Lantana. I noticed something ate the phlox I planted last week right down to the ground. It will come back, but I was aggravated. Probably a rabbit.
I went on a leaf cutter ant hunt and found several active piles in the Orchard, the Rose Garden and the Vegetable Garden. I put down poison on the entrance holes, destructive little pests!
I pulled up a huge expanse of chickweed in a bed in the Vegetable Garden. I wasn't thorough, but I kept a billion seeds from forming. I'm still some weeks away from sowing any vegetable seed, but I'm getting excited and impatient.
On Sunday, I finished watering in the Long Border where I composted. And I spread some compost around my Shrubby Blue Sage.
Then I moved on to the Water Garden and Greenhouse Garden. I spread compost around all the Trailing White Lantana that I cut back the day before. And in so doing, I spread compost around my massive Madame Alfred Carriere rose. Next, I raked leaves out the beds where I planted some of the day lilies I separated last fall. Usually I leave the leaves in the beds, but since I have the compost, I'm raking them out (and putting the leaf debris somewhere else - nothing goes to waste) and putting down compost. I spread compost around the day lilies, my Oakleaf Hydrangea, my baby Live Oak Tree, Nine Bark shrubs, Spicebush, Little Leaf Sumac, and here and there and everywhere throughout the gardens. I weeded while I was in there and cleared debris away from my old fashioned yellow iris. I composted around my wild onion edging. Their pretty green spikes are coming up, they look like little soldiers. I gave everything I composted a good watering. Cut away the sticks from my Pringle Aster and composted. I found another phlox (John Fanick) in the Vegetable Garden that I potted up last fall, so I planted it in the Water Garden next to the other four. This time I encircled all of them with chicken wire to keep the rabbits away.
A little more about Madame Alfred Carriere rose - this rose is in the Noisette class. It was bred in 1875 by Joseph Schwartz, so a little piece of history in the garden. Very intense lovely rose scent and the flowers are blushed pink, almost white. It is almost thornless, so very easy to prune or to train if you want a climber. I have it against a goat wire fence. At first, I was going to train it through the goat wire, but eventually I just let it grow into a waterfall shape. She has a wonderful spring and fall bloom season with surprise, occasional blooms in between. I highly recommend this rose, but you need lots of room for this vigorous plant.
