I just love this daffodil. Should have planted more! :)
I like spirea but they sure look funny when you don't prune them.
Brunnera. I think this is Sea Heart?
Trilliums! Not sure if they're supposed to open up more.
FIRST FLOWERS OF SPRING!!! Post your pics!! April Edition :)
so glad to hear about the amsonia, SSG! I was just noticing my abelia Kaleidoscope has tiny leaf buds on it!
so beautiful, SSG! I can't believe how gorgeous your spirea is! I think mine needs to be in a different spot--it underperformed for me all last season. Your brunnera is way ahead of mine--I just have a handful of new leaves. The daffodil is perfect.
Beautiful daffodils, SSG. Trilliums are so cool. I enjoy ours even without the blooms. So much popping now.
SSG: What is that in the second picture? Your brunnera looks lovely!
It's Spirea 'Ogon.' It's less than a year old so I'm giving it some time, but it has a funny growth habit right now. The pictures online are so pretty! I love the floppy mop look.
Oh, you're right it is funny in its growth habit. I thought it was a ground cover of some sort.
I like the floppy mop look, too, SSG--it has sort of a woodland look! But the blossoms are lovely. My spirea is just barely leafing out right now.
SS--
Your Daffodil is "Tahiti"--I had lots of them, but when paul and I dug up the WS,
I had to dig up all the Tahiti daffs that surrounded it. I ended up with 12- 1gal pots of them.
Gave a lot away--but kept enough to re-plant in this same bed. They all have buds right now.
Funny---look at your 1st picture--at thedaff. bloom. I see a very pretty woman's face in it.
Do you see it? Eyes and a nice smile....surrounded by blond hair.
NO! I'm NOT crazy! G.
.
This message was edited Apr 12, 2014 8:07 PM
very pretty ssg!
H m I have some of your Tahiti some where Gita...I'll know when they bloom! I just remembered that another new daff for me will be Capree Elizabeth . I think both are in the front yard. Another new daff for me will be Cheerfullness from aspenhill.
Gita, I SEE IT TOO! LOL
But only on the small pic, not when you enlarge it.
You might be right about them being Tahiti.
Took a break from excavating beds to get a few photos.
3 of our latest blooming daffodils. Pat says our Tahiti daffs are blooming too, but I missed them.
We have 10 or 12 violet species on the property, but just a few of the basic ones are beginning to flower.
SSG, I like your "funny-looking" spirea, especially the way the white flowers look against those (tulip?) leaves. That's a very artistic photo.
I have signs of life from most perennials I've gotten on hands and knees to inspect. Some, like Swamp Milkweed, are still dormant but I see green when I scrape the stem. Asarum canadense finally popped up in a bed from which I thought I had moved it last year. I must have missed a root or two.
Nice photos, greenthumb! Those daffodils are so cheerful.
One of our Quince in the process of being uncovered.
A blue Hyacinth
Hyacinth "Miss Saigon" more fully open.
Vinca minor, pretty blue flowers. Anybody want some?
A pink Pulmonaria.
Our re-blooming Azaleas are beginning to bloom. They bloom again in the fall, providing nice color at Thanksgiving.
One of our patches of Asarum "ginger" finally beginning to show.
Very delicate-looking Rue Anemone, a native woodland wildflower.
SSG, yes that's 'Tahiti' -- a double that I think is just a must-have, even for those traditionalists who like "just a regular yellow daffodil."
Doubles haven't really started in my garden, except for a pot of 'Solar Wind' that I brought inside yesterday... wow, is that one a looker, white double with tons of yellow petaloids (I think that's the term -- those fluffy looking petals like the orange ones in 'Tahiti'). It's one we got with that small pre-season order from B&B last year. I also brought the pot of 'Mary Gay Lirette' inside, another B&B one, and they are starting to open. I need to get a bunch of photos tomorrow!
