First Signs of Spring?

Yep - billy, I did the same thing and the rain has brought everything to new life! The rain is supposed to continue some tomorrow, and then I'll be able to spend all weekend getting that spring cleaning (outside) done - Dax

Dave's ran so slow the other day, I got off completely. I dusted, vacumed and mopped. I even vacumed and mopped the screened in porch. With just me and DH, the house stays pretty clean.

Sings of spring? Crocus in bloom!

And dwarf daffodils that bloom thicker each year.

Crocus collapsed today but yellow daffodils just opening!

My trillium has started to really come up!

It has been wet & warm for 2 days--should have all kinds of goodies popping up soon.

It is wet here a lot of rain last night. Now for the sun and warm.

Dumped almost 2/10'' from the guage this morn. Don't laugh. We take any tenth we can get. A promising sunny day and 68* before the wind switched and it dropped to eeekkk, 54*. It was 60*!

Nice weather all week, bad stuff all south. No rain, which we always need in spring to hasten the demise of the white stuff and open up the ground. Glad I did not pick TN in which to garden. Daffs up an inch or so, but really the only evidence of change is deer tracks: obviously scoping out choicest edibles. First sign of spring? First spraying of Liquid Fence. Ken

Finally! Nice enough weather to cut back everything and remove most of the mulch! lots of things coming up everywhere. Crocus blooming - a new kind I planted last year is "Twilight" and I am trying to think of the perfect groundcover for it - maybe lysimachia aurea...My favorite gardening gloves are the disposable nitrile kind. They are great for just about everything except dealing with brambles, and really eliminate sandpaper hands. We buy them by the boxfuls for milking.
Sharon

The Scilla are blooming. LOL, if they were any smaller, I wouldn't be able to see them. Must be all of 2" tall. Tulips and daffs coming up everywhere, even in places I don't remember planting. Most of the perennials have showed green. Haven't seen any hosta yet. or Viola Etain. Kinda worried I lost those. Peonies are about an inch high. More lilies up in my protected bed. Haven't seen any more signs of munching since I put the Irish Spring down. Maybe it actually works!

I did a lot of work outside yesterday too. I'm a little sore today - I really need to get back into shape.

My scillia are itty bitty, too, but I just planted them last fall. They'll fill in eventually. I have two daff blooms, and one little flower on a pulmonaria that is barely out of the ground yet. It's Spilt Milk, and it's new as of last year. My other pulmonarias are probably a few weeks out yet. The rabbits have been at my tulips, but otherwise I've had good luck with the critters so far this year.

I think my scilla are at least 6 years old. They have spread a bit. I'm always digging around in that part of the garden, so I probably disturb them quite a bit. I just finished dragging 17 contractor size bags of leaves out for pickup and I still have more to go. That's what I get for putting down all that mulch. I think I'll be a little sore tomorrow.

Beaker,
Let me know if your viola etain survives, ok? I have been coveting it for awhile now.
Sharon

My Scilla patch is probably 10 years old from 3 plants. I have a wide leaf variation coming up this year.

Corydalis solida is blooming now. And haquetia epipactus and Helleborus niger too.

Rick

Got that tetnus shot today. Weeded and fertilized. We aren't going to get the rain they thought we would. Bummer.

I don't have much for early season flowers. Here's what is of interest today.
I hope the seedlings are butterfly weed.

Oh, the Etain were just lovely last year. They bloomed darn near all summer long. Started pooping out towards the end of August. About the same time as I did, LOL. If they don't show, I'd be inclined to replace them and have them as an annual. Well, we'll see. There are some others that haven't made an appearance yet, but it is really early.

We were suppose to get rain today too and I saw a few drops, but nothing much. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I wish it would rain. Things are looking a tad dry and it's too early to start watering.

I stopped by one of the local nurseries and found the cutest little miniature Calla Lily. I've never seen one so tiny. I was told it would bloom all summer in shade. Now if I can just keep the cats out of it until it warms up enough for it to go outside!

Scilla-thank you I just looked it up and it is what I have been trying to get a name for so I could get some. Several neighbors have them and no one knew the name. (We are plant ID challanged here in my part of the world.) Which reminds me there is another plant two of my neighbors have that I want and can't find out the name. This year I will take photos and post them to get an id.

It is quite suprising how it is drying up already.

Just checked the yard this morning after last night's rain.....Lilac buds are nice and fat and green, Pulmonaria is up, Cimicifuga is up and a couple other things.

Butterfly bush has green buds too....whew! I was worried about that one surviving the winter!

Spring *has* sprung!

