Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Slogging Ahead

I can't tell you how happy this pile of leaves made me feel when I got home from work tonight. I have been fighting allergies and working so I haven't been able to get out into the garden to do much lately. As you will see plants are going ahead with their agenda and my Dearly Beloved has tried to get some of the leaf mulch out of areas he is comfortable working in, like the knot garden. There were several of these piles of leaves around that after dinner I scooped up and put into the compost just before it started raining. UGH We just stopped squishing through the garden and we have several days of rain to look forward to so says the weather people. My best performer in the garden at this time is the freckled Hellebore. It is just blooming its little heart out.

The daffodils must have sensed that I was becoming a little impatient with them so some of them started to bloom. This cluster of daffodils are remarkable. I know I can hear you saying well, they look awfully common. I'm not going to argue that but these daffodils are remarkable in that these are some leftover bulbs that I just threw on top of the ground several years ago when I dug up a big clump to seperate and got tired of planting. I threw them here thinking I would get back to planting at some time and didn't ever do it. There was a big bush here that I am ashamed to say hid a lot of, ummm, things I didn't want to deal with at the moment. Do you have any spaces like that? Behind a garage or behind a big old bush in the corner of your garden?? I think what helped them most is that I would throw leaves and sticks here to keep "until later". Finally we took out the bush and the daffodils started blooming. They were so grateful for a little sun. Why I even pulled the weeds from around them. I might even get around to moving them since there are other bushes now planted in this area and they will be shaded too much again soon. That is something I can do "later". By this little group of daffodils you can see the varigated sedum is beginning to rear up. I keep having to dig out the all green reversions. I don't like the way a lot of my varigated plants seeem to revert. I wonder if it is the soil here or do all varigated plants eventually revert back to their mother plants?
Amongst the naked ladies the tall garden phlox is popping up. I can think of several places I would like to move a hunk of the phlox. It smells so good when blooming in late summer. I need some up by the patio. And in answer to your question Barbara about whether I worry about the lillies freezing outside this time of year, No I don't worry. You see they are under the front porch roof and with the brick on the front of the house holding heat it would have to get very cold to actually damage the lillies. They are quite happy sitting here with their feet covered with purple pansies and yellow violas. I will wait until it is steadily warm to put them out into the garden. Which should be in about 3 weeks. We have had frost several nights this past week but they don't seem to mind their location. So here is hoping they will be ok.

17 comments:

  1. Lisa, I am fascinated with the Hellebores. Another plant I knew nothing about before seeing it on the gardening blogs. I must get some for nest year. Plant in the fall? We, too, have rain forecast for 8 of the next 10 days. April showers...Maybe you won't be so dry this year.

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  2. All your beautiful spring flowers are making me a wee bit lonesome for Wisconsin. Just a wee bit and then none at all when I compare our 85 degree weather to 30.

    Thanks for the walk through your garden!

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  3. Dear Lisa,
    I so enjoy seeing your early spring gardens. Daffodils are wonderful bulbs. I love them!
    The leaf blankets are still on my beds. I will keep them on until April 1st. It is still cold here. Misty tonight. My husband said he thinks rain is coming your way. Good moisture for all the spring growth. I have noticed it is greener outside.
    Hope you do not have any flooding.
    Sherry

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  4. Lisa,

    Your flowers are really taking off! I hope your rain helps your garden along (but not too much rain). We need it here!

    Mary

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  5. Wow Lisa, what a lot of blooms all of a sudden. Love that pretty variegated sedum next to the daffs, a combi to die for. And your hellebore, what a beauty!

    Your under-gardener is the best isn't he for doing all that work!!!

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  6. I love the verigated sedum. Must add to my list of what I must get this spring.

    We began the process of raking yesterday and ended up with a HUGE pile of leaves. Amazing the little surprises we found underneath!

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  7. Hi Lisa, so glad to see spring arriving, via boat it seems like, in your area. Those daffs look like my unknowns, which I have decided are Rijnveld's Early Sensation. Are they way earlier than the others, if there are others? I have frosty morn sedum that is supposed to have white edging to the leaves that sometimes comes up solid green. I used to pull that part, but now realize that it will change later on and I was weakening the plant so now I leave it alone. But it still bothers me when it's all green. Good work from DB.
    Frances

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  8. I love how daffodils will just pretty much persevere where ever they land! I love seeing them pop up in the middle of a field. You always wonder if they were just in some soil that got dumped there.

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  9. Thanks, so much for stopping by! I don't get many visitors so the ones who do stop by get a royal welcome!

    Doesn't it feel great getting those leaves up? I was able to stuff 10 bags full of them last night. We just bought our house last summer and are playing cath up from years of neglect--good bones though so that's good.

    Also, it is my understanding that vareigated plants are most often cultivars and due to how they are developed in the first place, you will often deal with the plant reverting to its original form. Just the fight we face for those pretty multi-colored things!

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  10. Would anyone ever say a daffodil was "common?" I think they are miracles! They are like the sun on the earth. So yellow, so cheerful. We should have some in oh, six weeks or so. :<)

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  11. I love daffodils! And there's nothing like a surprise beauty popping up where you didn't expect it. It's amazing how much you have blooming, especially since you are only a few hours south of us. Rain is predicted here, too, but I did get out yesterday for a short time to accomplish something also.

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  12. Daffodils of any kind are lovely and welcome, not common. You have some rather large clumps--I'm envious.

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  13. We're a week or so behind you, Lisa. Your post of your bloomin'darlings cheered me up! Thanks

    Kathryn

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  14. Beckie, you don't have to wait until fall to plant them. I would get them into the ground as soon as you could. The nurseries around you should have some starts this spring. If not I could give you a start or two.

    You are most welcome Teri. I bet it is still pretty cold up in WI. My Grands live in WI and they aren't wearing their shorts yet.

    Hi Sherry, Just a little water in the back of the garden today. Nothing like getting 7 inchen in 24 hours. This isn't too bad.

    Mary I wish I could send you some of our rain. I even hate to complain now because we will be needing some of this rain when it is dry in July and August.

    Yes Yolanda my undergardener is the greatest!

    Sherry, can't wait to see what surprises you found under the leaves. Doesn't it feel good to get some of that done??

    Frances, these daffodils may well be Early Sensations. I do have several other daffodils. THey are a little fancier with different colors of throats. They bloom a little later. That frosty morn sedum sounds interesting. I don't think I have seen that before.

    I am with you Jayne, when driving in the country side I often wonder how daffodils get in the situations I find them in. I often wish I could stop and dig them up and move them to a better location.

    It feels great getting those leaves picked up RR. I will pop in on your blog now that I know you exist. It will be fun watching your garden develop.

    Poor Nan, you must be way up north if you have to wait so many weeks before getting some daffodils to bloom. I won't refer to my daffodils as common any more. I do love each and every little bloom. They are so cheerful.

    Hi Rose, glad you stopped in to view the daffodils.

    Pam, I won't call them common again. I guess I am spoiled with so many in the garden.

    Kathryn glad to be able to cheer you. Those daffodils do cheer me too.

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  15. Your Hellebore is lovely. Mine are still not in bloom yet. I confess I'm also guilty of the put-the-bulbs-aside-til-later & find them rooted & growing on their own. I think the last ones this happened to are Scilla. (It's hard to tell, they haven't bloomed yet.)

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  16. Looking good there, Lisa. Sorry about the lack of sunshine. I'd share -- except we don't have any either.

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  17. Your speckled hellebore is spectacular. Thanks for the tour thru your garden.

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