DO YOU HAVE SOME SIGNS OF SPRING 2013? #3

wow that is some Weigela!!!

Thank you , it is a lovely bush. Wish my cuttings would have grown. Must try and figure out how to propagate them. LOL

I don't know about any other area--but we got the hardest rain throughout the day.
I would call it a total deluge at times....
I was at work--and the rain on the roof of the HD was so lout I could not hear people talking....

I was thinking of all the flats of my seedlings annuals that were outside under the elements....
Planted some Cukes yesterday--in little mounds and pushed them 1/2" deep.
I could just envision all the seeds washed out and away. Seemed OK when i got home...
maybe where my HD is got the brunt of it--where i am, only 4mi. away, it may have been less fierce...

Put all my flats on the tables out of the rain....we are in for a wet weekend.....Bummer--
A Cookout is in the plans for Sunday at my house....for my daughters and Benita's BF.
At least--I have a roofed patio--we can hide under it.

Gita

So far we have only gotten nice gentle rain showers. Last year I was given quite a few dwarf bearded iris and they are blooming now it is so much fun seeing what the look like for the first time. Here are a couple of them more to come.

Yumm!

My Iris are just beginning to get buds. What a difference a few miles make? It is pouring here just now and water is everywhere running off and down the little place between the house and the greenhouse...usually it is just about a foot wide, this morning it was at least 5 ft. wide. Looked like a small creek. We can use the rain for the baby trees but this is really rain.

I must go into town but hate driving in this mess so I am just piddling around the house until it stops.

Be a great day to go back to bed and just be lazy, but my PA kids have informed me they are coming for Mother's Day breakfast and that means I must go to Columbus to the Amish Deli and get dried beef to cream, plus sticky buns. Home fries with eggs go with that too. It is a tradition when they come to visit MoM that is what they eat. The would rather come for breakfast than a lobster dinner. Crazy kids. I do all the work but as long as I feel well it is o.k. just being a Mother as usual.

Off to see if I can go out to feed the cats. It looks like it is easing up a bit. later. JB

With a breakfast like that, I wouldn't want a lobster dinner either. Funny how traditions get started and keep going.

Almost two inches of rain in that downpour this morning. I finally got my errands completed.
Also got out to take a few shots today. First is my favorite weed in the yard.

You are my Buttercup, sweet little buttercup..la la la la ♫♫♫♫♫♫.

Second, the Iris by the barn just beginning to bloom.

We are cutting asparagus everyday now. Our patch is not big but it is a good producer.

That is about it. Grass is growing too fast ....we seem to be mowing all the time. Have a good evening. JB

So far here today--it has been a very warm, sunny day. NO rain--but we had the "deluge" yesterday.
Did this storm come from the South and move North? Or--is your rain today coming our way later???
It IS supposed to rain here later...

The called me from work this Am and said not to come in. Cutting hours...again.....
For once--I REALLY appreciated the day off--as i could get my patio ready for my daughter and her BF
visit starting tomorrow. Lots of re-organizing and hosing off....

Put all the trays of seedlings and cuttings here and there--but OFF the patio tables. I have two...
Rolled out my heavy, round patio table, washed it down and set it up with the umbrella on the lawn.
Perfect for sitting a bit outside to have a snack.
Then--maybe they will crash for a couple of hours--and then i will make them Crab Cakes
and Beer Batter Onion rings for dinner...Let the 'spoiling" begin.....
Have beer---Have Wine---have food--have hugs----what else can anyone want.....

OK! here are some pictures of flowers from my garden. Just to stay ON topic.....
Things are really starting to "pop".....

--F.G.me N.'s all over the place now--in full bloom
--My dwarf, purple iris--JB, these look just like yours above...
--My "Koromo Shukibu" Azalea in bloom ---VERY different.....
--Another shot of my Camellia--getting fuller in bloom...such a fleeting pleasure!
--Funny how when thew blooms are done--they just drop off as beautiful as they ever were....
Makes me want to float them in a crystal bowl-----:o)

A few more pictures-----

--My old, big , white azalea starting to bloom
--Blue Wood Hyacinths among Itises
--Dr. Seuss sitting in his new home--the bed my WS was in. Have to root prune it and, I KNOW,
it will grow into a monster this year. look at the trunk!
--My Gooseberry bush--which seldom fruits--as it is captive in a YUK bed 4' from my Maple.
I meant to dig it out (God help me!) and pot it up in a huge pot--as I am going to
totally dismantle this disintegrating bed...some day...Too late now--it is in full leaf...
--Here you can see the sad location it is in. between a rock and a hared place....
The Lilac is OLD--and not blooming much any more. I have been pruning out the older stems--
so, maybe, that is why. The new shoots have to fill in. The 6' fence does not help......

all very pretty JB and Gita!

What a spring- Dogwoods are into their third week of full bloom. How pretty they are.

Looking good Gita. The storm is just rolling in now, pretty dark and I hear thunder in the distance.

Since i have been sitting here catching up on all the posts--the sun no longer shines----
there is a breeze kicking up---and the air feels "ominous"....(love that word!)...AAARRRGGGHHHH.....
Yep! Rain is on the way!!!

