Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - March '09

Oh yes, we have outdoor blooms - at long last!

Perhaps the diminutive snowdrops (Galanthus) don't seem like a very big deal, but they are to those of us who have looked at nothing but snow-covered gardens almost every day since last November.

Yesterday they looked like this....with buds still closed against the cool air and cloudy skies.

But with today's bright sunshine, and temperatures climbing to a little over 60ºF (15.5ºC), they opened their sweet faces to greet the warmth of the sun. Pure bliss!

Daffodils are sending up their green spears, but usually don't bloom until about the second week in April, so we'll have to wait patiently for those lovely nodding yellow heads for almost another month.

These are Saffron Crocus (Crocus sativus), which are fall blooming, but their leaves can be seen in the spring and then disappear in summer during the bulb's dormant period. The spice, saffron, is derived from the dried stigma of the flower. My generous gardening friend, Marie, shared these with me.

The front gardens are ready for clean-up and the lawn is showing very little color, but we'll begin to see more green before long. Mud season is upon us!

There are still patches of snow to be seen on the hills and in the hedgerows, but the yard is bare of snow at the moment. We'll probably see at least a little more before we're done with it.

Happily, inside the house we do have some color!
I grabbed the camera to catch the afternoon sun as it backlit the plants on Friday afternoon. It's such a beautiful time of day.
The pink Abutilon on the left has 6 new blooms...with just one of them showing here. It's had flowers since early January.

The other Abultilon is "Gold Dust". Its many buds began opening on March 2nd.

The variegated leaves are as beautiful as those orange blooms.

The Star Begonia has added more flower stems to the original 2 which have been blooming since late January.

Those delicate pink flower clusters are held high above the lovely, star-shaped leaves.

The Parlour Palm is sporting a third flower cluster, with one more yet to open.

Here's a closer look at these strange little blooms.

I caught the red Ivy Geranium glowing in the sunshine in an upstairs window this afternoon.

And the Rieger Begonia blooms on. I'm amazed at how long these gorgeous pink blooms last!

To see what's blooming far and near in other gardens, visit Carol of May Dreams Gardens.

Happy Bloom Day everyone!

Stay tuned for dazzling daffodils next month!

Contemplating Containers of Summer '08

Last winter I posted about the containers I'd put together in June of 2007 and with spring fast approaching at long last, I'm happily anticipating this year's containers. Browsing through last summer's photos gives me a good idea of what worked well together, and which plants held their blooms throughout the summer and into fall.

I always seem to lean toward the pinks and purples, and that pink Diascia (right front) is one of my favorite container plants.

I loved this combination of Plum Madness Petunias and a calibrachoa that was almost the same shade. It spilled nicely over the side and continued the color. There's also an ivy geranium (barely visible in this photo) and a variegated Vinca in there. This photo was taken late in the day, unfortunately creating a shadowy foreground. (Click photos to enlarge for more detail)

Here you can see the true color of the Petunias.

There's the Ivy Geranium (Marimba).
I added a euphorbia to the mix for a contrasting deeper shade....

It starts out green and then changes to burgundy. There was no label so I don't know the name.

I love to use geraniums and Petunias in containers. They need deadheading but can't be beat for long bloom time and gorgeous colors.

Dusty miller (right) adds a touch of silvery foliage and blends well with pinks and purples.

Here's Amethyst Ivy Geranium with blue Lobelia. The Iresine in this container looks orangy red in the afternoon light...

....but it's actually a more pinkish red. It makes a lovely filler.

Osteospermums are bright and pretty in spring and early summer. Their blooms tend to peter out during the hottest weeks of summer, but come back nicely for a good late summer and fall show.

Diamond Frost Euporbia adds a whimsical touch of tiny white flowers. It's overwintering very nicely in the house and cuttings are easy to start.

The Osteos close when the sun isn't shining.

Nemesia is great in containers with its pretty little flowers. I like this rasberry one mixed with the lilac Osteos. Do you see the deeper purple 'Spoon' Osteo in there?

Here's a closer view, taken when it was blooming more profusely. You can see why they call it Osteo 'Spoon'.

Here's Willow sitting by one of my absolute favorites...the blue and white container.

I tried Scaevola (Fan Flower) for the first time and loved it for long blooming time and very easy care. The white flower is a delightfully sweet scented Nemesia. There's also a Spike and 2 Bacopas...one blue and one white.

The Ivy Geranium is Taj Mahal, a deep red. It didn't bloom until September which was disappointing. It was one I wintered over bare root and potted up in the spring. Only a few I tried that with did well, so I left them in pots this winter and they're looking very healthy.

The Bacopa still looked great in the fall so I brought it in to try overwintering. It did well for a while under lights, but sadly, it appears to be dead now.

This pretty pink Bacopa was in another container.

Here's another favorite....Sweet potatoe Vine, Taj Mahal Ivy Geranium, deep red Diascia and a spike.

I love these colors together.

Here's a coral Diascia, Abutilon Gold Dust (the variegated leaf, not yet blooming), Coleus, variegated Vinca and a Purple Knight Alternanthera just showing a little on the right.

The Diascia is also called Twinspur. It needs to be cut back a little now and then to keep it blooming nicely. I'm not always good at doing that.

The Abutilon is flowering it's head off in the house at the moment. It overwinters very well as a house plant.

Still another favorite! I love this 'Copper Purple' Osteo. The yellow flower is Bidens (Beggarticks...isn't that a cute name?), the burgundy on the left is Alternanthera. There's also Coleus and a rasberry Nemesia.

This combination lasted well into the fall, with the Osteo coming back into bloom in September and the Bidens blooming continually all summer. The Nemesia benefits from being nipped back a few times.

I loved this Coleus with the Alternanthera. Pinch back the Coleus to keep it compact.

Here's the 'Copper Purple' Osteo up close. Isn't it gorgeous?

I had a lot of favorites last year. Here's another. This one has Vancouver Centennial Geranium, Calibrachoa 'Colorburst Terracotta', and a burgundy Sweet Potato Vine (I think it's called 'Blackie').

I repeated this combination from the year before, and will do it again this year.

The Geranium is overwintering wonderfully well for the third winter.

I had this lilac calibrachoa in a basket. They bloom continuously with no deadheading - a great plant!

That's just one Cali in this windowbox and it spread beautifully. Also in the box were 'Apple Blossom' Petunias that I had cut back at the time this photo was taken. There's Alyssum tucked in there too. The Bidens in the container is still going strong!

The 'Apple Blossoms' put on a wonderful late fall show. Oh yes, there's a 'Lambada' Ivy Geranium in there too, and some variegated Vinca.

I like to add English Ivy to containers too. It looks pretty with these red Ivy Geraniums, Dusty Miller and purple Nemesia.

Here's dear Hubby relaxing on a warm afternoon. I can't wait to see containers on the patio again!

We had a wonderfull taste of spring this past weekend and I actually got some cleaning up done in the garden. It felt so good to breathe the warm air and get a little exercise. Saturday and Sunday night we had heavy rains and today was wet and dreary, but the snow is almost gone and spring is in the air!