Pruning Ligustrum and Hollies

Pruned the Ligustrum and Hollies a little for shape.

Fertilizer and insecticide

Fertilized all the shrubs today with 16 4 8 or Holly-tone or Osmocote. Also treated three fire ant mounds.

Planted Dianthus and Scabiosa, Lysimachia, Ragin' Cajun and Tricolor Sage

Planted the Dianthus and Scabiosa I found on the clearance rack at Lowes, then the Lysimachia, Ragin Cajun Ruellia, and Tricolor Sage in the raised perennial bed.

Conservatory Plants

Moved a number of plants out of the conservatory today. Also potted up the Bougainvillea I bought on Monday and the Mandevilla. I decided to give them a couple more days in the conservatory before exposing them to the outside.

Path from the screen porch to the helipad

Originally this was going to be stepping stones but the cobbles looked so good I thought a continuous path would be better. I used 258 cobbles, 6" x 6" and need 5 more for a total of 263.

Planting - Geraniums, Sweet Potato, Bloody Sorrel

Planted 2 Geraniums, a Bloody Sorrel and a Black Sweet Potato Vine in the front bed by the golfer.

Planting - Liquidambar, Bamboo

Planted the Liquidambar Gumball along the property line and the Rivieriorum Bamboo by the pool fence.

Planting - Butterflies Magnolia, Illicium

Planted the Butterflies Magnolia and Illicium in semi-raised beds along the back right property line.

Planting - May Knight, Pond Cypress, Ilex Highlander and Frankinia

This afternoon I transplanted the May Night Salvia from the Courtyard next to the Raised Perennial Bed. Also the Prairie Sentinel Pond Cypress on the corner of the golf course, the Highlander Holly near the AC units and the Franklinia by the guest room window (replacing the dead one!) Then I moved 5 Lirope from the Front Island Bed and planted them around the Pond Cypress and planted a new Sun Coleus and Sweet Potato Vine in the front.

Planting - Purple Pixis, Acorus, Fibre Optic Grass, Juncus

This afternoon I planted the Purple Pixie Loropetalum near the raised perennial bed, by the future bird house. Also 15 Variegated Acorus in the fountain bed by the pool, along with a Fibre Optic Grass and Curly Juncus.

Ornamental Grasses

Cut all the grasses back - need to be a couple of weeks earlier next year.

Herbicide

A full round of Roundup - 7.5 gallons used.

Path edging

I worked on the edging for the path from the garage to the back garden. It is a stone edge so I used the stones I was clearing up.

Planting - Eurya

Had to move the Green Thinly Margined Eurya from the perennial bed - it was browned badly from the cold this winter - needs a more sheltered location I think. So I put it by the helipad where one of the Cordylines was. The Cordyline appeared dead, but when dug up, the roots were still alive so I transplanted it in the perennial bed for the time being.

Mulch and Herbicide

Removed the pine straw from the raised perennial bed and replaced it with 10 bags of shredded hardwood mulch. Weeded the bed and put down a weed preventer underneath the new mulch.

Planting - Gardenias

Raised and replanted the 13 Gardenias in the island bed. Also added a gravel drainage channel all around the bed.

Roundup and Pre-emerge

Sprayed Roundup on the weeds in the front gardens - lots of problems with the sprayer! Also spread pre-emergent (Halts) on the front lawn and the pool lawn (but not around the pool).

Planting - Helleri, Loropetalum, Daisy Gardenias

Planted the replacement Helleri that I bought at McCorkles in December, on the left side of the driveway. Also raised and replanted the three Loropetalums in the front island bed. Dug a drainage channel in the bed to move the water away from the plants. Planted the two replacement Daisy Gardenias by the turret.

Planting - Helleri

Moved a Helleri Holly from in front of the fire hydrant to the other side of the driveway to replace one of the ones that failed last summer. Also added soil to the base of the first Dwarf Yaupon Holly on the right side of the drive because the soil has been washed away.

Pre-emerge

Spread pre-emergent herbicide, Halts, on the croquet lawn and bermuda lawn.

Crocus and daffodils starting to flower

The crocus in the pot by the courtyard gate are blooming and the daffodils in the perennial bed are starting to bloom.

Cut flowers

Got my first daffodils for the house today, from the cutting garden by the conservatory.

Weeding

Weeded the cutting garden around the conservatory and the perennial bed.

Pruning

Cut back Liriope in the perennial bed. Also trimmed dead wood from perennials, cut the Lantana in the courtyard and front garden and pruned the Crape for shape.