Holly--Did you HUFF and PUFF and send it my way???? We had enough yesterday to last a month!

G.

So many lovely flowers :o). Will see if I can take some pics when I get home this weekend.

It really is astonishing how much difference a few miles or a micro-climate can make! My weigelas and 'standard' lilacs (not the Koreans) are out and the forsythia are fading, a few of the early' azaleas are starting, but absolutely no sign of buds on my iris.

Gita: I LOVE your Bob Hope camelia. How tall/wide does it get? I have noticed that a lot of the ones people favor in my area (northern Bucks and Lehigh Valley counties) are of the standard purplish/pinkish type and are very susceptible to late frost damage. Is the BH tougher or later blooming ( the types I mentioned seem to be done).

Advice request:

We have a long (long) drive which I have slowly lined with flowering shrubs over the years. Wild roses are a constant pain, as are ugly 'junk' trees that grow up inside the shrubs. Apparently I missed something last year, because now I have a rather lovely white-blossomed tree in the middle of a not-so-happy lilac. I think it is a flowering pear (def not a dogwood). So, do you think I should pull out the shrub and enjoy the tree 'gift,' or stick with the shrub-border plan?

P.S.
(a) Obviously, I need to find out what the tree is, but I assume it will get big enough to cast some shade around, and that might mean a large area without out the screening shrubs.)
(b) I suspect it is too big for me to move on my own.

Personally I would remove the tree. It detracts from the effect of the shrub border, would leave a hole, and grow to be who knows how big. Remove it before it gets to be too big of a problem.

sissy--

I would say mine has been about 6'-7' tall and about 3' wide....
Hard to say--as 3 years ago I cut it back to nubs--it was having some kind of fungus
on leaves issues.
It has now re-grown and i am happy to see it in bloom again.

Bloom time varies throughout camellias. Mine usually blooms mid-late March.
It is late this year--like everything else....

yes! I would say it is tough. The leaves are thick and shiny and stay on the shrub all winter...

G.

i agree with remove the tree. I envy your shrub border!

Agree, I'd dig it out

Iris, itty bitty baby Aquilegia(very alien looking from the side)
lilacs.... the purple one is still in the pot, the white is only about 3' tall so far

which white lilac, do you know? my non blooming white one is much taller than that.

Gita, I've a question for you: I notice you've got Forget Me Nots in at least a couple different locations; what sort of sun conditions do they get? You've got some in the same bed as Candytuft, and I thought Candytuft likes more sun, and I thought Forget Me Nots like more shade... no? Please straighten me out so I can choose a proper spot for the ones that I've been eyeing up at work lately! ;) Thank you! =)

My goodness y'all, I've been having a drool-fest over all the gorgeous photos you have been sharing!! I don't have any new pics to share, been spending too much time between work and school and cooking and sleeping. **sigh**. But, ALAS! School is now officially done for about 2 weeks (before I start the next class), so I've got a bit of breathing room, YIPPEEE!!! I start work a bit late today (9:30), so I'll try to get some up-to-date shots before I head down the road and share them later. This weekend is Mother's Day, so things at work **should** settle down a bit after this... it usually does. Got Ma and Grammy coming next Friday, and I've still got mulch to put down in those beds out front.. yes, STILL! < =/ I need a nap!

Paul, when I read what you said about the four-wheelers in the park lands behind your home I nearly cried. (and I loved the Lorax clip! ... got a co-worker whom we call "Lorax", but that's another story...) Wonder if there will ever come a time when they employ weekend rangers... and why they don't now. .. well, OK, $$$ is why they don't now, but really, it's not as though there are doors to lock up on Friday night to keep people out until Monday morning! HURRAH for you confronting those Bad Guys!!!!! My hat is off to you, Good Man.

Speedie---

Forget-Me-Nots grow anywhere they want...Granted--the two main places i have then are in the East side...
Perhaps they "look" the freshest in some moist shade???
I have never had them, say-in my "YUK" bed--which gets pretty intense light and is very dry.

They self-seed--and once you have them--you will have them all over the same area, as the seeds are miniscule.
They grow the little leaf-clumps in late summer/fall already and these just sit around until spring.
You can dig them up in the fall and move them anywhere you want.

Digging them up in the spring is not that great an idea....their bloom cycle gets interrupted...

Here are a few pictures of them as well as some other blooms now popping out...
G.

--front door bed
--"Stump Bed'---nothing in the pot yet. Waiting for my caladiums...
-Blue Wood Hyacinths next to Dwarf, purple iris
--Koromo Shukibu Azalea--now in full bloom
--My carpet Rose--not in bloom yet..can't wait! it has grown so big Aall of a sudden!

Can't help but love my Camellia--from every angle...
Such a brief treat in the spring......

last picture--"Multi Blue Clematis--next to the white Azalea--nice combo....

The amazing thing is that ALL of this "just happens'....like a miracle...
None of it was planted last year or year before, or before that....

That's all for now....G.

"The amazing thing is that ALL of this "just happens'...like a miracle..."

