| Author |
Garden Gate:  What's Up?  |
|
|
Rosemary
True Blue Farmgirl
1825 Posts
Virginia
USA
1825 Posts |
 Posted - Mar 27 2007 : 07:38:27 AM
|
| In the week since the Vernal (Spring) Equinox, what's been poking up through the soil, or out of the ends of brown branches, or maybe even already blooming, at your place? Any happy surprises yet? Winter fatalities? |
Edited by - Rosemary on Mar 27 2007 08:10:29 AM |
|
|
akcowgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
296 Posts
Valerie
Homer
Alaska
USA
296 Posts |
Posted - Mar 27 2007 : 08:50:24 AM
|
Well i am looking forward to hearing what is up every where else. The only thing that is "up" here is more snow.
Valerie
Yes, I live in my own little world. But that's ok they know me here.
Deja Moo: The feeling that you've heard this bull before.
 |
 |
|
|
vintagechica
True Blue Farmgirl
438 Posts
Eren
Poolville
TX
USA
438 Posts |
Posted - Mar 27 2007 : 10:04:06 AM
|
Let see...daffodils are starting to bloom, tulips are up, grape hyacinths. Trees are starting to bud and get little tiny leaves. Our indoor seeds are going crazy, so waiting a few more weeks to plant them outside.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A sure way to avoid housework...live outdoors.
Visit me anytime at my blog:
www.vintagechica.typepad.com |
|
|
|
shelle
True Blue Farmgirl
404 Posts
Shelle
oklahoma
USA
404 Posts |
Posted - Mar 27 2007 : 4:16:54 PM
|
My daylilies are coming up nicely, the red bud trees are in bloom, forsynthias and daffodils are showing their yellow colors, Bradford Pear trees are blooming, my oak and elms are putting on leaves, my basil and rosemary are sprouting from the seeds I planted. I have Daisies coming up and my Candy Mint is spreading like wild fire at the old place which is why I am just keeping it in a pot at the new place. The bermuda grass is starting to turn green.........I just wish I had a lawn instead of sand at the new place..... lol We will plant the lawn in a few weeks I think.
Shelle
http://janzenfamilyjournal.blogspot.com/ |
|
|
|
Mikki
True Blue Farmgirl
1510 Posts
Mikki
Austin
Indiana
USA
1510 Posts |
|
|
Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl
11381 Posts
Jenny
middle of
Utah
USA
11381 Posts |
Posted - Mar 27 2007 : 7:56:29 PM
|
daffodils, grape hyacynths and my favorite little johnny jump ups. The tulips are up but not blooming yet..they will be next. I wish I had forsythia planted..I am seeing it in bloom all over town now and I love it. I will plant some this year hopefully...such a pretty bright spring plant!! My two little crabapple trees, planted two years ago will soon be in bloom...
Jenny in Utah
Inside me there is a skinny woman crying to get out...but I can usually shut her up with cookies
http://www.auntjennysworld.blogspot.com/ visit my little online shop at www.auntjenny.etsy.com |
|
|
|
Buttercup
True Blue Farmgirl
1433 Posts
Talitha
Vermont
USA
1433 Posts |
Posted - Mar 27 2007 : 8:06:22 PM
|
My rose bush is full of baby pink roses and a flowering bush we have in our back yard ( I do not know the name) is full of magenta blooms...it is so pretty!
Hugz!
Talitha
"If we could maintain the wonder of childhood and at the same time grasp the wisdom of age, what wonder,what wisdom,what life would be ours" |
|
|
|
Beemoosie
True Blue Farmgirl
2077 Posts
Bonnie
New York
USA
2077 Posts |
|
|
Mumof3
True Blue Farmgirl
3890 Posts
Karin
Ellenwood
GA
USA
3890 Posts |
Posted - Mar 28 2007 : 04:09:24 AM
|
The daffodils have come and gone, as well as the plum and cherry blossoms at my house. The dogwoods are out right now, as well as azaleas and I have some woodland hyacinth that was sent to me by a farmgirl in bloom! They smell heavenly. :) Violets are running rampant throughout my yard, especially the small, dark wood violet. I noticed that my gladiolas are coming up, and that I am going to have to split them before they get too big. I have a ton of sharp little green spears poking up!! And the first dandelion has popped open in my yard. I love them. They were always the first flower my children brought to me when they were small, and they hold a special place in my heart. :) Oh, and we are going to have a lot of blueberries this year! Tiny little white bells are are conjuring up thoughts of mouthfuls of blue heaven!!
