BS: The Spring Garden (N. Hemisphere)

Subject: RE: BS: The Spring Garden (N. Hemisphere)
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Mar 06 - 10:04 AM

Leo, you can come visit here and dig as much as you want. You can go out in the backyard and ponder what it is about my soil that makes it so much work when I take a shovel to it but that my dogs can excavate a smallish replica of the Grand Canyon in the course of a few minutes. I wish I could get them to do that digging in the garden plot, then put the fence up around it. Maybe we could make it into a game--except they wouldn't know when to stop and would dig up the entire back yard. . .

[sigh]

Subject: RE: BS: The Spring Garden (N. Hemisphere)
From: Janie
Date: 01 Mar 06 - 12:23 PM

SRS--is the lantana perennial where you are?

Janie

Subject: RE: BS: The Spring Garden (N. Hemisphere)
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Mar 06 - 02:36 PM

Sorta. The recumbent ones seem to die off unless we have a mild winter, but the upright ones, while they start new branches each year, come back very nicely.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: The Spring Garden (N. Hemisphere)
From: Janie
Date: 01 Mar 06 - 07:35 PM

SRS (and anyone else) This past summer I had some lantana growing in big pots and they seemed really drought tolerant. I'm on the hunt for drought tolerant--or even drought-loving flowering plants for mid through late summer or even into fall. I prefer perennials or self-sowing annuals, but don't mind starting annuals indoors from seed if that will get me the blooms.

Do you find the lantana to be really able to handle drought? What about drought with high humidity? Many plants of the Southwest don't tolerate our humidity, heavy soil, and often soggy winters very well.

Have you ever done mass plantings of lantana?

Janie

Subject: RE: BS: The Spring Garden (N. Hemisphere)
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 01 Mar 06 - 09:37 PM

I've seen them, they look good. Do you know salvia gregii? It is a marvelous plant here in the hot muggy summers in Texas but it is a marvelous xeriscape plant. It comes in lots of colors, with some particularly wonderful deep reds.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: The Spring Garden (N. Hemisphere)
From: JennyO
Date: 02 Mar 06 - 09:17 AM

Interesting thing about lantana. Here you are talking about cultivating it, and in Oz we have trouble getting rid of it. It is officially classified here as a noxious weed!

Subject: RE: BS: The Spring Garden (N. Hemisphere)
From: Janie
Date: 02 Mar 06 - 10:09 AM

Jenny-it must be coming onto fall where you are. I just read a description of the common species lantana as "a brilliant bloomer with bad manners in frost-free climates!"

SRS--two years ago a friend gave me a salvia gregii that has done OK but not great in my garden. He doesn't remember the cultivar and I have been thinking about trying some other cultivars to see if they do better. I do love those reds.

One plant I am trying without success to dig out of my garden is obedient plant (physostegia virginiana.) It was already here when we bought the house and I think is an old cultivar. It gets really tall, flops over, is a very uninspiring lavender/pink, gets powdery mildew and invades everywhere.

It should have been named 'disobedient plant.'

Subject: RE: BS: The Spring Garden (N. Hemisphere)
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 02 Mar 06 - 10:24 AM

In the Pacific Northwest where I grew up Scotch broom was everywhere and was a noxious weed. It is pretty in the spring, but it takes over everything. So when I go to the nursery down here and I see them selling a variety to plant in the home garden I think they must be insane to push this one. I love finding the various Tolmia/Tellima/Mitella (and yes, the names of the related plants were all named as a sort of anagram of Tolmie's name) understory plants from the northwest sold here, but they are marketed as houseplants. "Youth on Age" is one that is well known, also called "Piggyback plant."

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: The Spring Garden (N. Hemisphere)
From: billybob
Date: 02 Mar 06 - 12:24 PM

Snowdrops in my U K garden, and snow in the air too!cannot wait for the spring flowers.Bitter cold , roll on summer!

