Let's leave the storm of the century behind us and start May 1st off right. Talk about anything that you want on this thread - the weather (hopefully not snow), gardening, what you did today, anything on your mind. And please post pictures. Have fun!!
Good idea, grammy. Happy spring! I have 2 new lilac bushes. don't know if the flower buds will open or not.
Right now I have a nice drift of daffs and tulips in full bloom and a surprise peony that decided to start growing after being planted in the ground 2 years ago. I forgot it was there.
Well, I stopped at Home Depot and Mahoney's today - bought two different kinds of mint (chocolate and orange) that I'll be potting up soon. I cleaned out my herb garden and found a dead chipmunk. :-( Poor thing - I have no idea how it died - no signs of trauma. Do chipmunks die of old age? I thought they just committed suicide in my pool!
My oregano and spearmint are coming up to beat the band. I gave the chives a haircut since they're already about a foot tall. One of my tall phlox plants didn't make it.
That's about it on the gardening front. Oh, I ordered a new macro lens for our Rebel XT - the Canon 100mm. That should be nice for taking pictures this summer.
gram - I hope the lilac flower buds will open. I have quite a few on my white lilac bush that is a couple of years old and I hope they will open also. Two of my rhododendrons are loaded with flower buds. I can't wait until they open. I'm going to DC this Sat. through next Wed. and I hope they don't all open and drop while I'm gone. I want to get a photo of them. It's really great to hear about everyone's gardens coming back to life. Speaking of chipmunks, I have one that seems to be living in the end of the down spout of the raingutter. The neighbors cat was trying to get him today and I have heard him in there. Wonder what he does when it rains?
ckk, the voles commit suicide in my pool. nothing like coming home from work to find dead rodents floating. DH has even seen them swimming but they're always dead by the time I get to them. (he is disabled and can't get out to take care of them).
gram, I know what you mean re: dead rodents. What a drag. I make my husband check the filter baskets every morning just in case there's been an overnight lemmings imitation. :-) I think I use more pool shock than anyone else in the entire state. Blech. It's probably my fault - they eat the fallen bird seed and go off and have lots of babies. Last year we had a turtle in the pool - a big one! It was hilarious. We actually saw it run into the pool area and fall in - my pool curves out at one point, and it was running in a straight line - plop! DH fished it out with the net and heaved it over the fence. That was the highlight of our summer!
grammyphoeb, my rhododendron buds look pretty brown. I don't know if they're okay or not. Time will tell.
I went shopping with a friend:
pirl - I'm so jealous!!! I can't wait. I'm hoping maybe late next week I can start collecting my annuals. They're beautiful.
Now thats what I call shopping! Just beautifull.
Thanks, grammyphoeb. Today the 42 delphiniums will be arriving from Graceful Gardens. Downstairs two of the dahlias are in bud and many others haven't yet made any new growth. Tomatoes are slower than normal but peppers doing great, as are the coleus! Zounds! The coleus cuttings are fantastic, too.
My only crop failure has been with basil. I only plant a few seeds, each year, from the packages and this year not a seed sprouted. Do you think the germination rate is nil because they're 15 years old?
I bought more seeds.
Thanks, daisycat. I love the big begonia best of all.
I have received a $30 gift certificate to a local nursery - I am trying to resist temptation to impulse buy, and instead I want to use it to buy a plant that will last. And then I see your pictures, pirl. The plants are so beautiful . . . you make it hard to resist impulse shopping for plants!
Planned impulse shopping. I've done it both ways and having a plan for the plants, based on colors, works like a charm for me.
Pirl, very nice combination too! But I don't think you should keep seeds that are old enough for high school ;)
Funny, Dave. I hadn't thought of it that way but you're right. Guess I'll have to ditch the other old herbs, too.
It is a bit scary to realize that by just using a few seeds each year that with the new package of basil seeds I now might have a lifetime supply!
Pirl, nice combo of plants you have there. Love that Begonia. The nurseries in our area that carry annuals don't have anything like that, darn.
Funny but I bought only that plant at the nursery I do the least business with and have never had luck with one single thing I've bought there. I'm hoping to change history with this purchase.......history of my failures, that is.
Well, that one sure looks healthy. Please post a picture after you plant it, of the combo you put with it. Someplace I saw some of those neat begonia, maybe Terra Nove. Really nice.
It probably was Terra Nova where I first saw 'Escargot' begonia but, though I loved it best, that one was not available at the nursery where I was. This one comes close and I do love the colors.
We'll be going to another nursery that sells a lot of that type begonia soon and now I'm very happy to have that gift certificate from my birthday last year. It will feel like the lottery to me.
Worked in the garden all morning and when Colin came over we went for a walk on the canal tow path in back of our house and enjoyed the spring day. Took some photos of favorite things along the way. The first is the pileated woodpecker tree!
This is the canal tow path - haven't let the water in yet from the Hudson river but soon will.
The Hudson River and of course my most favorite of all Colin, my grandson!!! (He's not too happy because he likes to keep moving and I stopped to take a picture)
Honeysuckle bushes are the first sign of green in this area in the spring.
Our house at the top of the canal bank. Someday I would love to clear that area but for now I'm just working on the very top section that was a buffer zone between the lawn and the bank.
I know I'm making this really long, but when we got home we noticed how pretty the neighbor's forsythia bushes were. What a blast of yellow to look at across the street from my house.
Hope you enjoyed our springtime walk as much as we did!!
oh Collin is so cute!!!! what a nice place.... looks very quiet!!!!!!
What a lovely walk Grammyphoeb. I love the pileated woodpecker tree. I've heard of the square hole the PW makes, but this is the first time I've seen them. Thank you.
Colin is a cutie!! and what a nice walk.
I finally have proof that spring has arrived in Maine.....
Grammy, nice walking with you! What a pretty & peaceful area you live in!
Pirl, I've heard of "Too old to buy green bananas " but not "Too old for a packet of basil seeds" But I agree it's a scarey thought!
pirl - maybe we could all split one packet of basil seeds. :)
That's even scarier! As it is if I use my French Tarragon to make Tarragon vinegar I can bequeath it to friends and family - it would make THAT much.
I have far too many plants to get in the ground to start thinking of myself as compost!
That's the spirit!
Dave - please don't say "spirit" to an old person.
Pirl you are tooo funny. :)
I've been working on a succulent wreath. Has anyone ever made one before? I found the directions in a magazine and so far it seems to be going ok but I would like to hear from someone who has actually made one successfully. I just started it this week - I don't even know if it's done. I keep looking at it and then go over to my neighbor's rock and help myself to another baby chick to fill in some more. My neighbor has a large boulder in her yard and she filled an indentation with some soil and planted some hens and chickens and they spread all over the rock. (She lets me thin them out each year) The photo in the magazine showed one that had grown quite large so I don't know how much to fill in. Suggestions welcome.
It's lovely! Keep up the good work.
Does a Life Saver count as a succulent wreath?
lol....
Dave47 - it's too early in the morning to think of a good come back for that but I'm going to DC on the train in a few minutes and that will give me plenty of time to think of one! LOL
