From A Lilac Tree to More Dahlias in the Backyard
Hello friends,
Over the winter months I've been busy in the back left-hand side of our garden, in the area where our lilac tree used to stand. After the tree died after the big spring storm last year, and once we'd taken it down, it gave me an opportunity to rethink and rearrange that side of the garden.
The first thing I did was set up some space along the fence line for growing sweet peas, which is already underway. The sweet peas are now growing happily up the wire netting.
As for the rest of the space, there was now a large area that could fit many more dahlias than I currently had. I decided to lay it out in rows so I could fit in as many as possible. I've become obsessed with anemone and collarette dahlias recently, so I wanted to add more of these to my collection, and also include them in my fledgling breeding program.
The first step was to dig out the lilac tree stump, and it turned out to be much easier than we'd expected. Hubby got the job done in less than half an hour, as the stump was completely rotten. I suspect this may have been the main reason why the lilac tree may have died in the first place...
The next step was to transplant my two damask rose bushes to the back fence line of our backyard. Last year, I had grown a dahlia between my dogwood and feijoa bushes, but it had struggled to survive in that position. Although the area gets sun for most of the day, the soil isn't in the best condition. My two damask roses (Duc De Cambridge and Isapahan), on the other hand, are very hardy, and don't mind what soil type they are in, so I thought they would be much better suited to the space, while also freeing up more room in my new dahlia area.
It didn't take very long to prune the damask roses back to a size more easier to transport, before carefully digging them up, while keeping as much of their root systems intact as possible. Then came the tricky part, walking them across the backyard without getting stabbed by their many sharp thorns. Once they had safely reached their new home, the roses were planted and watered in well. Now, in spring, they are very happily growing in their new position.
By now it was the middle of winter, and in between the frosts, rain, and a snow storm, it was time to tackle the dahlias that remained in the ground in this area. One by one, they were carefully dug up and transplanted into an empty vegetable garden bed nearby to overwinter while I prepared their new permanent home.
The task after this was a big one. Weeding the entire side of the garden took many weeks as I worked my way along the bed, laying out plant tags, and placing schist rocks to create paths between the rows where the dahlias would go. My plan was to plant the anemone and collarette dahlias two abreast, with the shortest varieties at the front and the tallest ones at the back.
I'd really let this side of the garden go in late summer and autumn, and I was paying for it now, dealing with a large number of weeds. The weeding continued into spring, and I even had to go back over some of the areas I'd already cleared as new weeds began popping up.
But finally, after many weeks of planning and weeding the space, my new dahlia bed is now ready. There's now a large, clear area waiting for all my anemone and collarette variety dahlias, along with a bunch of new ones. It has been a much bigger job than I expected, but I'm really pleased with how the space has come together.
And my new dahlias have already arrived, and are in storage in our garage. I'm impatiently waiting to plant them, along with all my other anemone and collarette dahlia varieties. After all those months of planning and weeding, I'm looking forward to seeing this space finally filled with dahlias this summer.
Have a wonderful day,
Julie-Ann
If you'd like to continue the conversation, you can find me on Instagram, Mastodon, Bluesky, and Facebook.
A Winter Reshuffle in the Shade Garden
Hello friends,
Over the winter I've done some rearranging in the shadiest part of the backyard. A couple of years ago I planted two hostas, 'Purple Heart' and 'Sleeping Beauty', beneath the magnolia tree, and beside a colour-changing Hydrangea macrophylla. As the hydrangea has grown, it has completely smothered both plants, so it was time to move them to another shady spot in the backyard, beside my wasabi plant.
It didn't take long to dig up the hostas and transplant them into their new positions beside the wasabi plant. With a little more space and less competition, I'm hoping they'll be much happier in their new homes.
With that job completed, I noticed the space on the other side of the magnolia tree was looking pretty empty, apart from a single peony that wasn't particularly happy in its current position. It didn't take long for an idea to form. By moving the peony to a better location elsewhere in the garden, I'd have the perfect spot for another hydrangea.
I'd been wanting to add another hydrangea to the garden for some time, so I decided to have a look around a few local garden centres to see what was available. Winter isn't the best time to shop for hydrangeas, but sometimes you get lucky.
As it turned out, I was very lucky. The first place I visited, our local Mitre 10, had exactly the hydrangea I was hoping to find, 'Bridal Bouquet'.
'Bridal Bouquet' is a beautiful white-flowering hydrangea prized for its mop head blooms. The flowers open creamy white before gradually ageing to soft green tones, providing interest over a long period. Like many white hydrangeas, it brightens shady areas of the garden and combines well with a wide range of other plants. Its blooms are excellent for cutting and can also be dried, extending their usefulness long after the flowering season has finished.
It didn't take long to dig a hole and plant my new hydrangea. With its new home prepared, 'Bridal Bouquet' was finally settled into the garden.
Because the soil in this part of the garden is quite compact and filled with decorative schist stones, I decided to add a bag of Tui Mulch & Feed around 'Bridal Bouquet' and along the garden bed. I even had enough to spread it all the way along the bed to my other hydrangea. Whenever I add a new permanent perennial to the garden, I like to add mulch and feed around it. Over time, this helps improve the soil across the whole wider garden.
With all these small jobs done, this shady area of the garden feels much tidier, and the plants are now in positions that should suit them much better. I'm looking forward to seeing how they grow this coming spring.
Have a wonderful day,
Julie-Ann
If you'd like to continue the conversation, you can find me on Instagram, Mastodon, Bluesky, and Facebook.
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