Snowdrop Season

Belated welcome to 2013.  Outside, the snowdrops are blooming...at least those that have decided they like it well enough here. 



S. Arnott pictured above.

For the first time in a number of years, I'm not planning to add any new snowdrops.  The differences are, for the most part, too subtle for me to see.  Add in a survival rate of maybe 50% and it becomes a game I am less interested in playing.

 

Don's Big Seedling pictured above.

Those that are surviving here are (in my plans, that is) going to be moved to line my front walkway.  Some are there now, but others are scattered here and there.  It's nice to appreciate them and that will be much easier when they're all in the same general area. 



Mrs. Backhouse #12 and Straffan pictured above.

One day, I still would love to visit the UK during snowdrop season.  Many pictures I see from there show so many varieties that are simply unavailable here.  And, the glory of it all, to see endless sweeps of them would be inspiring.



Winifred Mathais pictured above.

Perhaps one day (sooner), I will make it to Winterthur where I understand they have large areas of snowdrops.  It appears they reopen on March 1st. 



John Gray pictured above.

I think I have a couple of doubles that have survived but are not in bloom.  Doubles, especially, seem to not like it here.  Since the blooms last for quite a while, I will keep attempting to snag a few more pictures of some that aren't featured today.



An unknown snowdrop pictured above.

Also in bloom are the first of the crocus (yellow), some hardy cyclamen and hellebores.  It's challenging (that's part of the fun) to capture the hellebores as so many like to hang their heads  However, the beauty contained there, especially the doubles, makes it so worth it.  Last year, I removed a number of dark flowered ones that no longer pleased me.  It seems that light colored flowers and white ones show up so much nicer against their foliage. 

Many changes around here making for no excuses for lack of things to talk about and share. 

Here's a taste:



Lucy and Rudy.

Garlic...and Wildlife

Before the rains came (and are still pouring as I write), I harvested some more garlic.  All nicely cleaned up for your viewing pleasure, of course.

 

Yes, they're swinging, haha.  You know I'll let you have a closer look.

 

 

 

 

I planted more than four or five cloves (resulting in four or five heads above).  Nowadays, I am more picky and am only setting aside the better ones to dry.  All the little ones were cleaned up and are sitting in a bowl on my kitchen counter...for immediate consumption.  


It's just undeniably true, small cloves will result in small heads...so, why bother with them.


Here's another one that didn't get to swing with the others...






While we are enjoying my garlic tales, here's something weird for you...

 

Do you see it/them?  Closer...

 

How strange is that?  As it turns out, pretty strange.  I've seen a lot of things that garlic can do, including producing small heads on the scape in various places, but this,...well, this I had not seen before.

This growth was causing the garlic to fall over and so I went ahead and harvested it all.  Usually, falling over garlic runs the risk of being over-ready.  Not this time.

I emailed the helpful folks at Filaree Farms and learned this garlic is bolting.  They, too, had not seen it quite like this before.  (Leave it to me to have strange garlic.) I was advised to not replant the odd bolting garlic (for next year).  And, as I feared, the rest was probably harvested a bit too early.  Oh well.  So many years, I harvest too late, so I guess this is fate evening up things for me. 


It's thought that maybe this garlic experienced too much water and/or nitrogen.  Who knows.  It was planted along with all the others, all growing together, one after another. 


I do kinda like weird things  (grin).  


*****
In other happenings...and this happened today, so we are right on top of things.


First, some pictorial proof of Rudy-ness in the daylilies...

This, my flower friends, is Rudy doing his thing through some of the daylily seedlings.  Please note...there is no path there...

 

Yes, those were daylily scapes...sigh.

I guess there's a path there now...

 

So, I hear Rudy barking and race down the deck stairs to see what emergency is at hand (not).   Actually, I race down the stairs to try to calm Rudy before Cranky Neighbor (hereafter known as CN) can complain and earn his name.  It is during normal working hours, so one can hope he is not home...but, you never know...


There is Rudy making a fuss right outside of one of my fenced areas (that I learn in a few minutes doesn't mean that Rudy can't get in...he simply chooses to not enter at times...this not being one of them, apparently)...He is carrying on, so I'm looking in there, thinking what varmint is trapped in there...and I see an old friend...









Do you see it (not knowing if it is a he/she)?  I have...ahem...cleverly (if I do say so myself) labeled it for you.

