Time to start over.
APRIL 2015 - SHOWERS & FLOWERS
From the backyard cherry bushes to the St. Louis Arch grounds & the old Eads Bridge crossing the "Big Muddy".
Great pictures!
Quick question.......... for your prennials, do you remove last year's mulch or just add fresh on top of old?
I thought that I'd just add fresh on top of the old, but I just read an article that seems to suggest that the old should be removed each spring. Or if I should remove the old, is that something that I should have done last fall?
I do whatever I want. If there is a rule, I don't follow it. Getting caught in a thunderstorm walking to my car. Will check back when I reach home.
Same here about mulch.. my husband hates mulch cuz it jumps out of the beds, so I am now throwing compost from the compost pile around.. at least it stays in place.
I add new on top. The old will decompose and enrich the soil eventually. I use it for shrubs and stuff that are surrounded by grass so my dad doesn't kill them. No mulch, no plants. lol
I'll add new on top after a good soaking rain, i have a bag I caught on sale at Walmart last year.
Gets so hot and dry here, I am leaving some crushed up leaf chips on the ground too.
Prickly pair cactus and other succulents are all waking up.Virginia blue bells are up..
I noticed yesterday that the hydrangeas had leaves.
Garden lady posted on the March thread in case you've missed it.
It's amazing how quickly everything bloomed. There's a bunch of trees that I drive by every day...... don't have a clue what they are....... and yesterday? Suddenly, they were a mass of white blooms. It was simply beautiful. (And in this really run down, depressed part of St Louis, too.) AND flowers! I swear that I saw bright yellow daffodils on my way home.
And as I type this, I just realized that the trees out back have green on them as well. Plus, one of my groundhogs is out and about. Okay, their not "mine". But I have two (a mated pair?) living in my backyard, so I think of them as part of my household. Kind of cool critters. My son wants to plug up their burrow and drive them away, but I won't let him. They're on the far end of my backyard where they're not hurting anything, and I enjoy watching them.
Dyan, I'd protect the g-hogs too. Yep, saw some big weeds growing in a vacant lot. All the rain doesn't just provide flowers, unfortunately.
Dyan, The trees covered with white flowers might be Bradford pears.
Nice pics Debra. Just got a chance to look at them.
Where is Will? Busy working?
Hi all from Nebraska.
dyanisme - I usually just add on top the mulch, when I am using an organic mulch (wood chips or clippings), although I do try to loosen them up a little with a rake at the beginning of the season. I couldn't get to my narcissus bed in time and now there are planks of wood chips held together with fungal mycorrhizae bending them over.
Crocus and early narcissus blooming here, forsythia and magnolias blooming, saw the lilac buds breaking open. Lawn is finally starting to green up after our good rain last week.
Got garden growing, onions and shallots were planted, spinach and radishes coming up. And cauliflower in pots (I can't grow cauliflower in my garden for the life of me, but in pots I have beautiful heads) are perking up. Although, I found out the owners of my favorite greenhouse here retired last fall, so I need to find another source for my pepper plants. Tomatoes (main crop and Ozark's home brew variety) started in the basement along with kohlrabi.
Won't do too much work on the yard this year - am going to have windows and siding replaced, and new roof put on. Just keep it cleaned up, and later figure out what I want to put in after the threat of trampling is done.
Me too. Burdened with many necessary home improvement projects that will make gardening more challenging. Still finishing up taxes, so can't even venture outdoors yet. I have 3 vacation days scheduled next week, so I'm hoping to get caught up.
My mulch is pine needles. I take off the excess & toss it where it's needed. Works for me.
Betty, if you can get ahold of some native wildflower seeds, you should throw some there in the vacant lot. They might eventually take off and get some blooms going. lol
My hydrangas haven't poked up yet as of a couple days ago. I hope my Incrediball made it or I'm gonna be mad. lol. May have to put roses in their spots if they didn't. But so far several of my clematis have put on new leaves and are starting to take off. Waiting on my Carolina Jessamine but it might be a bit later. Hope it made it too. lol
ooooo I just googled what a clematis is, and they are very pretty! I may have to add one to my wish list.
My clematis made it, after trying three times, they finally made it thru this year. so happy!
Wish I had some pine needles, I loved them for mulch, had a bag one year from the line at work, but they are now all cut down. so sad. I also have tried and tried to grow hydrangeas, No luck here for me. I also can't grow cauliflower or broccoli. bleah, I am not very good at such cool things.
Lilac is budded and starting to bloom, but it is dropping to 30 tonight, prolly will lose all the pears tonite, too. Oh well.
Glad your clematis made it!! I usually have no trouble growing them. I'm slowly working on improving the soil in all my beds so that the plants won't have to struggle so much. Then I won't have to weed as much because my plants are going gangbusters!! LOL!!
Dyan, clematis are awesome plants and a must for all gardens. There are big blooms, small blooms and even bell shaped ones. There are also some that grow bushy and low to the ground.
Here is a good link to vendors that made the Top 5 of Garden Watchdog last year for certain plants. Clematis is one group on there and the nurseries listed are all excellent.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/5405/
Well, we have a dog now. Sorta. He was dumped last night and hasn't even tried to leave yet. My mom and I like him so gotta try and convince my dad to keep him. Super nice, knows commands and rides great in my truck. But he also appears to maybe have a hip problem because his appear really wide in the back. He's a hound dog of some sort. Gonna be an interesting night.
