Oh no, all 5 Japanese maples have leaves emerging, and I can't cover them all.
And I have about 50 lilies coming up. Can't cover them either.
And all the hostas have popped up.
I think I'll cover the 2 peonies and eucomis, but there isn't much else I can do for the rest of the garden.
FIRST FLOWERS OF SPRING!!! Post your pics!! April Edition :)
I had good luck one year putting overturned nursery pots on every lily sprout I could find.
My hydrangeas barely have anything emerging yet, so a scoop of mulch might suffice. I think my J Maple might be too big to cover anymore... hopefully it's tough enough to handle the cold.
There's not much visible on the hostas yet... will a frost just damage the tips or will it kill the plant?
Jill: the hostas tips will just burn. Hostas are tough plants!
Wow you guys, such gorgeous pics!!! Catmint, I do love your golden bleeding heart! Paul, I agree with the others, that set-up of all the Rhodies is really interesting, and I was thinking it was your yard too. :) That structure looks really cool to me, I like it.
Low tonight (actually, it will be EARLY tomorrow morning) is expected to be 27 degrees down here. YIKES!!! I just might put an over-turned nursery pot on a few things when I get home from work today.. just need to figure out WHAT should be covered. Ms. Paeony for sure, I think. Her leaves are really starting to newly-fill out a LOT... and maybe that Tulip as well. Don't want to lose my one and ONLY Tulip ever!
Thank you David (though I know you're not here for a few days), about the heads-up on the Lobelia. I will be patient. (even though I had already considered them "lost" and threw out all the tags I had tucked into the ground near them, LOL!) Will wait for "real" Springy weather to last for a while and tell me what's what.
Shower and work time. Have a great day, everyone! =)
I'm with you speedier on the golden bleeding heart. Catmint can you save some seeds for me?
thanks, Speedie and Terp! It is Dicentra spectabilis 'gold heart'. I am thrilled to see it growing and blooming so well this spring! I can collect seeds but I'm not sure if it would come true from seed?
SSG, I feel your pain! :-( My 2 Japanese maples have also leafed out, my peony has lots of eyes shooting up, and my tulips are only just blooming! So many other plants are just showing tiny tips--I even found the first tips of my astilbe the other day!! Very concerning...
I'm wondering whether putting a light mulch over the tiny tips of just emerging leaf shoots would help? I'm concerned about smothering just-emerging plants, but I'm also concerned about them being harmed by a frost right now... Anyone have any suggestions about this?
This message was edited Apr 15, 2014 5:23 AM
I have astilbes that are almost 2 feet tall now. i can't cover them.
Glad to hear the hostas will be ok.
Now the weather forecast says a low of 27 tonight/early tomorrow morning. :-( And now on WTOP they are saying 'potential for some wintry mix/snow in the forecast for Tuesday night' (but no accumulation). :-(
Can't cover everything, so what to cover?? Also, can someone explain why newspaper is recommended as a cover?
I have 3 peonies which are all up-the biggest one has stems almost a foot tall already.
Quickest way is to thrown old sheet over them-or a beach towel. Put in a small stake
to keep it off the growing stems..put some stones around the cloth so it will stay put...
Mulch is too messy--as you will have to remove it again...
Hostas--like some people have said--I will just put a pot over them with a brick on top.
My Hostas all have just the pips showing...
I feel for all the people that have bought ALL kinds of annuals at the HD.
They will have to deal with all of them and go through the "Live and learn" thing.
It will be hard at work--as they will have to put the frost covers over most of the tables...
They are HUGE and a mess to anchor down.
OK! Goitta get ready to face the HD World...G.
I just noticed that my dogwood buds are just beginning to open. What bad timing with the expected freeze tonight! Does this mean they'll be frost-nipped and won't open at all? :-(
Don't worry, Cat. Microclimates, microclimates, microclimates!
I bet most of the stuff that's grown the most will be okay because those plants are in areas that will stay warmest tonight. I bet your dogwood flowers will be okay too. I would only worry about the stuff that's in the coldest part of YOUR yard. The forecast for your region may say 31, but doesn't mean that your entire yard will be touched by frost. The things that bloom "earlier" than everything else in your yard will probably be safer because they are probably near things that retain heat, like a wall or patio.
If I were so inclined to cover anything (I'm not), I would only spend time covering the new growth in the cold wells in my yard, like bottoms of hills and north and west facing areas that don't get morning sun. But so far, the only cold-sensitive thing I have growing in that area of my yard is tulips, and so this might be the second year of losing the blooms in one particular spot because it's practically impossible to protect those tall buds. *sigh*
I think they recommend newspaper as an insulator because it's better than nothing. I don't think it's especially good at retaining heat. You can learn about R-values and insulators and maybe come up with something ingenious to protect your plants. Today I learned that vermiculite is a good insulator! Newspaper is cellulose. http://www.coloradoenergy.org/procorner/stuff/r-values.htm
Yes, smothering plants can be a bigger problem than frost. If you leave early in the morning for work (like me), you can't take the frost protection off before working (frost warning is till 9am on Wed), and you can't leave it on all day. What to do???? My answer: nothing. "Sorry baby plants, you're on your own. It's a tough world out there. Best get used to it now!" ;)
Good insight Typ~!!
We've moved to here:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1356682/
Everyone's pictures look so very nice. There is a huge difference in the yard in the 2 weeks we were gone. When we pulled into the front and seeing what all has happened since we were gone. Here are a few pic from the yard.
and a few more
Beautiful as your vacation spot was, it must have been very pretty coming home also!
Yeah, I must admit it sure is pretty out there and so exciting seeing new plants emerging.
Gorgeous photos, Holly!
holly--
Did you lay on your tummy to get all those hellebore shots?
