What cool things have you added this spring?

I am bouncing off the wall happy this morning! SUNSHINE!!!! And threats of over 50 degrees! Who cares about the frost on the deck this morning...the sun is out an it might almost be WARM today!!!

As I was getting ready to go out and get some chores done in the greenhouse (waiting impatiently for the temps to get high enough so I can play in the dirt and still feel my fingers!) I thought it would be fun to start a thread to see what new and fun things people were adding to their gardens this spring. I am not really in the adding mode, but I can't stay out of nurserys and garden stores, and there is almost always something unique that convinces me to take it home. Lynn, Mom and I went on a trip to Dragonfly Nursery last weekend, and although it was rainy and cold the entire time we were there, we had a great time! My DH let me borrow his truck, so we weren't limited on space and could shop to our heart's content. Lynn took full advantage and picked up some incredibly cool trees (one is posted on the Gnomes and Fairies post), and we all came home with what we considered a "jackpot". None of mine are planted yet as we came home to the beginning of a snow shower that lasted until the next morning and left us with close to a foot of the yucky white stuff.....but this weekend there is hope!

Anyway, I am thrilled to death with a couple of the things that I picked up, and as I know everyone here is making the same kind of trip, I thought what better idea than sharing those things with people who would understand your excitement over sticks and little lumps in a pot?!?

So starting with a pic of DH's truck after our trip to Dragonfly. You really have to stand next to the truck to get the true perspective...but there was no room left to squeek another one gallon pot in....

One of the coolest things I cam back with was a mini flowering cherry... Prunus X "Hally Jolivette" in a one gallon pot. It is a short bushy shrub like tree that maxes out at 15'. I have always loved the spring flowering trees, but didn't have room for another tall one...so how cool is that?

This message was edited Apr 4, 2009 7:47 AM

Close up of my cherry just starting to bloom.

And a sweet lady bought me a Larch which I am thrilled with... Larix kaempferi "Diana". They are such neat trees, and the only one that I have is planted where I can't really appreciate it!

I had these raised beds made in Feb. Can't wait to get some vegetables going...especially tomatoes! A great use of the space behind my shed.

One other really cool plant that is just a "lump in a pot" right now is a Mukdenia "Karasuba". It is a shade foilage plant that turns from green to red and looks like it will be incredible in the fall! Can't wait!

So what have you added?

I figured a picture of my clear morning would be better than a pic of the lump in the pot.

BeaHive, Great Bed! We made one like that for the tomatos on the other side of the mountains last year and they were glorious! And a shed as a sun reflector...perfect!

I hope they are productive. I had some cheap plastic 12" ones there last year and things did not do well. The ground is very wet in this area, so I hope the higher raise will be helpful. The soil I had added is great too!. Wish all my soil was like this!
Well, back out to the garden. Was working early out there but we had a hard frost last night and all the plants are like popsicles. 29 deg at 6am..sun is shining and up to 34 now. Two layers of sweats...had to come in for a while and defrost my hands!
Crazy!

A sunny weekend is truly a blessing. Plus, I can work outside until 8:15 tonight, at which point, it's too dark to do anything but clean up.
Hope you all get lots done today & tomorrow!

In for a sandwich and a short rest. It is GLORIOUS out there! My theremometer only reads 58, but I have been working in a sun beam in a tank top for the last several hours and I am in heaven! Amazing how out of shape you can get when winter drags on way too long!

BeaHive, I thought I was the only one who was crazy enough to be in the garden when it is cold enough that you can't feel your feet or hands!

It get harder the older I get to get out in the cold! My hands give me the most trouble these day. Have had two carpal tunnel surgeries and they just don't do what they did in the good old days!
Turned out very nice today. 60 deg's now. Hope the last of the frost
is gone for the season.

I spent the whole day out too....so nice... was very cold this morning but shaped up nicely.

Last week I got fruit trees and will plant them tomorrow. Today I transplanted brussel sprouts,tomatillos and cucumbers, soaked daylilies, separated dahlias, planted more dahlias and set up a whole new shelf inside to keep growing until things can go outside....

I also got my taxes finished up, had breakfast with my granddaughter and her parents and grandchid to be, went to Fred Meyer and bought....rosemary, lavender and cilantro...and played 2 poker tournaments...

Hey..gotta pay for these daylilies somehow!!!


Ginger

Julie, what a lovely cherry tree and a great haul! You definitely needed the truck.

Wow, Ginger, you sure are busy.

Bea, hope your hands feel better in the nice, warm sun.

