What's happening in your spring garden #2

This thread is a continuation from:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/955219/

Azaleas are blooming - and so are lorapetalum.

Your azalea is gorgeous! I will hopefully have time to post some pics of my garden this weekend--I've got more and more things blooming every day but I never have time to download the pics off the camera!

Will look forward to getting a peek at those photos. It's a beautiful time of year. That azalea is gorgeous but it looks pretty ratty part of the year. It's a kurume azalea and the rules about it are that you only plant the same cultivar together because you don't want a blooming one calling attention to one that is in a lesser state of beauty.

Re the weed burner: talked to DH and we think it was a particular company that would not ship them to CA. Mystery solved! Now to decide if it would be more trouble than it's worth here. At the moment, we have too many weeds and would probably end up with a fire, but eventually we want to have a stone terrace, so it could be useful.

pretty azalea, lovely vibrant color!

Will look forward to ecranes photos as well.

Ka, this is the right time of year to use the Weed Dragon on large areas of green weeds. After the rainy season, I only use it on paved areas. I did use it on an overwhelming area of bermudagrass one spring to knock it back so I could get a handle on it, but I wet everything down first, had DH do firewatch during the burnoff, and then wet everything down again afterwards. Safety first, always! That includes wearing leather boots, and being careful where I set the end of the nozzle down when it's hot.

Good tips, Ima! DH likes the idea.

Assuming you get the same model as mine, the hottest part of the flame is about 4 to 6 inches above the weed you're "cooking". Closer than that, it actually takes longer to kill them. They just need to turn green bright green (like microwaved spinach), and they're pretty much done.

Smokey the bear says "Only you can prevent forest fires!" LOL

Wow, love that azalea! How long does it take to take to grow that size, Doss? How do you care for yours? I just use plain "acid food" miracle gro on mine, but just for lack of a better alternative...

I got these Clematis this winter, they're supposed to be late bloomers, but they're totally blooming already!

Gorgeous clematis! Is that Sieboldii or Vienetta? looks so pretty with the jasmine.

That azalea has been in the ground for a good 10 years or more and stayed that size. You can buy them a pretty good size if you get the right nursery.

Gorgeous Clematis indeed. It's looking really happy there

Sue, it's a Sieboldii, I am very happy with it!

Doss, wow, 10 years....you didn't tell me your secret for keeping it so healthy though! Tell us will ya! : )

I don't do anything but give it plenty of water. The other trick is to make sure you buy a kurume azalea. I haven't had much luck growing the Southern Indicas at all.

And what's that pretty groundcover? Is it baby tears?

The ground cover is white dichondra although it seems to have reverted to green the leaves are smaller.

Looks like baby tears around the azalea to me.
The only white dichondra I know of is 'Silver Falls' and the leaves are larger.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/224375/

This message was edited Mar 13, 2009 2:09 PM

oh your clem is so pretty, I have two that are just popping out (they are babies, just planted in the fall so nothing to show) I need more, thank you for reminding me.

Here is one I wish I could've brought with me .. apple blossom, and it smelled heavenly... oh I miss it so!

and phygelius 'pink elf' w/nemesia - darn, but thank you for reminding me of the ol' guys I loved that I need to scout for.

edited to say: wrong pic, not my pink elf !

This message was edited Mar 13, 2009 3:19 PM

one more clem, and I'm done

OK you got your revenge, now you reminded me I NEED MORE CLEMS TOO! LOL!

oh rob, she's a pretty girl ! Which year is she on?

here's a couple of cheery, but commoners brightening the back.

my daughter planted these,

BEautiful REd, And I can't believe that the clematis is blooming so early rob, It certainly is a pretty one.

Sue, the plants came labeled as white dichondra but I agree that the leaves are tiny. Perhaps they were mislabeled.

Wouldn't be the first time something is mistagged.
They are Soleirolia soleirolii, I have had them here forever, my Mom planted them before I bought this house from my parents in '84, so easy to take pieces and transfer them to other shady spots.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/41744/

Thanks Sue. Here's a shrub that I'm sure someone can id for me. I know the name it's just not coming to the forefront right now.

Here's some lorapetalum blooming right now. It's about 10 feet tall. Who knew???

Your pretty shrub is a Pieris. Gorgeous Loropetalum! I always love to see those in bloom when I drive around and also at nurseries!

Arctotis always do well for me, this one is 'Pumpkin Pie' taken this morning. http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/76305/
The variegated Sweet Iris and the golden Angelina sedum are next to it.

This Arctotis is a bigger and brighter one that above, I think this one is 'Flame, couldn't find the tag though but I love it. Started blooming about a month ago. I bought one 4" plant a year ago and now have several small clumps spread around repeating that bright color.

This is a potted red cordyline, 'Festival', bought it last year and it's done great. No effects from heat wave or cold frost and doesn't seem to mind being in the pot so far. I have it surrounded with my favorite oxalis 'Zinfandel'.

This message was edited Mar 13, 2009 10:56 PM

Oxalis 'Zinfandel' close-up, just starting to bloom.

Not a great shot but this is one of my favorite plant combos, I have it repeated in 3 other places. It's Aeonium 'Schwarzkopf' with the blue-green leaves and emerging chartreuse blooms of a euphorbia

What bright flowers. And I love the combo of the Schwarzkopf with the euphorbia. I can see why it's a favorite. Thanks for the name of the pieris japonica. It's a really pretty variegated one.

I like that combo, too - I have several euphorbias desperately need a Schwarzkopf . When do you cut back your euphorbia - I think usually June/July?

When the blooms dry up, or slightly before that, not sure when, my brain doesn't retain that info LOL. Too many plants here.

I know me too, just when it looks like it's time :)

Redtootsiepop, I got my clematis from Silver Star this fall. It came in a 4" pot and it's already huge and blooming all over! I'll definitely buy from them again.

Sue, I really like your variegated iris and euphorbia. They're on my wishlist. Seems we have the same taste! ; ) I really love sedums and iris together. I especially like this golden sedum we both have.

Thank you for reminding me, I knew there was a great clematis source and could not remember their name for the life of me!

I'm off to their website : )

That's my favorite sedum, can't go wrong with it. I pull off pieces and tuck them in everywhere. Most of the time my garden is all about foliage, not always something blooming so I try to vary the foliage colors for contrasts so it's not just a sea of green. It's always a work in progress. Sometimes I am just in a hurry to plop something in the ground and then as it fills in and I stand back, I don't like that the greens are all the same. If I find something in lime green foliage and it works in my garden, I try to get more of the same and repeat it. So I do a lot of blue/gray/silver foliage with lime/chartreuse and bronze plants mixed with the greens.
The overcast skies the last couple of days make for better pictures, i hate taking pictures in full sun. This is my absolute favorite grass, the Orange New Zealand Sedge. Planted in the full sun, it really retains this color, in a bit of shade like another one I have, it gets too green. I will be moving that one. It is a great contrast with blue greens.