This post will show the progression of my shrubs that I planted. I hope my upcoming updates show good growth, but I have noticed that my honeysuckles have been eaten down to the snow line (rabbits!), so we'll see what happens.
"Sleep. Creep. Leap." That's the general mantra for what to expect after planting shrub for year 1, 2, and 3. Planting shrubs in a drought probably wasn't the best timing, but a gardener doesn't know when a drought will hit. So I planted. And watered. I made sure to water about an inch a week by turning the sprinkler on a slow trickle so the water would slowly be absorbed by the ground surrounding the shrub.
On the left are native cranberry viburnum, in the center honeysuckle Kodiak Orange, and Limelight hydrangea on the right with some daisies planted in front of them. The large dirt spot is a repaired hole. This is the "sleep" year for the honeysuckle and hydrangea. The following year (late summer 2022) I planted three chokeberries (below) on clearance. We'll see how they do.
However, the "creep" year (2022) is good for the honeysuckle--summer and fall photos below.
The service berries seem to have struggled a bit, so I'll keep my eye on them. The fall color was nice.
The hydrangea were pretty impressive for the second year. I'm hoping this winter doesn't damage them too much.
2022 was a "leap" year for the viburnum, and they have done well.
Here's a summer 2022 overview. I'm looking forward to gardening season 2023!
Posts