Subject: RE: BS: The Spring Garden (N. Hemisphere)
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 02 Mar 06 - 12:32 PM

My garden's under a foot of snow at the moment!
Here
Giok

Subject: RE: BS: The Spring Garden (N. Hemisphere)
From: maeve
Date: 02 Mar 06 - 05:16 PM

Ours here in Maine are frozen stiff, too, but I see the bantam chickens are quite able to dig dusting holes! Daffodil tips ("Quail" variety)are showing in the pine grove.

I've got to dig out the white obedient plant from the roadside border, and move it out to the back where it can't be quite so abundant. In mud season, that is.

Subject: RE: BS: The Spring Garden (N. Hemisphere)
From: Joybell
Date: 02 Mar 06 - 05:26 PM

Fun to read our old threads and compare isn't it?
We are greeting this Autumn (Fall) with great sadness. Our mountains -North of us, burned with a way-too-hot, way-too extensive bush fire. The mountains are an isolated range with no native plant communities left around them. Not all areas of Australia are able to cope with fire. The effect on wildlife has been devastating. The trees burned into their roots and the nesting hollows are gone. It takes about 300-500 years for a mature tree to form a hollow and many of our birds and mamals need them. In the burned areas (60-80% of the mountains)there are not even any places to put man-made nesting-boxes. In the swamps the peat is still burning. Foxes and other introduced predators will move in to clean up any animal that happened to survive the fire and now has no cover. There will be recovery of some plant life but nobody knows if the rare and beautiful eco-system will ever be as species-rich again.

Subject: RE: BS: The Spring Garden (N. Hemisphere)
From: Joybell
Date: 02 Mar 06 - 05:42 PM

On a lighter note. Hildebrand left the bedroom in rather a hurry yesterday. Basking in the sun - on the floor, on my side of the bed, was a beautiful gold and brown Tiger Snake! I think it was the one I'd spotted the day before draped tastfully in the native violets by the back door. About 3 feet long but slim and young. There's a narrow gap below the front door which we should have blocked. Not many people are willing to tolerate snakes - all of our local ones are deadly although they usually give humans a wide berth. We see them as a necesary part of our world. We'd rather not have them hunting mice in the house though. We persuaded it to leave finally. Long story. We all survived it. Me, Hildebrand and the snake. Cheers, Joy

Subject: RE: BS: The Spring Garden (N. Hemisphere)
From: Janie
Date: 02 Mar 06 - 10:01 PM

Maybe we should retitle this thread "spring in the southern half of the northern hemisphere!

Very warm and very windy today with humidity down to about 25% on the North Carolina Piedmont. The soil is dry down to about 4 inches except in the heavy clay. Daff's and wood hyacinths in bloom everywhere, as are the ornamental cherries and Bradford pears.

Joybell, It makes me so sad to read the extent of the devastation caused by the fires in such a unique and vulnerable area. When green things and life begins to return, even if very different from what was there before, there will be such awe at what nature does to heal and redeem itself one way or another.

I looked at pics of tiger snakes--sure is a bunch of different species of them. The brown and gold ones glowed.

Janie

Subject: RE: BS: The Spring Garden (N. Hemisphere)
From: Bobert
Date: 02 Mar 06 - 10:17 PM

Well, we had a warm day here with temps in the 50's and I'z been on the tractor trying to clear a hill that has a run-off pond at the bottom ans was pleasantly surprised to find a coupel hundred frogs in it today.... They weren't there yesterday and they are all of size so they have been burrowed in for the winter and seeing them all out floating on top of the water was nice to see...

The P-Vine watered and watered today since it seem we are coming out of the freeze without much water in the ground....

I'm getting a little excited to go wild flower hunting in the next month....

I've found a place where I just know the rattlesanke orchads are going to be growing just from the looks of it....