Yes- the joy goes on a lot longer than the effects of the work- and it seems like magic!

Paul--four wheelers--what'd I miss?

Sissy I agree with Paul pull it now. It will break up your original design. Could it be a Bradford Pear? They are blooming about now with white flowers very lovely but highly invasive.
Jen & Gita, Beautiful pictures. My gardens are looking so nice right now just haven't gotten pics yet. Yesterday I noticed a Tirella that is just beautiful and the Wisteria is perfuming the breeze in my gardens always surprises me how far the scent travels.

Sally that is a noid lilac, just planted 2 year ago

I had just bought Forget me Nots (Mon Amie Blue Forget-Me-Not Myosotis sylvatica) for centerpieces for mother/daughter breakfast and the info on it said full/part
sun and let them dry out during waterings,,,go figure!

Paul. that's such a shame!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can give you a nice location to see huge patches of Ostrich fern, near Ellicott city. I know that doesn't negate the loss of your woods next door. So sad.

When I was a kid, some kids used dirt bikes in a certain field. Rumor had it there were sometimes booby traps; at that time not to protect the field but just to be nasty.

#1 My euphorbia Ascot Rainbow started blooming a few weeks ago.

#2 and #3 My first iris ever! Sorry for the poor picture quality, but is this a siberian or a japanese iris? I know it's not bearded.

#4 and #5 What is this fragrant white flower? Jasmine? It's from Becky's garden.

Looks like a Japanese Iris

I don't know what the white one is, sorry

Patch of Baby Blessed Iris...fragrance is wonderful!!
Fairy Garden covered in cherry blossoms
Ruby Falls Cercis

not sure but I think it's a Siberian. the iris.

Or Japanese...lol

Pretty Jen!!!

Happy Mother's Day my friends. I am going to busy tomorrow, having guests for a typical Lancaster County, PA, breakfast I am cooking for my kids from PA and my grandson who just got home from Univ. of Miami Freshman year.


Here are a few shots I took this morning:
The 'Jolee' pink dwarf lilac and a white that I lost the tag in the storm. Sorry.
The white and the red peony trees just beginning to bloom and they have lots of buds again this year.

Have a wonderful day and here is a Hug for all you Mothers. JB

Happy Mother's Day to you too JB!!! (just in case I miss you later). HUG!! =)
And a Happy Mother's Day to all the rest of you Mommies, in case I don't get a chance to see you tomorrow. I'll pop in in the morning, but then I'll be heading out to work; yippee??? < =/

Well---
I did the "Kiddies Planting a Flower for Their Moms" Workshop today at HD----Busy!!!!!!
We had about 70 kids come through....
The advertised time-frame for the Workshop was 1-3PM. BUT............
was all set-up by 10AM and encouraged any kids passing by to come on and plant their flowers...
And so they trickled by...quite many!!

We used 6" white pots (That is one reason i collect the pots from discarded plants) and I went
through 2 1/2 bags of MG Potting Mix (the smaller bags--1cf).
I had also made 72 red hearts on a stick--and we had only 2 left when we closed down.
Granted--I gave a few away to hubbies that were also buying flowers for their DW's. AWWW...

Last year--we had 52 kids-----this year--70---next year (as the "fame" grows)--I will prepare for 100.
My camera's battery died--so I have no pictures of my table.

--I DO have pictures of my fabulous Mother's Day sign I worked a whole day on....between answering the phone...
--Also--a couple pictures of my daughter, Benita, (visiting from Seattle) and her BF doing a few chores for me...
Benita assembled my small hand cart I bought--and Mathew spent a lot of anally, perfectionistic time installing
my 4 new roll-down shades on the patio roof edge. Beautiful Bamboo shades! Got them at Big Lots...

Good visit--good times and good talks---More days to come.....COOKOUT tomorrow!!!
I am SOOOOOOO tired tonight!!!! My feet just ache.......

Will put together my Potato salad tonight--and the shrimp marinade. Most stuff got chopped up last night.
My Pickles for the Swap are done!!! Lots of extra jars too--A GREAT batch this time--YUMMMY!!!!!

Paul--are YOU drooling???????????????

G.


Here it is......

Lol. I am now.

Glad to hear it was a success!

Sounds like a wonderful day!!!

@ Sally G, UMD Terp, Holly Annn, and FlowAjane:

Thanks, all. I think you are correct. I looked around online and decided it is probably a Bradford Pear (and invasive!) and it would, eventually, ruin the shrub border. A;as. we are off to Ireland tomorrow, so it will have to fester - :-) - until we return. The odd thing is, I am 90% sure I have cut down this same tree several times and applied the vine/tree killer to its stubs. I guess that is what 'invasive' is partly about.

@Gita:

Ok, one last question before we depart: what sort of light does your BH camellia get/require? I SO want a camellia (or two), but I am discouraged by what I hear from friends in the area who have the older varieties.

P.S. I admit to being a gardener who always is trying to push the envelope to have plants/trees/shrubs that are not ideal for my micro-climate/soil/etc. Does this make me a bad person? :-)