Yes, here we go...




Awww.  But, here, you guys, here's what's especially cool...this is the same one who visited in 2010...June 6, 2010, to be exact....take a look at the markings in a picture from that day...

 

(Different camera...how I miss the old Rebel...sigh...DH has told me I can check into a new camera and/or lens, so yea...maybe these odd pictures with odd color will soon be a thing of the past)...but, anyway...

Isn't that wild??!  (Literally) I like that the turtle has returned.  I may just start calling him/her 'our' turtle.

The Rude Monster aka Rudy

Too funny...in case you need the full length version...

 

This last one cracks me up...if you look closely, you can see his eyes have rolled up into his head...

 

It's hard work being a puppy... 

Food! And a bit of Wildlife...

(Is anyone besides me having trouble with this new Blogger stuff?? Yikes.)

First, if you don't grow lettuce in spring, I must nag you (again).  Just do it, okay?  Trust me on this.  Until you eat freshly picked lettuce, you just don't know.  Sigh.  I hear corn is like this, but I'm not growing corn (for lots of reasons).  Anyway...

The lettuce pictured below is some from the third time I have gathered lettuce.  What's left there is after I filled two gallon bags to give to two people.  And, today, I could pick some more.  This will go on until the heat sets in...and then, well, lettuce bolts (goes to seed) as heat is not its thing.  

Garlic, how do I love thee?  Oh my.  Today I harvested two more very early varieties, Blossom and Xian. These very early ones have certainly performed for me this year.  Don't know if or how much this mild winter contributed to this.  

Happy is me. See garlic, see me smile...

 

 

Blossom in its unwashed, freshly dug state and then cleaned up a bit.

 

And, Xian, still dirty and then less dirty.  See, one thing I am especially enjoying is that I have managed with these very earlies (and Chinese Pink) to get them out of the ground before they have shed most of their layers.  Cleaning has never been easier, as I just take a wrapper off and shake a little.  That explains, by the way, the color difference.  That brighter colored layer was removed.  

Did I say I was happy about the garlic??  :)

****

We pause briefly here to check in with Rudy.  He had surgery last Thursday and has been recovering.  He thinks he is ready for much more activity, but we're (me) following the doctor's orders and he's resting...

****

Before I got on with it....I'm so excited!  Yesterday (early evening) I was making a tiny bit of progress with some weeding on the south side of my house (hint:  south=warmer) when I discovered a daylily blooming!  Yes!  It was too late (low light) to take a picture, besides I have too much pride to show that many weeds.  But, it was!  And, it looks like it has three scapes!  It's Firestarter.....

(From the AHS database)

Firestarter (Murphy-J.P., 2005)

height 48", bloom 6.75", season EE, Rebloom, Dormant, Diploid, 24 buds, 3 branches,  Red with darker watermark above gold green heart throat. (sdlg × sdlg)

 

 Which, as you'll note is an EE (extra early)...but, never, never never (nevah!) have I had a daylily, a regular daylily bloom in April!  A first.  Now, here's the thing.  I have this particular daylily in another area and guess what...yup, (or is that yep?) no scapes that I saw.   Curious, no?  

Whatever...we'll take it (it even beats a Florida daylily that's scaping on FL time...).

****

Okay, because I am feeling particularly blog-gy, I have a little bit more for you.  Not for the squeamish.  You've been warned.

A few days ago, I spied these enormous birds just down the street from me...in the street.  I'm guessing they are buzzards (someone will probably tell me otherwise, if so, which is great).  They let me get within one house of them and then they took off...but not too far (into a tree) so they could go back to their find after I left....

  

That's my attempt at trying to get them into the same picture.  The one on the left was acting as a guard, sort of, and was the first to fly away.

There's (above) two views of the feasting on....squirrel, if you wanted to know.  Which is fine with me.  The less squirrels around to dig in my garden, the better.

This would be (above) the partner.  Not hungry, I suppose.

And, now my brave brave companions...who only ventured down to check things out when the birds flew away.  Which was probably wise.  They were rather large birds, after all.

Leo, being camera shy (get me from my best side....which he must think is behind...haha)...

And, Sam...who I imagine is saying "I prefer to get my own.  The chase is half the fun."  

