Spring Wonders

The garden always amazes me when one day you look out and nothing is blooming then the next day you open the drapes, look out into the garden and the garden has come alive.

Blooms abound.

I went through this short path and found

that the tree peony was blooming. How does it know it is going to rain all weekend? It seems it starts blooming just before big storms during spring. The blooms, as beautiful as they are, don't last when the rain soaks them. One needs to be in the garden several times daily to appreciate all.

I wonder how this happened? How did these Irises get under the edge of the Birds Nest Spruce?? When did this happen?  Definitely one of the mysteries of the garden.

I wonder why I don't have more blue bells planted around back where I tend to spend more time?  I will have to remedy this soon.

I also wonder when Jack first appeared. He so quietly appears and then in no time slips away for the season. 

I hope you are able to get out in the garden daily now. Enjoy those spring wonders. 

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day - April 2013

Do you see him?

Like me he is coming out of hibernation. It has warmed up considerably here. Spring has decided to make an appearance this year. I can't tell you how happy this makes me. 

April's Bloom Day as directed by Carol at May Dreams Garden has so much to take in. The Service Berry tree, forsythia and Magnolia are in full bloom. 

Fern fiddles are warming up for the Spring Symphony.

Tiny creatures are setting up house keeping.  

Many of the spring shrubs are blooming. 

New bulbs, for me that is, I planted last fall are showing their interesting blooms. 

The path lined with Epimedium leads me to the old stalwarts that I have divided and scattered in the garden.

Seeing them all does lift one's spirits. 

There is so much promise in the garden.

I hope that by now most of your gardens are thawing out and you are able to get out and enjoy the season. 

What is blooming in your garden now?

Happy Garden Bloggers Bloom Day.

Happy Valentines Day 2013

Love is definitely in the air.

Come in for a closer look.

I mean really close. Get to the heart of the matter. 

Hearts brought to you by Witch Hazel Jelena Hamamelis x intermedia 'Jelena'. Happy Valentines Day. 

First Crocus

It is a happy day in late winter when the Crocus get up the nerve to bloom. 

Our first crocus braved the cold wind to bloom yesterday and today as the sun shone with great exuberance.

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day - January 2013

Last January (2012) I didn't have anything to report as far as blooms go. This year I am happy to say I can at least report that my indoor plants are still blooming. The small Orchid, and Begonias are keeping gardening thoughts alive here.

Outside is a completely different matter. It is cold. I didn't expect to find anything blooming. I did find one pansy that appears to have been frozen in place.

 I also found that there is a lot of promise in the garden. Hellebores are setting buds.

As are the honeysuckle,

and the snowdrops.

The daffodils have pushed their strappy leaves out of the soil about two inches. It just makes you wish and hope for some of those warmer winter days and early spring flowers. 

For those of you that don't have much blooming in your garden and those that want to see blooms from around the world see quite the show at Carol's May Dreams Garden. 

Winter Gardening Indoors

I don't have a greenhouse or a sun room. I have windows but none face due south so my indoor gardening suffers. Yet I have found some plants that like my indoor conditions. The most common one are orchids. It is amazing how many types of orchids there are to choose from and they don't need a lot of sun. Just some bright light. My kind of plant.

In this day and age we are truly lucky gardeners. Even a few years ago one would never think of orchids as being common. Now they show up for sale everywhere.

I didn't always sing the praises of Orchids. I have struggled with them for the most part. This past year my DB convinced me to try them again since his brother has such good luck with them. I learned from Brother that you have to water them regularly , FERTILIZE and don't cut off the old bloom stems. The plant reuses them.  Who would have thought it. Our routine has worked. 

It has worked so good that one of the plants is making new plants at the end of two of those old bloom stems.  I had no idea that these plants reproduce like this.

On the photo above do you wee the little root coming from under the leaves?? Have any of you had this happen? When should I try to pot up this little plantlet? I would appreciate any and all advise.

Another plant that likes it indoors here is the Staghorn Fern I have had the past 5 years or so. I have become quite attached at this (almost) no care plant. 

As you can see this behemoth has created its own world in this pot. I didn't start two plants growing back to back. It came to me this way and it has flourished. It came to me from Florida in a stainless steel basket that had other around the parameter of the basket. Only the core plants survived but survived they have. 

Last winter they started making babies. the plants are growing upon the outside of the old shield layers. I got brave this early winter and cut one off and mounted it onto a nice piece of wood with a little moss at it's back. The mother plant and start seems to have survived.

I am so looking forward to spring so I can set the plants outside so they can revive from this hot dry house. As the snow melts my thoughts are turning to spring Are yours?

Yes, a shot of sunlight would be nice. I am finished with fog, snow and overcast skies. Let us remember this  this summer. 

New Year Beginning

The past year on the first of the month I have stepped out the door to take a picture of the garden from the back steps. The beginning of this year has certainly been the most dramatic of shots. It appears that we have a blank slate here what with at least 10" of snow still on the ground. This snow is left over from the 20" we received a week ago. The snow isn't disappearing very fast because we have had such cold weather.

Like the beginning of the new year. I always feel like there is so much promise. A new garden journal is begun. I am most pleased that I found a journal that fits in the leather cover I like to use.

This quote came to me on a card I received this past year. It is felicitous for the beginning of the new year as well as a new day. 

This sprig of Camillia poking out of the snow is definitely giving me hope for a great gardening year. The snow gives me hope for a break in the drought. Here is to hope, which is what all of we gardeners are especially good at thinking. 

I hope you are all tucked in by the fire, surrounded by loving family, good books with garden thoughts swirling in your head as we get started with the new year.