The Outside Gardens Wake Up

Spring seems to have arrived in Philadelphia, even if the calendar doesn’t say so. I even saw a woodpecker at my suet feeder the other day, but wasn’t able to get a photo.

First blossom on my cherry tree.

The front garden

There are five medium-to-large plant containers in front of the house, and almost all the plants in them are showing signs of waking up. The hellebores are blooming. The phlox stayed a bit green through the whole winter, and the magenta asters and lemon balm have new growth. The hosta has some green looking roots, so I suspect it will come back soon. There’s also a small mystery plant in there with purple leaves that might be either a lamium or an agastache. No one seems quite sure.

The back garden

In the raised bed on the back patio, the pink yarrows and the purple asters are coming back. There are also two other purplish looking plants returning, although I’m not quite sure what they are. I also threw in some seeds to see if they’ll germinate:

• yarrow
• dusky rose california
• poppy
• tulsi kapoor
• purple columbine
• scarlet sage
• orange cosmos

So far, I haven’t seen any germination, but it’s still early. Some of them may take a while.

There are also a bunch of perennials in containers that are coming back:

• Amsonia
• Clematis
• Blueberry Buckle (Bushel and Berry)
• Mints (of course) – I have too much right now and will probably give away several plants/divisions.
• Strawberries – I don’t love the flavor of these and will probably give these to a neighbor.
• Sage
• Bee Balm – another plant that seems to love moisture. I’m not sure if I’ll keep these and move them or give them away. Maybe some combination.

And finally there are the perennials that may not have survived or for which it’s still too early to tell:

• Thyme – I’m not too upset about this as I have plenty growing indoors.
• Raspberry – I hope this one comes back.
• Smooth Blue Aster – It had a good run, but I think it’s gone. It’s a really thirsty plant, so I’ll probably replace it with something more drought tolerant.
• Coneflowers – If it’s gone, that’s okay. I may try to grow a more compact variety
• Pink Agastache – I hope this one comes back.