Sam story (and then I will go)....Yesterday, DH hears Sam at the front door.  He opens the front door...and there, along with Sam, is a rabbit placed directly in the center of the mat.  Sam comes inside, but only for a brief time, as he wants back out...to...ahem...take care of his prize.  He only wanted DH to know what he done!  Haha.  Such a great hunter.  And, yea, for one less plant-eating varmint in my yard.  

Only people who don't seriously garden (in my opinion) can tolerate all those critters whose only purpose is to eat and destroy your garden.  Because that is their mission...so, you have to decide...which team you'll be on.  Garden or No Garden.  It's that whole cycle of life thing. 

First of the Garlic

With this early-everything Spring we have going on, it's no surprise that the early garlic is indeed early.  Chinese Pink is below in its just-out-of-the-garden stage and then cleaned up.







A couple days ago, I dug one to see and thought it was near perfect.  It's currently in use in the kitchen and will be joined by a cleaned up one.  The rest are already downstairs resting on newspaper to finish drying.


There are two other very early varieties that I need to keep checking on, but I think they can wait a bit longer.  Hope I'm not wrong, as I would love to duplicate my success.  


In an ordinary year (whatever that really is), I would probably expect Chinese Pink to be ready in May.  It seems to be moving along the same track as everything else, a good two-three weeks early.


*****
This is my first attempt with all the new google-ness.  I'm not sure what I think.  These things are never intuitive to me.  


****
While it may seem like I've forgotten all the other spring goodies, I really haven't.  Life refuses to stand still (ha)...in fact, it seems to have hit warp speed and I'm still shuffling along, seemingly always in a catch up sort of phase.   And, gosh there's so much to catch up on.  


****
And what we really want to know is that nope, no daylily scapes yet.  Although, I'm confident they'll be early, too.  I do have two with scapes, but they are Florida imports, doing their Florida thing.  Today, they're probably wondering where the heck they are with this cold front going through (no snow, though...thankfully).  


Daylily season will be different here this year.  We can credit Rudy.  The backyard is now The Kingdom of Rudy.  Everything there (and there's a lot) is at risk as he does his Rudy-thing (digging, sitting, eating, etc.).  




(Rudy, after a particularly vigorous digging session...and no, he cannot come inside looking like that.)


After I picked myself up from the shock of it all (so many wonderful years of wonderful dogs who were...wonderful), I am adjusting to the new reality.  What will be and all that.  Life moves on.  


To say it has been an adjustment is an understatement.  If I were to be totally honest (what fun is that), I would admit that the garden was way too big (for me and for this lot).  I guess I just thought I would have more say in things (grin).  However, it is a race to save things and find spots for things and well, I move at a slower pace than I seem to recall...or something.


So...we'll see what shakes out.  Rudy needs a backyard, a regular backyard.  He won't get exactly that for a while, but with his efforts and mine, over time it will become the total Rudy Zone.  


Stay tuned...what will survive...what will get moved...what has already disappeared...these questions and more...might get answered...maybe...(kidding, sort of)...


  

Meet Rudy

Our newest addition....


This is Rudy. He's five months old and is originally from South Carolina. Now, he makes his home with us here in Virginia. It's been four weeks since his arrival with us. We think he's doubled in size. He's also beginning to figure us out, although we still have a ways to go in figuring him out (grin).

He's full of personality....


...when he isn't sleeping...


We hope he'll be very happy here and have many many years with us.


In case you're wondering, he's part Golden Retriever (hello Kobe) and part....well, unknown.
No matter. He's keeping Riley and the cats company, although the latter keep hoping that they'll wake up and find he was just a dream...*smile*

He has big paws to fill, ones that never dug (hear that, Rudy?) or went into the flower beds. Ones that were great to walk with and ones that accompanied me all over. Ones that I miss terribly....but, life goes on....and hearts that feel as if they will never heal do find room to be open to new family members. And new experiences. And certainly adorable and utterly cute puppies....

Kobe Dog

Yesterday was one I had long dreaded. Even when you know this day is a part of life, a huge hole in the road, and will arrive no matter how hard you deny it, no matter how much you wish it wasn't so...it still came.

Unfortunately, it wasn't a horrible dream and when I awoke this morning, the reality of it smacked me in the face.

