Midwest Gardening REDO: Departing Lilies

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Midwest Gardening Gardening REDO: Departing Lilies.

    This is definitely and Old,New,Green,REDO post.

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This was last weekend before my surgery. A dear friend gifted me a five gallon bucket of Iris corms/roots from their developments thinning project. I have been having a tough time this summer accomplishing anything while unable to withstand the high temperatures. The garden had to pretty much take care of itself. But I had to take advantage of this great gift.

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I love Iris and have many in the front yard, but none in the back, so I decided to use them in this Well plot.

Right now the center pot sitting on our well pump is bedraggled like everything else. I really needed to get something done, as I knew I wouldn't be doing anything after the surgery on the 15th.

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Last year I had thinned the Tiger Lilies(ditch lilies) in this plot. It's roughly 8x8. But it was overgrown again this year because of all the early rains we had. Our well pump is in the middle, a ramp next to it, a 30 year old Clematis in the lower left corner and trellis but was totally overrun with Tiger Lilies.

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I actually like the lilies in arrangements, but I must confess that they had taken over the entire bed that used to also have room to put annuals, pots and statuary. The roots were starting to go into the lawn and pop up between the wood slats on the porch and ramp. 

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This was one of the first projects we did when we moved in in 1984. I'm not sure when, but we bought a bunch of bushes, plants, and bulbs from Michigan Bulb. One of their crazy 'plant a yard' specials...and that was the extent of enhancing our yard for years. I thinks we started with 4 Lily plants in this 8x8 plot.

Apparently I haven't shared many photos of this area since I started blogging, as I had to go back a few years to even find this from 2021. One thing about lilies, if you want something easy to take care of, to fill space, to stabilize hillsides, or shorelines, these darn Ditch Lilies are the plant for you. 

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Anyway the plan was to pull everything out except a line across the back.  I dug with pitch fork and shovel, and dug, and dug, and pulled and yanked.

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One of the goals was to save this Clematis on the left side. I carefully pullled all the Lily roots from around there also.

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This is @ 12" across and 8" Thick...solid roots. I shook all the dirt off (we have been very dry here the last 8 weeks.) 

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Roots so thick---it was like chopping rocks.

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I managed to spear a clump and my pitchfork got stuck, I had to cut the roots into pieces to get the pitchfork out.

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You know how you pick up tools, when you don't even know what they are for. This Husky tool was on sale last year super cheap. I have other garden tools with  the Husky handles which are so great, so I bought it for a dollar something---little did I know the saw tooth edge on the right would go right through these thick roots like 'BUTTUH". LOL

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I have Lilies elsewhere so all the roots/plants were tossed into the recycle bin.

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It took two days of cutting, pulling, digging and shaking the dirt off, but I filled this huge garbage can with JUST ROOTS.

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I was surprised at how great the dirt was despite nothing being done to it for such a long time.  Nice and black and crumbly, not at all like the original clay crap soil we started with. We added the used potato bin soil to it (1/2 compost + 1/2 new garden  soil)  and let it sit a day or two. We had another family crisis last week and finally on Monday Hubby helped me plant all the Iris, Tulips and Daffodils

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The Iris we planted were White, Blue, and Yellow.

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I also planted a ring of variegated Tulips, yellow Tulips, some Daffodils sprinkled around the edges.

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I made a block path behind the pump which will be serviced in early November. The upside down pot got replaced and set on a base of blocks. Because we have had terrible problems with critters this year, we put heavy plastic mesh fencing (two thicknesses) over all the plantings. Hopefully, this will keep the squirrels, chippies, moles, voles, and whatever else from feasting on everything and from digging up all the bulbs. 

Over the years we have probably planted a thousand tulip bulbs, and we are actually  happy when a few actually show up and bloom.

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 I also planted Baby tears around all the edges of the bed from the stuff hanging in the center pot!  This plant is one that keeps giving. With our milder winters now it pretty much will live anywhere in the ground. My original $15.00 purchase has created ground covers in multiple areas and plantings in all my pots. This year it was especially happy.

We are crossing our fingers on this new planting bed. There should be plenty of room for a nice annual pot in front of the Clematis, and places for a few other flowers after the Tulips and Daffodils are done. We will put a wood barrier in across the back to contain the remaining Lily plants. But that's it for now!

This was a HUGE THRIFTY REDO for us old folks, crossing my fingers. We are looking forward to a colorful Spring.

Tools and Supplies We used:

Shovel

Pitchfork

Husky cutting/bulb tool on sale last year.

Sweat...lol

Garbage can to recycle yard waste $0

1 bag of variegated Tulips $11.97

Leftover yellow Tulip bulbs from a gifted pot $0

Daffodils ( reused from the patch itself) $0

Iris (gifted corms from a friend) $0

Baby Tears cuttings for edges $0

Reused Dirt from potato bin $0

Mesh Fencing ($6.99)

Odd bricks and blocks from the yard $0

Replacement pot for covering the well. (reused) $0

NEXT:  We still have Carrots and Beets  in the vegetable garden that have to come up with the garden clean up.

