Joan I think it is just very comfortable . Like a nice soft doggy bed! It is a huge thick patch all growing out of one half patio brick space (about 4x9 inchs) I started it years ago and although it probably looks a bit odd I just leave it there and if I want some somewhere else I put some dirt underneath to encourage roots and then cut it off and plant it elsewhere.
What's blooming for us in Canada?
Carol, I LOVE your hepaticas. Haven't heard much about them in Ottawa. I wonder why.
My crocuses are just about finished blooming. They were glorious last week covering a swath about 12 x 3 feet across the front of the house. My early tulips have been blooming since Saturday; so they are probably finished too. The pic below was taken last Sunday.
I have some early daffodils in a sheltered spot near the house. Lots of other tulips and daffodils coming. Also quite a few scilla. And I have a Fritilaria that's been in front of the house for maybe 10 years. I planted several. They never bloomed and all but one disappeared. That one has faithfully come up every year and then died down. But this year it is going to bloom!! I never thought I'd see it.
I also have quite a few Doronicum which will bloom soon. They always add a nice splash of yellow.
Ann
Nice photo Ann. I have some first year Fritilaria and they have all bloomed. Could have planted them closer but they will fill in. They're hard to get a photo of because them tend to hang their heads. lol
Joan
Looking lovely Ladies!
Nice photo Ann. I really like your Crocus/Tulip combo.
Like Lilypon said, everyones gardens are looking good!
Steve
Nice to such gorgeous colors again, Everyone!! Fancy I have the violet hepatica but luv your fuchsia colored one.
:) Donna
Hepatica grows wild at the cottage and I tried to transplant a few to part of my town garden where I'm creating a 'cottage corner' with the same plants, soil, pine needle mulch, etc. Unfortunately, I think it's too damp and shaded for them... they just didn't make it past the second winter. I'll just enjoy them where they are. Photos next week, I hope, along with bloodroot, dog-tooths and trilliums. My transplanted ferns are doing well, though: fronds of the Christmas and Royal are poking up. The maidenhair is always slow to start.
Meanwhile, I'm getting all excited about the tulip festival, which may start earlier than the scheduled dates with all this warm weather we've been having.
I've seen Hepatica growing and blooming wild in the woods near my house before in the spring and I usually take a look every spring since but I always seem to miss it. I'm looking forward to seeing your photos Andy. Your cottage garden area sounds very nice.
Steve
Here's a picture of my Hepatica blooming.
:) Donna
I forget what this is.
Pasque
Daffodil
Donna I always have a bad time remembering what all my little spring bulbs are but that is a Chinodoxa ( confess I had to look it up in the Botanus catalogue!)
It is snowing here! Not heavily although in the hour I have been up it has gotten heavier but still not sticking. Doesnt seem to be in the weather forecast either!
Tomorrow is 'Scoopy Doo Day' at the city off leash parks - hope it is not raining or snowing in the morning!
carol
Thanks, Carol! You shouldn't be saying the "S" word...yuck!
:) Donna
Donna - I love those Pasque flowers. Are the fairly easy to grow? Cause I had one once but it died :(
Yours Hepatica looks good too with such a nice blue colour.
Carol - What's 'Scoopy Doo Day'?
Steve
Thanks, Steve! I thinkl they are easy to grow. If my friend can grow them than you should try again.
:) Donna
Steve:Scoopy Doo Day is a city wide poop clean up day at the off leash parks of which we have many! This is city sponsored and done only at the larger parks - those of us who are park volunteers get to put up posters and notices on cars and recuit vounteers to help us at the stations and get to sit at the parking lots for 3 hours Sunday morning and hand out bags to clean up and get people to sign up for prizes and hand out bandanas and treats to the dogs - it can be quite a bit of fun if the weather is not too bad - each year the city picks one park (our turn last year) and the TV stations show up and other interesting things happen.
Donna, I'm having a hard time distinguishing between your "Hepatica" and your "I forget what this is". They are both so delicate and I love the mauve shade.
Great photos BTW.
Joan
Scoopy Doo Day sounds like a real fun event and hopefully it will get the message across.
We no longer have a problem with people scooping and scooping and this is great news.
Hope the message spreads.
Joan
Thanks, Joan. I to luv the color on both of them!
:) Donna
Whoops! Should have said stooping and scooping.
