The sunshine this week has made the spring bulb plants pop. My tree peonies are making lots of silent noise, getting ready for their show - and they will put on a show believe me. That is one plant everyone should consider a "must have" in the landscape. No flopping when blooms set on and if they are pruned from the bottom up, they will grow larger and taller and be a small tree in the garden.
When I raked away the accumulation of dead vegetation in areas around the garden, there were young plants making a show already. My hydrangeas are still quiet - but every year they come on more slowly. I cleaned away the dead matt of vegetation left by the Sweet Autumn Clematis vine and found tendrils that were growing and green - and may have been doing that all winter because they were buried inside the spent plant. In any event, I cut it off about 2 feet from the ground and I'm sure it will again cover the trellis before summer is over.
It was a very satisfying time spent in the garden. It is so good to be working outside on a warm day, breathing the fresh air after the long winter.