The pine trees and oaks are raining pollen upon us and making life miserable for anyone who wants their outdoor things to look nice and maintain the ability to breathe!! A yellow cast has been laid over Georgia with no end in sight for quite a while. We need rain!!!! Somebody send some our way! :)
Karin |
|
|
|
AliShuShu
True Blue Farmgirl
150 Posts
Alison
Charlotte
NC
USA
150 Posts |
Posted - Mar 28 2007 : 06:38:55 AM
|
yes, here in NC the daffodils have come and gone... there might be a few left hanging around, the azaleas are just beginning to blossom, and the beautiful red camellias. there are these beautiful purple flowers in the wood and behind the shed that i have never seen before... they appear to be some sort of week, but i'm not sure. i'm looking foward to the show in our yard as this is our first full spring in the house... one of the reasons we bought the house last april was because of all of the beautiful landscaping... everything was in full bloom when we first looked at the house and knew it was meant to be ours. i'm planning on planting a few bulbs of gladioli, peonies & irises this weekend...
Alison
'Be the change you want to see in the world' ~ Namaste'
www.shumusings.com |
|
|
|
asnedecor
True Blue Farmgirl
1054 Posts
Anne
Portland
Or
USA
1054 Posts |
Posted - Mar 28 2007 : 06:59:16 AM
|
Daffodils are blooming, crocuses have come and gone, tulips are just about to burst, cherry trees (depending on the variety) are blooming, flowering pear trees, hyacynths, old fashion bleeding hearts - soon it will be the lilacs.
Grass is green and needs to be mowed. Spring is definetly here in the Northwest.
Anne in Portland
"Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them" Eyeore from Winnie the Pooh
|
|
|
|
Phils Ann
True Blue Farmgirl
1095 Posts
Ann
Parsonsburg
Maryland
USA
1095 Posts |
Posted - Mar 28 2007 : 2:04:17 PM
|
Today, with great excitement!!!, I found the earliest sign of life in the rhubarb... my third year of trying may have "taken"! (and you northern girls think it's so easy to grow )
Arugula is up in the herb garden, and two out of three salad greens are up in pots. I don't remember which pot has which green, so they need to grow up and show themselves. The veggie garden was just planted on Friday, so only last fall's garlic is up.
The lilacs outside my kitchen window and living room window are changing daily, with the flower buds showing themselves apart from the leaves, and the roses have the dark red leaves unfurling. White almond shrub is blooming along with daffodils, muscari and leucojum.
Ahhhh, SPRING! I mowed the grass today....
Ann
There is a Redeemer. |
|
|
|
KYgurlsrbest
True Blue Farmgirl
4853 Posts
Jonni
Elsmere
Kentucky
USA
4853 Posts |
Posted - Mar 28 2007 : 7:36:38 PM
|
After a considerable rainy few days, THE GRASS!!!
But,also, jonquils, grape hyacinth and all my Irises (both "flags" as my gran called them) and Siberian Irises are about 7 inches high, my Sweet William is looking rather jaunty, and my Austin English roses have all their little leaves, growing more and more everyday. I noticed that the hostas are just poking through, my alliums are way up, lambs ears have lots of new growth, phlox is starting...gosh, what ISN'T???
We are cooler this week (thank goodness), so maybe it will retard some things a little. I don't like it when it all happens at once!!!
