Garden Happenings

Lilac 'Sensation' is my favorite bloom of the three remaining lilacs I have. I did discover, shockingly, that I don't particularly care for the fragrance of two of the lilacs after I cut blooms to bring inside. How can that be?? Doesn't everyone love the fragrance of lilacs?


Last week, the dogwoods were just stunning. We'll revisit last week in this post. Herewith, my garden as it was then...


That's one side of the front yard looking from the driveway...


This is going toward the backyard...it was pretty damp that day...things are just beginning to wake up on this north side of my house...(yes, that's a dog by the gate)

Here's the pot ghetto...which has moved to the driveway...as of last week. You would not believe the change in one week...or, maybe you would...*grin*


Mostly what you see are daylily seedlings in boxes (approximately 1/3 of what I have to go outside)...a few new arrivals...and okay, maybe an impulse purchase or two.

Peonies are getting ready to pop....as I've said daily for a week...as of this morning, they are still on the verge, but since we're expecting rain (why does it always seem to rain when the peonies open??), I hope they hold off...


A What Not To Do entry...bel0w you see Japanese Iris...(ignore the fact that they are nowhere near water. They don't know it and we won't tell them)....this clump has been here for a number of years. Note the middle is gone...dividing them would probably be appreciated (Siberian Iris tend to do this also)...however, it's not likely to happen... They'll just have to make do. Hey, maybe they can seed themselves back in the middle (kidding, sort of)...after all, they've seeded themselves outside the clump. I hope to show you pictures of their seedlings, which are growing in this bed approximately two feet away... The ones they deposited in my neighbors' grass have been mowed.


The woodland phlox in the shady part of the backyard are starting to bloom...




I'm sad to say that most of the daffodils are now done (May 1st), but last week, we still had some going:

Mint Julep:


Satin Blanc:


Baby Moon:


Dallas:


Sidley:


And now...to one of my favorite subjects....daylilies...As I was wandering in the backyard among the seedlings...I noticed this:


Look carefully in the middle....there is seedling coming up with like five, six, or seven little fans. Very wild...especially when you're hoping for one. We shall see what this one does...

It's that time...spring...when daylily clubs have their sales. A great time to pick up daylilies very reasonably priced, grown by club members. I dug up a number of clumps...


I was pleased this year as my fans were good sized and I happy with what I had to donate. My soil amending is finally showing some reward(s). Of course, with red clay, it is a constant battle. Most of these clumps only had red clay on the bottom in the center (of the larger ones)...the rest had nice dark soil....which pleases me greatly...until I realized as I washed them off that my precious soil was going down the drain. Yikes! That is hand hauled in! At which point (a sight to behold) I attemped to wash them off over beds so that at least some of the soil would stay here...

And the result:


I drove them down to Lewis Ginter (Richmond) yesterday to be contributed to the RADS booth. (No, I did not buy a single daylily!) The sale continues there today and tomorrow. It's a great spring plant sale. Two vendors I always look for are Pine Knot Farms for hellebores and Rick's Custom Nursery for anything interesting. I came away with some hellebores (of course), some heucheras (yeah! two new ones!), a couple mini hostas (I am finding them interesting...), some tomatoes, some herbs, and maybe another perennial here or there...ha.

So, here it is May....a month known for how fast it flies by...

Forgetting Winter for a Moment...

I'm hip dip (more like up to my eyeballs) in sorting pictures. An enjoyable task, just one that seems never ending. I know, I know...I shouldn't take so many pictures...but that would be like not breathing. I finally finished one day...yes, one day (July 9, 2008)...and discovered...amazingly...that I did take a few pictures of things besides daylilies. Let's face it...when the daylilies bloom, it's pretty hard to compete. Among the five hundred or so pictures I took that day were these...



Lots of phlox were blooming...I have some 17 varieties and they have delightfully hybridized themselves so that I have seedlings popping up here and there...some really very pretty, I think...

This is a well known phlox 'David' (the white one) with seedlings...it's hard to tell from this picture, but they are all different. This is what happens when you don't deadhead! I keep meaning to move the seedlings out...one of these years, I will...


Another view...I don't often show views of my garden...the white phlox are all seedlings...I really should get in there and move all the seedlings...hmmn, a project for this year...just that one has to wait until they bloom to separate them out of the clump...


One of the two remaining Rose of Sharons...this one is called Blue Bird....the variegated foliage belongs to a weigela...


My very favorite hardy geranium...Rozanne...


In person, this area is rather untidy, but all these months later...in this photo...it's not so bad (maybe that's what winter will do to you)...


You knew I would find a way to get some daylilies into a non-daylily post, didn't you?


