Its Spring!

There is a different shot, a point, shoot and delete till you get something worth saving. I just love digital. LOL

Just beautiful.

my R.Iris are just poking up through the ground.. 1 year blooming.. can't wait!!!!

One of our Pieris has spent the past few days opening its flowers.

And one of our "everblooming" Azaleas in finally getting back to work from its winter vacation.

We always delight in the minerature daffodils (< 6") when they are in bloom, even when spattered by mud.

I took the camera out for a walk today and you should see how pretty my black pussy willows are.

And a bit closer

ooohhh Holly that's so nice!!

The BPW starters came from my friend Vickie but I really hadn't seen them with the catkins out before. When they first appeared I thought they were nice looking, a bit different but not anything to really flip over. Then they did this and I'm standing there looking at them and thinking WOW I really like that.
I posted this tulip over on the Bulbs Forum trying to get an ID for it. I have it marked as United States but it sure doesn't look like the pic in the catalog. It really surprised me to see it blooming already. I have a few daffs open but most of them haven't opened yet and the tulips that are up aren't showing much more than a few inches of leaves.

Closer look

pretty too.. I should have a few blooms in the next few days

My Hellebore are putting on a nice show, too. This is the same one I already posted but it is just so loaded with blooms that I thought I would post it again.

Some dark purple Hellebore with Daffs

Here is the pjm Rhodie we picked up a couple of weeks ago at the Flower Show in York. It was one of the display plants.

nice Holly.. I need to come over and teach you the hellebore lay down on the ground position to get your pictures... LOL

Too wet to lay down today. LOL I did try the snap pic without looking trick, didn't turn out too good.
But this guy was facing the right way.

LOL.. very good!!

Got out today for a little while still cold but I bundled up.

Flowering Quince is budding out, I use this a a gage for setting out my humming bird feeder, this seems to be the first plant they visit in my yard. I don't think they are after the nectar but the tiny gnats that visit the blooms.

Some bright yellow crocus

White crocus with Easter Garden Flag

Here's my Big-root hardy geranium.....growing like crazy!
Sally--did you give me this one? I know 3 different people had hardy geraniums for me......

Here's my daylilies growing....in my "YUK" bed yet! They are survivors!

These are the old-variety reds and the Hans...whatevers---the ones with alternating yellow and red petals.....I have the little fences around those.....

Hart's Clustered Bellflowers-----
Look how well they have spread! it is their 3rd year in this spot (In my "YUK" bed--you KNOW they are hardy to live here and multiply!) and they are going bananas!

I dug 4 of these away and potted them up. Have 2 very special people at work i want to give some to.

These are my Tiger Lily bulbils growing---just from last Summer!
This w-box has been outside all winter--up against the base of my house in a sunny exposure covered, lightly, with leaves.
Must be the right thing to do! Will have many of these for the Plant Swap!

edited to say that the pot behind it is my Greek oregano--also showing a lot of growth--but just mainly along the edges of the pot. it must multiply from runners???? There is nothing green in the center....

Will take a better picture......later...

This message was edited Mar 27, 2010 5:14 PM

Moving to seedlings inside----Here are 2 Hyacynth bean seedlings that just shot up!
NOW what do I do????????
I had soaked 4 of them. seems 2 of them were defunct. Am soaking 2 more to replace those.....
Gonna plant all 4 in the same planter by my shed and let it roam! AM light only--hope they make it!

Here are my purple/white Datura seedlings. The purple/white ones seem to germinate better than the double yellows. I think they are a bit hardier.....
Te Yellow ones are lagging behind a bit-----I may need to soak/germinate a few extras--as I have people I have promised these to....

Everything is doing OK! I am happy!
Remember the problems I had last year? Threw all my Tomato seedlings out--as well as having "issues" with everything else???
I now think I did them all in myself---just trying to apply what people recommended.....and NOT being careful.
I believe I 'did them in" by spraying with too strong a solution of H2O2. NOT gonna spray with anything this year!!!!

