The crepe myrtles in the neighborhood have been cropped cruelly hard, looking like massive sticks. They look terrible right now, but it had to be done. Proper pruning promotes new growth and keeps plants full and lush.
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| Crepe myrtle waiting for spring, and some azaleas beating them to the punch. Those are live oaks in the background, they are called that because they don't lose their leaves in the winter. |
Once again it is time to work outside, pruning, moving, dividing, and planting. That is exactly what I have been doing all week. It feels good to be outside digging in the dirt again, knowing good times are ahead. Any minute there will be a surge of life and all those gnarly twigs and massive sticks will wake up, bursting open and showing us what they can do.
I have been looking forward to this gardening season. We are less Upstate New Yorkers and more Central Floridians now. It is human nature to acclimate over time. It happens if you live someplace long enough, even if you stubbornly don't want to change.
I have a better appreciation for this place and some idea of what will grow here. More to the point, I know what will NOT grow here. I learned the hard way. I guess I have been pruned back hard, too. I am anxious to see what I can do, once spring brings me back to life.
And yes, that is the fabulous Carlene Carter who married Nick Lowe in this video.
My mother, who recently moved to Sebring, is trying to figure out what she can plant around her little place. She does not, however, have the gardening but... I suggested she might consider lavender.
ReplyDeleteI think the summers in zone 9 might be too humid and wet for lavender to survive, however - there seems to be a variety that might work. Here's the link:
Deletehttp://thedailysouth.southernliving.com/2014/03/27/a-real-lavender-for-the-south-sweet/
I look at beds that need the leaves and other detritus raked away and think it may be warm enough this weekend. Then it snows.
ReplyDeleteYes, I feel a little guilty talking about spring right now knowing so many people I care about are about a month to 6 weeks away from it. I think I appreciated spring even more when I lived in NYS.
DeleteEven though I live in SE Pennsylvania and winter is still here. I know that in another month, green will start appearing and my world will look a lot different. I am keeping my fingers crossed for my Crepe Myrtles. I have had them for years, but the horrible 2014 winter did a lot of damage and almost killed some of them off. However, some branches survived and bloomed and I hope they return this spring. They are my favorite bushes and give me so much joy.
ReplyDeleteI didn't realize you could grow them that far north. I didn't experience Crepe Myrtles until I moved down here. We have two and I really like them.
DeleteI'm glad to hear you are enjoying your yard! Crepe Myrtles are some of my favorite Florida foliage ~ they remind me of fireworks when they are in full bloom!! I look forward to seeing all of your landscaping in person soon!
ReplyDeleteI look forward to seeing you and C, too - but don't hold your breath on our landscaping. It will be a couple of years before everything comes together. Sigh...
DeleteWe have had our mildest winter I can recall but I am still anxiously anticipating Spring. The light is changing and you can smell it in the air. Soon. Soon.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I wouldn't want to live too far south, I do envy the longer growing season. We rush to get things planted and then harvested all in just a few months. Or maybe I should be thankful that we have longer periods of no gardening chores : )
The weather down here really is fabulous, but our changing seasons lack the transformative qualities that one experiences up north where the 4 seasons are so dramatically different. There are always trade-offs.
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