Today in My Yard

I can't believe it is still March! Spring has sprung way too early this year! I was gone for a week and totally missed some blooms. The petals on the early Kaufmanniana tulips have mostly dropped, having faded fast (I'm sure) on that day last week which reached a record-setting 87 degrees, in the heat wave that the jet stream, which lingered across much of the United States, delivered while I was (slightly cooler!) in Florida.

The old-fashioned bleeding hearts are waiting to open fully now that the weather has cooled to a more normal March temperature:

Another more happy early bloomer is this primula:

The hosta will be very vulnerable to an April frost. I have too many to easily cover, so I'm hoping for warmer weather to continue:

This autumn joy sedum has been growing fast as well:

The tulips, popping out of this vinca vine bed, are very tall for March. A few have opened but it is too cold for them today. They open almost immediately when brought inside.

This variegated hydrangea has never been protected and never had growth on its old wood. I will cover this one if we have frost and hope for my first bloom ever:

Last year the early tulips were enjoying an April blanket of snow in the third week of April. Now they have already bloomed and dropped dead by March 31! Here are two photos from 2011:

Kaufmanniana 'Heart's Delight" tulips on April 17, 2011

Tete-a-Tete Blooms signal an early spring in Michigan

Tete-a-Tete daffodils

These petite daffodils with bright nodding heads are in full bloom today in the church garden. Other daffodils are showing color as well. I saw my first blooms around town yesterday, accelerated by some record-setting warm sunny days here in West Michigan. The cold tolerant crocuses are already going limp in the pre-spring heat wave and buds on all shrubs and trees are getting dangerously large and vulnerable.

Geraniums - Budding in the Bag

Last October we pulled out the several dozen geraniums at the church garden while they were still in full bloom. I tossed as many as I could fit into two brown yard refuse bags. They were in the garage until Thanksgiving and then in a cool basement room. When I checked last week, about half of the geraniums had sprouted in the sealed bag, as in the above photo.

After one week in the sun room, the sprouts had turned green and grown. One plant even had a tiny bloom. I have tried this before with limited success and always marvel at the miraculous power of the plant to regenerate. If I recall correctly, I read that this only works with geraniums grown from seed.

Now--will I be able to keep them alive to thrive until May 15 or so, when they can be moved permanently outdoors?

Closeup of one week out-of-the-bag growth

Closeup of tiny bloom

Overwintering the Mandevilla Vines

Summer - 2011

Not wanting to chance an early frost, last October George and I brought in the seven blooming mandevilla vines, in their planters, lifting them into a garden cart, rolling them into the elevator and setting them on tables in a cool room in the church basement. This is the second year of overwintering. A weekly watering schedule was arranged. Over the months, the vines yellowed and dropped almost all their leaves. They were overtaken by spider mites and last week I noticed a few fat green aphids as well. There were still signs of new green growth.

It was intervention time--either that or toss them all into the compost pile. Today was 40 degrees and sunny.  And this is what I did. George helped.

Rolled them out on kitchen carts.

In spite of the snow, it was 40 degrees F and sunny.

Hooked up a hose with nozzle and sprayed the dry leaves off.

Sprayed them with insecticidal soap. Removed dead leaves from soil. Trimmed some of the dead ends. Notice the sweet potato vine tuber that remains.

Upped contrast shows the green that remains.

Finally, poured on some Osmocote and rolled them back in. 

They will be taken to the grower's greenhouse by the third week off March where they will enjoy green house conditions and hopefully be treated for any insects that remain. Will they come back to bloom again and be ready for roll out for one more season at the end of May? It would be something of a miracle. The return of new green growth each spring always seems to me to be a bit miraculous

Cyclamen Blooms - Photo of the Day

I have had this cyclamen for a few years. It overwinters in the basement, often losing all  its leaves and has not had good blooms. This year I put it on the deck for the summer in filtered sun and fertilized it heavily this fall. This is the bloom captured on New Year's Day, with the top of my Christmas tree in the background.