I got the front yard well planted with bulbs last fall, before my shoulder went out. Then I resorted to planting daffs in trenches in the veggie bed and potting up some others, which is how those B&B daffs ended up in pots. I'm hoping I can plant them out in a leisurely fashion, as I put other shrubs and perennials in this spring/summer.
Nice, Greenthumb! I love the tahiti daffs, too. LOL--I can't believe I'm thinking about what spring bulbs to buy for *next* year!
I would love to see all your various violet species, Greenthumb. I've planted about 6 different kinds of viola cornuta in one of my beds. What a pretty ground cover! Plus, I have violets sprouting up everywhere in my lawn-turned-wildflower haven! Different colors are showing up, though, which is pretty but surprising. There is a whitish one with blue streaks as well as the purple one.
The quince is beautiful, too. My neighbor has a quince which just bloomed. So glad I get to enjoy it, too! :-)
SSG and greenthumb: beautiful!
1. Here's the daffodil I most prize in my yard. I dug it up at my grandmother's house. My dear grandfather must have planted it long ago.
2. My Friday afternoon commute is pretty horrible but made a little better with this show every spring.
3. This magnolia tree also on my way home makes me happy.
4. Weeds are blooming at my office. What are the tiny blue flowers?
Typ: "And here's a pic of me holding up traffic while I take a shot of the beautiful Magnolia... you can see the line of cars behind me in my side-view mirror". < =D LOL!!!!!!! I'm sorry, I just couldn't help it!! =)
Lol! I know. I was stopped at a red light, promise! And the BW parkway was at a dead stop b/c of Friday afternoon traffic.
Typ, I'm there with you admiring all the beautiful blooms as I drive around--LOL!
Your office's yard looks similar to my lawn. ;-) It's hard to tell fraom the photo which blossom goes with which leaf, but the little blue flower looks like it might be a violet. Does it have heart-shaped leaves? And all that nettle--I keep pulling mine up just before it looks like it's going to bloom. (haha) The weed with the tiny leaves and small white flowers--anyone know what that is?
1) violet growing in my yard which might be similar to what's growing in your office yard
2) the ever-present nettle, and what's the weed with the white flower??
3) My English primrose finally bloomed--yay!
4) Viola cornuta in one of my beds.
Typ, the tiny blue flowers are a Speedwell, of which there are many, but the white lowest lobe indicates that it is Field Speedwell, Veronica agrestis. Also seen in your photo in the lower left corner with the purple tinted upper leaves is Purple Dead Nettle, Lamium purpureum. The plant in the lower right corner with the tightly clasping leaves is Henbit, or Lamium amplexicaule. It will bloom shortly with small but very attractive speckled flowers that most folks don't examine closely enough to appreciate.
thanks, Greenthumb--what a good eye you have! I couldn't tell much of anything except the nettle.
Can you tell me what the wildflower/weeds are in my lawn?
1) Is that a violet?
2) Do you know what the plant is with the tiny white flowers, surrounding the purple nettle?
I'm wondering, Greenthumb--do you leave your wildflower/weeds alone, or do you try to control them in some way? The purple nettle in particular seems so invasive.
I have that white flowering weed all over my yard. I think it's called hairy bittercress. The seeds explode when touched and the seeds go flying everywhere.
yes, that's it, SSG! Hairy bittercress!! thanks!
So sorry to hear about your poppies! :-(
Very pretty flowers, and I think you other smarties beat me to IDing all the weeds.
"most folks don't examine closely enough to appreciate." henbit...and Greenthumb ain't just most people.
dutch hyacinth quite happy.
And one of my three volunteer peach trees is blooming, others to follow. Remind me how pretty this is when I curse the fungus and squirrels that keep me from having ever gotten a ripe peach yet.
CatMint, as noted by others, the little white flowers are the dreaded,vile, horrible Hairy Bittercress. (no feelings here) Pull it as soon as you see it no matter how small. Later in the season in can bloom when only one inch high. We have managed to nearly rid the property of this scourge after several years of daily spring sweeps of the entire yard.
