Whats happening in your neck of the woods? Pronostications

Finally have some blooms...these are from today

I like your snowdrop, Jen. Mine here have been blooming since early December! This winter has been a Zone 8 with the ground not freezing at all .

I've been enjoying two large pieris japonica bushes blooming since last week.

Wow--lovely crocus shots! I planted some crocus a while back but nary a flower did I get because the bunnies cropped them to the ground. I would have to put them in raised pots. I only have a few daffodils open at the moment. They are smaller than last year's show.

How cool to post a watermelon pic, coleup. That's a bit fast=forward to summer, is it not?

In the 3rd shot you can see the ones toward the back are a little nibbled on....had to get out the Liquid Fence

Will have to go out with camera and get some crocus pictures. I have them in several places.

Haven't seen any bunnies yet---but I KNOW they will come.....G.

My dutch crocus are surrounded by periwinkle and they don't seem to be noticed by bunnies, but they are in a low spot and are not blooming yet. Yellow always comes first for me there.

The 'tommy' species crocus are very early but very picky about bloooming. You only see them open when the weather is sunny, and thus when you can't take a good picture Wait for clouds and they close up. And it seems like they always get hit by bad weather too. I do have pics of them somewhere.
This is the rosemary I got from CHantell. It has larger flowers than the first rosemary I had.

Geeeeee, and all I got was snow. =(

This message was edited Feb 20, 2012 1:00 PM

Sallyg--rosemary flowers now?? Those are really pretty, too. I've had trouble keeping rosemary. Well, the hardy ones did okay but grew klutzy and we used the leaves in dishes, so never saw flowers. Awesome!! What kind is it?

Hi Foxnfirefly--Yup, rosemary flowers in winter , if it will flower. It doesn't flower prolifically; these are about the only flowers, one stem out of about a dozen. And it's not right at the tip, but a little farther down. I'll try to get a bigger photo for you.
Sorry but I don't know which cultivar. Not much help!!

Here's a prognostication- My friend says that the old farmers say that if you hear thunder in winter you will get snow within two weeks. I heard that thunder was in the forecast. It kind of makes sense because thunder needs some pretty disturbed weather system...Well, fun to wait and see...

lol Sally and you spelled prognostication correctly!

Here, my "naked ladies" are about a foot tall!

I am amazed you all have so much blooming already. I found the crocus beside the big bard finally up about an inch. The daffs in the field are coming up but not starting to bud yet thank God or if we have a freeze I will loose them. The little wild snow drops are up and blooming. That just happened this week. It is about 60 here today but the wind is out of the West and cold. I saw some beautiful yellow snow drops above and they are adorable. Are they domestic or wild? The daffs beside the one building are showing buds. Some other spring bulbs are beginning to show but I can not tell what they are since they are so small. The black pussy Willows are beginning to show signs of life.
The catkins on the regular pussy willow are pushing out. But nothing like you all have.

The Amish always said the date of the first snow is how many snows we will have. Well, they are way off this year but maybe not since they are in PA and I am in NJ. We have about 20 more snows to come before we catch up with them. It snowed on the 26th of Oct. this year. Who knows? We had enough last year for the next ten years as far as I am concerned. I love this warm winter weather.

I think almost all my early crocus are blooming only the ones that grow in the shade and come up much later aren't in bloom.

I bought 5 Schipka Laurels from HD today, fresh off the delivery truck :-). They only had 5 for this location, but I can go get more from other locations tomorrow. We need evergreens along the property border. We have some pretty big Euonomous shrubs (about 8, or maybe 10 of them), but deer ate most of their leaves this winter :-(

coleup--you forgot the pictures!! I thought "Naked Ladies" bloomed in August or late July, depending on the area. Unless there is another plant that uses that curous name. You mentioned your pieris were blooming, but mine are just showing green buds emerging. I don't epect to see the white "pearls" until mid-March. This shrub isn't easily fooled into blooming early.

sallyg--we had a little snow last night but it didn't stick The winds are blowing in raging gusts, which started last night. This is a good sign, as I have come to know. That winter is usually blown out soon after these gusts. Therefore, my prognotication that gusty winds mean Spring is advancing!! But that's easy to tell by looking at the calendar, oh well.

donner what size were the laurels you got? Price? Right off the truck is excellent! Yeah, the deer here have trimmed my euonomous and wintercreeper along with ivy growth tips. Crossing my fingers on hydrangea buds. Be careful as ticks have stayed active this mild winter but I "forget" to check for them!

Fox, my naked ladies aren't blooming but the lush green leaves they send up that disappear before bloom stalk emerges are about a foot tall (way early) Wonder why forsythia hasn't been fooled like the pieris and quince? Lemon balm has stayed green all winter. Sorry no pics

Yep, lots of branches down with these winds

Was warm enough this week to drag out the hose so I could wash salt and some grime off the car. .

