Sunday, October 24, 2010

Stepping Stones

It seems to happen almost every time.  I have either a new plant or an existing one in need of a new home.  Nothing simpler, right?  Get out the garden fork, perhaps a shovel, and simply prepare a spot for it.

And that's when the adventure begins.

On a recent excavation for a transplanted White Margin Snow Rose (Serissa foetida 'Improved'), I quickly hit stone.  As usual, this led to the rock bar becoming involved.  In this case, I removed a nice triangular limestone flagstone measuring almost 3 foot on the long side.


Thank goodness I got that out of the way.  But what's this?  Yet another rock.  And it appears to be even larger.  After some sweating, a second, even larger, stepping stone was produced.


This one measured approximately three foot by three foot.


Well, at least it gives me an additional step (or two) for the path that I've been working on.


Planted in the Ground:
  • Butterfly Iris (Iris 'nada'): The plant was on my investigate list, but when I discovered it on sale, I went ahead bought it.  Now I learn that it may want more water than I'm willing to supply.  Planted near my pond and time will tell.
  • Bella Red Abutilon (Abutilon x hybridum 'Bella Red'): One of my Gotta Get listings; recommended by Central Texas Gardener; I'm a little worried about freeze tolerance.
  • Reifler's Dwarf Viburnum (Viburnum obovatum 'Reifler Dwarf'): Decided I had it planted it too close to a path; presently its size was fine, but mature size was going to be too large; so moved further back in the garden.  Plus I wanted to make room for the next plant.
  • Pale Pavonia (Pavonia hastata): Has been on my Gotta Get list since seeing several area blogs mention it; now I have two.  One went into the bed near the pond; the other went into the Viburnum's old location.
  • Variegated Mondo Grass (Ophiopogon jaburan 'Vitattus'): Have three that are doing quite well at the base of some trees, but had three others near the pond that seemed to be struggling.  Transplanted the struggling ones over next to the happy ones (obviously they like something over there!).
  • Milky Way Cast Iron Plant (Aspidistra lurida 'Milky Way'): Transplanted two towards the back of the bed into the locale vacated by the Variegated Mondo Grass.
    Planted in Pots:

      7 comments:

      1. We used to live in Round Rock and every time I'd try to plant anything we'd come across those big slabs too. I just showed my husband your post and he grabbed his back and smiled...brought back memories!

        I think you're going to really enjoy the pale pavonia. It has been a nice addition to one of the toughest areas in my garden.

        ReplyDelete
      2. Goodness I thought flints the size of tennis balls were big! Found your plant list interesting.

        ReplyDelete
      3. Funny the discoveries one can make while digging. But at least you got one more stepping stone.

        ReplyDelete
      4. Seriously!? You did up slabs like that? Our rocks are so round and boring in comparison!

        ReplyDelete
      5. Cat: I'm looking forward to seeing how the Pavonia does after seeing it in your blog and a couple of others.

        Catharine: I even have stones in that size too! Apparently my yard practices equal opportunity when it comes to rock sizes (sigh).

        fer: One more step for the path is always welcome - though I sorta wish I could find them sitting on top of the ground!

        danger: Slabs are nice for the steps, but when digging, I'm thinking round & boring (and smaller) might be appreciated.

        ReplyDelete
      6. Hey there, I happen to have two nearly dead white margin snow roses..any ideas on how to resurrect them?

        ReplyDelete
        Replies
        1. Well - as of 6/25/12 - mine is in a similar situation. Pretty sure it is not getting sufficient water, and don't think its too happy with the 100+ summer temperatures. Not sure I'm one to advise - cuz mine is likely not going to make it in my garden.

          Delete