The Indoor Azalea Blooms Again

Today we had our first accumulation of snow--about an inch. Winter has finally arrived. But inside my plants are blooming profusely, including Christmas cacti, a cyclamen and the 5(?) year-old azalea below. Check out last year's blooms:
 http://agardeningrose.blogspot.com/2010/11/blooming-for-thanksgiving-november-27.html

Completely pot-bound in its original plastic container and generously watered and fertilized, this azalea faithfully and gloriously blooms at least once a year. This is the view from my kitchen sink, photographed today:

Sweet Potato Vine in Bloom - Orlando

Something we don't see here up north (in West Michigan) is the sweet potato vine in bloom. This photo was taken in Florida at my daughter's house on Thanksgiving Day:

November Leaves (11-09&10) - Rainy Days, Bright Maple Leaves

Not a maple, but so bright and beautiful!

And the streets were paved with gold

Red leaves on a green juniper carpet

My backyard 

My Secret Garden

My neighbor's little green maple turns orange.

My yard--Japanese red maple (Bloodgood), mixed with silver maple leaves

Beautiful Bark at the Park Today

These birch trees at my neighborhood park, having shed their yellow leaf glory, are left bare, exposing all their beautiful peeling bark.

Photo of the Day - Sweet Potato Vine Tuber

Today we pulled out all the flowers from the church garden. Over three yards (compacted) of live plant material were removed for composting. Many flowers were still blooming beautifully, but that is the sad part of fall. The six mandevillas were saved for next year, for over-wintering near a sunny window in a lower level classroom. Harriet and I will take turns watering weekly. I fertilized the pots this year until a few weeks ago, and I have never seen such a large tuber from a sweet potato vine--this one had no room to grow in the pot and was on top of the soil under all the foliage. Some people have eaten them. This one is probably too big and dry and tough. And I am not that hungry.

Maple Tree Today - A Tree of Many Colors

I took these photos at our student rental house today. One does not need to go on a color tour to New Hampshire to find gorgeous fall trees. This photo was taken on Hampshire Street. The tree is trending fall on its sunny side. Notice the green leaves showing through. I picked a couple of dozen leaves and placed them in a phonebook.

What I Saw in the Garden Today

If there is one symbol of flowering fall in the northern zones, it is the "MUM." The many cultivars of chrysanthemums begin to bloom in August and extend past the first light frosts, hopefully into November. Along with pumpkins and cornstalks they are the cliched standard for fall decor. This white mum was photographed today at Aunt V's place. My shady yard produces only a few scraggly blooms.







Another lovely fall bloomer is the Japanese anemone, pictured here in the afternoon sunlight under a dawn redwood tree.

Japanese Anemone - probably 'Honorine Jobert'

I always claim to know where every bulb is buried in my aunt's yard. This year some autumn "crocus" popped up where I had planted the corms and forgotten them. Do you ever wonder how the squirrels remember where they bury all their nuts? I heard a presentation from a naturalist/biology teacher this week at a gardening seminar. He suggested they need only remember 10% of their burials to survive the winter. Only a naturalist would count the number of seeds a squirrel can stuff into its cheeks--he once counted a startled squirrel's spit-out stash of 42 maple seeds (with helicopters removed)! They are known to bury more than 5,000 seeds in their winter caches. It's no wonder my lawn is so hard to maintain, with all those pesky little hoarders livin' in my big trees and buryin' all those treasures below.

Colchicum autumnale are in the lily family - spring crocus are in the iris family.

Colorful eggplant

Mum buds with perovskia

An Apple a Day - Photo of the Day

Picked a peck of apples

Photo of the Day - A Rose for Rose

Went to Opening Night of the Symphony--Took home a lovely red rose!

Photo of the Day - "Bugbane"

The plant of many names blooming today--formerly known as cimicifuga

Photo of the Day - Hydrangea Bloom

Garden Club - August

Tonight we toured a nearby commercial water garden landscape place. I am only able to recognize a few of the water plants, like the lettuce, the hyacinth, and the canna and know none of the cultivar names, but it was sure fun seeing some of the gorgeous lilies and also, the many colorful koi--including one large pregnant fish that looked like she was ready to launch at least a thousand eggs. The koi will eat the tasty little eggs, but the tiny eggs are captured on the roots of water plants and then moved to another tank to hatch. I could not get a good photo of the wide-bellied momma koi swimming at the bottom of a dark tank, but I have a few selected photos from our tour.

A night  blooming lily--the others close up for the night