Bobert

Subject: RE: BS: The Spring Garden (N. Hemisphere)
From: Janie
Date: 05 Mar 06 - 07:14 PM

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh. I spent the entire day in the church of the garden-first time I have been able to spend a lot of time at it for awhile. Hands, nails, knees and butt covered with dirt. Face too.

Thinned the larkspur, ammi and papaver somniferum. (Just read an article that suggests calling them 'breadseed poppies' to stay out of trouble. Alls I knows is they am beeyouteefull.) Divided some crocosmia corms. Weeded. I'm tempted to let the common speedwell alone. It does make a pretty spring groundcover. The formosa and asiatic lilies are sprouting as are some of the dahlia that were heavily mulched. If you pm'd me about wanting dahlias, I'll be digging them soon and will let you know when I ship them. Most of them are NOT promised yet if anyone wants some tubers.

It continues to be very dry, and drought is forecast to continue in my area due to la nina. Because of drought conditions, I am seriously considering doing only a salad and herb garden instead of a full veggie garden this year. Those of you in drought areas also, what are you going to do?

Bobert, we have a little bloodroot, goldenseal and wild geranium from the mountains, growing up against the north side of the house. I guess the toothworts, spring beauties, trillums, trout lilies, and anemones will be up soon. Enjoy them for me when you walk out into your mountains.

Janie

Subject: RE: BS: The Spring Garden (N. Hemisphere)
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 06 Mar 06 - 10:28 AM

Sob!

They're tearing up the prairie where I always walk my dogs so they can survey and put in streets and butt-ugly tract housing. Why do they wait till spring and kill everything that has begun to nest out there? A sniper needs to take out that bulldozer . . .

I was going to dig up some yucca and mesquite out there. I have some cactus and garlic from out in that field. A little something to save a piece of that wild area. I tried taking a walk out there with the dogs on Saturday but wasn't feeling good (suspicious meal at a restaurant the night before had me sticking close to the bathroom) and had to turn back, so we didn't even get one last good long walk through our little wild spot before it was assaulted.

:-(

Subject: RE: BS: The Spring Garden (N. Hemisphere)
From: Janie
Date: 06 Mar 06 - 03:17 PM

So sad. I remember when a developer cleared the acreage adjacent to my parent's home--again in spring. My sister, who lives on the Maryland Eastern Shore, has watched as farmland was sold off and converted to tract housing. She calls such places 'house' farms.

We are having a little bit of rain today. Not much--but every little bit is welcomed.

Janie

Subject: RE: BS: The Spring Garden (N. Hemisphere)
From: GUEST,DB
Date: 07 Mar 06 - 04:36 AM

I live in South Manchester, UK. Last Friday I, and my botanising friend and neighbour, Priscilla, went looking for Spring Crocuses (Crocus vernus). We found five colonies spread through the Mersey Valley. Most were in churchyards and cemeteries and most had, as far as we can ascertain, not been recorded before (or may be survivals of old records). There is a possibility that some of these colonies may be very old and could have been introduced by medieval medical orders of monks (C. vernus is not native to the UK but is widely naturalised).
The interesting thing is that many of these colonies are close to (or intermingled with) colonies of another introduced Crocus, C. nudiflorus (the Autumn Crocus). This latter species is believed to be associated with the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem (a medical order formed after the Seige of Jerusalem in 1099). They were said to have used the stigmas as part of a treatment for malaria. There is also a possibility of a link with Cluniac monks from Burgundy (where both species grow wild). It's obviously very complicated and needs lots more work!
Anyway, apart from the theoretical aspects, there's nothing to lift the spirits so much as botanising, or contemplating new growth, on a fine Spring day - as, of course, all of the posters to this thread can attest!
Actually, last Friday was a fine sunny day - but about an hour after I got home a blizzard started!

SRS - I sympathise with you over the destruction of your prairie - property developers are a curse here as well. I hate the greedy bastards and hope they all burn in Hell!!

