Gotta Garden

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Late Daffodils

The daffodils are almost done for this year. Only a few are left to bloom. Like most lates, they get more attention since there is less competition (I find this with my daylilies, too).

We'll just have to enjoy them while we can...

Spindletop..


Angel Eyes...


Notre Dame...


Dallas...


Pink Polynomial...


Soprano...


Ticonderoga...


Savoir Faire...


These last two just opened today....I probably should wait until at least tomorrow to take their pictures as they are not fully opened....but patience is not my strong suit....besides, of course, I'll take more pictures tomorrow!

Inner Glow...


Harp Music...


This very tame Mourning Dove allowed me to take his/her picture....


Sitting under the magnolia which will be history after Monday...

This amused me. Leo was fascinated with the birds on this trellis. I guess he hasn't noticed them for the last couple of years....



Good news....I learned tonight that the new gate will go in this weekend...yea! Tomorrow, I'll be busy moving all the plants in the way (on both sides)...a big task, but one that is necessary. Having a second gate will make it much easier to bring amendments into the backyard (and anything else). Since the magnolia sits behind there, having the second gate will make its removal much easier...try to imagine having to drag it down the hill, squeeze through a narrow opening, up a small hill toward the original gate, through there and up to the driveway....whew. With the second gate, it can be brought out of there and through the front yard...

In addition, the fence that leans there will be straightened. One more thing to check off the list. The leaning has bothered me for years...and in a few days, it will be no more!

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Spring....in a hurry...

With a week or so of temps in the high 80s, spring went into overdrive here. I saw daffodil blooms wilting. That shocked me until I realized that, of course, they were stressed...they're used to blooming with temperatures in the 60s. The heat was hard on them! Unfortunately, blooms that usually last a week or more were gone within a day or two.

Not just daffodils. The flowers on the crab apple tree lasted at most 2-3 days. Azaleas are blooming here now.

Anyway, it felt a bit like daylily season when I rush around trying to get pictures. Daffodils usually afford me a number of chances to try to catch them looking their best. Not this year!

Electrus...


My Sweetheart...


Mint Julep...


Misty Glen...


Peripheral Pink...


closer...


Firetail...


Noteworthy...


Rising Star...


Killearnan...


Sidley...


closer...


Edna Earl...



Virginia Bluebells...


Ipheon uniflorum

'Rolf Fiedler'


(still working on getting the blue right...not quite there yet)


'Wisley Blue'


(a lighter blue and the blossom is shaped a bit differently)

Hmmm, I wonder if the daylilies will bloom earlier this year...

Thursday, April 01, 2010

Daffodils....No Foolin'

Three shots of Mrs. Langtry...




That's Kobe in the background. Mrs. Langtry is blooming in the tree bed...where the Redspire Pear used to reside before it was removed a couple years ago....I much prefer having the space filled with daffodils and daylilies! We called it...the former tree...The Stinky Tree because when it bloomed, it filled the air with this rank smell for a couple of weeks.

The other day as I got out of the car at our local Borders...what should I smell but...you guessed it...multiple stinky trees. Must be an unusually good year for them. Not only that, but they're filling the air in my neighborhood as well...those that are still up, of course, since the Bradfords are especially prone to breakage. Most of the 'old' trees (12 years or more....which is not a long lifespan for a tree) are gone in the neighborhood, but folks still plant the darn things. And, I guess, they lucked out and got stinky ones. Drat.

Back to daffodils...some of which smell quite sweet...

Niveth...


Rimski...


Irish Cream...


Beersheba...


Seagull...


Lemon Lake...


Two of Watership Down...



Two of Wings of Freedom...



Accent...


Salome...


Two of Bath's Flame...



That's all for now...only so many hours in a day to work on pictures....more later...more of other things, too....like the first trillium to bloom (for this year)....please note, some of these daffodil blooms will show color changes as the blooms mature....

****
Attempted to move crocus bulbs from around one of the trees that will be coming out later this month....as I have learned, tree roots do not easily give up bulbs....however, I am happy with those I could extract. I moved them to a daffodil/daylily bed and hope to see them next year. Interesting, you could see the new corms forming on top of the old ones....(in some cases, the new corm pulled away from the old one....I'm not sure if they'll make it as the roots appeared to be left with the old corm...we shall see...)

*****
Saw that the peas are beginning to sprout in the backyard. While weeding, I found Leo lying on some of the daylily seedlings...sigh....He broke off four at the crown....don't know if they'll recover since they're just seedlings...I had hoped to see them bloom this year...now, I just hope to see them, period. I know, I know...it's just four....left a big gap in that bed, though. Leo is banned from the seedling beds! (I don't think he realizes that yet...)
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