This is one of my favorite astilbes. I think this one is Vision in Pink. It increases in size very rapidly and frequent division gives you new plants to locate in your garden or give to friends.  Astilbes are so trouble-free and the deer don't like them (most of the time), so they are ideal for our Adirondack environment. I have read that they are one of the few plants that should be fertilized in fall as well as spring. I need to divide them this spring. I usually do that in the late summer, but didn't get to it last summer. 

It is a warm and balmy day here in Pennsylvania where we are visiting family for the Holidays, but up in our Adirondack garden snow still covers everything. It is at this time of the year that I love to look through my garden photos, remember last season and lay plans for next summer. I will soon be making my list of "must have" plants for 2009. Armed with this I will visit perennial vendors from Pennsylvania to Maine (having kids living in both places). I am getting eager just thinking about it. Hope everyone enjoyed the Holidays.

July Blooms

Not much is happening in the garden, but the birds are enjoying it. The snow was a bit deeper than I had hoped before I spread the fertilizer, but now it is out there and covered with a couple of feet of new snow, so the plants should get off to a good start in May. May, what a wonderful month. That is when it all begins. Each spring things pop up that I had forgotten about, so it is a bit like Christmas with surprises all season long. For now we are enjoying the snow on the hemlocks and waiting for Santa's visit. Merry Christmas to all!

Winter Projects

Yes, I know, Daylilies are not blooming now in Upstate New York, but visions of them are dancing through my head. This one is not my favorite, but since it is named "Judith", and my name is Judith, I had to have it. Wouldn't you know, it multiplies rapidly and now I have several. I think I will start giving them away.

Now that snow is covering the ground and the garden is sleeping I am getting around to starting a garden blog. This is the season between weeding & transplanting and the arrival of the garden catalogs for next year. Actually, I seldom receive garden catalogs these days as most of my browsing is done on the internet. 

A year ago I tried spreading a general purpose fertilizer (10-10-10) on top of the snow. It made it easy to see where the fertilizer had been spread, and in the spring the plants seemed to get off to a great start. It is about time to do that again... before the snow is so deep I have to wear snowshoes. I am also planning to spread some shredded leaves on the garden and will work them into the soil in the spring. It adds that wonderful organic matter to the soil.