Planting Some New Daylilies In Containers. 24 Mar 24

 Here are some daylilies that I bought at Costco last month.

Here they are before planting.  I could have planted them any time during the past few weeks.   They were sort of "out of sight / out of mind" in the garage. They have been growing, some upside down.  I tried to unbend them a little and plant focused on having the roots pointing down.

Daylilies are resilient.  I think they'll recover fine.  With those root masses, they might even bloom this summer.  Might. 

For now, they are just North of the house.  Today is chilly, rainy and overcast.  Ad they grow and the chlorophyll fills in and darkens, I'll gradually move them to sunnier locations.

Think about what plants had to survive during the great era of botanical explorations, during the 1500s to 1800s.   I imagine some of the survivors of those sailing ship journeys were the ones capable of enduring all sorts of difficulties.  Maybe some of those passed their resilience to their descendants (as mine did, to me). 

Bringing Out Overwintered Container Plants. 19 March 24.

 These were in the unheated, attached garage.  They were in a west window, and not watered during the winter.

These include two potted, dwarf Alstroemeria, a Dorotheanthes "Mezoo", two Lycoris that I planted last fall, and a dried out burgundy leaf oxalis.

I watered them.  Next they need cleaning up.  They might not grow.  I think they will.

Planting Onion Seedlings. 19 March 24.

 I planted the first row of onion seedlings.  These were the yellow long-keeping hybrid, Patterson.

I started the seeds in January.  They are ready to plant.  These also, are in a high raised bed.  I can sit on my garden stool and plant them.  The soil was prepared last fall and covered with tree leaves, so it is soft, moist, and weedless.

I covered them with fencing tunnels.  Without those, Jays pull up the onion plants.  Sometimes they do, anyway.

I have five more pots of onions, and two of leeks.  I will see if I can plant one pot a day.

The New David Austin Roses. 19 March 24.

 Three of the new David Austin Rose bushes look pretty good.  They have plump buds with red or green growth.

Darcey Bussell

Boscobel

I forgot to photograph Silas Marner.  It's about the same.

Give Me Sunshine had the longest, palest shoots.  I had hoped that shade and cool weather would protect them.  Instead, they have dried out and wilted.

I'm still hopeful that new buds, not yet emerged, will grow and form the new bush.  The stems themselves still look good.

Rose Cuttings Update. 19 March 24.

 Today must be rose update day.

Here are some of the rose cuttings, starting by the "cut a stick in early winter / push it into the ground / mulch / forget it method".  

They seem to be taking and growing well.  Without roots, a bud might swell and make a leaf or two, but eventually it will dry out and die.  They are safer during the chilly weather of Spring, but they can only grow so much without roots.  These seem to be nearing the point where, without roots, they will wither.

Really, I think roses start almost as easily from hardwood cuttings as forsythias, willows, and figs.