Happy Easter!
~ to everyone. I'm still wiped out so will just read and not comment.
We had a beautiful day here yesterday. My throat was sore all day and I was wiped out, but I planted peas and onions and turned dirt for spinach.
DH took the grass out of the garden and transplanted it to the path. It looks great!
Last week we had a terrible grass fire and it burned down a guy's house. There is a burn ban on, but many little fires keep popping up. I think seeing the house burned has everyone on edge now.
My little cabbage and broccoli sprouts look good!
I dug my hole for the new apple tree. A Red Gravenstein.
Have a thankful day!
Nice pics Billy. Hope you get some rest.
The daffodils in my last pic are same ones growing in yard seen in April 2015 thread photo. I decided to bring some indoors before they faded. Here it is again. I'm at work on lunch break. Not so many pics on phone. More on my digital camera to share later. Also some on my tablet. I need to load them all in one place.
Billy , you take it easy, one hour at a time. You too Betty, we have plenty of time to look at pics, need you to be healthy and rested. Pepper, ya never know what Angel put that dog in your path. I am glad you have a kind heart.
The dog had to be put down today. His health issues were too numerous and he was in pain. Needless to say we are upset at the original owners and wish we knew who they were. The dog deserved so much better from them.
The good news is we got some drizzle today so we're finally getting some much needed moisture this spring.
Betty,
Are those the Tete 'A Tete daffodils? They sure look like a ray of sunshine!
Debra,
I have too much to do to rest, LOL! I got rid of the headache and that's half of it. I finally took a cold pill this morning because I was coughing. I got that stopped. I'll be so glad to get rid of this cold!
Oh Pepper,
I am so sorry for you and the dog. He would have had such a nice life with you.
We've been busy.
We ran to town to get clothes for DH's Uncle's memorial service. Then we came home and DH finished up his grass mess. He made and set up hoops to cover with the row cover cloth for the cabbage and broccoli. I planted spinach, kale, and radish. Took most of the afternoon. I raked clods around and did more weeding.
I re-wrote my seedling list yesterday but will pull the trays out today and mark what else is up. I have four mystery plants that grew but I don't have them written down. I suspect peppers. I need to get my seeds out and see what is missing. I do think the pineapple and Aunt Molly tomatillos are going to make a good show.
Today we are finally supposed to be getting rain. It's done a little, a tenth little. Hopefully no tornadoes.
Have a safe day everyone!
Hi all! You guys have been busy! I haven't been on much since my friend and me have moved, our internet service isn't established yet, I'm at the fine neighborhood library.
Thanks for asking where I was Betty. I'm still around just not as able to impose my text on folks is all! lol Work? Yeah, but the thing is more the internet deal.
Man it's warming up but it could bring bad weather soon, Stl is in worse shape according to the weather.
Will
About the daffs -- IDK?
Yes it is getting warmer quick Will. I'm going to be moving the house plants out on the sun porch soon.
I finally have one nanking cherry that has sprouted. Waiting on the others. lol
If you guys need mulch or so you might check our ad. We have some major deals this week going on. I'll be loading up on stuff also.
Will,
I missed this bit of news. You moved???
I have my energy back today. I opened tomato juice I had seasoned with chili powder and have been drinking that. I think this cold is on it's way out!
We're still missing Ju and Happ has disappeared again :o)
Yes, bp, we have moved, seeking our fortune elsewhere.
It turned warm then really cooled down today, tonite is supposed to be 38°. I'll wait another day to move my houseplants here. - http://www.kshb.com/weather
It shouldn't be long, pepper!
Raining all day. We sure need it. End the drought!
Been busy in the greenhouse, lots of transplanting going on.
In picture my wife Bertha & #1 helper, Kirsten. (Don't tell her, but she is great!)
LOL Bernie!! Sounds like you lucked out on some good help there. That's great!!
She managed a small greenhouse business for 3 years.
Three days of cold and fog and gloom, with a spring cold thrown in to the mix, and for not even a quarter inch of rain. At least the sun is showing the lawn has greened up good - got the fertilizer down over the weekend - and the veggies that got planted are doing well.
I need to buy my veggies this weekend while they are on sale. Garden is nowhere near ready but I'm just gonna cheat this year by mulching the heck outta it to control weeds better and save me time. I have a bunch other things that need done in there too. lol
Happy Birthday Debra!!!
Hello!
Can I show off some pretties? *grin* Not everything survived the winter, but those that did....... oh! They're looking nice!
The first ones are something called 'Palace Purple' (coral bells heuchera, if you want the fancy name). The first picture is from a couple of weeks back, and this is generally how they looked all last summer. I was sure they were dying, so I basically wrote off that part of my garden and ignored them last year. So I was very surprised to see them this spring. Unfortunately, they still looked all crispy and nasty like last year and I didn't give them much of a shot. BUT then last week. BOOM! They came to life. Now, if only I could figure out what made the difference. LOL Because I'm guessing that in a couple of weeks, they'll look all nasty and crispy again.
All three of my Russian sages are alive! And, if I say so myself, they are looking pretty darned good. I wish that I hadn't pruned them. But oh well; I'll know better next year.
And my yarrows are simply beautiful! They seem to have taken off like ........ I dunno what, but there they are in all their glory.
Are the coral bells in sun? They like more shade than sun and will burn if given too much sun. All in all they all look great!!