Oh well, it's been a long day making the rounds of the nurseries.
What a life. lol
Joan
Has anyone have or seen this plant?
I'm looking for shade plants and think it is sooo gorgeous.
We couldn't find it today so may have to order it.
Joan
Sounds like fun Carol! Could you take some pictures maybe so we can see it?
Hope you have fun tomorrow!
Steve
Joan, for some reason the full size image won't load, but it looks like a pulmonaria. Not sure what variety though. I love the different colours in the same flower cluster!
Steve
Steve, that's what I like about it also. And to think that it grows well in shady conditions is just the ticket. Joan
That is a pulmonaria Joan.I think it might be Victorian brooch.
I have one that is almost the same bloom colors.
About half of my back yard is shade (not dense just semi mostly so I am always on the look ouit for shady things too.
Joan, I got one of those for the first time last year, and it bloomed for me this spring -
it was beautiful, but the slugs loved it even more than I did, and I only got to admire it for one day before they gorfed all the blooms and I was left with empty stalks......nice leaves, though!
I'm sorry, I didn't give you the name which is
"Bethlehem Sage Raspberry Splash"
http://www.parkseed.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/StoreCatalogDisplay?storeId=10101&catalogId=10101&langId=-1&mainPage=prod2working&ItemId=47690&PrevMainPage=advsearchresults&scChannel=Ground%20Covers%20AS&SearchText=p11.v99;p4.v8&OfferCode=S1H
Have never tried pulmonaria, but think I will. Which plant do the slug like better - pulmonaria or hostas?
Ann
Ann slugs like hostas much better...lol. They seem to leave my pulmonaria alone.
Did you grow yours from seed Joan? I think I might try pulmonaria for wintersowing this year. I have alot of shady area in my yard too and would have tons of spots for these.
Steve
And for the Easter season, a clip from The Mary Garden:
Lungwort – 'Mary's Tears'. The white spots on the leaves are her tear stains, and the changing colour of the flowers from pink to blue represent her blue eyes reddened with weeping. Lungwort is also known as 'Mary and Joseph'
Ken
I haven't got my Raspberry Splash yet Steve. I'm scouting around for it and think I may have to order it from the U.S. (maybe the Parks site that I posted). We tried 3 nurserys yesterday and no go.
I really want this, and Steve, you sound like me when you're planning what to winter sow this coming year. lol
As for the slugs, I used Safer's Slug & Snail Bait which can be bought at Wallymart for a reasonable price. I used it on a badly infested hosta patch and had no problems with the little pests at all.
Joan
I got Raspberry Spash a couple of years ago - sure is pretty! I love(and grow) raspberries and also have two peonys - Raspberry Sunday and Raspberry Ice!
Ive never had a slug problem with my pulmonarias.
I put slug bait around the hostas and cover with broken cedar shingles to keep it away from the dogs. Works for me!
I thought you had gotten it already. My mistake. I'm already planning my winter sowing and saving containers. This will be my first time this winter so I'm pretty excited! I've already gotten some Iceland poppy seeds and I saw some perennial geranium seeds at Wal-mart too, which I haven't gotten yet.....
Steve
Carol, do you recall where you purchased the Raspberry Spash? I'd like to order in Canada if it comes to that. Sounds like you're a real raspberry fan - I love them too, as well as the colour.
Steve, I've got a head-start on the containers and am thinking of getting some tomatoe seeds started indoors, then transferring them to the garden with a cone to protect them. This is an experiment so we'll see what happens.
I see that you're in the same zone as I, so we'll have to compare notes this coming winter. Joan
Joan I bought it from one of the local nurseries - dont remember which one but doesnt much matter as they dont mail order. If I see one this spring I could get it for you but not so very sure about mailing a plant - guess I could figure out how to do it safely with a little thought! I will be touring around the next couple of weeks - wait and I will see what I can find.
Or maybe if mine is big enough I can send you a piece. It is just now starting to come up - in a more shaded area than some of my others.
carol
This message was edited Apr 23, 2006 8:59 PM
Please Carol, don't go to that trouble. I haven't finished scouting around in this neck of the woods yet.
That is very kind and thoughtful of you.
Joan
I finally got some pictures of whats blooming in my garden!
Here they are.....
Unknown Yellow Primrose...