This message was edited Apr 4, 2009 10:25 PM
Gads, can't spell too well tonight!

This message was edited Apr 4, 2009 10:26 PM

I'm only home 2 days a week and only if I'm lucky and people behave themselves and don't make me come fix their messes.... so... making hay so to speak..

Ginger

Julie - I have Larix 'Diana' and just love it. I call it my Dr. Seuss tree. It's been in a pot on my deck for a couple of years now (maybe even three) and I'm thinking it's time to move it and take it out of the pot. But that will have to wait for a couple of big brawny men because there's no way I can move it myself.

I got a beautiful white huge Calla Lily last week and can't decide where to put it. I actually need more of them, LOL. I also got a Daphne genkwa. It's gorgeous and I'm planning on pairing it with some soft chartreuse, like alchemilla mollis. Just need to get the bed ready . . .

I'm glad I'm not the only one who goes crazy when we hit 60 degrees w/sun!

Yesterday landscapers came out and tilled our beds up & re-seeded our lawn (they had to fill in some pot holes in our yard with soil).
So now I just have to wait one more week before I can plant:

6 new blueberry bushes (different varieties)
One plum tree
one butterfly bush
strawberry plants
four grapevines
two hop rhizomes
Two raspberry bushes
one marrionberry
one horseradish plant
a bunch of veggie starts....

I was able to get two new trees planted (Royal Raindrops Crabapple) which is starting to bud - yay!



This message was edited Apr 5, 2009 6:41 AM

Ginger, Wow did you have a busy day! I empathize with the too much to do, so little time feeling! And you aren't just kidding about the daylilies...just you wait until you are really sucked in!

Katie, I was actually thinking about keeping my Larix in a pot too, at least this year. It is such a neat looking plant, and I am afraid that no matter where I plant it right now, it would be hard to appreciate it in all of it's glory...seems like it would be overwhelmed by it's background. I looked your Daphne up...looks glorious!

DBower, Your post made me hungry! Sounds like your yard will definitely be the place to visit come harvest time! I love the crabapples too. Don't have one here yet, but it is on the list when I am finally ready to plant my terrace. They are so beautiful in the spring and the birds love them.

And speaking of crazy for warm weather..time to get moving. It's already 37 degrees and there's a sunbeam in the garden I am heading for. Enjoy the day everyone!

DBower - tell me about your blueberries. What varieties did you choose and why. Mauryhillfarm grow them, as well.

I'd like to put three smaller ones in, but haven't yet decided which ones they will be.

Julie - If you're into twisted trees, Robinia 'Twisty Baby' is also lovely (though I'm thinking that I may have lost mine this year. That's a plant I really want to replace - I think it's lovely. But then, I'm a big locust tree fan. :-)

Kathy

Hey there Katie:

I have:

Duke - Heavy producer but selected mainly for having an early producing berry. Medium sized berries. Early Season.

Brigetta - selected because it is said to be one of the highest qualties around w/ good shelf life (over a month in the fridge)Med. Berries. Late season.

Bluecrop - Great producer good quality and dependable. Large Berries. Mid Season

Chandler- Giant great tasting berries.Very Large Berries (perhaps the largest). Mid/Late Season.

Toro - Lots of fruit that hangs like grapes. Very pretty foliage. Large Berries. Mid Season.

Sunshine - Small container blueberry plant that produces tons of blueberries & prefers semi-dwarf. (at least I was told) containers. Impulse buy :)

One that I really wanted was "Rubel" but no one had them. Supposedly they have small berries but intense flavor and are a "wild blueberry" Higher than most for antioxidant levels. Hopefully I can pick one up sometimes.

This guide really helped me decide what to plant :http://www.fallcreeknursery.com/Nursery/VarietyChart/index.htm

Kathy,

That "Twisty Baby" is a neat tree! I am just starting to get into trees and larger shrubs...my last yard was already landscaped with large shrubs..mostly boring evergreens...not my shrub of choice, but too much effort to remove and start over when I knew I wasn't going to be there over five or so years. That one will definitely be one to look at as I continue working on my new woodland gardens. Do you think you lost yours to cold? I am afraid that my Silver Dollar Eucalyptus may not have made it through the winter, and it's a sad thing when you have enjoyed watching them mature!

My Mom grows several blueberries, and Bluecrop is by far our favorite! Monster berries in abundance, and they have wonderful flavor! We always have way too many to eat from that one bush alone each year...it is great to be able to use them with abandon and still have enough to freeze to get you through until the next season! Very pretty winter color too!