We've had a few light frosts, but have another week of warm weather forecasted. So there is still time. 

This post was featured at in November 24

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 Sandi Magle

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Spring and Midwest Gardening 2024 : Mid-March Miscellaneous

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Happy Spring somewhere in the USA, dear Readers. Here in Chicagoland it is a bit IFFY, day to day.

This is the extent of my Spring decorating. We have so many projects and messes going on right now, decorating is last on the list. I have removed 90% of the red in our home, but we are stuck with the red chairs in the living room. 

Here in the kitchen, it is all about blue and white pottery-much with a Dutch theme, and a few tulips and daffodils. 

I found the adorable peasant applique towel to cover the TV...in an antique store, it's too sweet, a little red is fun!

The top shelf has Daffodils, Dutch shoes and a very old German paste bunny. The Tulip plates are almost 20 years old, I don't remember where they came from, Crate and Barrel maybe?

My Spring linens are AWOL somewhere in the 50 tubs out on the summer porch. That's on the TO DO List. 

I pulled out a linen towel desperately in need of ironing

 (I don't iron anymore, do you?) But Christmas Pig is messy when eating. The marbles are a jar full of fun for Spring! The Tulip card was for my Birthday in February while the French coffeepot is full of faux pansies, but waiting for fresh Daffodils, soon!

The Green is the main decor elsewhere in the kitchen, the seedlings are doing well, and grow by leaps and bounds each day.

An Oxalis plant with a bit of purple...I'm looking forward to growing outside in a pot and maybe wintering back in the house. My porcelain Teapot was a vintage purchase off Etsy.

My IXIA bulbs are all sprouting as well as the peppers, tomatoes and the Ranunculus and Dahlias are unfurling as I type this.

It's raining today with a promise of colder temps again.

Tuesday it was warm in the high 60's and I dragged a big bin around and collected all the big branches and twigs that had fallen in the last storm. It wasn't too bad, but I definitely packed the biggest garbage bin full with branches and my sedum branches, just from the front yard. 

Only things blooming were these crocus that I planted last year.

Our messy beds will stay messy until we have no more frosts---this protects the BEES and other bugs that are nesting in the waste. They dig down and hide under anything that can insulate them to 'sleep' in the winter. It's their winter hidey-holes, so PLEASE leave all your messy waste in the garden, the birds also eat the seeds.

Please SAVE THE BEES!

Apparently we still have critters (bunnies-woodchucks?-deer), chomping down on all our plants. Hubby swears he hasn't seen any tracks? But, then we have no bare ground in our front yard. I will look tomorrow after our heavy rains today.

This Zebra grass is chewed right down to the ground. Tomorrow I will apply coyote urine all around my tulips and grasses, a great natural harmless deterrant.

Those are some pretty big chomps...making me think a deer might be involved.

Grass has begun to green up. The platform was the project hubby started in Fall of 2022, and never got to finish last year with all the basement reconstruction and fruit-basket upset we had to do on our property.

I'm going to have to quit calling this the mound, it flattens each year. This is where we piled all the excavation dirt from building the garage in 2000ish. Can't even remember when for sure. Periwinkle is blooming, but Iris and bulbs are barely coming up here. Daffy's are just spikes as this is exposed and not sheltered at all here.

The crispy roundish leaves are Vinca which were green most of the winter, the last snow definitely burned them though. It's very hardy and I don't think you could get rid of all of it if you wanted to. Great ground cover that kills weeds.

Tuesday, my only Daffy trying to bud. The rain today should make them explode starting tomorrow.

Three years ago we planted 4 new bushes out here...this one is on the SW corner of the lot---shaded and very exposed to drying winds. Despite heavy watering on this corner this poor bush...well, it does have some green sprouting on the lower branches, so we will see. The others are thriving, so 75% is pretty good considering our very hot dry summers these last three years.

Hubby has been working in the greenhouse. The 2" pink foam insulation is being covered with plastic shower wall sheeting which is glued on the surface. He is finishing it off with treated boards. 

This will make it all water resistant and hopefully mouse proof. We had 180 patio blocks delivered this morning at 6:40 am...and it was still dark, LOL. 

We added a few bags of gravely stuff to even out the floor, and tomorrow we will start laying the blocks as tight as possible, and then the shelves can be put back in.

Hubby cut off the lower supports of these shelves and then hung the rest from the ceiling beams? Will this work with dirt filled pots on the shelves, we will see. He can always add supports underneath again after the floor is in place. 

We have had some very vicious storms in the last few years and the greenhouse has held up well, so it's worth the investment to finish this off.

 I can't wait to get everything moved back in and the plants growing in the greenhouse without the company of critters. The new stones on the floor will soak up solar heat/ which will cut the amount of electricity we use in the future. We are looking into a few solar panels down the line to make it off the grid to run the fan and maybe a heater in the cooler months. 

