Coffee Grounds

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In my last blog, I mentioned using coffee grounds as a snail and slug proof mulch around hosts. What I didn’t include then was a photograph to show what it all looks like. Here it is. (The red petals are from the nearby Japanese japonica.)

What I also forgot to mention last time were the erythronium ‘pagoda’ flowers. These, like the hellebore and the Hawera daffodils modestly look down, so they’re always viewed from above. They are a small but delicate addition to the burgeoning border.

There is also another modest flower elsewhere in the north facing border: the brunerra. I was given the mother plant by an acquaintance, and eventually divided it into five ‘daughters’ which are scattered about the border. Their foliage looks good with the ferns, which, at the moment, are just thinking about putting out leaves.

The other thing which has struck me this past few days is the way the borders have almost over night become full of foliage. Everything seems to growing frantically and there isn’t a bare patch in either border now.

The hemerocallis in a big pot are almost growing as you look at them. I did mean to divide them into two big pots during the fallow season, but didn’t get round to it. Last year they provided weeks of dozens of flowers. The acanthus is also doing well, and finally, a pot full of violas, which survived the worst that the winter could provide, have leapt back into action.

Finally, I managed to fill six more buckets with wood chips this morning (see my previous blog). So, I’m ready to do some more mulching once the celandine have died back in the south facing border. My next chore there is to start putting in the hoops to support the hardy geraniums before they grow to tall. Truly, garden chores never cease!

• 15 Apr, 2012
• 6 likes

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