Mystery garden

Pie · 03-12-2009, 09:53 AM

So, as many of you know, I have a new house. This house has a garden. A garden lovingly tended for many years by the previous owners. We moved into the house in January, when most plants were dormant. Now, spring is arriving and things are starting to wake up.

There are... things... blooming, growing, wanting to be fed. A very few of them, I recognize (Japanese Andromeda, daffodils, rhododendrons, azaleas, vinca, pachysandra. And lots of moss.) The rest are

.

Tonight, I will post some pictures of what is out there. I hope to pull on the vast collective gardening experience of the Dwellars for identification and perhaps some advise.

Right now, I'll ask a shorter question:

What are the critical, can't-do-without gardening and yard maintenance tools?

We have about 0.2 acres, not much grass. Lots of trees, so lots of leaves. It's in Maryland, so that's hardiness zone 6, I think. My track record with gardening is spotty at best, so I'd like to keep it simple.

glatt · 03-12-2009, 10:30 AM

whatever tools you buy, I'd suggest finding a flea market or yard sale type place with used tools. Much better to buy a shovel or garden rake for $5 than $30, and when you are buying 6-8 tools it adds up. Garden tools last decades, so a used one is fine.

I mostly use a long handled shovel, garden rake, leaf rake, mattock (the best dirt digging tool imho. Get one with an axe one on side and adze/hoe on the other. It's great for cutting through roots as you dig. This is an awesome tool.), bypass loppers, pruning saw. I also have an extension pole saw that gets used every year to trim branches that get too close to our power lines while staying safely on the ground.

There's lots of other stuff you can buy that would be useful, but that's what I would start with.

Clodfobble · 03-12-2009, 02:32 PM

This is my favorite yard tool.

Pie · 03-12-2009, 02:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clodfobble

This is my favorite yard tool.

Scriveyn · 03-12-2009, 02:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pie

... Right now, I'll ask a shorter question:

What are the critical, can't-do-without gardening and yard maintenance tools?

..., so I'd like to keep it simple.

A deckchair and a machete.

Pie · 03-12-2009, 05:28 PM

This is a vine climbing a trellis covering the dryer exhaust vent. It's also sorta-strangling the Japanese Andromeda next to it. It has little white pop-pom flowers (dried, from last year, apparently). Identification? Should I disentangle it from its prey, or let Darwinian selection rule the day?

jinx · 03-12-2009, 07:00 PM

I'm just guessing...

Post #6 looks like a Clematis, #7 looks like Honeysuckle, #9 looks like Forsythia, #14 has a big Hydrangea - my favorite.

Pie · 03-12-2009, 07:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jinx

I'm just guessing...
Post #6 looks like a Clematis, #7 looks like Honeysuckle, #9 looks like Forsythia, #14 has a big Hydrangea - my favorite.

Yeah, there are great big hydrangeas in three or four places. Should I cut them back?
Re: #9: I think it's a little too small to be forsythia, and doesn't forsythia usually bloom before it puts out leaves?
I had to go look up Clematis -- it looks like it will have beautiful flowers! I can't wait to see what comes up next.

jinx · 03-12-2009, 07:16 PM

Don't cut the hydrangea back, it won't bloom again for several years of you do.
There are quite a few kinds of clematis... some grow slowly and some will takeover quickly. I used to cut mine down to the ground every year and it would still get out of hand. If that's what you've go there I would at least cut it back off it's neighbors... although it doesn't look like it got too big last year.

LabRat · 03-13-2009, 09:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pie

I can't wait to see what comes up next.

We moved in to our house in early spring, before anything had started to sprout/come up. I loved the little surpises I found around our yard every time I went out. On the other hand, I am STILL trying to get rid of some of the stuff, like a damn rose bush, that won't stop coming back after 6 years!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pie

Yeah, there are great big hydrangeas in three or four places. Should I cut them back?

I walk by a church every day on my way to work that has 4-6 huge gorgeous hydrangeas between the building and the sidewalk. Every fall for the last 8 years, they have cut them down to within inches of the ground, and every spring, they come back as beautiful as ever. I don't know how long they were there before I started working here though...so maybe you can only cut mature ones back like this?

Take your pictures to a local greenhouse/nursery, along with a sample of each if you are really feeling spunky. They will be able to identify everything, no problem.

Have fun!!!

Pie · 03-12-2009, 05:30 PM

I dunno what this is. Big, vine-y thing, about 5 feet tall.

Pie · 03-12-2009, 05:31 PM

What is this plant, and does it have a condition I should be worried about?

Pie · 03-12-2009, 05:32 PM

Small, shrubby, don't know what it is.

Pie · 03-12-2009, 05:32 PM

Lots of snowdrops everywhere.

Pie · 03-12-2009, 05:35 PM

Sorry this is so washed out -- the plant in the foreground has purple flowers that are all hanging their heads. There's a white variety of the same flower elsewhere in the yard. The purple plant in the background looks like it's a goner. Is it?

