Preparing the garden for a tour, part 5 of a series.

 This is part five of a series devoted to getting a garden ready for the Rome, Ga. Junior Service League tour of gardens which will take place on April 28, 2012. To find the other articles of this series, CLICK HERE

 April 15. The season is progressing and we had a bit less than three weeks until the tour. The first thing on the agenda for a Tuesday morning was to take the cover off of the swimming pool. I was afraid to look, but when I did I saw that the water was a nice shade of green, but not as bad as it could have been. I have waited to open the pool until the multitude of wisteria blooms had finished falling.

 

 

Then, there was another issue in the form of some Schipp’s laurels that had been declining over a period of several years. I have worked on them for quite some time and they have just not responded. Time for them to go.

 

 

And we went to work. I waited until the end of the week to check items off my prodigious list. Here is the progress report:

 

 

The flower beds are all cleaned and furnished with fresh pine straw. They are now ready to plant but it is still a bit early to plant tender flowers in North Georgia, so I will wait until the final week before the tour.

 

 

I enjoyed the nice shapes of the plantings at the driveway entrance

 

 

 

We have worked for years shaping some dwarf yaupons as an entrance for a part of the front walkway. I’m very happy with the way they are looking now.

 

 

I still have a bit of work to do on the pool, but it’s starting to look good. We will get the water crystal clear next week.

 

 

I have been enjoying this rhododendron on the back brick pathway. I’m sure the blooms will be gone before the tour, but I am reminded of one of my favorite poems by Edna St. Vincent Millay:

“My candle burns at both ends,

It will not last the night.

But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends

It gives a lovely light.”

 

 

I am happy to see that the knockout roses are putting out new flower buds. My boldness in cutting the early buds just may pay off. I hope so.

 

 

I have replaced the straggly laurels with some very nice hydrangeas. I think it looks a lot better. I am much happier about this area now.

 

 

The buds on the Annabelle hydrangeas are developing nicely. I do think we will have at least some hydrangea flowers for the tour.

 

 

 

We have tended to the large weeping cherry and I dearly love the way it frames the view of the valley.

 

 

 

We’re right on schedule. It has been a most wonderful spring, hasn’t it?

To see a previous article about this lovely landscape garden, CLICK HERE

To read about Johntheplantman and the rednecks, 

As usual, I would just love for you click here to go to Amazon and purchase the ebook edition of my wonderful book, Requiem for a Redneck to go on your Kindle. I have also noticed that Amazon now has a free Kindle app for iphones and tablets. Is that cool or what?

 

If you want a consultation with John Schulz in your yard in N.W. Georgia, send me an email at wherdepony@bellsouth.net