Coleup, the laurels were $59.99 at the Home Depot. They are about 5' tall, not counting the height of the pot. I bought 5 from Germantown and 5 from Gaithersburg. Each HD location only got about 5 - 6 of them.

Deer have never bothered my hydrangeas, but they ate the tops of my azaleas. The azaleas were planted 3 years ago and now they have not increase in size at all. Deer did the pruning for me every year :-(

My very first Alsobia flower!

Got rooted cuttings from Jill last October. Thanks, Jill.

What a beautiful flower. How great that you have grown that from a cutting to this beautiful blooming plant.

Wow, that Alsobia really is a GREAT flower, I'd never heard of them before just now! Was it easy to root from a cutting? I will definitely have to prod Boss Lady to look into getting some of those, if they're available from our growers. Then of course, I will have to buy a few! =)

Alsobias are relatives of African Violets. They are very easy to root. Alsobias grow like strawberries, sending out runners to every direction :-). I got rooted cuttings from Jill last October. Jill told me that I could pinch off the runners to make the plant denser. I think I will do that after the blooming is over. If you ladies are interested, I will root the runners for you.

I would love one please, but let me first check around my area to see if I can find the plants for sale... save you the trouble if I can. =) Thank you!! (sounds like something I could really enjoy in a couple areas, wheeee!!)

Speediebean, this plant is very easy to propagate. No trouble at all. It is a house plant though. You won't be able to plant it outside.

Well, reading this and seeing the lovely pictures posted here had me going to get my camera out and sitting it here so I will see it and remember to take it outdoors when I head out in a bit to check on anything popping up or blooming. It has been at least ten days since I have checked things out, so the time has come.

I haven't been away from home very much this last month and was really surprised on my Sunday outing that the Daffodils were blooming in so many areas. They haven't yet begun to bloom in my mountainside neighborhood, but down in town, they are everywhere, pretty as a picture.

I have had Crocus up for a couple of weeks and for at least a month now I have a Victorian Primrose blooming very nicely. What a big surprise when I first found that a month ago. Couldn't believe it.

Well, it seems like a good time to go out and take my walk around the yard....camera in hand.

Wanted to tell Critter that whatever the very large plant you had on your back deck last year that Sally and I both took some roots from has gone silly growing for me. I have been really surprised because what I brought home the day of your swap did not look very promising.

Also Sally, as we speak I have the Tropical Hibiscus that you gave me at Jill's last fall is sitting in my kitchen waiting for me to repot it later today. I found a lovely metal planter for it on my shopping trip on Sunday. It too has been blooming a lot the past month or so but same issues that I had with the lip stick plant, the blooms don't open. I did happen to be in there one day when several were opened and they were so pretty and so much fun to see when blooming plants are so scarce at this time of the year. Anyway.....I believe it will be a lot happier in a new pot.

So very many of you have shared your plants with me. I am certainly very appreciative of each and every one of them. I only mention these two today because they are some of my more recent gifts.

I think that each and every one of you ladies......ROCK!!!

Ruby

Some new blooms...
Harmony Reticulated Iris

and Winter Jasmine, nice surprise!!!! still in plastic pot, I never got around to planting it in the fall

Oh Jen your Reticulated Iris are blooming. I just love RI. I will have to have a look around and see how mine are doing. I think mine bloomed rather late last year. My Crocus are really going to town. The yellow ones are up now.

Just the one so far...2 weeks earlier than last year

I have a question for fellow Mid-At wintersowers.

When do you start transplanting your wintersown perennials? I guess what I really want to know is, what's the earliest I can plant my wintersown perennials in the garden? They were sown in January and sprouted very quickly.

The candytuft, lupines, foxgloves, and yarrow are all looking healthy. I think I sowed too heavily; they're starting to look overcrowded in their little pots. Most of them have their true leaves. I've taken the tops off during the day. One of the flimsy tops (I think it was a yarrow) blew off last week, but there was no frost damage at all.

My biggest concern is slugs. When do those little bad boys start becoming active?

SSgardener----

I think you need to contact Jill ("criterologist") for advice on this. Just click on her name and go to
"Articles she has written"--and find your topic....
She has written all the articles you will ever need to know-ho on winter sowing....and everything else.

I am "playing" with Winter sowing again this year. I have only done it once before....
I started a bit late--like, maybe, 3 weeks ago? Thinking that, surely, we will have at least 6 more weeks
of cold weather to serve as the striation period for these seeds....
So far--I do not see anything sprouting---yet...
I did Columbines and Purple Cone Flowers and a couple other biennials.

I will be happy to see them sprout. If they do not---No biggie....There is always next year!