Subject: RE: BS: The Spring Garden (N. Hemisphere)
From: GUEST,Cats
Date: 07 Mar 06 - 06:32 AM

Having spent half term week in our pond after breaking the ice, literally, and the past two weekends dodging snow showers to bed up marsh marigolds and water lilies that had taken it over, we now have a pond we can see again. The froggies and newts are all back in it again [yes, we left it all on the edge so they could get back in] as are the iris, lilies and marigolds. But, out in the garden we have dwarf iris, crocus, hellebores, daffodils, primroses and our cowslips are in bud.   Cothele House has had to postpone the daffodil walk this year by 3 weeks as not enough daffodils are out yet. They have 20 Cornish varieties there and if you are in the area it's a must.

Subject: RE: BS: The Spring Garden (N. Hemisphere)
From: MMario
Date: 07 Mar 06 - 09:31 AM

HA! to you southern gardeners -- I have a snowdrop in bloom - and another one in bud! so there!

Subject: RE: BS: The Spring Garden (N. Hemisphere)
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 07 Mar 06 - 10:20 AM

Is this like your snowdrop?

I took the dogs for a walk last evening. The woods closest to us should be left alone (they're in a flood zone where they can't build houses) but the bulk of the area has been scraped on the south end of the property. All of those trees and shrubs just pushed into a pile. I expect them to move to the north end today (goodbye yucca). As we walked across a 2-acre spot the city owns for a future park (they keep it mowed) where the dogs know they can plunge into tall grass and shrubby trees they got more excited--they love that part of the walk and they know when we veer left that is our goal. But we got to the edge of the park lot I stopped and they stood there looking around. They're dogs, they probably don't register loss in the same way I do, but they certainly noticed change. The tall grass they wade into wasn't there and the trees we circle around (don't want to walk under them or you'll get ticks) were missing.

We'd be more careful this time of year anyway, since snakes will be out soon if they aren't already. But now, if we walk around the edge of this biomass miasma we''ll have to lookout for whatever wildlife made it out alive. So maybe we'd better not walk out there. It's not all bunnies and hawks who were displaced. Foxes, coyotes, snakes, cotton rats, skunks, possums, etc. Disoriented critters I don't want to meet nose-to-nose with the girls.

I took some pruning sheers out and trimmed off the dead stuff on top of the pots at the side of the house. I left the dead plants over the winter for the seed supply. This morning I noticed seedlings in my pot that last year held thumbelina zinnias.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: The Spring Garden (N. Hemisphere)
From: MMario
Date: 07 Mar 06 - 10:28 AM

THIS is what my snowdrop looks like. It is under the dryer vent and also gets a bit more sun then most of the garden.
Most of the snowdrops are just 1/2 inch tall green stubs - but one bloomed and there is one a few inches away in bud.

Subject: RE: BS: The Spring Garden (N. Hemisphere)
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 07 Mar 06 - 10:27 PM

One less mourning dove in the back yard. It was a slow-moving bird, apparently. Slow enough for the dogs to catch it. I took it away from the catahoula, but the pit bull is usually the one who catches stuff.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: The Spring Garden (N. Hemisphere)
From: Tinker
Date: 08 Mar 06 - 09:31 AM

MMario, I so envy that snowdrop !!!!
After all the rambles here about blooming flowers and dirty hands I donned a winter coat and with only a few shivers headed out to check the garden. The warmth of a few weeks pat sent the daffodils and a few sheltered tulips inches above the ground which is now freezing around them... BG
Amazingly enough when a poked through the leaves mulching the herbs along the driveway I discovered that the Rosemary and Parsley both have survived the winter so far.... They never have before. Perhaps it's because I planted them in order this year.... Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme....
The north side of the house is still has snow covered beds so that observation will have to wait a bit.

Living vicariously through you all...

Tinker

Janie, I'd love some dalias ( now those I hve to lift in the fall ) I'll pm addy.

