Flowers. 4.2.19

Daffodils.  4.2.19

 Some nice flowers blooming now.  I love this season.

Last fall I planted most of the daffodils in rows.  Rows are easier to manage, and I can't be Martha Stewart or some kind of HGTV gardener.  These are just for me to enjoy, anyway.  I like this double one a lot.

I was about to give up on the helleborus, but now it's a blooming machine.

I've been trying to naturalize violets from my old yard, in the Battleground yard.  Despite a reputation for being invasive, they've been slow to settle in.

This is one of the larger patches of violets here, now.  These are in full sun.  Nothing seems to bother them, not rabbits, or deer, or slugs.

Ornamental Quince.  4.2.19

Local Violets.  4.2.19

Violets. 3.11.18

From time to time I dig up violet plants from the old yard in Vancouver, and plant them in borders and beds in the Battleground yard.  They make a nice ground cover and few weeds will grow in them.  Herbivores and slugs don't seem to eat them.  I don't give them any care. 

Fifteen years ago, I planted some violets from my parents' yard in Illinois..   The plants and leaves were bigger, but slugs kept eating those and they died out.  So apparently, NW violets are less palatible to slugs.

Mirabilis jalapa (Four O'Clocks). Progress Report. 4.25.14

Mirabilis among other plants.  4.25.14

 I planted 4 of the Mirabilis plants into front flowerbeds.  I don't know if it's too early.  I have about a dozen plants so if these don't make it, it's OK.

This is continued work on deer-resistant, rabbit-resistant flower bed.  The Hyacinthoides, violets, and daffodils, were not eaten. They bloomed nicely.  There is a nice progression, with the Hyacinthoides blooming now.

My hope is that by having a lot of plants that deer and rabbits don't like, the more susceptible plants, like daylilies, will be left alone.  That might be totally wrong.

I read that Mirabilis are deer and rabbit resistant , so maybe they will be a good summer blooming choice.

Mirabilis among other plants.  4.25.14

The Spring bulb foliage will die off as the Mirabilis grows and fills in, so it won't look empty.  That's the plan.

Spring Flowers. Blue season. 3.15.14

Chionodoxa self seeded colony

Anemone blanda

Chionodoxa  3.15.14

Volunteer violets.  3.15.14

Early spring also has blue flowers.

I'm  happy with the Anemone blanda.  Even though the package illustration was of multiple colors, and mine are all  blue.  They are tiny.  So far rabbits and deer have not eaten them, unlike Anemone de Coen.   They survived the hard freeze.   This experiment turned out nice so far.

I don't know the blue bulb with tiny plant and tiny flowers, spreading at the Vancouver place.  It stared as just a few.  I wouldn't call them invasive, just exuberant.  Addendum:  These are Chionodoxa.  from google search, I think Chionodoxa luciliae.

Some people think violets are invasive but here, these wild violets are well behaved.  They spread slowly.  Once in a while one pops up in a new place, or in the lawn.  When I see them, I move them into a flower bed or around trees.  They spread slowly.  Their mat of roots or rhizomes is tight enough that not much grows among them.

Front Flower Beds. Cleanup. 3.9.14

Front Border 1

Front Border 2

I've made incremental progress cleaning up the front border.  This is a couple square feet at a time.

About 1/2 of the bulbs are moved from the Vancouver place, mostly in the past couple of weeks.

As I go along, I add compost mulch to prevent weed seed germination.

There are some large patches of weeds but it's getting there.  Should be nice when the flowers open.

I moved violets here from home, for ground cover.  Some people consider violets invasive.  Here, they occasionally self-sow new plants but have been in the Vancouver yard for 15 years and have barely increased their area.   Dividing them and replanting, they might fill in somewhat and reduce weed growth.

Sedum sarmentosum might be good here, if underlying weeds don't take over again.

I have left patches for summer flowers.  This is where I want to plant the Mirabilis jalapa.

Most of the plants here are deer and rabbit resistant.  I also want to add some herbs for color and for kitchen use.  There is lavender, rosemary, and garlic chive now for color and bee forage.

There is more to do.  I'm not / can't be in a hurry.

Fall Garden Chores.

No photos today.  Doesn't look like much.

I mowed the little orchard, until rain started.  I used the grass catcher, and collected grass clippings to mulch around the Buddleias and some of the fruit trees.  I try not to use too thick a layer.  Maybe 2 inches thick.  I extended the mulched areas a little.  It will break down quickly in the rainy weather.  It's a start.

