DH told me he doesn't think it'll do that this year because we didn't have thunder in January. I don't know if that's just an old wives tale or not, but last Jan we did have thunder in Jan and a freeze in April. Anybody else ever hear of that? That might be a good thread starter. Hmmmm.
Hints of Spring! Please share yours....
Can't say I've ever noticed about the thunder. We had a harder winter last year, but I don't remember a freeze here in April. All I remember about last spring is that the drought FINALLY ended. And then, before it finished ending, I thought we'd all need an ark!
I'm worried about the hostas. We had cold weather in Nov/Dec, and they all went to sleep nicely. But since then, we haven't had much really cold weather. I'm concerned that they didn't get their chill hours. Anyone been keeping track?
Thunder in January is one of the guidelines the older folks here stand by. But here it mainly brings cold snaps in April not frosts. We had a bunch of thunder in January here this year.
BTW, another one here is the last freeze is around Easter. Easter comes early this year... Yippee!
Pbtx I've been looking at my hostas too. A couple are starting to do something. None of them are mushy, so I'm hoping that's a good sign. I haven't been keeping track on cold hours, but I thought we'd had enough cold. Well, atleast it wasn't warm and wet this winter. That would probably be a bigger problem for hotsas. If you know anybody that raises peaches, they would know about cold hours. They require a minimum of number cold hours to make fruit. I don't remember if it froze up there where you are, but come to think of it we had snow.
Daffodils starting to bloom.
Nice AJ---I have a soft spot for that part of the state. Born in Port Arthur (but raised far from Texas). After my dad retired from the air force he was a professor at Lamar--my cousin is also still a professor there.
Obviously, I had to attend the "Harvard on the Neches" too. ;)
The way I heard it is that hostas need 40 nights under 40 degrees, which I guess translates to about 320 hours. But probably that axiom includes some cold during the day too, so (guessing) say 500 hours. The problem is, some of it needs to be of extended duration. An odd cold day here and there isn't enough.
If they don't get enough, they will sometimes still come up, but apparently it sets back their growth. It depends on the hosta, of course. Nothing seems to phase my undulatas. But my Guacamole didn't get enough cold its first year. 3 years later, it's still not as big as when I planted it. :(
::crossing fingers that that doesn't happen this year::
Very odd early LA Iris here--not all that impressive, but quite early.
More of the story here:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/811609/
I also have one out in the LA Iris bed blooming today, but its pretty pitiful looking.
Debbie
This message was edited Feb 15, 2008 12:47 PM
Sylvia is our Hosta expert in the forum - maybe she will know and can shoot us the information. I will send her the link.
I don't know what kind of expert I am, but i am not seeing any of the stuff you guys are. My Fringe Flower is blooming. Last year my little Quince tree had blooms at the bottom, this year I don't even see leaves ... maybe because I moved it? All those Dianthus Plants I bought for 50 cents are greening up nicely. The Heleborus are growing, but not blooming, I think its because they were replanted from last year. Usually the Hostas don't show up until a cold heavy rain take place ... like today. My old Hostas have shot multiple eyes, I am praying others show up soon. I wish my potted hostas was out there in this rain, it washes away the soil so you can see the eyes coming through. I think maybe I mulched my pots too late ... and I am still in the process of mulching the ground. its more for aesthetic reasons than anything else. I am waiting for tomorrow.
Sylvia, my flowering quince doesn't have anything yet either. My helleborus is blooming, though. At least the one that is old enough to bloom. Don't they usually take a year or two after transplanting to "mature" again?
I don't have ANY hostas showing ANY sign of life. Oh, except Green Fountain, which never went dormant. :(
Green Fountain? was that a Sissinghurst special? :)
No, it was a Sylvia gift. :)
I went outside this morning and the only thing look promising is the Tulips. The limbs on the Quince tree are red, do that mean anything? Red buds and plum trees are still bare.
We just finished spreading 6 bags of mulch, how thick is it suppose to be? I want to cover up the weeds but I don want to snuff out my hostas.
I planted some petunias for the butterflies...some are blooming. The Arizona Ash (I sometimes call it the Arizona Trash Tree) has buds to leaf out. Netleaf Forestiera (kin to Elbowbush) and the Winter Honeysuckle are both blooming, but couldn't get a decent picture of either one.
One of my Spiderworts is blooming, don't remember what species. An Agarita I have is preparing for a really spectacular bloom soon. And coming soon, a few of the Golden Groundsels are going to bloom. Oh, and I spotted a few little leaves on my White Mistflower. Spring is revving up!
This message was edited Feb 17, 2008 4:21 PM
Wow! I am a ways away from the spiderworts blooming here. I love the color on your petunia. Wish my camera would take red shots that well. After a flood, I will have to see what is blooming today.
Today ~ I saw the first forsythia in bloom in town. A very lovely large shrub.
And yesterday, this little buddy popped out with blooms. Sweet violets.
Although I haven't placed this in ground yet, it is full of blooms. Sweet olive ~ Osmanthus fragrans.
Uruguayan Firecracker Plant waiting on the hummingbirds. Dicliptera suberecta
I have a sweet olive, but I haven't noticed any great scent coming from the flowers. Am I the only one that can't smell this flower?
I saw a daffodil blooming..didn't have the camera to take a picture...I will tomorrow.
I took my clock vine out of the pot..and even though it had no top growth..the roots looked active..so I re-potted it, in a larger pot and apologized for disturbing it...
Apologized ~ lol. Who hasn't been there! 8 )
The sweet olive is not as fragrant right now as I noticed it was later last spring. This is my first year with it.
Yes, I have dug up the violets and relocated them. They don't seem to mind. Seeds? Well, I'd have trouble getting down that close to the ground and am sure I couldn't see the seeds either ~ LOL! Over the years, I've left some and dug some violets and the wild spiderwort. No, please don't throw stuff at me... I like the blues and purples of both.
Here is my little lenten rose in bloom. The heavy rains over the weekend made the flowers droop a bit.
Here's the first open flower on my tiny little pulmonaria. First year--I thought these were going to be blue!
Pattie, those are beautiful. I'm not seen a Pulmonaria before, how very delicate it appears.
I noticed over the weekend that I have Pincushion Plant and Homestead Verbena blooming (not much). I'll try to get photos sometime soon.
Carla
Some of my Spiderworts are starting to bloom.
First time I've noticed these Bromeliads blooming.
I don't really have many well-established early bloomers, yet. But my mesembs have been blooming on and off since November, and I have quite a few plants emerging. My theme song for this time of year is a little ditty by Tom Petty............"The Waiting is the Hardest Part".
You got it Bronc--but here you go:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bB_SyQUVKzg
=)
Awhahaha! That's perfect Debbie! :~)
:: waving at TJ :: did you get tickets to Tom Petty?
No Pattie, I wish! I've been so busy with work and stuff around the house, and right now I see no end in sight.
I've discovered (to quote another song) that this life is too short to get all this stuff done.
=)
absolutely pouring down rain here--great for the garden, bad for getting any work done in the garden
This message was edited Feb 20, 2008 2:48 PM
Carla, I don't think too many people grow pulmonaria around here. Don't know why not. Mine got a little crispy last summer when it was really hot. But then, so did everything else.
Well... if it makes you feel any better... I had a presale code. But, when I logged on to buy them, everything was already gone except nosebleed sections, on the side. The fan club got a day earlier, and just about bought them all, before the public ever got a chance. ;(
I hope it will be, but it's not till August!