"In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt." Margaret Atwood
|
|
|
|
blueroses
True Blue Farmgirl
1323 Posts
Debbie
in the Pandhandle of
Idaho
USA
1323 Posts |
Posted - Mar 29 2007 : 11:35:08 AM
|
We've got our tulips and daffodils coming up and the daylilies are starting to pop up. I see buds on the lilac bush. We are in an area that seems so slow to bloom. Even in Spokane (only 30 miles or less away) they've got a big jump on us.
"You cannot find peace...by avoiding life."
Virginia Woolfe |
|
|
|
Miss Bee Haven
True Blue Farmgirl
4331 Posts
Janice
Louisville/Irvington
Kentucky
USA
4331 Posts |
Posted - Mar 29 2007 : 12:03:44 PM
|
In the city(Louisville), the dogwoods are starting to bloom(way early). The daffodils, grape hyacinths, weeping cherry trees, redbuds, violets, Japanese Kwanzan cherry trees are all blooming in town and at the farm. Most of the daylilies at the farm are starting to send up growth. And of course, the ever present, inescapable, "they'll grow on my grave 'cause they know I can't reach 'em" WEEDS are GROWING!!! LOL!
"If you think you've got it nailed down, then what's all that around it?" - 'Brother Dave' Gardner |
|
|
|
ali2583
True Blue Farmgirl
404 Posts
Alison
Winnipeg
Manitoba
Canada
404 Posts |
Posted - Mar 30 2007 : 07:15:44 AM
|
Not much is popping up outside yet, but the tomato seeds I started inside are about an inch high!
"God's gift to you is life. What you choose to do with that life is your gift to God" |
|
|
|
willowtreecreek
True Blue Farmgirl
4813 Posts
Julie
Russell
AR
USA
4813 Posts |
|
|
AliShuShu
True Blue Farmgirl
150 Posts
Alison
Charlotte
NC
USA
150 Posts |
|
|
Nance in France
True Blue Farmgirl
1438 Posts
Nancy
St. Laurent de la Salanque
France
1438 Posts |
Posted - Apr 14 2007 : 09:58:25 AM
|
| Alison, that is one heck of a beautiful columbine! Everybody's posts sound so encouraging; this is the season most full of promise and excitement for me. In my front yard, the small smokebush I feared would be a 'goner' this year has lovely leaves that seem to grow each day, and the azaleas are beginning to pop. My Lady Banks climbing rose is almost completely covered with tiny yellow blossoms, and it has grown so much that it is even difficult to see the house numbers on the front porch! The other roses have leafed out nicely, too. The back garden was wildly overgrown when I got back a few weeks ago and I've been hacking my way through. The blue flowered ajuga still has a foothold, despite some bullying weeds. Tiny purple, white, pink, and white-with-purple-throat violets are really showing off. Peonies, lilies, lily of the valley, anemone, are up and running with blooms to follow next month. My white bleeding heart is blooming, the blue bugloss has delicate flowers now, hellebores covered with flowers and they have sown seed so I have loads of baby plants. Hostas and ferns are unfurling, Solomon's seal, too; iris have swollen stems that tantalize of what is to come. Acanthus leaves are huge and bright green now. Daffodils are past, tulips just opening up. My lilac bush has buds set now; oakleaf hydrangeas have leafed out, as well as the standard hydrangeas. I lost a variegated leaf hydrangea this winter, and one of the gardenia plants is miles behind the others in developing leaves so it might be a 'goner' this season. The real star of the backyard right now is a viburnum that is smothered in its beautifully fragrant pale pink and white blooms. When they go, the leaves emerge and the bush is really a plain jane, quietly retreating from the limelight. The forsythia with its wildly flailing arms is pretty with its yellow blooms but will need a good trim after the flower show. I have lunaria that self sows every year also and its purple flowers are dotting the landscape in no particular order. The only herbs I have are sorrel, Greek oregano, parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme (hum along if you want, ha!). I think my lemon verbena is history, unless it comes up from the very bottom of the stalk. Sweet Annie is also a hard to control volunteer but I love that scent! Beautyberry is just beginning to breath again, and I must get out and whack the butterfly bush back; it has been partially uprooted twice by hurricane winds but has a will to live like you wouldn't believe. It attains about 12 feet in height every year, and I get so excited seeing butterflies hanging from the white blooms. (Has anybody else noticed fewer and fewer butterflies in recent years??) The predicted deluge of rain seems to be holding off for the moment and ya'll have inspired me to get out there, get busy, and smell like dirt by the end of the day!! Horticulturally yours, Nance |
|
|
|
Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - Apr 14 2007 : 10:14:42 AM
|
Wow Nance!