It looks like July 7th was a good day in the garden, but then most days are. Even days like today...real time...when I'm able to be outside and weed a bit. Spreading some Leafgro around felt good, smelled good and reminded me that there are more good days ahead.

Days we can all enjoy....like Leo...relaxing last July 7th...

Daffodil Parade and More....

Getting right to it, more daffodil pictures....plus other spring things....and, if you hang on, something at the end that really made my day! Some of these pictures are from yesterday. Others are from today (you'll see the raindrops...yea rain, we need all we can get to fill those reservoirs so that our water restrictions can go away...).


Barrett Browning (above)


Goldflake (above)


Bath's Flame (above)


Fragrant Rose (above)


Pineapple Prince (above)


Changing Colors (above)


Gigantic Star (above)...really huge


Modern Art (above)....doesn't match its picture...we'll follow this one to see if it matures into it or I was simply sent the wrong one...


Seagull (above) newly opening


Seagull as the blooms mature (above)


Trepolo (above) wet


and dry (above)...from yesterday


Flower Record (above)


Martinette (above)


Sweetness (above)...see, more did open



Chromacolor (above)


Minnow and Scilla (above)


Red Devon (above)


Marieke (above) ... a nice yellow, big, but not as big as Gigantic Star


Sugarbush (above)...just starting


Burning Heart...maybe...(above)...I have another area of Burning Heart...we'll compare later...every year this one looks different


Lemon Drops (above)


Hollywood (above)


Toto (above)

Some Unknowns (below):


A beautiful yellow growing with some autumn crocus... (above)


Probably from a Butterfly Mix (above)


Near perfect form, I think, and laughs at the weather...unknown (above)


Backyard unknown...growing under a silver maple...with no love...sigh (above)


Bought as Jenny...it's not...(above)

As promised, there are other things here besides daffodils (and many more of those to come...those pictured are mostly earlier ones)....here we go


A screen of winter hazel blooms...(above)


Grape Hyacinths (above)...gotta have those, right?


My tiny tree peony is up and going (above)


One variety of woodland phlox getting ready to go (above)


Redbuds will be starting very soon...isn't it wild how buds pop out all over (above)


Almost azalea time (above)


Pink Almond about ready to pop (above)


It made it! Helped by our mild winter this year, undoubtedly....my non bridal wreath spirea (above)


Glory of the Snow (above)


Virginia Bluebells (above)


Self seeded foxglove, rose campion and variegated columbine (above)


Self seeded Japanese Iris....hope they bloom...maybe something new, who knows (above)


Earliest of the peonies with buds (above)


Look carefully...the raindrops are glinting off the emerging epimediums....cool...(above)


They'll never go away...big sigh...two eradications...unsuccessful...tiger lilies (above)


Hip hip hooray! This, dear blogworld friends, is....my emerging gas plant! Yes! Three times I've tried to grow this...and finally....it had a rough autumn...broken off...mulch removed by critters, etc...but, here it is! (above)

Okay...if you're still here (gold star to you!)....something really special (I think)...


You, yes you, are the first ones to see this! This is a daffodil seedling! Making its first appearance in the world...we'll see how it does...I have nothing like this in all my daffodils...and, you know what else....this is a gift from mother nature! You got it. I didn't do this. Let me show you where it is:


That's it from behind. There's a group of assorted daffodils nearby...you can just see them in the right corner. However, I made this bed...despite the orange builder's clay (time and amending and a never-give-up attitude help)...no daffodils were ever planted there...it seems to be a good area for seedlings...the Japanese Iris ones are nearby and I find daylily seedlings in there as well. Well, we'll have to watch it and see what it does in the future, how well it increases, etc. There's some other smallish daffodil foliage nearby, so maybe there will be other seedlings in the future. I have no idea how long it takes for seeds to make it to this point. The daffodils that it probably came from (although there are lots of others, depending on the time frame) were planted probably in 1999, maybe 2000. I'll have to check the trusty spreadsheet.

So, there you have it! A first!

******
A rare peek at my garden...I'm no landscaper, but spring is just so fun...have a look


Walking to the front door (above)...


Riley enjoying the blooms (above).....yes, I am not into grass...


Korean Spice Viburnun, assorted daffs, and creeping phlox coming into bloom...more things to come, but a nice early show (above)


A little look at one part of my backyard (above)...can't wait for the daylilies...obviously, there's more room for daffodils (hehe)...maybe now you begin to see how I crowd everything in.


I've just run out of time because there is more...tulips, for instance...the early ones are blooming. My "to blog" list grows ever longer...but, never mind...it's spring!