03-12-2009, 02:32 PM	#3
Clodfobble UNDER CONDITIONAL MITIGATION Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 20,012	This is my favorite yard tool. __________________ My book My other book My spirit animal

03-12-2009, 05:30 PM	#11
Pie Gone and done Join Date: Sep 2001 Posts: 4,808	I dunno what this is. Big, vine-y thing, about 5 feet tall. __________________ per·son \ˈpər-sən\ (noun) - an ephemeral collection of small, irrational decisions The fun thing about evolution (and science in general) is that it happens whether you believe in it or not.

03-12-2009, 05:31 PM	#12
Pie Gone and done Join Date: Sep 2001 Posts: 4,808	What is this plant, and does it have a condition I should be worried about? __________________ per·son \ˈpər-sən\ (noun) - an ephemeral collection of small, irrational decisions The fun thing about evolution (and science in general) is that it happens whether you believe in it or not.

03-12-2009, 05:32 PM	#13
Pie Gone and done Join Date: Sep 2001 Posts: 4,808	Small, shrubby, don't know what it is. __________________ per·son \ˈpər-sən\ (noun) - an ephemeral collection of small, irrational decisions The fun thing about evolution (and science in general) is that it happens whether you believe in it or not.

03-12-2009, 05:35 PM	#15
Pie Gone and done Join Date: Sep 2001 Posts: 4,808	Sorry this is so washed out -- the plant in the foreground has purple flowers that are all hanging their heads. There's a white variety of the same flower elsewhere in the yard. The purple plant in the background looks like it's a goner. Is it? __________________ per·son \ˈpər-sən\ (noun) - an ephemeral collection of small, irrational decisions The fun thing about evolution (and science in general) is that it happens whether you believe in it or not.

03-12-2009, 09:53 AM	#1
Pie Gone and done Join Date: Sep 2001 Posts: 4,808	Mystery garden So, as many of you know, I have a new house. This house has a garden. A garden lovingly tended for many years by the previous owners. We moved into the house in January, when most plants were dormant. Now, spring is arriving and things are starting to wake up. There are... things... blooming, growing, wanting to be fed. A very few of them, I recognize (Japanese Andromeda, daffodils, rhododendrons, azaleas, vinca, pachysandra. And lots of moss.) The rest are . Tonight, I will post some pictures of what is out there. I hope to pull on the vast collective gardening experience of the Dwellars for identification and perhaps some advise. Right now, I'll ask a shorter question: What are the critical, can't-do-without gardening and yard maintenance tools? We have about 0.2 acres, not much grass. Lots of trees, so lots of leaves. It's in Maryland, so that's hardiness zone 6, I think. My track record with gardening is spotty at best, so I'd like to keep it simple. __________________ per·son \ˈpər-sən\ (noun) - an ephemeral collection of small, irrational decisions The fun thing about evolution (and science in general) is that it happens whether you believe in it or not. Last edited by Pie; 03-12-2009 at 10:41 AM. Reason: formatting

03-12-2009, 10:30 AM	#2
glatt ™ Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Arlington, VA Posts: 27,717	whatever tools you buy, I'd suggest finding a flea market or yard sale type place with used tools. Much better to buy a shovel or garden rake for $5 than $30, and when you are buying 6-8 tools it adds up. Garden tools last decades, so a used one is fine. I mostly use a long handled shovel, garden rake, leaf rake, mattock (the best dirt digging tool imho. Get one with an axe one on side and adze/hoe on the other. It's great for cutting through roots as you dig. This is an awesome tool.), bypass loppers, pruning saw. I also have an extension pole saw that gets used every year to trim branches that get too close to our power lines while staying safely on the ground. There's lots of other stuff you can buy that would be useful, but that's what I would start with.

03-12-2009, 05:28 PM	#6
Pie Gone and done Join Date: Sep 2001 Posts: 4,808	This is a vine climbing a trellis covering the dryer exhaust vent. It's also sorta-strangling the Japanese Andromeda next to it. It has little white pop-pom flowers (dried, from last year, apparently). Identification? Should I disentangle it from its prey, or let Darwinian selection rule the day? __________________ per·son \ˈpər-sən\ (noun) - an ephemeral collection of small, irrational decisions The fun thing about evolution (and science in general) is that it happens whether you believe in it or not.

03-12-2009, 07:00 PM	#7
jinx Come on, cat. Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: general vicinity of Philadelphia area Posts: 7,013	I'm just guessing... Post #6 looks like a Clematis, #7 looks like Honeysuckle, #9 looks like Forsythia, #14 has a big Hydrangea - my favorite. __________________ Crying won't help you, praying won't do you no good.

03-12-2009, 07:16 PM	#9
jinx Come on, cat. Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: general vicinity of Philadelphia area Posts: 7,013	Don't cut the hydrangea back, it won't bloom again for several years of you do. There are quite a few kinds of clematis... some grow slowly and some will takeover quickly. I used to cut mine down to the ground every year and it would still get out of hand. If that's what you've go there I would at least cut it back off it's neighbors... although it doesn't look like it got too big last year. __________________ Crying won't help you, praying won't do you no good.

03-12-2009, 05:32 PM	#14
Pie Gone and done Join Date: Sep 2001 Posts: 4,808	Lots of snowdrops everywhere. __________________ per·son \ˈpər-sən\ (noun) - an ephemeral collection of small, irrational decisions The fun thing about evolution (and science in general) is that it happens whether you believe in it or not.

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