The loropetalum has been covered in these fringy blossoms this week.
This week in the garden has been a wet one. We've had intermittent rain all week and I treasure every drop.
There is a down side, however. The wetness has meant it has been hard to get much done in the garden and, frankly, there is a lot that needs doing.
Right now the weeds are getting WAY ahead of me. If the rain clears out this weekend, I'll have my hands full trying to catch up. Also, I still have a few more perennials that need to be moved, including some crinums that have become much too crowded. And I still have more pruning to do.
I did manage to do some pruning in between showers. I cut back the flame acanthus which had grown rampantly all last summer. I usually trim it back some in summer but I was reluctant to touch it last year; consequently, the hedge along the veggie garden had grown almost as high as my head.
I also got the hamelias cut back. In most winters, these shrubs die all the way back to the ground, but this winter they all had some stems that were still alive and leafy.
There are still a few more roses and other shrubs to prune and I need to make my way to the fruit tree sales to pick up a couple of things.
Things are progressing in the garden, with or without my presence, and whether in the direction I would choose or not. Maybe next week will be a better one for gardening and I can begin to get a handle on things.
Nah. Not likely.
My weeds are way ahead of me too! Is it necessary to prune Flame Acanthus? Mine has started putting out leaves and I was just going to let it go, since it's not too big for it's corner of the garden. I wondered if they needed to be pruned to promote flowering or anything.
ReplyDeleteIt's not necessary unless the plant just gets too big for the space it's in, or unless it is needed for aesthetic reasons, Jayne. These plants can take a lot of whacking. There have been years that I have cut mine back to maybe 18" to 2' above the ground, but by the end of the season they are four - five feet tall again. I didn't cut them back so severely this year - just to the height of the fence behind them. But if you are happen with yours, I'd say leave it alone. My experience is that they will flower freely regardless of what the gardener does.
ReplyDeleteWeeds, oh weeds, perhaps we should cultivate weeds. They would do well in any climate for sure. Can't finish weeding and have been pruning roses for the last two weekends. The good news all plants are showing signs of growth, like the irises, and the bulbs are peeking through the moist dirt. Can't wait for spring.
ReplyDeleteI've often thought when trying to eradicate henbit or oxalis or purslane from my garden beds that I really should just surrender and cultivate them instead, Andi. I think you are on to something!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the post mate you have written it very well.
ReplyDeleteThanks for dropping by, Garden seeds.
ReplyDelete