Well, actually my roses are pink. And yes, I will have one flower bloomed out by tomorrow morning. This twilight zone like weather we're having has really advanced a lot of things a few weeks ahead of schedule.
Not only is my knockout rose full of buds, but that my oakleaf hydrangea is filled with small buds. I have a few iris blooming. This particular variety is about two weeks ahead of schedule. My blueberries are leafed out and blooming. I also noticed my clematis is full of buds and they are swelling.
I hope the bugs aren't too bad this year, but I should know better. I've already pulled a few ticks off after walking around, and there are a lot of flying "things". There seem to be a lot of bumblebees out too. They keep fighting amongst themselves and don't pay much attention to where they go during the quarrel. I find myself ducking for cover when I hear them coming.
Probably the freakiest thing about our early warm up is that the crape myrtles are budded out. They are about 2 months ahead of schedule. Explain that!
Friday, March 30, 2012
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Photos - March 25th
I spread two yards of mulch today, so I'm a bit tired. Here are some pics of what I got to enjoy all day.
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| Virginia Bluebells - have colonized on their own! |
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| The pansies I planted in September. Still going strong. |
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| Garden outside my bedroom window. Bluebells, bleeding heart, columbines (buds but no flowers yet). |
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| Looking up at the red bud tree. |
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| Hostas |
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| Viburnum - EXTREMELY fragrant. Am in the market for another one. |
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| Caramel Heuchera - love these |
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| Garage garden |
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| I LOVE this angle of our house in Spring. It always looks so green, fresh, and inviting. |
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Obsessed with a Fig Tree
My newest quest is adding a fig tree to my garden. It all started last fall when I took a trip to Bayer's in Imperial. They had a handful of great looking fig trees. The leaves have an interesting shape that is not like other things I have in the garden, plus they are fruit bearing. What's not to love? I asked some questions about cold hardiness, and growing conditions, and eventually shied away from purchasing. Fifty dollars for a plant is a huge investment, and I want to make sure my investments give me a return. I had doubts I could keep it alive over the winter.
Well, technically Spring isn't here yet, but the warm weather is here already. I started thinking about that fig tree again, and now I'm obsessed with researching them. I have done my homework and I'm now ready to purchase. I called around, and Bayer's has the best quality, and price, and my parents have graciously offered to pick one up for me sometime in the near future (they live a lot closer).
The type of fig I'm getting is Brown Turkey. Missouri Botanical Gardens grows this variety, and says it will do well as long as it's got some shelter, it's well mulched, and stays in a shrub form. This is very good to know, since the Spring arrivals at Bayer's are already in shrub form, but the ones they had in the fall were tree form. Apparently in shrub form, a few leaders (main stems) might die back, but you have less chance of losing the whole thing, whereas with a tree form, you lose the trunk, you lose the tree.
While I won't be providing my fig with any sort of true shelter, I will probably wrap it in a frost blanket or other tarp like material and stuff it with hay or leaves. I found out from my dad that his grandfather grew figs, and overwintered his in a similar fashion.
I already have the site selected, and the design in mind. It will be a formal style planting, hedged with boxwoods, and filled with a single variety of some perennial or annual for the greatest visual impact. Pics to come after it's installed.
Well, technically Spring isn't here yet, but the warm weather is here already. I started thinking about that fig tree again, and now I'm obsessed with researching them. I have done my homework and I'm now ready to purchase. I called around, and Bayer's has the best quality, and price, and my parents have graciously offered to pick one up for me sometime in the near future (they live a lot closer).
The type of fig I'm getting is Brown Turkey. Missouri Botanical Gardens grows this variety, and says it will do well as long as it's got some shelter, it's well mulched, and stays in a shrub form. This is very good to know, since the Spring arrivals at Bayer's are already in shrub form, but the ones they had in the fall were tree form. Apparently in shrub form, a few leaders (main stems) might die back, but you have less chance of losing the whole thing, whereas with a tree form, you lose the trunk, you lose the tree.
While I won't be providing my fig with any sort of true shelter, I will probably wrap it in a frost blanket or other tarp like material and stuff it with hay or leaves. I found out from my dad that his grandfather grew figs, and overwintered his in a similar fashion.
I already have the site selected, and the design in mind. It will be a formal style planting, hedged with boxwoods, and filled with a single variety of some perennial or annual for the greatest visual impact. Pics to come after it's installed.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
The Difference a Day Makes
"Pow" is a good way to describe the impact that a couple of warm days has had on my yard. I walked out there today and saw so much coming up that I realized time is of the essence to clear the leaves from my garden beds. Fifteen wheelbarrow loads later, most of the gardens are clear. It is evident that several tons of mulch will be needed this year.
Pretty much everything is either up or is budding. There are a few late starters in my garden, such as the dwarf crape myrtles. It's sometimes all I can do to not pull them out and replace them with something else I've been eying at the garden center that is budding. And when I say slow, I mean they literally don't show signs of life until almost the end of May!
I'm happy to report that the mild winter has helped everything get a kick start. Unfortunately, the downside is that the bugs will be horrendous. I have already seen a handful of flying "things" outside today.
My double-knockout pink rose bush kept its leaves all winter and it has put on a huge flush of new growth. I'm so happy to see this, because all of my past roses at this house (all knockouts) have been spindly, poor bloomers. I donated all of them to various other gardeners, and they've done well in their new homes. So if this one thrives, then I will blame past failures on my choice of location. Finding the right home for plants here is definitely a challenge. Some plants have moved so frequently that they really haven't grown much. Some have literally moved each year... or dare I admit, twice a year. That's gardener's impatience at its finest.
Here are some photos of what I got to enjoy today.
Pretty much everything is either up or is budding. There are a few late starters in my garden, such as the dwarf crape myrtles. It's sometimes all I can do to not pull them out and replace them with something else I've been eying at the garden center that is budding. And when I say slow, I mean they literally don't show signs of life until almost the end of May!
I'm happy to report that the mild winter has helped everything get a kick start. Unfortunately, the downside is that the bugs will be horrendous. I have already seen a handful of flying "things" outside today.
My double-knockout pink rose bush kept its leaves all winter and it has put on a huge flush of new growth. I'm so happy to see this, because all of my past roses at this house (all knockouts) have been spindly, poor bloomers. I donated all of them to various other gardeners, and they've done well in their new homes. So if this one thrives, then I will blame past failures on my choice of location. Finding the right home for plants here is definitely a challenge. Some plants have moved so frequently that they really haven't grown much. Some have literally moved each year... or dare I admit, twice a year. That's gardener's impatience at its finest.
Here are some photos of what I got to enjoy today.
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