Subject: RE: BS: The Spring Garden (N. Hemisphere)
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 08 Mar 06 - 10:14 AM

Next week is Spring Break for the kids and I think this year I get a couple of days off at the university (usually students and faculty get days off but rarely staff or administration). I'm gonna go dig in my yard! I'm going to pull the dead grass and leaves out of the beds, gonna dig out the dead lantana in one bed and move some saliva over there, and I'm going to move some bunches of day lilies to the front of the house. I'm going to put some wire enclosures around a few tender things in the back that the dogs will clobber otherwise, and I'm going to clean up a couple of piles of stuff that has been needing to be moved out to the curb for a while now.

Yess!

Subject: RE: BS: The Spring Garden (N. Hemisphere)
From: Alice
Date: 08 Mar 06 - 11:12 AM

Snow on the ground here. A few brave green tips of bulbs are coming up near the south side warm foundation, but mainly it is still cold and snowy! I have a new connection to the phrase "planting a garden". My colleagues and I refer to making cold calls for sales as "planting seeds". Now, going out to meet strangers in their businesses, not knowing if I'll get rejection, is "planting the garden". That image helps to motivate! When the ground is receptive, I can plant a seed that grows both their business and mine.

Subject: RE: BS: The Spring Garden (N. Hemisphere)
From: Janie
Date: 08 Mar 06 - 12:18 PM

SRS, I myself rarely move saliva from one bed to another. I usually just drool anew. *BG*

Janie

Subject: RE: BS: The Spring Garden (N. Hemisphere)
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 08 Mar 06 - 04:26 PM

Good one! Spell check doesn't get those kinds of typos! Salvia is more durable than saliva in the garden (unless you're talking about the industrial strength stuff my dogs crank out).

Subject: RE: BS: The Spring Garden (N. Hemisphere)
From: Bobert
Date: 08 Mar 06 - 06:44 PM

We brought both blood root and wild geraanium with us when we moved but it's not up yet but with the weatherman calling for 60's and 70 degree temps over ther next week I reckon they'll be pokin' their heads out to see the new place...

I have found an old logging road about 150 feet back in the woods which is kinda hard to see but its defiantely a road so I'll get back there and start opening it up to I can get up the mountain some...

The folks 'round here saw that the morels grow up there... Most don't know much about wildflowers but I'm bettin' that we'll have a ll kinds of wildflowers to go with what we've brought up here...

Oh, we do have about a hundred frogs who decided that winter was over and are swiming 'round in the run-off pond...

We've been cleaning out 'round the pond becuase last year it was too overgrown to actually get to it without a struggle... But I've run the tractor a couple full days and have got the entire area cleaned up real nice and will at least ge some grass growin' 'round it fir this summer and maybe a couple azalea beds since we have over 200 azalea plants ready to go outside to live that we have grown from cuttings...

More later....

Hope everyone is enjoying thre coming of spring... We sho nuff are...

Bobert

Subject: RE: BS: The Spring Garden (N. Hemisphere)
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 08 Mar 06 - 10:01 PM

Bobert I hope you'll take some photos and post them on one of these free sites where we can all visit and enjoy the process of your setting this property to botanical rights.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: The Spring Garden (N. Hemisphere)
From: Alice
Date: 09 Mar 06 - 10:09 AM

Woke up to snow! All the melted bare ground is white again, and I'm really tired of it.

Subject: RE: BS: The Spring Garden (N. Hemisphere)
From: Janie
Date: 09 Mar 06 - 10:29 AM

Alice, I forget. Are you in Montana?

Janie

Subject: RE: BS: The Spring Garden (N. Hemisphere)
From: Sorcha
Date: 09 Mar 06 - 10:35 AM

Snow here too, but only about an inch....tulips etc trying to come up...

