Dig. Plant. Weed. Mulch. Fertilize. I’ve been busy in the garden these last few weeks as have the the plants themselves and the insects they attract. Here in garden zone 8a of Baltimore County, Maryland, nearly all of my roses boast buds accompanied by aphids, tiny bugs that enjoy sucking sap from a rosebud. In years past I have squished aphids or squirted them off, but I felt confident that the ladybugs that took up residence in my flower beds would eat their full of the aphid buffet soon enough. It’s believed ladybugs can eat 50 or more aphids in a single day. Sure enough, when I checked back a few days later, only this aphid lingered. Unless a pest is obliterating a plant, I tend to let nature do its thing or find other less severe options to mitigate pests. Last year, a praying mantis showed up (they eat just about any insect in range).

Speaking of life, I’m delighted to see everything I planted last year managed to resurface this year! A couple of hostas kept me in suspense as they just now broke ground (in mid-April) whereas others manifested in late March.

The side of the house is part shade which is why I planted several hostas as well as broke up one large hosta and transplanted five sections of the original in that shaded location. After a minor outdoor plumbing repair (where the sump pump drains) and adding river rock, I decided to plant a shrub known as ‘Golden Euonymus’ to hide the pipe that runs along the house as well as the gutter. When I purchased the house, it already had these golden-green shrubs that retain their foliage throughout the winter; so, I was familiar with their habitat and it was only $11 at Home Depot. Before planting the new shrub, however, I relocated a large hosta known as ‘Blue Angel’ by a foot or two to the left. I also added other hostas between a hydrangea bush and a reddish shrub aptly named ‘burning bush’. I also lined a sidewalk with brick for a cohesive look in the backyard that same Sunday last week and set up small trellises for my clematises to climb. One week later, my clematis has reached the top of the 4-foot trellises! As I said, my plants and I have been busy.

On Friday, a plant order arrived on my doorstep from Proven Winners which I quickly planted before the whipping winds consumed our region. I ordered 3 pink dianthus (they look like carnation mounds), 2 pink veronica speedwells, and 1 lavender. Last year, I planted several of Proven Winners’ lavender known as ‘Sweet Romance’ in one particular bed as a border. I intended on planting sweet alyssum, a dainty low-growing white flower, in between the lavendar but that never transpired. This year, I added the lavender that just arrived and staggered the pink dianthus between the lavender border (instead of my sweet alyssum idea from last year). My garden has a pink, purple, white, and yellow theme.

Meanwhile, the lamb’s ear I transplanted in the same bed a few weeks ago took without hesitation and my roses are busy cranking out buds. If you recall from an earlier post, I transplanted a rose known as ‘Earth Angel’ in early March and created a new flower bed for her. Like the transplanted lamb’s ear, it too established itself with no transplant shock. I clearly do not subscribe to the “wait to Mother’s Day myth” to plant or transplant. I figure if the temperatures dip, it’s easy enough to put a 5-gallon bucket, pot, or cloth over the plant for protection.

In the new flower bed, I anchored the newly arrived pink veronica speedwells on each side of ‘Earth Angel’, a pink and white romantic rose. I’m anticipating the vertical spikes of pink will annunciate the rounded pink in the center of the mostly white rose.

After resting on Sabbath yesterday, today, I checked on my new plants and put plant support stakes around my quickly sprouting peonies. I also mulched a bed and scrubbed the bird bath as well as the bird feeder. As if all the dreaming, planting, mulching, and fertilizing isn’t enough joy, I have a mama bird also busy this spring!

Happy gardening, ever-blooming, rose buds!