Walk With Me As I Spring Clean The Perennial Beds

Rhubarb, sunchoke and flower beds need spring cleaning!

It started with the front flower beds, which I am horrible at paying attention to. Food doesn't grow there so.....it is boring. It was easy, scissors and garden gloves and I had them cleaned out in about an hour! I have a few succulents to add to them and one more perennial (I think it is some sort of lavender bush) and I will likely ignore them for the entire summer, not even watering it. Sorry little gardens, but you will do just great!

Before

After

Before cleaning the second flower garden, I was about to move this sled that ended up here....

...but it turns out my cat is using it haha!

Lots of debris for the compost pile

Second bed cleaned! Ready for new plants!

This is a pussy willow tree that is way to close to the front door, as you can see. It came from a single stick that came in a Mother's Day Flower arrangement my daughter gave me 3 years ago. I had no idea how easy it was to root and stuck it in the ground right there. It is now basically a tree! I need to chop some off and root them somewhere else for more pussy willow trees soon.

Next was the rhubarb patch. It is always a mess after winter. It took a lot of raking and dead leaf removal. I figured it was also a good time to add some of the new rhubarb plants. No till, so just digging right into the grass. We will mow between the rows and whipper snip around the plants until they are mulched and established. I still have another 16 plants to work into this area, 11 are in so far.

Rhubarb patch before

2 hours later!

I really need to divide these clumps to promote growth

Some dandelion roots from clearing for the new rhubarb. Will make tincture with these!

Yes, despite it being too early to plant until May 24th, I am planting some of my rhubarb babies. It is early days still to be planting things in the ground, there is still a chance of frost so I have been covering the rhubarb each night with row cover. It is working!

New Rhaponic Red Rhubarb

Planting it in a wide arc following the original line of planting. I am adding a second row/arc for the rest leaving enough space to run the mower between

Coverd up for bedtime

Baby rubarb made it through the night

During this chore, my dog started digging in the area where the sunchokes or Jerusalem artichokes grew last year. I decided to take the old stalks out and found a ZILLION chokes! I dug in this area a few weeks back but I guess I dug too deep because here they are!

So. Many. Sunchokes!

They are starting to sprout so I will dig more up tomorrow, replant this area as well as a line of them along the berm bordering our property. I am also going to share them with friends and cook some! They are such a nutritious staple crop although invasive. I think they are totally worth it, perennial vegetables rock.

I stopped at one full tray, it was about 2 square feet of area, I will dig the rest up today to store/replant them

Then, a surprise showed up. Half of our load of soil!! I had no idea any would come today, my husband hooked it up! It is pretty exciting, things are getting real! It's almost planting time!

I hope you have the best day!

One more rhubarb pic;)

Thank you for reading! Take care of you and yours ❤