Subject: RE: BS: The Spring Garden (N. Hemisphere)
From: Janie
Date: 18 Mar 06 - 07:57 PM

Today I lifted a big bed of Colorado Mix yarrow, digging out as much bermuda grass as I could, and divided the plants. Some of the color tags have gone missing, so I hope I didn't eliminate any colors. There is a lovely terra cotta that I particularly like, but it doesn't spread as well as some of the other colors in the mix. I will be very sad if none of it got replanted. Everyone who walked by got offered divisions, and a lot of people took them. I expect to see it in a lot of gardens this summer.

I hope to lift my dahlias tommorrow. I have requests from Michelle, MMario, open mike and Tinker. Anybody else?

Janie

Subject: RE: BS: The Spring Garden (N. Hemisphere)
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Mar 06 - 08:25 PM

I've thought about trying dahlias here, but I think I'll experiment with something inexpensive from the local nursery, and if it grows, I'll get in line next year.

I just wish I could have gotten into the garden last week when it was so nice. This darned cold has made all of that work off limits. This weekend I'm beginning to feel better, but it has poured and thundered all day so far. Great for spring weeds to get a head start on me.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: The Spring Garden (N. Hemisphere)
From: Janie
Date: 18 Mar 06 - 10:26 PM

Glad your cold is better. You'll be able to get out there soon.

Dahlias love the heat, but they must have the obligatory inch of water per week to do well. They also require that you stay on top of deadheading. I bought most of mine when I was selling cut flowers at the farmers market, so they are all quite tall and keeping them supported as the season went on was a major task. (I did try some of the very short varieties like Figaro as garden plants, but they seem to be very desease prone.) I have 30 to 35 varieties, and something like 50 plants.

Our water rates are extremely high, my garden is very large for one person to maintain, and I simply have to transition to lower maintenance and drought tolerant plants. But it is killing me to take them out. There is no other perennial that puts on such a gorgeous show for such a long season. (Here in zone 7 my earlier ones start blooming late June and the show goes on until frost, although they slow down blooming as the days shorten in early October.) Dahlias come in so many different shapes, sizes, colors and types of blooms that I can never get tired of them. I will keep a few absolute favorites that I just can't bear to part with.

The daffs, tulips and wood hyacinths are all still going strong. When they fade out in a few weeks, there will be a long spell where the pansies in pots will be about all that is in bloom. Then, in early May, the roses, peonies, poppies, hesperis and ox-eye daisies will start their show. Mid to late May the coreopsis, larkspur, veronica and yarrow will begin to bloom. I don't know what to expect from the bleeding hearts this year. They started blooming right after emergence when not even a couple of inches tall. They usually bloom in April and May. I don't know if they will bloom again or not. They are so short I can't tell bloom stems from unfurled leaves.

Janie

Subject: RE: BS: The Spring Garden (N. Hemisphere)
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 22 Mar 06 - 10:59 AM

The latest Martha Stewart Living has a very nice pictorial display of dahlias and information on growing them.

I know it's spring because as I squint through my bleary eyes I can see the pollen-laden catkins on the neighborhood oaks.

Ah-choo!

My poor nose, this has been a tough March.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: The Spring Garden (N. Hemisphere)
From: Janie
Date: 23 Mar 06 - 08:31 AM

We got rain! Not buckets, but at least half an inch over 2 days so it soaked in well. Dani & I are headed out tommorrow for a girls only weekend at the beach (a books and basketball lolligag of a weekend) and I have taken a couple of extra days off to work in the garden. Guess I need to get off this computer, get my housework done and get out there in the dirt!

Janie

Subject: RE: BS: The Spring Garden (N. Hemisphere)
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 23 Mar 06 - 11:07 AM

We had somewhere between 5 and 7 inches of rain last weekend, so this is the weekend coming up to begin digging. Soil was hard as concrete most of the winter. Our drought isn't over, but for gardeners, we can take a shot at moving things around now.

My neighbors have mowed on both sides of me now, so my tall weeds in the area we consider "lawn" are conspicuous. I need to dig a few holes and place some largish (5-10 pound) limestone rocks as markers flush with the lawn level so I can mow over them but still see the boundaries that the Invisible Fence broadcasts for my dogs. There have been little plastic flags on wires but those can't stay now that mowing season is here.

