Early blooms

It has been such a strange season. My daffodils just started blooming.

Hi Rylaff mine started blooming about 3 weeks ago too which is about a month or two earlier than usual. I wonder if the plants know something that we do not?

WHOOO HOOOO!!!!! I just KNEW the first day of spring was here! This is very exciting news. Now I will stare very hard at my snow drifts (snort).

LOL!!!!!

too funny dahlia, lol

Vossner any sign in TX yet???? My sleeping bulbs are just wondering.

Lisa and everyone, here's what's blooming in my yard today:

cluster daffodils
brugmansia - one lone bloom (folding this evening)
white oriental lilys
brunfelsia
gerbera daisys
white mandevilla
confederate jasmine
star jasmine
creeping lantana
pentas
orange tecoma stans
red salvia
orange butterfly weed
black current swirl datura
hong kong orchid tree
white camelia
panseys
pink asters

This may be normal for this area - I just moved here from Kansas City (in Sept.), so I don't know what 'normal' is, but I'm thrilled!!!

It has been a strange year. I have similar things blooming that should not be. They are all confused. I usually dont see the daffodills for another month or so.

2008 was a wacky gardening year for me with everything out of sync. I hope that it is ok for things to be early for you rylaff? The weather has been so out of whack everywhere.

I don't have daff blooms like rylaff has. But a few green shoots about 6" tall and not very many of those. about half of my roses are blooming like crazy and begonias, petunias and violas. but most everything is sleepy or sleeping.

Kay Jones you have a lot of stuff blooming, as if to tell you: welcome to FL, forget about KS, lol

6" shoots are a very, very good thing vossner for those of us in the time of the cold and the dark and snow drifts. FL is leading the pack and now TX is coming on strong. HA! and there were those who scoffed at me cuz I said it was the first day of spring already. Yoooo hoooo scoffers, see em and weep.

My daffodils always start blooming around now. I have been growing this old form for around 45 years, My DGM gave me the original ones back then.

wren, I love those passalong stories. how many times have you divided them over the 45 yr period?

A good number of times and they are due this year. I also have Summer snowflakes that she gave me but they need to be replanted into a better place. But it will be probable another month before they bloom
Here is another flower, this is one of my pot experiment.

looks like a clematis I grow but can't remember name right now. blooming now? wow, I'm really jealous, lol

I get it free from either Park's or Wayside. The clematis usually do not servive here but both of the two that I have are doing ok in pots.

I live in a corner tucked inbetween the river, a number of creeks and the ocean so it stays warmer here that other parts of northeast Florida. The tv weather say it is 61 but it is 74 out in my front yard.
The airport where the temps are recorded are on the west side of the river.

A clemmie in December. How wonderful wren.

Also blooming are the geraniums

I do usually have the bunch-flowered daffodils blooming this time of the year, but they are a bit earlier than normal this year. Here is a photo of the white ones

and the yellow ones

picked some of those for a bouquet a few days ago

Very pretty bouquet soilsandup.

Have daffs breaking through here:

And a few tulips. Don't really want to see these this early, but what to do? Mother Nature has dictated otherwise this year.

This message was edited Jan 1, 2009 1:22 PM

hemo are those newly planted or returning. that's a lot of growth and you're in a cooler area than me.

Nery: The daffs have been in the ground for several years; the tulips are newly planted this year. I have several patches of tulips starting to show green growth.

Here in East Texas, the older variety daff/narcissus are blooming already. they look very similar to the ones posted above. some are all white, some have a yellowish center. i thought they were early this year. the weather has been even more unusual than normal. literally the temps will be around 80 one day and drop to freezing the next and be back into the mid 60's the next day!

tracie

Pics please!!! Mittenclad peoples in the time of the cold and dark need pics please aggiegrl ^_^

Ok pictures on their way, here is one inside my greenhouse where I set for a hour today.

This was taken over at Mckay state gardens in Tallahasse. These are not bush but trees. Some of the larges camellias I have every seen.

Here is another one

oh sigh. Thanks wren. The second one has luvly candystripes.

If you want color go to this website. This flower needs a name.
http://www.birdsandblooms.com/Article.aspx?ContentID=116686&pmcode=BB911VH13M&_mid=17900&_rid=17900.16200.441804&r_d=y

Isn't that OUTSTANDING!

I just can't think of a name that's worthy. If you have never gotten this magazine it is great, DM and I fight over who will get to read them first. LOL

I have a question for you guys:

I purchased some daff bulbs from a co-op in the fall and never got them planted out. :( Unfortunately they've been in paper bags inside the house since then and I'm wondering what I should do with them now? Would it be best to put them in the fridge for a few weeks, then plant out? Or should I just plant out now? Or should I store them in the fridge till next fall & plant out then? As you can probably tell, I'm a gardening newbie & have never grown daffs (or many other plants before). I guess I bit off more than I could chew in the fall. :)

I live in North Texas (Dallas/Fort Worth area). Thanks for your help!!

Jennifer

i am no expert, but i would plant them now. i bought a ton on bulbs on clearance last winter and didnt get them all planted until Feb! well, they bloomed great and i had a gorgeous show. i put some bonemeal or bulb fertilizer in the bottome of each hole as i planted.

tracie

As so long the ground is workable; meaning it's NOT frozen. It's best to plant your Daffs now, storing them in the fridge too long the bulbs will get dehydrated and shrivel. A.G. gave great suggestion.

Thanks to you both! Looks like I have some digging & planting to do!! Would putting some in containers outside be possible too? I'm a little limited on bed space that is ready for planting (have a lasagna bed cooking to be ready for spring, but don't think I can plant in it yet...)

Jen, container plantings of spring bulbs is a great way to enjoy our spring bulbs. However, take in the factor that occassionally our temp. will freeze the soil above ground -- in smaller containers. If planted in container, I'll chose larger pots, or sink the smaller ones in the ground to avoid the freezing/thawing of those containers & the bulbs inside them. Also, there are cool pockets in the garden that offer a slightly warmer 'pockets' for our plants such as a south facing corner of the house, especially if you've bricks, stones, pavement ect that will provide some more radiated heat from the winter sun shine.

(Note): I'm sharing my experience in my Southern zone gardening. This may not apply to colder zones up North.