April Showers Bring May Flowers

I'm inclined to believe this rhyme, but let's not forget the beautiful warm weather that we had for 5 whole days.  With sunshine, warm temps, and a little rain each day, my bulbs and perennials are popping up everywhere.  The biggest change, though, had to be my magnolia.  When I left home in the morning yesterday a few of the upper blossoms had opened.  When I came back 3 hours later, even more were open.  This morning, the whole tree is in bloom and smells heavenly.  Little, bitty pollinators are buzzing from flower to flower to make the tree healthy and overall:  it smells and feels like Spring.

Note:  my magnolia was in full bloom last year on March 19 so we're a full 5 weeks later this year than last year's incredibly early Spring.

No help from Mother Nature

Last year we had a really early Spring, but a very dry summer.  I was able to get lots of new plants in the ground nice and early, but my water bill doubled over the summer as I struggled to make sure they had enough water to survive.

This year, winter doesn't seem to want to leave.  It's the middle of April and, not only do we still have patches of snow and ice on the ground, it was snowing yesterday!  Mixed with all of the snow we've been getting have been days and days of rain so my lawn and gardens are underwater in places in back.  I just hope some of this water is able to absorb down where it's needed and not run off due to frost still being in the ground.

Today it's in the 50s and a bit breezy with very scarce sunshine, but at least I was able to
get outdoors and start cleaning away debris from my gardens.  We also have twigs and branches all over from the ice storm last week [see photo of ice on my birch tree].  Sandy Dog Carter is visiting this week so she and I were able to get quite a lot done out in the dry parts of the back gardens this afternoon.  It wasn't a lot, but the parts that were cleaned out look ready for sunshine and warm weather!


Because of the drought last summer, I had a lot of damage and lost a lot of plants that need replacing this year.  And I want to fill in with a ton of annuals and herbs, so I'm getting a little impatient!

Not having good luck with the seed starting this year.  I don't know if the potting mix is poor or the seeds are poor or what the problem is.  I've had to reseed two and three times for some of the plants.

However, should we ever get good weather, I will have the following to plant:

• Blue hydrangea that I bought at Easter (still blooming -- it's gorgeous.  See photo at right)
• Maroon calla lily that I also bought at Easter
• 10 Astilbe bare roots that I got at Sam's Club
• 2 Elephant Ear bulbs
• 2 Agapanthus that were bulbs that I put in soil and they're doing beautifully
• 3 Siberian Iris that were also bulbs that I put in soil and are also really doing well
• 2 Arum bulbs that are in soil but doing absolutely nothing
• 1 Amaryllis bulb that was beautiful at Christmas and I intend to plant it outside so see what happens this year
• 70 plants that have been ordered from Springhill
• 42 plants that have been pre-ordered from the Master Gardener plant sale

My own seeds that are sitting under gro-lights right now include:

• 2 Bells of Ireland
• 1 Cleome & 1 Butterfly Weed (both are pretty small & weak, though)
• 10 pots of multiple sprouts of Coleus.  I should be able to get at least 30 or 40 Coleus from these sprouts.
• 5 Hollyhock & 5 Flowering Tobacco (not looking real strong at this point)
• 4 Morning Glory
• 4 tomatoes (and I intend to buy a bush tomato as well)
• 6 assorted zinnias
• 10 assorted sunflowers
• 10 assorted marigolds
• large container of multiple sprouts of Snapdragons.  Probably 30-40 plants.
• large amount of basil and cilantro.  Parsley isn't showing up so I might have to buy that.

With two plant sales coming up where I'll be working, I'm guessing that I'll be carting home quite a few more.  The Gardens of the Fox Cities sale is all heirlooms and I'll get veggies and herbs there.  Since I already pre-ordered quite a lot from the MG sale, don't know if I'll be buying more there or not.

Once again, though, Mother Nature seems to be in charge!

Seed Starting

It's not that I don't believe that Spring will ever come; I'm just not seeing much evidence of it.  Therefore, starting seeds makes me a little nervous as I only have so much room in my house and, unless the snow melts and the ground warms up, I might be stuck with the seedlings for a while.

That said, the 10 day forecast has us finally getting into the 40s and staying there.  That should take care of the bulk of the snow.

With a little trepidation, then, I decided to get some seedlings started.

Background first:  I've spent the past couple of months drawing up plans for my gardens as I wanted to do some major renovations this year.  Then, Stacy came to our Garden Expectations conference this year and, in the issue of B&B that she was using, was the fountain for my back yard.  That gave our President the idea that they should take one of our road trip meetings to our house.  Fortunately, it won't be until August, but I'd really like to have a nice, lush garden by then (even though I've really only been at this for 2 years).  To accomplish that, then, will require a lot of new plantings including a lot of annuals.  Hence, the need to start the seedlings unless I want to spend a fortune on transplants.

