I finally got to check out the Spring flowers. It had rained for what seemed to be forever. Then a tornado hit middle Tennessee. I watched intently on Facebook, knowing that so many people were hurting and there was little I could do.
Next the corona virus pandemic of 2020 hit. Schools and restaurants shut down. People were confined to their homes. It was nothing new to me to be confined to my home, but so many people panicked. With panic buying at grocery stores, people hoarding toilet paper became the joke that just kept on giving. But doctors, nurses, truck drivers, delivery people, and grocery store workers were putting in extra hours to keep pace. I was thankful for them all.
Get current information from the CDC – https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html.
Flowers and Why We Have Them
Finally, the sun shown enough for me to get out and check on the flowers. My husband and I spent years, almost forty, taking care of perennials in our yard. Perennials return every year to show their beauty for a short time. They would be destroyed if we chose to spray chemicals to get rid of weeds in our yard like many people do today.
The soil in this area is held in place by trees and what some might call weeds. Removing the greenery often results in unwanted gullies and water run-off. I saw gullies forming in land as far back as I can remember. Flowers are a protection against gullies. Sometimes weeds get mixed in with the flowers. We do the best we can. But I digress.
Flowers – My Safe Place
With all the chaos in the world, I can depend on our flowers returning every year. Sometime, the yard looks a little ragged for a while, but the whole process is worth it to me. I know my husband would love to live on a golf course. He is perfectly capable of creating a “golf course” landscape. But he has also been very helpful with saving plants over the years.
I’m not a “treehugger” and not a Peta enthusiast. My family has lived off the land for centuries. Common sense land care is what I strive for.
The Flowers I Found This Day in March
March 20, 2020
Flags
The first thing I notice when I walk out the door are the flags. I didn’t photograph them immediately. Instead, I waited till I was almost to the edge of the yard. One redbud tree is in the upper right of the photo. There’s a third flag, but I couldn’t see it today.
Flowers – Creeping Phlox
My eye was immediately drawn to the creeping phlox under one of the redbud trees. Creeping phlox does not like to compete with other plants. I try to dig the ground out just a little bit each year, so they will have farther to spread.
Flowers – Woodland Phlox
In front of the fading yellow buttercups are some woodland phlox. If the grass is allowed to grow for a while, this flower will cover one side of the yard. However, if the grass is cut too early, the flower will have less of a chance to survive. I hope it will continue to bloom and light up our spring yard.
The foliage of the faded buttercups needs to continue to grow in order to feed the bulbs below the surface. If the foliage is cut too soon, the plants become less vigorous over the years.
Spraying the yard to get rid of weeds also gets rid it of buttercups and woodland phlox.
Flowers – Buttercups
Under a maple tree is a group of white buttercups or daffodils, if you prefer. These have light yellow centers.
Ground cover – Moss
Moss covers much of the ground in shaded areas. It’s soft and cushy right now and much better than plain mud.
Around the moss are some sort of bulb plant – perhaps star of Bethlehem, fall leaves, and gum balls. Gum balls are the bane of much that is holy about country living – they prevent you from walking barefoot. Try it once and as you’re swearing and pulling the spiked ball from your skin, you’ll remember never to do it again. But they are great for some craft projects. Glue toothpicks in the holes, spray paint them your favorite color – instant Christmas ornaments.
Berries – Holly Plant
Left over from winter with some beautiful red berries is the holly plant.
Flowers – Azalea
It’s a little early for azaleas to be showing off all their beauty, but I did find one lone flower among tons of buds waiting to pop open.
Azaleas start setting their blooms for next year shortly after they bloom. If you want to trim them do it soon after they bloom or risk cutting off next year’s flowers.
Flowers – White Buttercups / Daffodils
Below the sweet gum tree is a group of white buttercups. You can see euonymus climbing up the tree behind the buttercups and a globe of English boxwood in the background.
I took a close-up of these lovely flowers so you can see more detail.
Flowering Vine – Carolina Jasmine
One flower of the Carolina Jasmine begins the colorful show of this beautiful and good smelling vine. The tangle of vines in the background reveals that this plant is quite old. I dare not clip anything that doesn’t show a dangling end for fear that I will kill the entire plant.
Ground Cover – Vinca Minor
I spent years coaxing this plant, trying to get it to grow some more. Finally, it took off in the soil I had cleared for it. Now I’m delighted to see these early flowers.
New Growth – Solomon’s Seal
I thought this plant had disappeared, but in the last few years I started seeing it again. It’s not a beautiful plant, but very unusual. For years, I tried to find plants for shaded areas and this was one of them. It’s just started it’s new new growth for this year.
New Growth – Peonies
Our peonies often bloom and then get hit by the last frost which ruins the blooms. Covering them with a sheet will help protect them. But leaving the sheet in place for too long could burn the plant. If I remember correctly, peonies rarely bloom the year after they are divided. And special care should be taken in the division process. I’ve divided these once.
The reddish stems in this picture are peonies.
Ground Cover with Flowers – Big Leaf Vinca or Vinca Major, Variagated
The larger vinca ground cover is much easier to grow than the vinca minor. If you find a good spot for it, it grows quickly. The purple flowers can be quite showy. This vinca plant is located under a redbud tree.
Spring Star Flower
These low-growing plants can be confused with Star of Bethlehem which blooms later. I was thrilled to find this one close to the big leaf vinca.
Greenery for Containers
I’m not sure what this is called. Mother gave it to me. She got it from her sister. The plant grows back every year to cover the top of my containers. It’s a low grower, but I understand it can be quite invasive in the right conditions. It could be a type of club moss.
Concrete angel resting it’s head in a mass of greenery:
More container greenery:
Flags and Redbud Tree Flowers
I take my final picture of the day of flowering redbud trees with flags in the background.
Thank You!
Thank you for taking this little stroll with me. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Find out what the flowers looked like last year in the post Spring: You See How to Create a Lavishly Visual Rebirth in Your Yard. Read the Easter poem about the dogwood tree in the post The Dogwood Tree: Amazing Easter Poem – Never Again. And find your plant hardiness zone in Photos on How to Find Your Plant Hardiness Zone.
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