I'll show the floor in the next post, before we fill it up again...LOL. 

HOW'S YOUR SPRING GOING?

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Finally a Chicagoland Spring

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 After crazy temps...82 to 26 in one day this last week, rain, snow, wind...such is Spring in Chicagoland. For a few minutes today, the sun was shining...I ran outside and quick took some photos, and then ran back in and closed the windows because of pending rain showers.

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Daffy's that were frosted dead from low 20's temps.

Such a roller coaster. We've never moved into the greenhouse this year, and many plants have not started, I guess it will be a seed garden this year, eventually. We have also been drowned and then dry...crazy!

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Early periwinkle that froze---luckily the thick growth behind protected the plants.

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It's not just frost...we have munchers...a few bunnies. I do have baskets around my Rubrum Lilies, though. We try and not use anything harmful in the garden---and hopefully these late tulips will still bloom.

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I left the Giant Red Sedum plants for winter interest---I haven't finished clearing the beds, You can also see where the ornamental grass has been chewed on, but will keep coming. I constantly have to thin this or it becomes invasive.

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Why Sedums for the upper Midwest?

They are super hardy and drought tolerant---easy to grow in any soil, sun, or shade. They add structure to floral areas, the BEES LOVE THEM, and they are the last thing with color in Fall. 

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This is westside new area we planted near where the neighbors' walnut tree was cut down. Walnut shells kill just about everything. We also lost a wonderful Cinnamon Maple because of the Walnut, not to mention the mess. 

The small bushes are old growth Forsythia we trimmed way back, added two new Cedar, one columnar and one global. Some transplanted striped grass, and I added a bunch of bulbs last Fall, we will see what makes it. I have the Liatris started in the kitchen which will be perfect here for interest.

We have Creeping sedum started on the edges, I will transplant more this year. The dense roots are good soil retention along the beams.

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In front of the house, the old growth Forsythia dies and basically moved. Now it's crowding these fab old Tulips. You can see the nibbles on the leaves. Love the centers and yellow edges.

Mostly I have Iris in this front flower bed and late tulips which are barely up.

“After women, flowers are the most divine creations.” – Christian Dior

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The westside is pretty sad at the moment. This gets lots of shade, has crappy soil (clay based) and is dotted with this and that. I use focal pots over on this side. We plant bulbs, which last a few years if the squirrels don't get them.

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I always plant in groups of threes. Here it looks like two are still alive.

Pretty soft color on this tulip. I hope the others make it!

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The Mound at the front of our lot looks the best, right now. We have planted new bushes in the last two years, so this area gets watered regularly. Here you can see the perennials doing well, despite the crazy weather.

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YEARS AND YEARS AGO ( 20 or more) We planted Periwinkle here because of the shade from the Spruce trees and the crappy soil. Well, who knew I have been moving it around the last couple of years, so with the regular watering and more sun as we lose the trees, it's doing very well. It's hardy--almost evergreen-- in non-snow months, and is the only thing choking the mint I have been pulling for 39 years!!!

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Speaking of Mint, this is just outside the mound bed---so invasive and nothing kills it. We have already applied weed treatment on the lawn. We are in a lake community and we only use the recommended treatments as all run off ends up in the lake.

I wonder if CEMENT would work...LOL.

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The centerpiece of the mound bed is the birdbath. But, these red ladies are stealing the show!

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Our crocus and snowdrops were under snow and barely made an appearance...but these TULIPS are gorgeous, but have to brave some wind and cool temps as well as crazy hot.

The Periwinkle doesn't seem to bother perennials, although it will hamper annuals, so I'm going to stick with pots for color here.

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We have one Peony left. Old ones were replaced with some new columnar bushes.. Vinca vines are also a ground cover, drought tolerant and hardy. I haven't cleaned out any of the flower beds, leaving the waste for the bees and helpful insects for some warm safety from the crazy temps.

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Since most of the Daffodils were frozen, I'm excited at how gorgeous and brilliant these Tulips are...and love the striped foliage.

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Even with the wind, the camera caught their faces staring right back at me.

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These pale Narcissus are the last grouping on the mound. They really multiplied in two years. Whee! I will get to split them in Fall! 

He who has two cakes of bread, let him dispose of one of them or some flowers of the narcissus; for bread is the food of the body, and the narcissus is the food of the soul.    GALEN                           

I will be moving lots of plants: Iris, Daffodils, three Day Lilies, and more giant Sedum, creeping Sedums here. The east flower bed by the house will be taken over for the All-house generator to be installed as soon as the permits go through. 

Hopefully, all those plants will be happy here! 

How Are Your Gardening Plans Doing?

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All the opinions and photographs in this blog are my own, I have not been paid or reimbursed in anyway for my opinions, posts or any products shown. Please do not use photos without linking back to this blog without my permission. Thank you for your cooperation, Sandi Magle

Sandi