Antique botanical sketch of mint.

I wanted to remove the rest of the culinary herbs from the bearded iris beds.  It was a nice idea.  If there was more room, I think it would be a great idea.  But with the small space, the herbs encroach too much on the bearded irises.  The herbs did not go to waste.  I moved them to the mulch rings around the fruit trees.  There the herb flowers will benefit pollinating nectar collecting bees.  And I can use them in the kitchen as needed.  I cut some tall mint.  It will be in the garage drying.  If it dries well, I can use it for mint tea (tisane).

Antique botanical sketch of Thyme

Among the herbs I moved, traditional thyme, French thyme, Lemon thyme; a short variety of Catmint - short but still encroaching on the bearded irises - and violets.  Most of these should provide bee forage.  I'm not sure about the violets.

Antique botanical sketch of violets

Violets are not considered a culinary herb, although some people candy the flowers.   I'm trying them because they are compact, make a mat that is difficult for weeds to penetrate, might be difficult for moles, too.  The roots are shallow, so I think not competing with the fruit trees.  They too were competing with bearded irises.  Not much, but shading the rhizomes.  So I moved them too.

I also planted in-ground, a 2-gallon size Lavatera.  I've gave it TLC all summer.  I have to plan for decreased energy, meaning fewer plants that need extra care.  With my illness, fatigue is a growing challenge.  It will have the rest of fall, winter and spring to establish roots before leaves and new branches grow.

I also did some minor shaping pruning for several fruit trees.  For the most part, that meant cutting the tips from branches, so they will branch out lower and more compact.  Peaches, Plums, Tart Cherries, Apricot seedling. 

Not much left for winterizing the orchard.  Much less work than last year.  I have a plum tree to move from Vancouver.  A jujube will need to move to the bee garden, to make room.  Late winter, add one peach and one jujube.  Get some compost to mulch the trees that I haven't so far.  That's about it.

Buds: Phenological photos.

Phenology - keeping track of natural progression of plant growth and other events, in an effort to know when to plan agricultural activities. See other entries by clicking on labels. Here are some events in my yard currently, especially flower buds, leaves unfolding, and growth beginning for various plants.

Pear flower bud, almost open.

Lilac flower bud. This is the first to show little purple 'grapes' within the bud.

The smallest daffodils are blooming.

The first violets are blooming.

Backyard tree peony.

Peach blossoms, only a few open but already they look so beautiful.

Chinese chives, about 6 inches tall. I hear them saying, quietly, "make me into dumplings".

Rhubarb leaves continuing to open. This is "Victoria".

Japanese Pieris. Full bloom

What's blooming?

This violet was started from my parents' lawn in Illinois. Is's later than the other violets here.

Leukojum. They continue to multiply.

A test of climate zone. These paperwhites have survived 3 years.

The Pink Cherry. This is how I know it's Spring.

What's Blooming March 15 2008

Blooming indoors, anyway. Ning's yellow clivia, grown from seed. "Yellow Sahin's". The sprouting berry was planted today as well.

In Bloom: Tulips. Lilacs. Violets.

The title says it all. These tulips are in about their 4th year, and are not only persisting but actually multiplying. That's unusual for tulips in this yard. The main challenge seems to be a leaf blight, which I suspect saps their energy after blooming. Maybe these are resistant? OR maybe they are just in a tulip-friendly location.

The lilacs are about 4 years old. Last year there were a couple of flowers, but this year they are making many more. So it appears that lilacs take about 4 years to start blooming significantly.

The violet is from my parents' yard in Quincy Illinois. There, the leaves are bigger and greener, and the flowers are darker blue. So climate, or local conditions, make a difference. That has also been true for sempervivum - the plants in Illinois are bigger and greener; here they have a reddish tinge.

Spring here in leaps and bounds

This variety is "Ice Follies". The bunch was ONE bulb, 3 years ago.
Are the "volunteers" or weeds? I ca't decide. Sometimes I pull them up. Most of the time, when they are in an inconvenient place, I move them, otherwise I leave them be.
The grape buds are quickly swelling.
I planted seeds today. These are 3 oz paper cups. They are in seed starting mix. I think that I listed the tomato seed varieties previously. This flat also contains cucumbers, zucchinis, peppers, and cilantro.