Springtime is such a wonderful time of year for our little community! Our residents start to enjoy the beautiful outdoor patio again, the songbirds begin to flock to our numerous bed feeders, and we plant a new crop of tasty vegetables and beautiful annual flowers!
I love seeing the perennial flowers bursting out of the ground after a long winters rest. Its interesting to speculate on whether the winter was cold enough, snowy enough, or mild enough, to create the perfect conditions for top growth and flowering.
Here at the front door you can find our Major Wheeler Honeysuckle, which was planted back in 2017 with the thought that it could grow up the steel post that holds up the front porch roof. Boy did it take hold, and it is almost unruly now! I have to prune frequently, but it always comes back with abandon, threatening to grow into the woodwork of the porch. It is so dense that a Robin's nest once was built in its tendrils, hosting a family of chicks for a season! This vine requires almost no care except for frequent pruning, and flowers vigorously throughout the season attracting bees, hummingbirds, and other flower-loving creatures!
In the back yard we have some very vigorous pollinators coming up right now; Catsmint and False Indigo complement each other with bright yellow and intense purple, both providing a smorgasbord of succulence for nectar loving bees and other pollinators. The indigo is a real show stopper, with thick stalks emerging from the ground in early April, almost like Asparagus, then turning purple, and finally burning with bright yellow pea-like flowers on tall sturdy stalks. Catsmint is a thoroughly hearty perennial, growing quickly in the spring into a large bush covered in purple flowers throughout the summer. These both can be anywhere that there is sun and I have found them to be quite drought-resistant. They have also never been bothered by the deer, which is nice!
This year I decided to head to the store and select some potted flowers for the yard. I chose something new, something I haven't bought before, but have always had my eye on - Gerbera Daisies! These almost cartoonish daisies with large, primary colored flowers and perfect, meaty leaves, have always interested me so I thought I would give it a go! I am hoping they will last through the summer. I suspect the deciding factor will be water, they look like something that cannot dry out. But I will stay disciplined because I know it will be worth it!
Finally we have to tip our hat to the early spring Pansies I planted in April. They have held up astoundingly well all spring thanks to milder temperatures and abundant sunlight. I have them on irrigation so they get watered at the same time every day through a soaker hose, and this has proven to be a great method for keeping them moist and healthy. I suspect in a week or so it will become too hot and Ill have to replace them, but for now they are so pretty and bring bright happy color to all parts of the yard!
Thank you for reading my post! Here's to a lovely Memorial Day weekend and a terrific summer!
-G