Allergies are in high gear, but I'm drugging them into submission and hope to have a successful weekend outside. I also found a great rocking chair at the curb in another neighborhood yesterday. It's in the garage, but needs to be reglued, sanded, and finished for my front porch or a garage sale, whichever appeals to me.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: The Spring Garden (N. Hemisphere)
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Apr 06 - 11:54 AM

The garden is just getting going (the yard, actually, I haven't had time yet to put in the garden) and now it's gasping from the heat. April 17 it hit 100. The electric company did rolling blackouts because they were unprepared for the demand. Me, I'm ready, I had the dogs' wading pool out a day earlier. :) They're good, at least the pitbull is. She's in and out all day. She'll show the catahoula the trick.

101 predicted today. I'll be setting the clocks again this evening.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: The Spring Garden (N. Hemisphere)
From: Janie
Date: 18 Apr 06 - 01:36 PM

It looks like we are going to get just enough rain to pull off a decent spring garden. After that--who knows.

My roses are coloring up and the Zephririne Drouhin has a few blooms opened. Some early cultivars of my Dutch iris usually get hit by a late frost, but not this year. They look really pretty. Bearded Iris are in various stages of bud, bloom or withering, depending on the cultivar. The Hesperis is starting bloom, tho' they are much shorter this year--probably less rain and no fertilizer.

Janie

Subject: RE: BS: The Spring Garden (N. Hemisphere)
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Apr 06 - 01:54 PM

My iris are past their peak--last week was the height of their season. They spread every year, but last fall I didn't thin them, it was so dry and the soil was too hard to work in. So I'll thin later this spring and give a few to folks they're promised to and maybe start another bed or two. They're tough, drought tolerant, heat tolerant, and they have nice looking leaves even when they're not blooming. What more can a xeriscape gardener ask for?

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: The Spring Garden (N. Hemisphere)
From: LilyFestre
Date: 18 Apr 06 - 02:37 PM

In Northern Pennsylvania I have daffodils, forsythia and chives showing themselves. The chives are about 15" tall and I am using them daily...YUM! Just this week we added another forsythia bush, a lavender Rose of Sharon bush, a pink hydranga, 2 apple trees, 2 cherry trees, 2 pear trees and a variety of grapes. I have Lily of the Valley, Gladioloas and Black-Eyed Susans to be planted this weekend. My sunflower bed has been tilled and is ready to go. Also, my Mom gave me a small, portable greenhouse for my birthday last week....I'm hoping to get that put together tonight or tomorrow afternoon and then I can set out the lettuce and pansies that just wouldn't do well with the colder nights we are still having.

My husband and I have a wager going about when the leaves on the trees will pop. Keep your fingers crossed....I can use the cash! :)

Michelle

Subject: RE: BS: The Spring Garden (N. Hemisphere)
From: Bobert
Date: 18 Apr 06 - 07:57 PM

Well, it is officially spring here on the side of the Blue Ridge and we are now seeing waht weathered the move and what didn't... So far, ouuta the 500 plus plants that we moved, we've lost maybe 3 of them...

The twin leaf that we brought up here is doing fine, as is the larkspur, blood root, shooting star... We even accidentally brought up some tooth wart, which doesn't grow around here and also a single May apple, which I used to hate but it has come up next to an azalea we brought...

We have also bought 3 river birches, a coral bark maple, a paper bark maple, red twig dogwood, a thunderhead pine and half a dozen other plants for landscaping...

Variuos azaleas are in bloom... Seein' as the P-Vine and I are members of the Northern Va. Azalea Society, we have a couple hundred 1 and 2 year olds that we have gotten from hybridizers with name tags like BV-103 'er JK-598... We have had over a hundred of the 1 year olds in pots on the porch under 24 hour light... They will soon go out to the heeling bed and join the 2 year olds which wintered quite nicely with 4-6 inches of pine straw mulch...