Your larger flower is indeed a violet. Leaf notch shape suggests Large-leaved Violet, Viola incognita. Look carefully at the flower and check out the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock petals. If it is this species these petals will have tiny beards (fuzzies) in the throat of the bloom.
as ssg pointed out, those bittercress seeds explode later. You have to get every plant away at least five- ten feet from your flowerbeds, or the seeds fly back in.
Thanks for the signs of spring, everyone!
Greenthumb, your photos confirm that what I thought was Asarum canadense surfacing is actually Eurybia macrophylla (Bigleaf aster, Large-leaf wood-aster), coming up at least 6 inches from where I planted it. Now that I've figured that out, I'll move it to join its siblings in their sunnier abode.
Asarum canadense is coming up where it belongs, and the slugs have found it already....time to start the slug control.
CatMint and greenthumb, I almost forgot to thank you for your kind offers of Vinca minor : )
I actually could use some - my neighbor (very nicely) commented that the part of my yard that I fenced out of my sight looks a little ratty - but I'll let you keep yours and dig up some variegated Vinca major for her instead.
This message was edited Apr 13, 2014 12:49 PM
Awww Muddy and here I was planning a fun day of having you up for a visit to help me dig up my vinca minor so you could take some with you! ;-)
Greenthumb thanks so much for the violet ID. I'll take a look at the petals when I'm home again.
And thanks to you and sally for the advice about the hairy bittercress. You are inspiring me to go out and do some weeding!
Thank you guys, for ID'ing the hairy pain in the dupa weed - UGH, did I have a heck of a time with that stuff today!!!!!! I didn't know before I started how sensitive those suckers are to any touch-- seeds flying all over me left and right. UGH!! I can see that this year is gonna be a DOOZIE when it comes to weeding. =/
OK, so.. positive things.. while I don't actually have any blooms yet, this is my first official BUD in my yarden now! One of my Irises, and for the life of me I just can't remember which one. A Siberian, I think.
Oh.. WAIT!! I do have something actually blooming, but I didn't put it there... my guess is that it's either a dogwood (my first guess, 'cause it's about 15-20 feet tall or so), second, distant guess... some sort of wild Azalea... (but I doubt it).
First shot of it is a distance shot - to show the height. Second shot of it is a close-up of the blooms. Cute little things, huh? :)
Speedie, I think that the plant in your first photo is a Tulip rather than an Iris. Also, I believe that the flowering tree is a Star Magnolia.
thanks for the weed names! we've got 'em too
Sally, nice peach tree blooms!
our money plants started blooming today
and PJM rhododendron
didn't snap any pics though
I'd love a magnolia!
Anyone have any experience with the "Little Girl" series from the arboretum?
WOW, you mean I actually have a Tulip that lived!?!?! That is a miracle, let me tell you! When we first moved in here, back in 1998, I planted Tulips.. and they promptly got eaten by the squirrels. I gave up immediately and never looked back. This must be the lone survivor after aallll those years, WOW!! Can't wait to see what colour it is! =)
And, a Magnolia, really!? How cool is that!! =) Thank you Sir, you are brilliant, and you've made my day!!! < =D
Speedie, I said "I think it is a Tulip". It may be some other bulb, but not an Iris. Post a photo when it blooms so I can see how far off I was.
Whoa, Eucomis 'Sparkling Burgundy' overwintered for me!
I guess it really is a zone 7 plant!
/happydance
It looks like a tulip to me, too.
I finally got around to taking a few pictures: Chrysogonum virginianum (Green and gold), which I have wanted for a long time and finally bought at the Loudoun native plant sale, and Sedum 'Utah'. These are two of about 10 kinds of ground covers in my hillside rock garden. All of the Sedums stayed green all winter, which kind of surprised me.
I'm not sure my Salvia 'Black and Blue' and Canna 'Australia' made it. Black and Blue is supposed to be hardy to 10-20 degrees, and Canna 'Australia' to 1-10 degrees.
I don't think my Salvia 'Black and Blue' made it either, Muddy!