Sunday, March 31, 2013

Easter blooms and garden journal

Well, I feel that I am out of the fear of frost arena, and now let the heat begin...
Tulip trees blooming

Daffodils and tulips coming up but very slowly

Dogwoods, bradford pears have no sign of waking

Iris are thinking about it

Wild clover

Indian blanket maybe done for the season, who knows.

Wild wisteria

Grape Hyacinth

Tulip tree

Knockouts have been blooming for a while

Impatient, Don Juan, American Climbing blaze and climbing golden showers look real healthy ..fed them fish emulsion...smells as good as it sounds.

Put out the containers out of the greenhouse  because they were cooking in there.

Tulips and Daffodils blooming.

Easter lilies coming up but not blooming..

Haven't decided what to do with all the container plants.

My mother in law gave me Mystic Haze Dahlias

Dahlias

Bougainvilleas

Encore Azaleas

George Tabor Azaleas

Moss Roses

My new roman sundial came in.

Mums and Azaleas



Camellias and a ton of other plants waiting to go into the ground.

Pink snow camellias turn peach in the sun, I think.

Cold frame still has a ton of plants

Greenhouse is slowly vacating.

Cuttings are prob too hot but I am stress testing.

Gerber Daisies

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Accidental Propagation of 48 roses

I don't believe it but I accidentally propagated 48 rose cuttings...How you might ask...you won't believe it...
Weeks ago I pruned a bunch of roses...I want to say January.  I threw all the cuttings into a bucket..for weeks it had been used as a door stop for the greenhouse door.  It has rained a few times since then.  It also has froze a few times.

While opening up the greenhouse this morning, I looked inside the bucket and noticed leaves....

The rain water had gathered in the bucket and the cuttings began growing.  So I dumped the bucket.

They smelled horrible but sure enough there were leaves.

Lots and lots of leaves...OMG   I have tried soo hard to make cuttings work and I have been successful three times....

 They smelled like old fish so I gave them a bath..



They were very slimy...these may not live but I am inclined to think some will.


In the spirit of quit trying so hard I cleaned them off and cut the obvious dead growth

Got pots ready

I did not cut the tips....I let them alone but I did put a touch of root hormone on them.

This is my last failed attempt with cuttings...

This is my failed attempt at seeds



They were very slimy  and really stinky..probably needed to use bleach but I said , No...just put them in dirt...

I did have some success with cuttings

This is obvious new growth...still can't get over it...maybe next time I'll put the cuttings in water......

My husband covering the new irrigation system.

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Is this the last frost???


You know, when people describe me...the first word usually out of their mouth is Aggressive   the second word is smart....

I am not saying this to brag but to offset what I am about to write.  In terms of aggressive, they don't mean "bully."  They mean that I am not easily intimidated and do not back down from a fight.  For most of my professional life, I have had confrontational jobs  (insurance collections for 10 year, and then when I became a CPA I handled audits for clients (IRS usually).  In respect to smart, I went to college for 11 years but I am a very, very slow learner.  I have a point to all of this....

I am over the frost!   I am almost taking it personally.  And have decided I will bring out my bougainvilleas that are in containers...this is where the above paragraph is coming into play.....  I am taking mother nature to be a personified adversary and doing something that I know I shouldn't be doing....i.e. slow learner....or just damn stubborn....

In defense, I had been  watching the weather predictions and it did read for a long time this would happen.  And so it has, but now...I am saying enough.....yes, I should know better but I guess I'm gonna learn the hard way.  The forecast is saying it is over and the bougainvilleas are in containers...but it is my expression winter is over...  tonight and tomorrow shows mid 30s tonight and mid 40's tomorrow night...after that...let the migration begin....

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Early spring cold snap..what's blooming,budding or burned

This post is picture heavy.  We had a slight early spring freeze last night.  The only thing that looked hurt were the dinnerplate dahlias....

I swore I watered them but it was bone dry and looked like this...Perhaps, tonight I will cover them.


Dahlia, next to it looked fine...go figure


Mexican Heather were covered but it was windy and so some of the cover blew off but they looked fine


Climbers 








Tulips and daffodils like the cold.








Well the greenhouse is still being used.


Mom said this is baby's breath but could it be spirea?


Hibiscus


Bougainvilleas...tropicals still being left in greenhouse...this one never blooms..it's varigated but it woke up ...


Banana trees and gerber daisys


Plants in the cold frame


Grape Hyacinth


Tulips, daffodils and some type of purple wildflower..looks really nice next to yellow. 
Tulip trees smell wonderful


Iris not budding yet


Bradford pears, dogwoods not flowering yet


Weeping willow leafing up


Wild clover, they are really pretty and nice in cut arrangements


Azaleas are blooming at different times...this one seems to be at the end of its blooming


What is this?  I had wildflowers here and I don't know if this is a weed or a wildflower..


Not sure if the red maple was hurt or is supposed to look like this.




Lots of beautiful things on the property grow wild.  So I am very careful what I clear out... Here is Saw Palmetto..I think


Behind it is a magnolia and below it is wisteria...all wild.


Wisteria


Another Saw Palmetto


Indian Blanketflower


Don Juan climber budding


Patients rose budding








Climbing golden showers...not budding but healthy growth


Knockouts are budding and blooming


Knockouts blooming


Tulip tree




Tulips are coming...most look like this one


Easter Lillies coming up


A rouge tulip...I only have one like this.


Encore Azaleas blooming


Not sure what this is but it's fabulous


It has these tiny hairs on it.


Mums doing just fine


I thought these were George Tabor Azaleas but they are pure white...any idea?  Don't think it's encore but could be....but leaves are different


Pink snow camellia


Pride of Mobile Azalea


Weird looking weeds.


Was given cabbage and I don't like cabbage so of course they are doing great...




Some azaleas did get burned


And some did not.


Holleyhocks.


George Tabor Azaleas


Not George Tabor Azaleas