If I did that--I would be laying there for a few minutes while i figure out
how to get back up....:o)
G.
Wow...those Hellebores are going nuts!
Oh yeah they are huge. I will have seedlings at the plant swap if you are the patient type. LOL
WOW Holly, those Hellebores really wanted to give you guys a beautiful greeting when you got home, huh? They did a GREAT job of it! =)
I've got BUDS on many of my Irises now, wheee!!! (no blooms yet, so I'll hold off on pics). Most of my stuff are later bloomers so I don't have any home photos to share yet... I may need to work on that, huh? =)
Speedie, can't believe you have buds on your irises already! Mine are growing but nowhere near bud stage yet. Yes, 'home' photos! :-)
Sounds like you need some earlier-blooming plants? :-) I seem to have a lot of hyacinth bulbs. Will you be coming to the plant swap??
You're right, I definitely will need some earlier bloomers, gonna have to pay closer attention to what all you guys have and aim myself in that direction. Sadly, I will not be able to attend the plant swap, (I need to pop over into that thread and give a heads-up!!); I'm scheduled to work that Saturday. =(
OK, I will get a couple "home" pics of the Iris buds. That Tulip bud is.. well, it's still a bud. I went over to get a closer look and take a 'feel' of it when I got home from work today and it feels hollow!! =( Looking like I'll probably not get a tulip bloom this year after all... but this is the closest I've been yet! < =/
Speedie---
Can you NEVER ask off for a day when something as important
as a Swap id happening???? You have plenty of notice...
You never come! We have ONLY seen you once--at Sally's!
Gotta do better than that--Girl! WE WANT TO SEE YOU!!!!!
Not-so-happy----Gita
So wish we could see you, Speedie!!
A few photos today:
White Bleeding Heart
Epimedium rubrum
Pieris - new growth is more striking than the flowers were
Euphorbia amygdaloides var. robbie
Purple Leaf Plum - Prunus cerasifera
Speedie, sorry you can't make it to the swap.
Beautiful, Greenthumb! And what tremendous growth on your pieris!
Oh My Gosh Greenthumb, those are gorgeous, and LOVE the Epimedium!!!!
OK OK, I will ask at work on Thursday if we can schedule that day off for me to come!! (off tomorrow and I ain't goin' in there if I don't have to! HA!)
A couple Hosta pics (including yours Gita (pic #2)... remember giving this to me in a black garbage bag!?!? LOL!!!!), columbine volunteer in the Hydrangea pot, and .. I think it's a Platycodon baby... not totally sure, but that's what was in that spot last year! ;)
Last pic, a couple of the big fat Iris buds that I've got. I'm SO excited, this is my first crop of Irises ever! =)
Doing a happy dance that you're going to try to get the day off and come to the swap!! Congratulations on your success with the iris in particular.
yay speedie!! :-)
Just a couple new blooms today for me:
1) My viburnum is opening up--yay!
2) My Japanese Maple 'Sunrise' is blooming! I did not realize this about it. The leaves emerge a bright yellow-green, but right now there are delicate fronds of tiny red blossoms along with the young leaves. They look so pretty with the coral stems and the light green leaves! This is a part sun tree that lost its shade cover last summer when the neighbor's tree came down in a storm. Happy and her husband graciously helped me move it into a shadier spot, and probably saved it! So glad it's here now!
Took a walk around today--camera in hand too....
1--Daffs around the small KK Hibiscus bed. Mr. Kk won't show up till end of May.
2--There are extremely fragrant, clumping "daffs'. I have the name somewhere...
they are not like reg. daffs.
3--Another clump of similar ones...these are also fragrant. Different tyoe...
4--Forget-me-nots
5--Violets in the Lawn.
Nice, Gita! Love your forget me nots!
1--Here they were--pips on my oldest Peony--not that long ago...
Here is how fast and tall the old, white Peony has grown.
I try hard to keep all the stems inside the wire support cage.
3--Two 3.8cf bales of Lambert's Professional growing media @ Richardson Farms.
I was so excited to see they were Lambert's....good stuff--from Canada...$18.99+tax.
4--Sally!! My division of the Big Hosta we divided is shooting up.
Is yours growing?
G.
Aaawww, thank you! **blush**. =) I will do my bestest!!
Heeheeeheee, Gita you crack me up!! Only you would share pics of bags of growing medium.. just because you love it so much!! < =D I do love you so!! WOW your Paeony is ... WOW!! I hope mine looks like that when she grows up. One day... Congratulations on your Hosta division pips! < =) So satisfying to see those new signs of life after we've "played about" with our babies, huh?
Oh, speaking of Hostas and pips.. that one I have whose pips were purple.. it's finally past the pip stage and showing green/white if unfurled leaves. It's the last one to open...
Pic #1: taken on the 13th of this month..
Pic #2 taken this morning.
... sorry, no pics of bags of any growing media to share... < =P
Those purple pips are cool, Speedie! Looks like a nice, healthy hosta! :-) Mine are still just pips, but hopefully soon...
Speedie---
The bed this Peony is in is so tiny! Barely 2' wide and about 5' long.
This peony's roots must be growing in circles to survive there.
In the middle of this bed is a very pretty Clematis--called "Proteus".
Maybe you remember last spring i was posting pics of how each bloom
was a different shape than the others...Most unusual!
Then on each side of this Clematis are 2 clumps of Monkshoods.
And--at the other end of this bed is my huge, white Azalea. I cut it back
every 2-3 years....go the nibs. It always re-grows...
1--Just took this to show you how small t is...
***(The blow shots are from last year)***
2--The Proteus Clematis--remember this?
3--The white Peony that is now sprouting up
4--The white Azalea the bed ends up against
5--Another shot of this Peony.
Hey folks, we've been over on this newer flower thread: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1356682/
Come join us on the newer thread!