I detest the pine tree in my front yard. Jon swears that it shades the house, but it's so frigging U.G.L.Y. I've tried to edge around the bottom of the mound and keep the ground surface around the tree bare. Doesn't work. When some of our neighbors redid their side yard, they had lots of large rocks that they shared. I plunked (ok - no plunking - that thing is one heavy sun of a gun) one of them down next to my tree to take up some space. It became just the thing my wild-man-G needed to launch his tree escalations. I'm sure he'll hurt himself, but I love watching him climb that thing...
The rock's been there for a couple of years. I've tried planting things next to it, but either the pine tree is killing them off, they get pulled when the boys "weed", or they get trampled by eager climbers.
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We had a long, wet, spring this year, and for some reason I was yearning for peony blooms. Does your mom have peonies? I think they're too droopy for my mom. But I loved my grandma's. (I promise this is connected to the previous paragraph - I just couldn't find the seque I needed) I love how tight their buds seem and how they burst into such full flowers.
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At my grandma's house the peonies are just beyond the clothesline. They stand as sentries to the pasture fence, and they always seem enormous. Grandma told me they grew well there because there was lots of air circulation, and the ants could get to them without grandkids disturbing ant piles. I don't know if those two factors really help peonies. Do you? Hmmm something to research...
Anyway I planted a peony this year. Right smack in the center of my yard under my ugly pine tree. I was so excited! (Even though I knew they wouldn't be blooming this year). I think the one I bought is light pink, but there wasn't a photo, so I could be wrong. There's plenty of air flow, and I'm sure the ants will find her just fine. I can not say that the ants will be undisturbed.
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Last night I was enjoying a lovely summer evening in the front yard with Jon and G. G was showing Jon that he knew what the plant on the side of the mound nearest the house was called. It's Jupiter's Beard. And then he walked/vaulted over the rock and stopped short by my peony. He instantly looked at me with a heartbroken expression.
Mom? She's broken!
That's right folks. My beloved peony who's only been in the ground for 2 weeks had two strong divisions, and one of them has been injured. It's not actually broken, but it's bent. Deep breath in. Deep breath out.
I know peonies will bloom better if they're planted in the fall, so perhaps we'll see what happens and add a friend later this year.
