Bad Blogger Good Gardener

I find it somewhat ironic that today I finished planting the last of the bulbs and it is the first time I have checked my blog since early spring. I really need to keep practicing my writing and the best way to do that is just to make sure I write something everyday. I will try to do better in the coming weeks. My sister seems to think my dream career would be garden writer. I'm not arguing but there seems to be some self discipline involved that so far I'm not capable of.

Winter Losses

It's the best time of year for me and athe worst. As I walk around the garden looking at all the emerging greenery I can't help but notice what is missing. Some are not a suprise they were experiments to begin with . Others are bone hard perfectly placed and still have not made an apperance yet this season. Those are the mysterys was it the kids, dogs, over enthusiastic husband with a weedwacker?? Some I will try to solve and replace others I just look at as an opportunity to try something new. The most disapointing of my losses this year are the Frittilaria imperialis bulbs. Last spring the one orange crown imperial bulb I had bloomed its head off and made a spectacular spring show.



After seeing it bloom I bought several more bulbs and a pricey named cultivar in yellow and planted them all in the same area as the original bulb hoping for a great, albeit stinky, display in the front garden. Guess what I got?? Nothing, not one single flower or even a leaf yet!! Considering the bloom dates from last year I should at least be seing a significant amount of foilage already. Oh well, back to the drawing board for next spring. This one was never a slam dunk I kept hearing from people it was finiky and just disappeared some years. For some reason I thought those rules wouldn't apply to me.

Man Eating Plants

Finding ways to get my children involved gardening is always one of my goals. Right now both my son and daughter are starting seeds along with me. Although I do believe my daughter does it just to keep me happy and has only a minimal interest in growing things my son has turned into quite the plantsman. His passion right now is carnivorous plants. He has amassed a small collection of pitcher plants and venus fly traps. They are quite fascinating even to me. Exotic and fragile looking but all seen to be very sturdy. Especially the pitcher plants. I am planning on letting him plant them in the bog garden when it warms up and we can harden them off. For some reason its very cool to find plants in the house plant section of your local big box store and watch them thrive out in the garden.

Signs of the season

A quick tour of the garden this morning revealed some stirrings. Buds on trees are forming. I noticed the cherry and japanese maple are showing distinct signs of waking. I see buds on the cyclamen (coum I think), hellebores orientalis and niger, and little violets are blooming if you move aside the debris from last fall. It's amazing how much a little walk around the garden can change your perspective. What started out a really bad day has suddenly improved. I am ready to face whatever comes next.
What also came to light during my jaunt was how much work I have been neglecting. There are grass blades from various ornamental grasses blowing all over the neighborhood. I will have to get out there and cut them back and clean up soon. Dog damage is also very noticable right now. The wet weather combined with the dogs has done some serious damage mainly compaction in the lawn and a few of the paths. It also looks like there are a few trampled shrubs. I am always surprised at how well they recover after a winter with my puppies.
I am kind of suprised as what isn't showing yet. No signs of Iris reticulata or any of the early daffodils yet. I'm afraid the combination of an unusally wet winter and my heavy clay may have rotted them away. Could also be the bulbs I bought were duds. I guess time will tell.

NARG seedlist

I finally joined the North American Rock Garden Society this year after thinking about it for a while. So far it is well worth the $25. I have received several great publications and today when I got home from work the motherlode was in the mailbox. The seed exchange list!! Over 4500 different kind of seeds to choose from most of which I have never heard of . Awesome it's like Christmas all over again for me. How do I narrow it down to 25 choices.
There was one disappointment in the mail today although some would not recognize it as one. Heronswood sent out a full color catalog preview that says the catalog is going to change with full color pictures. I'm not good with change. I look forward to my novel size catalog every year. I actually save all my catalogs and go back and reread them some winters the 2000 catalog with all the essays is one of my favorite gardening 'books' to read. Hopefully that doesn't change with the update and new additions.

The Garden Catalogues

Christmas is barely over and the catalogues have started to arrive. I have been making a nice neat pile for my weekend reading. Who needs a New Years Eve party when you have a pile of catalogues and a credit card. Lots of awesome new items seem to be available and prices have gone down on some things I was watching. One thing is for sure clematis will be at the top of the order this year there are several I have been wanting that are more available and cheaper than they used to be.

Winter Relief

Garden relief came in the mail yeterday the form of a flyer from our local extension office. The Green Thumb Micro-College sponsored by our local Master Gardeners will be taking place at the end of January. I'm so excited a whole day of garden related seminars and interaction with people who don't think I'm crazy! I have been looking over flyer trying to plan my day. It's an interesting line up. I can start the day with high desert gardening work my way thru hellstrips and end the day with ponds and bog gardens. Obviously there will be something for everyone. This is another benefit to the MG program the continuing education when we all have more time and could use it the most.
The lily picture is just for me I enjoy looking at other garden photos and posting mine as well. It is an orientpet of unknown name maybe 'Silk Road'. I added several more of these in this fall and am looking forward to the show.