The new bed of crested irises.

I took advantage of the few days between downpours this week to clear the liriope from under the smaller dogwood and prepare a bed for the crested irises I’ve had sitting on the porch in boxes. It’s far too late for them to bloom this year, but they’re reported to spread easily and aggressively, so I’m hoping they’ll do that over the next couple of months. In an effort to both contain that spread somewhat and create a visual boundary between the bed and the composter, I edged the bed with bricks scavenged (with permission) from our neighbors’ old patio.

While working on the bed I was amused to have a pair of catbirds hanging around chattering at me. I could tell they were just waiting for me to move back a bit so they could get at all the food I was turning up with the soil. The dirt around the tree was chock full of worms; whether that was because that part of the yard is healthier than the front or because they’re staying closer to the surface of the saturated ground, I couldn’t tell you. I was reminded of our efforts to clear the pokeweed roots last summer and the way the catbirds flocked to the turned over soil. This year’s birds haven’t gotten used to us yet, I don’t think: none of them were as bold as the ones from the previous year. Already I can tell that I need to put down a thicker layer of mulch, as the squirrels have been successfully pock-marked the bed in only two days.

The wee rose bush at the back of the house.

One of my goals for this year is to create a better environment for the four rose bushes in the yard. I am pleased to say that the pruning I gave them last autumn seems to be helping them bush out quite a bit more this year. They’re coming in quite well, and the two smaller ones already have lovely deep blooms. I know that I need to create more space around them, as they’re getting choked by weeds and being kept from drying out. I suspect the bushes are over 25 years old, possibly longer; I don’t think the previous owners planted any. One at least, the deep red very fragrant low-growing bush at the back of the house, appears to be Crimson Glory, quite possibly from soon after its introduction as a new hybrid tea rose in 1936 (the year our house was built). It’s odd to imagine a rose older than our parents just plunked at the back of our house, but nice to have the continuity with the original owners. I hope to have as much luck identifying the three other plants!