Nan, how long have you had your butterfly bush in zone 4a? I have tried to grow it several times, but it never lasted long. What kind is it?
Sharon

And that is extremely early for butterfly bush (Buddelia (sp?)). Usually, if it survives, you don't see any life (practically) until June.
Blooming in my gardens now is:
Corydalis solida
Draba athoa
Pulsatilla cernuum in a pot
Helleborus Royal Heritage™
Haquetia epipactus
Scilla, Chionadoxa and Crocus of course
Pussywillows:
Salix chaenomeloides
S. koriyanagi 'Rubykins'
S. gracilistylis var. melanostachys
S. schraderiana
S. cineria 'Variegata'
Forsythia mandshurica 'Vermont Sun'

Rick

If only I had taken Latin...sigh

I think there were only 6 plants I understood what they were in you entire list. I'm sure they are all beautiful.

lol! me too.

I've tried a few Buddleias , and they usually don't do well for me....had a nice variegated leaved one that did survive *one* winter, then never came back :(

This one is Alternifolia, and some references stated it to be hardy to zone 4....so I thought I'd give it a try.
This one blooms in early spring before the davidiis do.

Keep in mind I'm talking *leaf* buds, though...not flower buds!

6 out of 13 isn't bad!

I feel almost the same way about common names. I just don't know them!

Corydalis solida- Corydalis
Draba athoa
Pulsatilla cernuum in a pot- Pasque Flower
Helleborus Royal Heritage™- Hellebore
Haquetia epipactus
Scilla, Chionadoxa and Crocus of course- Siberian Squill, Glorry of the Snow, Crocus
Pussywillows:
Salix chaenomeloides- Japanese, Giant or Rabbit's Foot Pussywillow
S. koriyanagi 'Rubykins'- Rubykins Pussywillow
S. gracilistylis var. melanostachys- Black Pussywillow
S. schraderiana- Schrader's Pussywillow
S. cineria 'Variegata'
Forsythia mandshurica 'Vermont Sun'- Vermont Sun Mandchurian forsythia
And one more I fogot:
Dirca palustris- Atlantic Leatherwood

Gorgeous day here today! We got up to 80 degrees. Weird for April, but I'll take it. I took off work a little early and came home to play in the dirt.

Came home tonight and the Greigii Peacock Tulips are blooming. Got home so late I almost missed them. Just noticed they are all closed up for the night. It sure was a heartwarming sight.

Pauline, how are your winter sowing containers doing? I've had a few things pop up, but not much. I'd like to get my act together better for next year. I am kinda impressed this actually worked! Is there a good comprehensive list of what plants are good for our zone? Looks like I'm going to have a ton of Zulu Prince Daisies. Not sure what I'm going to do with them all.

beaker I didn't have time to check all of the containers yesterday, but most of the ones I did have shoots coming up. Some of them are even getting up to an inch or two tall. If even half of what I planted makes it I will need to open up a store or give lots away. I was beginning to think I might be a purple thumb at winter sowing.

No tulips blooming here, but lots of crocus.

Tornado warnings and a building demolished in town. With heavy heart, we had a woman die when her trailor rolled. She was a friend. Today is sunny, hot and breezy. No sign of a storm here.

I am sorry about your friend.

I am truely sorry for your loss. There should be storm shelters provided for folks living in trailers. The loss of life is far greater in tornados and high wind storms in this kind of residence.

Tornados tore thru Iowa City just a block from my daughter's apartment. She was cowering in our basement as they flew over our house up here in CR.

Thank you Zenpotter and Kandlmidd.
Wanda, I'm glad your daughter was with you. Pretty scary. I don't have a basement. After it was over we decided to go down to my Dad's for awhile. All I felt was a pressure while I had the east door open, and I just thought, this isn't right, and I shut the door. No train sound. No one heard a train here in town.

Saw my first bumble bee this afternoon checking out all the plants. Wonder what they do until things start blooming?

We've had honey bees for a couple of weeks and I saw a bumblebee earlier this week. I saw my first butterfly yesterday! :-) It was white, maybe a Cabbage White, but I don't think so. It looked a little different.

We had a bumblebee yesterday and honeybees last week. The peach blossoms are opening, but not the apple. The honeybees were on the apple and pear cores on the compost pile. Today was windy and cool. Lots of nest building going on, and lots of bunnies doing the bunny hop.

Bumble bees have been at my honeyberry flowers for a week now, beaker. It's one reason why I have them. Before that, my pussywillows. Nectar and pollen is quite scarce at this time of year, but there are things around.

Bumblebees visit all the best gardens... :) And cruise the fully blooming crabapples right now.

Wanda what a gorgeous spring photo.