What's blooming for us in Canada?

Steve no patrticular secret that I am aware of -I have been planting them for years - seems there are always a few new ones every year and I cant resist because I love things that come up early nd flower and that naturalize! And I am not particular about amending soil and fertilizing either!

Joan I think those hyacinths have been there for several years.

Ok, same here. I might add some compost or somthing in the hole when I plant but thats about it......and my plants grow just fine.
Maybe my tulips just didn't like it where they were......I had them planted in a garden with clay soil....I had read somewhere that bulbs like clay soil.......but maybe not.

Steve

Planted last Fall Carol, but I have to admit they look good. lol

Joan

My heather is blooming, the perfect tiny pink flowers are so cheerful. It was in a 4" pot last spring, so it has quite a bit of growing to do, but survived the winter nicely.
Christine

Very pretty Christine! I've always liked heather.

Steve

Thanks Steve, me too-and it's such a hardy plant. The label said that it blooms from November to May, but I bought it in a nursery a full zone higher than my own, and it started blooming in early April. Hopefully it'll bloom on into the summer-or at least until the oriental poppies start opening up and shadowing the still quite small plant.

C.

Wow, I should pick one up next time I see it. Do you feed yours anything special? They need acidic soil?

Steve

I have mine planted about 12" from a cedar hedge right between two oriental poppies. All are happily growing this spring. So, yes, I would say it likes acidic soil. I feed with Miracle Grow, in early April and about once a month from now until August or September.
C.

ok, thanks :) I like to find out the how-to before I try a plant. Otherwise I worry about it and keep moving it around till it's half dead....

Steve

Oh yes, I know that routine-I have a hosta that I moved twice last summer, so far it hasn't poked up yet....but I still have hope.

I should also have mentioned that this one is also planted in a full-sun location, on the south-east side of my house, so gets direct sun for the moring and a lot of the afternoon. By the end of winter the foliage had taken on a rusty hue, but that only lasted until the flowers formed, and it all turned back to green.

Good luck Steve!

Christine

Hi everone
ceedub i've tryed to grow heather a fue times but it never came back the second year.What zone is that one zoned for

I bet everone is sick of seeing crocus,but heres a pic of mine

Hi digging_dirt!! I don't remember what the tag said, but I bought it in a nursery in a 7a zone, and it survived my 6a winter nicely. Its pretty exposed where it's planted (very windy), so I'd say it could go another couple of zones below mine easily.

They're really pretty digging_dirt!
C.

Good to see you joined this thread Digging! Maybe we should both try heather this fall....What zone are you in?

Steve

Here's a shot of part of my yard taken from behind the tulips.

OK so here is a pic of my crocus which is looking rather splendid this year!

Ooh! That's an unusual crocus. Very pretty.

Ann

Okay, found the tag, it says Heather, Erica "Darley Dale", but there's no zone indication, just that it prefers a sunny location, and not to let it dry out. Says its mature size is 14" tall by 32" wide. Oops, that's gonna be a problem.....lol.....

C.

Never get tired of seeing crocus or any other Spring bulbs DD.

Carol, your crocus look a little different than the usual. Can you tell me what it is? Joan

Joan that is Pulsatilla vulgaris or Pasque Flower - commonly called crocus but not our native. I have one called Rubra (red of course and Calgary's 'flower')
and this violet one I got a root from somebody else and I dont know the variety.
I also found one last year call 'fringed' variey name Papageno and it looks to be a creamy yellow! Has not flowered yet- just p out of the ground and was planted in August.
But everybody calls them crocuses around here!

I love Pulsatilla too. I've seen the fringed variety in seed catalogues before. I really like all the different colours you can get now. Now to add it to my list.........

Steve

How many pages does your list take up now Steve?

Joan, lol

I keep it on the computer, in a WordPad file.....I keep putting more things on it then I take of.... Like this lily

and this amazing dark hued one.....if you look even the leaves are dark!

Steve

Yes Steve we should try it.
Now i heard about zone 7 plants befor right .
I'm game to try growing it.

Ceedub you said it might be a zone 7 plant and your zone6.
will i have a plant thats rated for zone7 and im in a zone 5b,i was told it would never flower will now steve has seen this its a hilamayan blue poppy.So i say if you got the guts to try it go for it.And here's a pic of my baby I've growen a little attached to him.

I've grown attached to some of my plants too......maybe it's a little embarrassing, but I sometimes call a plant a 'child'.

I can't believe I just say that!

Steve

I know how you feel,I talk to mine like thay were people.
My wife sayes that people have been locked up for talking to things thats not human.Ha,ha I know i'm a little nuts whenit comes to plants.

I just remembed this...A year or two ago I went out front to water a plant and started talking to a bush before I realized the neighbors were sitting on their front porch!!! I rushed inside laughing my head off wondering what they thought of me.... :D :D :D

Steve :)

Haaaaaa,Haaaaaaa i had the samething happen,It was so funny, when i said hi the look on there faces and thay backed off.
Come to think about it that still look at me strange.This is how close thay are to my yard.
the house you see is theres oh gees im laughing so hard now thinking about it.

This message was edited Apr 29, 2006 4:11 PM

This is a clump of alliums i have thay must have grown about two inches in the last couple days.

I'm glad to hear I'm not the only crazy one! Non gardening people like your neighbors and mine just don't understand things like that :)

What colour are your Alliums? We've thought about getting some of the big ones for a new garden we want to make in our front.

Steve

Steve that is one of the joys of having dogs - you can talk
to yourself' out loud all you want and people think you are talking to your dogs- and most people dont find that quite so strange as seeing you walking down the street chatting with yourself or wandering in your yard talking to the plants!

This message was edited Apr 30, 2006 7:08 AM

fancyvan you took the words right out of my mouth,

I was just reading this and laughing, as I'm sure that's the only thing that has saved me from being hauled away to a rubber room -

always having a dog around so I can say "No, no, just talking to the dog!" when caught talking to that darn hosta that STILL isn't up, when all the rest are already 4" tall!

This message was edited Apr 29, 2006 10:41 PM

Steve the ones in the pic are small pink one ,i have the large dark purple one to,oh yes i have another small one blue in color thay grow realy will here.Have to get a couple pics of them for you.

2zeus a gardening buddy of mine said she doze it to,and when she relizes shes at it runs around her yard to see if anyone might have heard her.I can just picture her scurring around looking ha.ha

As seen on our rounds to Tara, a local gardening centre, today.

Someone has a very good imagination at this place.