I can't even hardly make myself write about it...yet. So, I going to cheat a little, but I know you'll understand. I'm going to paste in the email I sent yesterday to my family members far away...please know that I'll write more later because more is so richly deserved. But, for now, this is all I can manage...


I just wanted to tell you that it's all over....and Kobe, ever the 'no trouble' dog, was no trouble in death. His last gift to me. Kobe died here at home in my arms. It was unbelievably sad, but peaceful. I'm filled with gratitude for having had such a wonderful dog.

I called White Oak in desperation as I saw no way we could make our appointment, he was really struggling...and asked if they could come out. They were very responsive and told me Dr. Dunn (the other Dr. Dunn, the husband) would come after surgery....which he did. However, Kobe was already gone.

It was like a full circle. Kobe didn't have to go be around strangers in a strange place and I got to pet him and whisper in his ear that I loved him and tell him what a wonderful dog he's been.

I didn't realize at first what was happening, I just knew he was having a difficult morning. However, in his last act, he launched himself over to me....imagine that, he wanted to be with me....and I held him and petted him and saw him take his last breath. It was amazing. As he left me, I felt peace and gratitude. Don't misunderstand, I'm unbelievably sad, but it feels like the circle is complete. He left me in the best way possible...

Yesterday, we had a nice day. And, last evening, I went out to do some weeding to help clear my head. I asked him if he wanted to come out and sit at the top of the deck stairs, as he has in the past, and watch me. He did and while I sobbed the whole time I was weeding, I have a beautiful memory of seeing him sitting up there...I would wave to him and he'd lift his head in acknowledgment and I'm sure, wag his tail. After I filled the bag, I came up and sat by him and talked to him and told him again how much I appreciated him and that it was okay, I understood that his time was limited.

My only regret was that as I weeded and looked up at him, that I didn't have a picture of him like that there...I will just have to keep the memory in my heart, though. That he will watch over me from heaven, as he did in life for almost 12 wonderful years.



Kobe, on a beautiful day last summer (061510) with his unforgettable smile and his wagging tail.

I miss you so much.

It's Official

Daffodils have begun! These Ice Follies type had their first blooms on 030511. As of yesterday, only Cum Laude had also begun to bloom.


You know I consider any that lean or lie on the ground...for whatever reason (such as the rain we had all day Sunday) to be fair game to be picked...

Ever helpful, Sam was intent on snoozing here while I try to blog...

Signs of Spring...

Up next, an almost hidden little patch of crocus....their bright color shines through the leaves...


Leo...getting into practice for spring, I suppose...

Flowers!

Yesterday (021811) brought the first of the crocus....this variety, Cream Beauty, is always out early. It's such a welcome sight, though.

I have them planted on four corners on a bed with each corner slightly sloping down. What happens is that they apparently drift down, either on their own or due to movement(s) in the soil caused by planting, pulling weeds or...animals...Ha. A lesson I never learn is that the four corners refuse to bloom at the same time. These are blooming on the more southerly perspective.

It also never fails that when the early spring bulbs start blooming that I always...always...wish I had planted more. It's just that in fall when you need to plant them, I'm getting weary and ready for the garden to go to sleep. I did, however, plant more of the general mixed variety crocus, so I'm excited to see and hopeful of a good showing from them.

Even though I know there's still more winter ahead (sigh), it's great to enjoy these moments when we think spring is finally on its way...

The crocus aren't the first flowers for 2011, that honor belongs to the snowdrops...with more coming along....

The very tiny and common nivalis are increasing for me and I'm pleased to see a bit of a drift, something I've waited years for...


Interesting to look at this same group from a different perspective....


Also very tiny, but hopefully this one will get larger as it settles in (only the second year here)...

Scharlockii


As you can see, this one is called Don's Big Seedling (still waiting on that 'big')...


Here's Straffan...odd how one got away from the group...however, the other two varieties planted nearby are just barely out of the ground...


If you're wondering, that scruffy looking stuff is a creeping phlox...

S. Arnott is supposed to be large, too...but isn't here...yet...wish I had planted them all together...they'd make a better showing that way...


Just for perspective, here's Limetree (which I've shown before)...it's one of the larger ones for me...but I don't think we'd call it large by any stretch of the imagination....(and notice how nicely I have now mulched here...lol)...


Finally, my girl Riley was out enjoying the warm weather, too. She's doesn't really like having her picture taken and averts her head when she sees the camera.