DB - Thank you so much for that great information - now how am I going to decide on just three? Eeek. But I do need to decide and now, so I can have blueberries in the fall along with my huckleberries.

Julie - It's funny that I don't like weepy trees (they look sad), but I'm totally okay with contorted trees. My niece doesn't like them at all because they look so, well, contorted. Last year the tiny European baby slugs would eat the Robinia leaves right as they were emerging, so the plant never leafed out. This year I haven't seen any life at all. I'm hoping it'll come back from the roots. Robinia is gernally a pretty tough plant, but the hybridizers are usually so focused on one or two features that some of the other stuff gets bred out (sort of like with dogs and cats).

I did think I had lost my very mature Nandina domestica, but after I cut them back to the ground yesterday I did some exploration at the soil and at least one is coming back from the base. I kind of like the look without them there, so I may end up taking them out and moving them. Always something.

Just when you think you have done it right-------------------

This is my favorite tree.. I dn't know what it is but it lives behind Notre Dame...so..it's a French tree....


Ginger

i have added Gardener's Lever Loops this year, for hooking clematis to supports. very nice little item. ordered 3 pks of 50 and like them so much i ordered another 6 pks.
my 300+ clems will demand that quantity...
inexpensive, re-useable, easy to clip on, non damaging even to the greenest most tender vines....very nice addition to the garden!

made in thee UK, where they know their clems. but available in many places online in the US this year.

Oooooeeee, blueberries. I love 'em. When you read on the Fall Creek website, it is hard not to want them all, the descriptions sound so yummy. That is also the source I used to make decisions, along with what happened to be available locally. I also have Sunshine Blue and Toro, and they are 2 of my absolute favorites. I wanted a Brigitta, but couldn't find that variety this year. I chose Legacy (semi-evergreen) and Elliot for my late berries.

There are several considerations when choosing, and I say this after having some successes and failures with the overall health and growth of my bushes over the last few years. Had I known more about it when first planting them, I would have chosen only those that do well in clay soils. No matter how much compost I pour into the soil....you know the deal. So, soil tolerance, range of ripening times, and flavor were the main things I looked for. Then secondary to that was size of bush and foliage color for the ones I wanted to mix in with my landscaping.

For small bushes, I think Sunshine Blue can't be beat. They have lovely blue-green evergreen foliage and the berries have a really great flavor. They are supposed to grow only 3 feet tall and wide. Some others that are supposed to be smallish, maybe to 4 feet (can't remember exactly) are Polaris, Chippewa, and Patriot. I don't have direct experience with them yet. Patriot is supposed to be good for clay soil. A really mini bush is Top Hat. I want to get one of those for my mom to grow on her patio, but couldn't find one yet...still looking.

mmmmm
blueberries sound better than level loops

The loops sound like a great score too. If I had some Clematis vines I would be looking those up.

Doing the HAPPY DANCE!!! My order from Gossler's Nursery just came today, and it was ton's of fun unpacking it! They always send such healthy plants, and they have some unique stuff that you would otherwise have to travel to several different places for. It's a good thing I don't live closer to them and am not able to see their gardens in bloom!

I got:
Garrya Elliptica "James Roof"
Hamamelis intermedia "Early Bright"
Hamamelis intermedia "Sunburst"
Corylopsis pauciflora (I have become a winter hazel junkie since the Garden Show about four years ago)
Gunnera
and most exciting of all to me....yes..another contorted kid... Corylus Red Majestic!

All are going up by my big pond tomorrow (when I play hookey from work for the afternoon!)

ClematisGuru...The Lever Loops sound great...I do a lot of Morning Glories and such that I use twistems for, and that sounds a lot easier!

How much better can an evening get? It's still 57 degrees, my frogs are finally singing to me in full chorus (much to DH's dismay), sunshine tomorrow, and I have plants to put in the ground! Life is good!

Oops, forgot to add a picture of my order...box of sticks..DH doesn't really get it, but I know you guys will!

Lovely box of sticks, lol!! What a well-packed box, very nice!

Corylopsis paucifolia must be the thing this year-I bought a gallon-sized one about a week ago too! I don't have the space for a mature witch hazel and the pale yellow is so nice.

Those loops look pretty cool-do you take them down for the winter or leave them up and adjust next season? I don't have clematis, but I do have other vines that could use a better system.

I'm also looking for a Sunshine Blue blueberry. Everything I've read seems positive and it's the perfect size for my yard-and a strong recommendation from Holly seals the deal. Considering how much I love blueberries, I'll save a fortune if I can successfully grow my own. Funny, the first blueberry that I got (my only one, had it for a month now, I think) is a Tophat. It's very cute! It's about the size of your typical 1gal azalea plant...but it's blooming!