I think, sprinkling the seeds of Biennials/Perennials right in the soil in late summer--is just as good.
That is what "Mother nature" would do....
That way--they get the full spectrum of cold and warm and in-between that seeds would normally experience.
They will sprout when the time is right! and you can then transplant them where you want....

It is time for me to start sowing seeds I want to grow for the season. Arghhh! so much to do!!!!
So much else taking away my attention from this To-Do thing....

Seems I usually only jump into action when there are actual deadlines.....a great motivator....
Somehow--things always get done and all is well.....

Gita

Ssgardener, typically, in a 'regular' winter sowing scenario, you would transplant your WS'n babies after they've got their second set of true leaves... in the interim, you would be opening the containers each sunny day to allow them to get a bit more and more exposed to the 'open elements', as it were. However, **this** winter being so completely odd, I'm not sure what to say. Until at least mid-April, there's still chance of nasty frosts or snow, as unlikely as it may seem. Personally, I would suggest transplanting them into regular pots, growers pots if you have some handy, to continue growing until it's safe to put into their permanent homes.
That's just my opinion though. This winter has completely thrown everything out of kilter though, Mamma Mia!

What's crazy is that the lupines already have their second set of true leaves!

Gita, I'm about to go do a search on critter's articles!

after last frost date in your area, you are safe to plant out
here in NJ it is the 1st week in April

You can use the chart in famer's almanac
http://www.almanac.com/content/best-planting-dates-transplants-region-3

You know---it is sad that there are not, again, too many people posting on the MA Forum.
Are we all too busy with seeds and cuttings and such that no one has the time to jump in--even for a short post?

I come every day--several times-- to see if there are any new posts. Nope!

OK! Today was an amazing day for March! Over 70*! How long can this continue???
I was out working in my garden for several hours--then got tired and came in and tried to nap.
I can NEVER nap----just laid on the couch in semi La--La land....then got up and resumed "living"....:o)

What I did today was try to dig up plants that I no longer wanted, or plants that did not want to grow for me here--
and pot them up--keeping the upcoming Plant Swap in mind...

As I have expressed before---my Monkshood plants just do not seem to want to grow well for me here...
So---I dug up the whole clump--which, at this time of year, was nothing more than a lot of
small rhizomes sprouting up for the season to come.

I don't know why they do so badly here......They grow lush and green until early fall--then they start to
rot out from the roots (??) and the leaves turn brown and whole stems die back .
I am lucky if I see a couple measly blooms by late fall.

Anyway--I ended up with 17--4" pots--2 plants in each.
I have Monkshood in another spot--but they do the same thing....
I will hang on to these two and see if I can do anything to fix them up. It is SOOOO frustrating!!!

WHAT do they need to thrive????
I have been growing them in filtered sunlight in a good enough soil in a bed next to my shed.
They grow gung-Ho all summer--and then, for no reason, start to die off. It "may" be a bit wet there.....

I also dug up three off-shoots from my Nandina and potted them up. I do not want this to spread.

I had stuck in a pile of cuttings last fall from stem ends of my Endless Summer Hydrangea as well.
Decided to see if they were rooted....NOPE! Even though the growth buds were live and well--there were NO roots.
Pulled them all up and scraped the stem ends a bit to "wound" the bottoms of the cuttings.
Maybe this will help in the rooting. I wanted so bad for all these to be rooted to take to the Plant Swap!

Anyway--that is what I did today...OH! I also fertilized my lawn with Milorganite.
What a GEM of a fertilizer that is! Eco friendly and slow release....Big bag--under $14 at HD.
It is like---6-0-2. It is the end product of the county sanitary water treatment systems.
CLEAN! ODORLESS! AND A GREAT FERTILIZER! NOT recommended for food crops though.
I used it last year in the spring--and my lawn was so lush I could not even see the soil below it.
Google MILORGANITE and see how it is produced! You will be impressed!

Tomorrow--I will try to finish pruning back the remaining Juniper shrub in front of my house.
I hand-prune it every two years. One stem at a time......so it never looks sheared....
Hey! These two shrubs came with the house in 1969! I have kept them manageable for 43 years!

OK! enough to do tomorrow!!!! IF it does not rain!!! Supposed to.....blahhh....

What are YOU all doing in this amazing weather?????? POST SOMETHING!!!!!

Gita
Here is one of my prettiest Hellebore....even if I DO like the deep purple ones best....

I need a nap after reading that, Gita and I just got up. ;)

I am a lazybones in comparison. Yesterday, I only cleaned out one bed for my peas that I will plant soon. When I was at my son's a few days ago I noticed all the nandina around his neighborhood with their beautiful red berries and I was LUSTING after them. Hahaha. I do have a couple Harbor Dwarf that I like, but wondered about the taller ones. I think Compacta gets about 4-5' tall. So, I am thinking that is what I was seeing, but I'm not sure. Anyway, I drooled when you said you had potted up some nandina. Is it too early to ask for one from the plant swap at Holly's?