Of course, the dogwoods are in bloom everywhwere... Our largest rodo, Cynthia, that we moved has been touch and go... About 70% of the plant died but the rest is coming back and it has several buds which we are debating removing since the plant is stressed... Welll cut away the dead and pray that it redovers fully... CDynthia is a wonderful rhodo and grows to be 30 feet tall...

We have some new opportunities to grow sunny plants that we didn't have back in Wes Ginny and have totally open minds so if anyone would like to throw a few of his or her favorites out, we're all ears...

Bobert

Subject: RE: BS: The Spring Garden (N. Hemisphere)
From: Janie
Date: 18 Apr 06 - 10:43 PM

Bobert the solomon's seal that you gave me at the Getaway 2 years ago is spreading nicely. the hellabore is hangin' in there--it will be another year at least, I think, before it blooms.

Sun plants? I love crocosmia and there are a number of different cultivars. Check out Brent and Becky's catalog. (Check them out anyway--they are located in Virgina (near Richmond, I think,) and they have a wonderful and diverse selection of bulbs, including a good number of natives.

Oh. Are you still pretty much sticking with pinks, purples, lavenders, blues and whites? If so, nix the crocosmia.

Yarrows are good. Cerise Queen, Apple Blossom and any in the Summer Pastels mix would work with P-vines color preferences. Do you have peonies? Asters? If you don't mind the maintenance Dahlias are wonderful. Check out Swan Island Dahlias (www.dahlias.com) for the widest selection. Park carries the Karma series which are really nice also.

Lilies! Natives, species and hybrids. I bet they would love a sunny spot on the side of the Blue Ridge. Goldenrod. Ginger lilies. red valerian. Uh...shut up, Janie.

Bring lots of garden pictures to the Getaway this year. Puh-leez?

Janie

Subject: RE: BS: The Spring Garden (N. Hemisphere)
From: Janie
Date: 19 Apr 06 - 10:38 PM

I notice the hesperis is not nearly as tall this year--because of lack of water I would guess. The larkspur may not get as tall either. The basal leaves on both the hesperis and the poppies are starting to yellow- again from not enough water?

We have had many dry summers and falls, but In my 20 years here, I have never seen such a dry winter and spring.

Janie

Subject: RE: BS: The Spring Garden (N. Hemisphere)
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Apr 06 - 10:52 PM

My weeds were plenty tall when I mowed the back 40 this evening. Just in time for rain to grow it all tall again. It sprinkled a little on a walk with the dogs later, and now thunder. But the yard needs it, especially because I'm moving dirt from in back to the front (I'm putting in a small berm) one wheelbarrow at a time. It has gotten pretty hard lately and needs the rain to soften it for removal. I'm also planning to build a low wall in front of the berm (this is actually a traffic control thing, something to slow down anyone who might miss the turn at the street that intersects my street and end up on my lawn or heading toward the house). Hasn't happened yet, but I don't want it to ever happen. The wall will be (hopefully, depending on what I learn about building walls before I do it) high enough to be comfortable to sit on, or maybe place a few pots. The berm behind it will slope gradually back toward the house and will have something low on it. I don't want to create something that blocks the view of the house (for security reasons).

I've also planted a tree out there but after four years it appears that it isn't thriving. I may take it out and put in something else, but at any rate, it will take a tree a long time to be big enough to stop a car.

Anyone else do defensive gardening like this?

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: The Spring Garden (N. Hemisphere)
From: Leadfingers
Date: 20 Apr 06 - 07:12 AM

Another Spring and the Jungle at the rear of my house is getting thicker ! Perhaps I ought to get out there and clear some of it and try and find the lawn that USED to be there !!

Subject: RE: BS: The Spring Garden (N. Hemisphere)
From: Leadfingers
Date: 20 Apr 06 - 07:13 AM

Or perhaps just settle for 200th post !