(no subject)

[ellyssian]

Mowed the lawn yesterday, and today we put down the spring fertilizer. Planted 12 liriope between the Rachel River and the roadside. Cut back maples and oaks on the Island - cleared a three foot circle around the planted trees (sugar maple, silver maple, gingko, white fir, lilac, flowering crab, white flowering dogwood) to give them room to grow and cleared suckers and seedlings around the base of the larger oaks and maples. Discovered a hawthorn of some sort growing there, as well as a witch hazel or three. Eventually, I'll clear all of the smaller native oaks and maples - the area will be at capacity once those planted trees grow out, along with the larger native trees, but for now they're providing shade to the astilbe, foxglove, bleeding hearts, and rhododendron. Also found a handful of azaleas (jury is still out on exactly what kind - leaning towards Rhododendron prinophyllum or Rhododendron periclymenoides) on the Island. The Bank Island is covered with them - some 4' high - and they're currently putting on a show with their pink flowers.