I imagine your shrubs look great and that they appreciate the care you take in pruning them. I have a yew that I have let grow. I wanted to see how big it got. Hahaha, well it looks like it is going to take over the world. I had no idea they got so big. I think that is where my resident cardinals have their nest, so, now I am reluctant to prune it.

I called the doctor yesterday and they had an opening for the afternoon so I took it. My hip has been bothering me for quite awhile. Afterward he sent me downstairs for an xray. We'll find out if it is arthritis or if I need to see a chiropractor.

I don't have anything NEAR as exciting going on in my neck o' the woods. I worked Tuesday and yesterday (and I NEVER do any gardening after work 'cause I do it all day AT work!), but Tuesday I brought home a truckload of compost, so Wednesday I was out playing in it all day. =) I got it spread all over my lawn, on top of some corn gluten (Hmmm, hope I don't get into trouble here for that! >>wink>>), then the left-overs got spread around in the soon-to-be tomato bed first, then here and there in a couple other areas. I keep looking into my winter sown containers hoping for new sprouts, and occasionally I am rewarded with a new one... I've yet to peek at them today though. It's been rainy here this morning, but shortly I'll have to head out to get DH's truck's oil changed, then grocery shopping after that. Looking forward to "real" gardening time! =)

Don't know about the Monkshood, don't have any of them, sorry


Cleaned out all the beds for the most part, sprayed for rabbits a week or so ago cause they were munching on the crocus

Jan, I saw that Nandina at the flower show and now it's on my list

Some new bloomers for me

Jan---

My Nandina is just a single bush--not too big--at the front corner of my shed.
It had 3 runners that had been sprouting. I dug those up. I will put your name on one of them.

Wish I could get some compost......I sure could use it. Same for a bit of manure.....for my raised bed...

There are several places i could get it from--but they require a 3cf minimum for delivery.
Also--it costs a bit of $$$$.
I am tempted to go and p/u some tubs full of it--but, again, I don't think these places sell
to consumers such small amounts. I only have a Subaru Outback, Small car.....

1--The shed picture is from 2010. The Nandina is on the front corner. It is a bit taller now.
-2-Here are my two Juniper bushes from 2009. The left one is pruned back--the right one-not yet.
3--a better shot--you can see the difference. That is where it is at--right now.
4--here is looking at the front of my house--July, 2009. I also have to keep the two Hemlocks pruned back.
The blooming plant in the front is my beautiful Kopper King Hibiscus. It grows bigger each year.
5--the other side of the front of my house. The big lower shrub is a Yew. The bush next to my steps is
my "Bob Hope" Camellia--which I cut back totally in fall of 2010. It has re-grown nicely--but no blooms this year.

OK! Tine to get going....Gita

Hey Gita~~ Yes I have been lax too. I'm easily distracted and have been focusing on things at home that HAVE to be done, then there was an extra shift at work this week, then there was that lovely weather. I got in the various beds and tried to weed. Garlic, bittercress and henbit. Bittercress is my worst. Some are so tiny, and just one has the potential to shoot out seeds for a square foot or two.

I don't know much about monkshood, but I'd be willing to give it a try (wink wink) You're a trouper (trooper?) for potting up all those pots. I do have a few pots of red daylilies that I made last summer, when dividing, in anticipation of future swapping. They bloom dark wine red with many but small blooms.

I sure appreciate a gardener who can keep up with shrubs with selective pruning, and not have to shear. I also know how they get out of hand!!!!! This house had some when we bought it. THere was a MASSIVE old euonymus, a good eight feet tall and wide. I finally tackled it, what a stump that thing had. THere was a snake in it one day while I started to prune . Maybe thats why the pruning on that fell by the wayside for a while. I'm working on Burford hollies that I planted about fifteen years ago, and just once in awhile pruned. They've gotten big. And a Gold Mop juniper- ditto.

The Junipers, in the 3rd picture, (2010) were badly affected by the heavy snow we had in 2009.
The snow laid on these bushes for so long that they got weighed down and forward.
They never straightened out again.
Now they lean a lot further over the lawn in front of them.

In picture #2--(summer 2009) they are still nicely upright. Can you see the difference?

Sally--you shall get 2 of the pots of Monkshood.
And---wink-wink back---IF you ever come this way--PLEEEEAASSSSE--stop in and pick up some of the
Brugs. They are so big now--and I need the space for other things...
May 19th is still a long way off. By then--they should be potted up for the season already.

Anyone else want to stop by and get some? I have 2 kinds. "Dr. Seuss" and a NOID deep pink.

Just took these pictures......

Thank you, Gita, very much. Looking forward to it.

Oh poor Gita- you'll be eaten alive!!