Your garden sounds amazing. I wonder if butterfly bush would grow in my climate. I am going to have to look into that one!
I too have noticed fewer and fewer butterflies in the last few years. That and fewer and fewer honey bees. I am wondering if all the crop dusting has anything to do with it? I can’t imagine that having pesticides flying through the air is beneficial to our insect friends.
I want to plant mostly veggies in my garden this year but I still do plan on having flowers. Other than butterfly bush, do you have any suggestions on plants that attract butterflies?
Right now a few carrots and my peas are popping up in my garden. I think my lettuce is coming up, but there are so many weed seedlings that I am not sure which is which. I hate letting the weeds get a firmer hold on my garden, but I think I am going to have to let everything grow a bit until I can tell the difference between the plants. This is the first year that this ground has been used as a garden so the weeds have a firm hold on the soil. Hopefully that will end soon!
Alee
|
|
|
|
MulberryMama
Farmgirl in Training
37 Posts
Jill
Prospect Heights
IL
USA
37 Posts |
Posted - Apr 14 2007 : 10:40:27 AM
|
| Hostas and Lily of the valley and sending up slender fingers through the earth, among the tiny green-white leaves of Snow-in-the-valley. Daylilies and sedum have been up since before the snow this past week. Maples bloomed about a week ago, and the lilac leaves are like little mouse ears. The black raspberries are putting out tender curled leaves along their red canes. Forsythia is everywhere in our neighborhood. And the rhubard have pushed up little clenched fists of leaves to make its appearance above the soil. The grass is bright green and thick already. |
|
|
|
Nance in France
True Blue Farmgirl
1438 Posts
Nancy
St. Laurent de la Salanque
France
1438 Posts |
Posted - Apr 14 2007 : 1:55:23 PM
|
Greetings, Alyssa! I have learned the hard way that it is sometimes beneficial to wait a bit before plucking tiny seedlings out, thinking they are weeds. I think buddleia (butterfly bush) is pretty hardy and with good mulch and wind protection, I bet you could grow it; it even goes to seed here and butterfly bushes pop up in unexpected places at times (like the crack in my neighbor's driveway!). I heard a program last Sunday on PBS radio where the host was interviewing a bee keeper who transports his vigorous hives to farmers' fields for crop pollination, and was surprised to find that the bees aren't returning to the hives.....research has started to find out what happened/what killed the bees, etc. Very scary.
Butterflies need two types of plants. Host plants (where the eggs are laid) and nectar plants (where emerging and mature butterflies feed). Butterflies have very specific host plant needs so the more variety you have, the greater chance of baby butterflies coming alive in your garden and sticking around. Good host plants and trees are: Queen Anne's lace, Joe Pye Weed, fennel, parsley, rue, milkweed, pipevine, passionflower, black eyed Susan, Willow, Citrus, Pawpaw, Elm, Birch, Cherry, and Hackberry trees.
Good nectar sources are zinnias, honeysuckle, lantana, pentas, chives, dandelion, phlox, clover, nicotiana, aster, sedum, coneflower, goldenrod... lots more that I cannot think of, too. Have fun hosting a butterfly garden party this summer! Nance |
|
|
|
Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - Apr 14 2007 : 3:32:25 PM
|
Thanks so much for the information. I actually have passion flower seeds to plant!
I am so looking forward to the warm weather and being able to have a great garden this year. Hopefully there are enough bees and butterflies around to pollinate my veggies!
Alee
|
|
|
| |
Garden Gate: What's Up? |
|
What's Up?
