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

Figs. 4.2.19

My Main Row Of Fig Trees.  4.2.19

Carini Fig Breaking Dormancy.  4.2.19

 Today I finished removing the last of the terracing that I put in a few years ago for the fig trees.  I think the idea had potential, but in the end it did not work so well.

These fig trees are on a hill, so I thought the terracing would help the ground hold water.  However, with the grass and fig trees, that isn't needed.  Meanwhile, mowing was difficult because the grass hid the the stones and blocks I used to terrace the soil, and I could not just walk up the row of trees with the lawn mower.

So I have been removing the terrace stones and bricks over the past year  I had some fill soil removed from decommissioned raised beds, so I spread that on the uneven areas, and broadcast grass seed there.  Now, the last of the re-contouring is done.  It will be easier to mow in the future, easier maintenance, less likely to trip on the terrace stones and uneven grade.

Meanwhile, the fig trees are coming out of dormancy.  Celeste seems to be earliest.  That tree is still young, and I have not yet tasted a Celeste fig.  The others are not far behind.

I have yellow jacket traps out now, too, to catch the queens before they build nests and start colonies.  So far, none are in the traps.

 

 

 

Petite negri Fig Breaking Dormancy.  4.2.19

Celeste Fig Breaking Dormancy.  4.2.19

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Garlic. 4.2.19

Garlic Bed.  4.2.19

Today I cleaned up the garlic bed.  The main problem with perennial or overwinter vegetables is that weeds grow among them and it's not always easy to get out in the weather to clean them up

Still, this bed is the best looking garlic I've had in years.  Must be the varieties (Music looks the best, but Spanish Roja is looking good too), and the fact that I have them fenced in.  Made a big difference, so far.

Big Box Store Peonies. 4.1.19

I bought these Peony roots today at Home Depot. I actually love shopping there, but like the Dahlia tubers that I just posted on (from other chain stores), these peonies area pretty picture with a hopeful thought.

Of the two, the Itoh peony root was in better shape.  The roots looked reasonably firm, and there were several viable looking buds.  Of the herbaceous (Sara Bernhardt) peonies, one looked viable, with a somewhat thick root and a couple of buds.  The other was so dried out and hard, I dont think it has a chance.  I couldn't tell which way was up - really a poor specimen.  Still, I planted them all.  I also included some organic vegetable fertilizer in the soil.

These are OK for the gardener who loves a challenge, who is willing to wait possibly several, even many, years for the first blossom, and who is willing to give TLC along the way.  But they are not worth the price and garden space if one wants something healthy, vigorous, and likely to bloom in a year or two.

We'll see!

Big Box Store Dahlia Tubers. 4.1.19

Starting Some Dahlia Tubers Early.  4.1.19

These are packages of dahlia tubers that I bought earler this winter and stored until now.  I hesitate to describe them, lest I be shown to be gullible, but here we are.  Those little boxes with "1" on the label?  Basically you are buying a pretty picture.  The tubers were dead looking, most hanging on to the central stem by fibers, not a living connection.  As I understand it, most of the time, the living bud is on the stem, or near it.  The "Joy of Gardening" tuber was almost as bad.  The multipack "Joy of Gardening" dahlia multi-package did contain some that looked OK.  Maybe most of them.  But in most of these cases, the consumer is buying a pretty picture.

My goal here is to get them started  growing.  If they do break dormancy and plants grow, I'll either plant them in the garden or in containers.   I trimmed off the tubers that were hanging on by fibers but no apparent living connection.  Then I planted them  in potting soil, covering the tubers but not deeply.  I'll keep them in a warm place until the start growing.  I think most of them still have a chance.