I had started 12 zinnia last week (3 are up and moved to the gro-light), and I've now added 3 Siberian Iris (already sprouted), 2 Agapanthus (already sprouted), 2 Arum, 28 marigolds, 40 assorted perennial and annual flowers, and maybe 7 or 8 each of basil and cilantro, plus a parsley.  Brought in one of my greenhouses (the other is holding my overwintering plants) and set it over the heat vent.  At least, now I'm started!

I still have a ton of flowers and some vegetables to get started -- probably in the next couple of days.  I've already pre-ordered 112 plants from various sources, and I know I'll end up buying a flat of impatiens and petunias for my containers.  This is going to be a lot of digging!

Home & Garden Show

Jim Beard (FVTC) at seminar

Jeff and I went to the Tri-County Arena Home & Garden Show.  We go every year just to check things out and see if there's anything new and innovative that we just have to have.  While there, we sat in on Jim Beard's seminar on 'Waking up your Garden' and got a lot of useful information.  Gave me a nudge to get out there on the nice days coming up and get my spireas pruned down to about 4", and some really helpful information has convinced me to try to go organic with the lawn.  Might take a few years but the roots will go much deeper and the lawn will be stronger if we eliminate the synthetic fertilizers that we've been using.  Other than enjoying the seminar, there wasn't much else that we gained from being at the show this year.  Don't need gutter inserts and we aren't selling our home.  Did talk with VandeHey's about maybe coming out and helping me with some changes I want to make in my gardens involving large, flowering shrubs.

Desperately Seeking Spring

Our Master Gardener group had our annual Garden Expectations conference on Saturday.  Friday night it snowed with blowing winds but Saturday turned out pretty nice.  Stacy spoke to the group on the process that goes into creating the issues of Birds & Blooms and she did an awesome job!  I continued to get comments from people long after she left.

Between Stacy and our other speakers, we're all really in the mood for spring and getting started with this year's gardens.  And it snowed again all day today!  Two days until the first day of spring and we're getting more snow now than we did all winter!

Nonetheless, I did start some seeds today.  3 pots each of 4 types of zinneas (including some that only get about 12" high).  I still have plenty of seed so I can start more, or simply sow them in the ground if and when we ever get to that point.  Right now, my tray of 12 potential seedlings is suspended over a heating vent for bottom warmth.  As soon as the seeds sprout, I'm going to get it set up in the basement under my new grow light.  Initially, I was thinking that I was a bit behind in getting things started (although I know the end of March is technically the 6 week mark until our last frost date).  With all of this additional snow, though, I'm thinking that there's no rush to get a bunch of seedlings that I won't be able to move to greenhouses.

Need to keep an eye on that long-range forecast.............

Planning for this year's garden

As I look out the window, it sure doesn't look like spring will be here any time soon.  It has been rainy and foggy all day, but the temp is dropping and it's getting kind of 'sleety' and windy out there.  I had actually hoped to go out and prune some of my shrubs this week (want to get to my wiegelas while it's still plenty early.  Don't want to cut off the flowers!).  Don't think that's going to happen!

One of my weigelas starting to bloom

So I've been reading about gardening, and watching TV shows about gardening, and I took all afternoon today to plan the renovations that I want to do in just one of my flower beds.  The front of my house just doesn't have the 'curb appeal' that I want (from a gardening perspective) as a result of older plants getting a big spindly and some of the newer ones that I had put in last year dying due to the drought and horrible summer that we had.  My magnolia is beautiful every year and all of my old-fashioned weigelas are so beautiful when they flower!  However, the two in front need to be cut back pretty severely so they'll fill in some pretty unsightly areas.  I have another one in the back that I never prune so it's big and sprawling and I love it.  Wish I had left the two in front alone and they would look as nice.  Sigh!

My front entry flower bed is in shade a good bit of the day.  It faces west, but we have huge trees that keep it shaded for much of the afternoon.  So it gets some early afternoon and, then, very late afternoon sun.  I have a sprinkler hose running under the mulch and I've learned the hard way what will survive in this garden.  My sedums (reliable 'Autumn Joy' variety) are very happy and my astilbes (one of my favorite of all plants) are growing larger each year.  We have a severe rabbit problem (probably brought on by the plentiful supply of food under my bird feeders) so trial-and-error have shown me what they'll leave alone on those spring days when tender shoots are coming out of the ground.  [Note:  I found that moss roses are not a good thing to put into the ground.  The bunnies cleared all of them out in one meal.)

My super boring front entry garden.  Yawn!