Susy, We have always gotten our fruit and berry trees from Raintree, and have been very happy with them. They do carry the Sunshine Blueberry, as well as your Tophat, which I had never seen before but looks very cute--never knew that there was a deck pot sized berry!

Here is the link to Raintree if you have an interest: http://www.raintreenursery.com/catalog/producttype.cfm?producttype=BLUE

My Corylopsis Paucifolia is my second one...I loved the first one so much I had to add it in another spot in the yard for the wonderful color this time of year. This pic is my first one.

I have so much trouble ordering things I can't see KWIM? Of course I love getting a box in the mail but I just hate being dissapointed w/ my purchases and I am always scared the plants will be tiny. For instance...I ordered hop rhizomes and online they looked so much bigger and full of roots. When I got them in the mail my husband was like "What? You ordered twigs?" Of course they are doing great now....

Rarejem - Were your Raintree fruit plants a decent size? I was thinking of ordering some apple trees (or columns) but wasn't sure how big they would be...

Susybell - I got my Sunshine Blue at Tsuguas in Woodland, which was the cheapest place for grapes, blueberries, berries, and my plum tree. They were easily half the price (or more) than Yard and Garden Land and most of the time twice the size of plant. Right now they have a deal of buy 3 blueberries (mix or match) and get 15% off.

One last note: Woody's in Woodland is having a plant auction this Thursday @ 10am.

DBower, I have always been thrilled with the quality/size of Raintree's plants, but have not ordered in several years as our orchard and berries are well established at this point. Looking in the Watchdog, ratings weren't as high as I had expected. I know what you mean about being afraid to order mailorder. I have received twigs in the past myself, and there are several big names that I will never order from again for just that reason. I love being able to use the Watchdog for just that reason..nice to learn from the mistakes of others rather than making them yourself!

Hi,

Julie, funny, I spent a bunch of time at the PDX garden show talking to the guys at Raintree about blueberries. He was very specific in reassuring me that they really do stay about 3ft. The plants they had on display looked healthy but I didn't pay a lot of attention to the fruit trees. I agree, I was surprised to see the watchdog ratings so low for them.

I've also been disappointed in mail order plants but have also gotten some really nice things, too. I think we're lucky in the variety of stuff we can usually find around here-both in price and selection. I'd hate to be living somewhere I had to order mail order to get anything interesting.

And, Dbower, also funny-the corylopsis I just bought came from Tsugawa's. I get their monthly emails and have been thinking I need to go up there to see if they carry Sunshine Blue-thanks for letting me know that they do. :) Their prices beat Shorty's nurseries, too-I'm closer to them than Yard & Garden Land.
I've never heard of Woody's, though-can you tell me more? And, how badly do you want apple trees? I need to take three out-they aren't in the right spot. My DH put them in because he thought we needed trees while I was working out of town... well, anyway, they're about 10ft tall now and do produce apples. They're Costco trees, nothing fancy. They seem healthy, anyhow. Send me a dmail if you want to think about it or come see them, or whatever.

Has anyone ordered from Burnt Ridge Nursery in Onalaska? Their prices look really good on their website. http://www.burntridgenursery.com/default.asp

This weekend I added a grow shelf...(another one)

Ginger

About the auction - I don't know much about it. You can google Woody's Auction Woodland WA and it will give you the number and location. When I called they said the plant auction was on Thursday's from 10am-12(or there abouts...I guess the livestock auctions happen at noon). A friend told me about it and she said "expect to see anything/everything" so maybe ornamental maybe fruit trees...
I *might* go this Thursday to check it out but then again I might think hard about how many plants I need. :o
I am thinking about two columnar (sp?) apple trees since I don't have space for anything bigger, thank you for the offer though. If I could have a couple full size trees I would be making apple cider all year. Unfortunately my lot size is small.

Lol, yes I understand the small lot problem-that's why I need to get rid of them here, too! I just hate to kill trees.


Nice grow shelf, Ginger!

I have a couple of ceanothus velutinus that I've been babying in gallon pots since I bought them bareroot last spring. I'm not sure whether they're still alive after this winter, but I have volunteer columbine coming out of each pot. These columbine have huge leaves and their stems are huge when they're coming out of the ground. Is there a "big" variety of columbine that these might be? I have columbine around, but nothing this size.

They may have traveled from my place to yours.......

Sounds like a McKana's giant to me

Hi Kate!