As you can see--I DID adopt David's suggestion of putting smithereens of Sphagnum Moss on top of all the mix to act as a natural fungicide.
Didn't see any harm in it.......AND--I found a BIG bag of it from years ago--(maybe 7 or 8) rescued from containers of orchids at HD when they were being tossed.....LOTS of good, dry Sphagnum Moss.....
Rubbed it really good and sifted it through a regular colander.....Works for me!

Here are my Tomato seedlings-----can you spot the 3 "Potato Tops" about middle of the picture? These are from SEED Jill gave me last year. The growing plants I got from her at Holly's Swap are the ones that we all produced different tomatoes from---but none of them the true Potato Top. Hoping these will come true!

Surrounding the tomato seedlings (left and back) are some Basil seedlings.....Everything is up---except some flowers......Might just be varieties that take a bit longer to germinate.....or the seed is a bit old???
Some are lagging a bit---maybe some of the seed got pushed a bit deeper than others....I can wait!!!!!

Last one--to put a smile on anyone's face. The forever clumping "Mini daffs"------"Johnny-- Jump-Ups".

I seem to have them everywhere!!!!!

Today, i also dug up 18 clumps of Forget-Me-Nots (that had seeded too extensively) and potted them up. Will take them to work tomorrow and share them all with anyone that wants some.....

Tass it for now----THE END!

love all the babies!!!!

Looking good Gita and Ladyg,
My Quince is starting to bloom also. I am so happy to see a lot of plants coming back this year.

I think Gita will turn her Yuck bed into a Yum bed soon.

Yes Gita--looks like my Bigroot Geranium
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/2784/
note the blooms are a little more intensely colored than they look in those pictures. Tough plant! I divided a lot last year and all doing well, and it was doing OK with a giant vole hole under it before I worked on it.

lady---

I am just slowly learning what grows in those diffcult conditions and sticking to it...
So far--there is lots and lots of Shasta Daisies, Autumn Sedum, Lots of Daylilies, now--Hart's clustered Bellflowers are going gang-busters, Evening primrose, Chrisanthemum pacificum, Some wonderfylly fragrant small, double Daffodils, as of last year--some Yarrow has come back, lots of Rose Campions, 3 hellebores, Several Stella D-oros, one Bee Balm, two Butterfly bushes (doing so-so), one old Rose--raeally not doing well--, and two peonies.....plus assorted things I started last year...like a Butterfly weed--not up yet)....So you see--there is plenty there......

The hardest thing there is to try to dig up any areas that I want to plant something into or to just amend the soil a little.....Intensive labor--that's what it is!!!!

Gita

Gita, the butterfly weed will take a long time to emerge. Sometimes I think I lost mine then it pops out.
Looks like you have a lot going on in the Yuck bed. Gardenes take a lot of labor when they are in a difficult spot or the ground was not cared for by the past owner. Thats whats makes us speical, turning the grass and shrub yard into a wounderful bed of color for all to enjoy.

For all of you!

Here is the link to the flyer for the Rawlings Conservatory's Spring Show which opened this weekend and will run for 2 more weeks.
Print it out and share it with people that YOU know! In the newsletter it said that 850 people attended the opening day!
WOW! Wish I wasn't so lazy about going up/down there--just have gotten away from these "overwhelming feelings" that I SHOULD do it.
Hope some of you make it there. They always do such a spectacular job! And all those beautiful bulbs in bloom!!! They get them straight from Holland! New varieties and such.....Hope the link works.
Gita

http://sz0138.wc.mail.comcast.net/service/home/~/springflyer.pdf?auth=co&loc=en_US&id=7100&part=2

Hi Gita,

I tried the link and it turned out to be their e mail information, but I'm sure if I google it I will find it. Thanks for the info. I really enjoy looking at pictures of flower shows.

RRR,

Funny--I just clicked on the link and it DID bring up the Poster for their Spring Show!

I don't know what happened when I tried it but in my search, I found some absolutely beautiful pictures in their postings on Facebook. Breathtaking!!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Baltimore-MD/Rawlings-Conservatory-Botanical-Gardens/92781987780#!/album.php?aid=129601&id=92781987780

pretty!!!