The plans I've made for that front entry garden are pretty extensive:  digging up three spireas (which will be moved up to my hillside at the lake), and replacing them with an azalea that needs to be transplanted from the backyard and two dwarf Burning Bushes.  Then, I also want to add another heucherella (Foamy Bells) and 2 Heucheras (Coral Bells).  I absolutely love Coral Bells and I'm looking forward to the two new ones:  Circus and Berry Smoothie.  There are 5 Hellebores going in between the 5 sedum that are there, and I'll fill in around the under with annuals.  I planted daffodils last fall and it will be interesting to see if they come up.  There was also a lovely chrysanthemum and, again, I'll be interested to see if it survives the winter.  The whole color palette of this entry garden is pinks and green-to-greenish-yellow, plus the yellow of the chrysanthemum (if it's still there).  I know that's not exactly the way the color wheel would have it done, but I like pink and yellow together.

The extension to the front garden is also boring!

 Next to the entry garden is an extension that goes over to the magnolia tree and this garden is planted more in shades of gold, yellow, and peach.  Using yellow, then, should tie them together (I hope!  Keeping my fingers crossed).  [Note:  as I was writing that last bit about tying the gardens together with color, I decided I need to add some foxglove for height and color as the azalea and weigela will be done blooming early, and the burning bush, sedums, and chrysanthemum (I'm keeping positive thoughts) show off their color in late summer to early fall.  I'll need something with a little color in the middle.]

 I'm also planning extensive changes to the rest of the front garden (that which runs over to the magnolia tree), and to the butterfly garden on the side.  So far, I've come up with more work than one summer can hold.  Guess maybe some of these are long-range plans.  Can't wait to get started, though!

Houseplants

My mom has always had a green thumb.  She can pluck a leaf off of anything and, a few months later, she has a full-grown plant.  Her African Violets continually bloom and re-bloom (and that's a plant I won't even try any more).  Upon moving down to Florida, she left all of her houseplants behind with my sister, but I'm betting she'll have a house full there by the next time I go back. 

Chinese evergreen & draecena

On the other hand, my efforts with houseplants have not always been successful.  However, I now have a living room full of the most beautiful plants and I'm so thrilled!  I have a Chinese Evergreen that was given to me when I had surgery many, many years ago and, because they're pretty low maintenance, it has flourished and grown dramatically. 

Then, there is a draecena that I bought at Sam's Club one time.  It was small and, while it was healthy, it definitely needed some care.  Now I keep it in front of the window all winter and out on the front porch all summer.  It's 4 times the size it was when I bought it.

When taking my Master Gardener classes in 2011, there was a class on plant propagation and I started a spider plant from a snipped leaf.  Now, 18 months later that plant is enormous and sending out spider shafts in all directions. 

Peace Lily and Meyer Lemon

I also have a Norfolk Pine that is large and healthy, a peace lily that is healthy and sending out pretty white flowers regularly, a Meyer Lemon tree that I just planted this past summer so the jury is still out, and a couple of smaller plants that I'm coaxing along.  Then, there's also the English Ivy (mentioned in a prior post) that is flourishing in the front window as it spends the winter indoors.  It normally hangs outdoors during the summer.

Philodendron in blue beads

Finally, I have an experimental philodendron.  I plucked a leaf from a healthy plant at the public library, and it is now in a vase filled with those beads that sit in water and grow large.  The beads are generally used for cut flowers to hold the flowers in place and add beauty to the vase, but I thought I'd try it as a propagation medium -- and it's working extremely well!  We're up to a total of 5 full leaves and a sixth is beginning to unfurl.  It's a little tricky because the beads alone aren't enough to nourish the plant, and the water tends to get pretty gross if not kept fresh.  A learning experience!  [Side bar:  Stacy is now using those grow beads as a planting medium for forcing bulbs.  I'm interested in how that will turn out.]

Spider plant in the center & Norfolk Pine to the right

All-in-all, I've moved from someone who neglected or flat-out killed my houseplants to one who now needs to stop bringing them into the house as I've run out of room!  Very satisfying.

Beautiful Amaryllis

And one final picture of my beautiful amaryllis.  It had three blossoms that were a soft shade of red and almost white streaked.  Unfortunately, the blooms were gone before Christmas, which is when the second stem really grew.  Now I have a pot with a large V-shaped double stem that isn't very attractive but it will have to just take it's own time for the foliage to die off.  I really want that bulb to stay nice and healthy so I can plant it again for Christmas of 2013.

I'm guessing that even a monkey could have gotten it to grow since, when I went into the store closer to Christmas, I saw tons of unsold plants literally growing out of the boxes on the shelf.  It appears that the bulbs were going to sprout whether they were planted or not!