Soils, Short sleeves vs long sleeves....heavy coats, scarves mittens.. boots...I soooo envy you for your better weather. I have lived the weather extremes for all my life...the older I get, the harder it is especially with a disability. I do not like having cabin fever and being cooped up for 5-6 months because I am an outdoor person. I have been to California. It was magnificant when I came through. I loved the ocean, the redwood forest, San Fransisco was a nice place to visit...
I am not so sure I could handle the "shakey" side of California! I have been through 2 minor quakes in here and nothing monumental.. I do not like that virtigo feeling at all! Here I have endured extreme weather from tornadoes to blizzards, to hot to colder, floods and hail storms. Been through high winds and pleasant days too.
When I was younger and able to travel a lot, the country was totally different and not so built up. You could drive for miles and not see another building or home if you were out in the rural avenues. The country wsa beautiful then and not with so much conjesting as it is getting to be now. The air was clean, the waters were fresh, the roads were better and travel was good. Now it is miserable with so many on the road and rudeness being so in fashion for many.
I can tell you states I have not been in easier than ones I have.. letsee, Alaska, Florida, Mississippi, Louisana, North and South Carolina, Idaho. Well, I guess I miss counted, I have been in 43 states.
China, I know littla about. I always thought it got cold there. All I literally know about China is our country imports mega amounts of goods from there and panda bears hail from there! I hear it is lovely country, but highly populated and a lot of expat jobs are overseas.
Yesterday it was raining.. had another 2 inches on top of 3 earlier in the week. My garden is flooded. Last night we started getting snow and this morning, I have nearly 2 inches of cold heavy wet on the ground! Apparently, spring is not completely here and by the time that happens we crash into hot summer. We have a saying out here that if you dont like the weather, just wait a few hours, it chances are will change. We bounce from hot and cold so abrubtly some years coming in to spring... you can have winter one day, spring the next and fall, then back to winter again .
April 2009 in the garden
Sally you sure know how to make up potted arrangements. How bout you come over and do mine cause no matter what I do, it just never seems to turn out good.
Dianne your daughter sure take a fine shot, but think that you couldn't go wrong especially with that striking peony! wow!
blossom, we just got to get some sunshine over your way, I will start waving my magic wand - whoosh, shoosh, abracadabra, the sun shall shine on blossombuddy!
You better get some more hocus pocus!!! LOL
Not saying a word.....
sniff sniff!
Sniff......
Hi all,
Lovely containers Sally!
Nice pictures Dianne, the sky looks so blue in Califoria!! WoW your peony is gorgeous.
Sorry the snow came back Blossom!
How did the garden Birthday party go Yardqueen? Have you put all your seedlings out yet?
oh, Terri! The party went great, but I am exhausted! I had a LOT to do before the party, and I haven't been the same since! We had about 24 people here! DH & I did work out in the yard trying to put stuff out. and we did get everything out of the greenhouse for the LAST TIME this year! There can be no more freezes now unless it is a freak of nature and it would be a real record breaker! Things are starting to look good, but I did not get all of the seedlings planted. Just a fraction! And we did a lot, but as I said just a fraction of what is there...
Blooming now...
Yarrow
shrimp plant
Wiegelia
Sweet William
Dianthus
more Diantus
Phlox
wood sorrel
azalea
crazy azalea
I think it wanted to bloom to death this year! LOL
And last but by no means least! My favorite for the year...
Clematis
Wonderful photos, Yardqueen!
Very nice, yardqueen. You are at least 3-4 weeks ahead of me. I have some ranunculus in bloom.
Thanks ya'll! I am so excited to see flowers again!
Soils. that is beautiful. I don't have any ranunculus. I need to get some since it is an early bloomer. I just love stuff that says spring!
I can see why you are excited yardqueen you have lots in bloom and lovely sunshine to boot!
Lovin those ranunculus Dianne!
Guess I am 3-4 weeks behind everyone, but least today is sunshine!
Well, you guys are so waaay ahead of me!! I am still in daffodil mode...But today, no blooms!
And guess what I got sunshine! WHoohoo!
My daffs are long gone, and are finally laying down a bit. I wish they would die down... I have stuff to plant there! LOL
Yardqueen - I couldn't stand the daffodil leaves lying on the ground so I hacked them down to about 6-7 inches. They have multiplied so much that if the early cutting set them back a bit, that may be a good thing. LoL. I just got some oriental lilies in a trade, so maybe I will plant them inbetween the patches of daffodils. I have not found a good spot in my yard for the oriental lilies yet - they do great for the first two years, and then, disappears.
Hi Yardqueen, Wow they all look so healthy and beautiful. Are they roses in the plant pots next to your Clematis?
Your Azalias would win any flower show LOL! Fantastic pictures.
Sounds like it was worth all the effort for the party and your garden looks amaising.
You don't have Ranunculus? it must be the only thing you dont have LOL!
Love the Ranunculus Dianne!
It's been raining alot here in London, send some sunshine over this way please!
Spoke too soon, the spring beauties just opened
Hi Blossom, what are those delicate looking white flowers?
Well, mate, those are spring beauties!!
Hey, the pank creeping garden phlox opened too!
LOL, I haven't heard of spring beauties, whats the real name? Lovely Phlox!
And the blue.. hmmm looks like the pic are reversed.. sorry about that... this is pank, the top one is blue..
So pretty! Here is another container. There is a twin on the other side of the door.
We just replaced the cool loving flowers with warm loving ones in the yard. Here is the fountain area. This is a disappearing fountain.
Abott!! Whose on first? LOL SPRING BEAUTIES!
Costello: Whats on second?
ABOTT AND COSTELLO: all together now... SPRING BEAUTIES!
LOL! Third base!!
MATE: SPRING BEAUTIES!!
Ok, here is another phlox, its a wild one growing on our prairie... and I do not know the name.. probably something simple like prairie phlox!!! LOL!
Ok, they are Spring Beauties still never heard of them!! LOL. Lovely collection of plox.
What are those in your planter Sally? it looks very nice with the pastel colours. Are they purple Salvia in your fountain area? Such a cool corner, looks great!
The fountain area has hot pink salvia and yes, purple. Little mounding coriopsis too, the white flowers are snowflakes or something, I forget. I LOVE them. I have them everywhere.
I forget the light and dark purple flower names in the container, but the red is Cuphia, bat face. SO CUTE.
This message was edited Apr 16, 2009 9:28 PM
Who are you callin' bat face? LOL!
Does anyone know what Sally's tall purple flowers in the container are called? I really like them!
I think maybe they are Veronica now that I am thinking again.
Well, roses might be red, but my violets are this color....
And....well its not a violet and I am not sure what it is.. scilla maybe?
I looked and they are Angelonia angustifolia hybrid. Angel face Dresden Blue. That is the lighter ones.