Spring Sedums

This winter was a particularly harsh one, so as new growth is starting I’m excited to see what has survived. Over the last few years, I’ve planted a number of sedums in hot dry areas that other plants have not fared well in. I also have almost too many Sedum “Autumn Joy” around the yard. Happily, many of them seem to have survived and are already greening up the garden.

Sedum takesimense “Gold Carpet”

Sedum album “Coral Carpet”

Sedum spurium ‘Blaze’

Sedum “Autumn Joy”
I have clumps of Sedum “Autumn Joy” all around my yard that started from only a couple of plants. In my soil conditions, they are fast growers and easy to divide in only a few years. These are one of those plants that I’ve found that “less is more” when developing a landscape plan. They will fill in the space fairly quickly so don’t over plant. They are also one of the earlier plants to begin leafing out, despite them being a fall flowering plant.

Hens and Chicks
I don’t usually leave the potted Hens and Chicks out over the winter, but this was one of those winters that snuck up on me and I never got around to putting them on the porch. It seems that they mostly survived and don’t look much worse than normal. I did expect the center of this one to be dead since it had flowered so beautifully last summer. That marks the end of its life cycle. Depending on what the pot looks like in a couple of weeks, I’ll pull out all the dead parts and try to plant the chicks in the empty spots. Otherwise, I’ll pull it apart and plant the remaining plants in the garden.

I’m still looking for the Hens and Chicks that are in the garden to appear. They really don’t die back, so the fact that they are “missing” suggests maybe they didn’t survive the winter. Maybe they’ll surprise me.

How did your succulents do over the winter?

Photos by Steve

First Day of Spring in Chicago

As I came home from Northern Michigan on the first day of spring, it was clear I was heading south by the disappearance of snow and the warming temperatures. By the time I arrived home, my car thermometer had risen over 25° into the balmy 50’s. Of course, my yard oddly always has the most snow left out of anyone on the block, or for that matter, the last 100 miles of the drive.

But, there are definite signs of spring to be had.

The daffodils are popping their heads out!

The sedum looks healthy and colorful.

The White Oak is finally losing it’s leaves as buds begin to form.

Moss is bright green and plentiful on the north side of the house

I’m puzzled by the emergence of day lilies and thankful that the hostas have not followed suit. More cold, unseasonable weather is approaching and I’d hate to have too much frost damage.

I’ve also noticed the House Finches and Robins have started to return, although they’ve been very shy around the camera. This time of year, I love wandering about the yard seeing what’s new. Every day brings a change somewhere. It is pretty muddy, so too early to really get much spring clean up done. Are you seeing signs of spring in your yard?

Bu then, as a reminder of how far behind we are, here’s a shot from last year on the same day! Soon, I keep thinking.

First Frost Warning is Coming Tonight!

I feel pretty lucky that we’ve squeaked out an extra week or so before the first hard frost has hit the Chicago area. NOAA has issued it’s first freeze watch for the area for tonight, almost a week my after the average date for my area. We might even get some flurries! Chicago is a little difficult to know what will really happen weather-wise at any one spot in the region, since Lake Michigan and other land features create a lot of micro-climates that skew local temperatures and precipitation. You can check out your first frost dates on Dave’s Garden.

Even so, I think tonight will be it for the plants. I went around yesterday and took some last pictures of the flowers and harvested the last of the vegetables in preparation. I’m always a little sad this time of year, when the garden still looks so inviting after having finally recovered from the harsh mid -summer conditions. Yet I know it is only a matter of time till it’s over. It’s like the plants want that last hurrah before going to sleep for the winter, or for the annuals, to go out in a blaze of glory.

Final Garden Harvest–having just been in Charleston, I am going to use those green tomatoes!

The garden is still in bloom

Some of the trees are showing their colors, but not very uniformly or brilliantly. Some are showing the stress of 2 harsh summers and disease, while others haven’t even begun to change.

It’ll be interesting to see what it al looks like tomorrow. I’m torn as to whether I should bring in that beautiful single rosebud to protect it, or see what happens if I leave it.

The Garden in Fall: The Bad

It’s the beginning of October and the days are getting shorter, the nights growing colder. While yesterday I posted about the good things in the fall garden, there are also a lot of plants and beds that are really past their prime. Whether it’s overgrown, or the plants need to be trimmed back, or just haven’t aged well, they really detract from the pretty parts of the yard. Here’s some of the plants and spaces that don’t make me smile.