How does your garden grow?

[MooseMom]

It's finally spring, and while I cannot claim to be a master gardener by any stretch of the imagination, I do love a nice garden.  I live in the 'burbs where everyone has a "yard" but not necessarily a "garden", but after living in England for 18 years, I can't help but strive for a little bit of Kew.  For the first time this year, I did a bit of gardening and was thrilled to see what's happening in my beds.  I'm eager to know what's showing signs of life in your gardens!

My French lavender is showing signs of greening up.  My bearded irises are just beginning to rise up along with my early tulips.  My snowdrops are in full bloom.  My clematis is showing the tiniest buds; you can hardly see them, but they are there.  My pots of chives have survived another winter.  I haven't looked at all of my garden yet, but this is what I've noticed so far.  Come tell me all about the signs of spring in YOUR garden!

[monrein]

Nothing happening here yet but snow is melted and the days are lovely.  I planted a Persian Ironwood tree (Parrotia Persica) last summer as my official commemorative transplant tree and I'm very anxious to see what it does as it leafs out.  I also planted a Korean dogwood hybrid called "Starlight" and two doublefile viburnums "summer snowflake" and two more climbing hydrangeas, "hydrangea petiolaris" so I'm excited about them also.  I think I've posted garden photos here before and if I can track down the thread I'll link it.

[monrein]

http://ihatedialysis.com/forum/index.php?topic=9004.140

Here it is...

[rookiegirl]

My yellow lady banks are budding.  Can't wait for the yellow blooms to pop.  My daffidols are also sprouting but no blooms yet.  My neighbor next door, her daffidols are in full bloom; I'm jealous.  Her yard looks like Easter already.

[-Lady Noir-]

Sounds lovely guys..
Over here it's now Autumn, and we have NO garden at our place. Just some pathetic little pot plants 

[MooseMom]

Oh monrien, those are lovely.  It's obvious that you love your dirt!  Thanks for posting that link.  I've just bought a digital camera, and once I figure out how to use it and how to upload photos, my garden should be in full bloom and I'll take a few pics.

Lady Noir, as long as you have plants in pots, you're a gardener in my book.  What's in the pots?  What are the winters like where you are?

My daffs are also sprouting but no blooms yet.  My English bluebells are also sprouting; they're a bit tempermental here in Chicagoland.  I planted well over a hundred, but only about ten ever bloomed.  I don't think a bluebell wood in Chicago is going to work.

[tyefly]

I am a master gardener..... from OSU........but  Monrien  has the real knowledge...... 

[MooseMom]

I am a master gardener..... from OSU........but  Monrien  has the real knowledge......

Oh yes, she DOES!  I envy people with innate talent and encyclopedic knowledge.  I'm not a master anything, except maybe masterweenie.

[-Lady Noir-]

Lady Noir, as long as you have plants in pots, you're a gardener in my book.  What's in the pots?  What are the winters like where you are?

Haha, that's sweet of you to say 
We have some cute little Marigolds, and just Pansys & things. The Winters in my part of New Zealand [Auckland] are pretty mild. It doesn't snow here, and i just wish i could see snow! Back in 1996, we were travelling some of the north island & Mt Ruhapehu was smoking, there was some ashy snow on the side of the road.. that's all i have seen!

[looneytunes]

I took a walk around my yard yesterday....my daffodils are beginning to bloom, the crocus' are in full bloom.  Iris' are coming up, tulips are coming up, lilys are showing signs of life, forsythia is budding, lilacs are budding....yay....it's really spring here in the Ozarks! 

[MooseMom]

We have some cute little Marigolds, and just Pansys & things. The Winters in my part of New Zealand [Auckland] are pretty mild. It doesn't snow here, and i just wish i could see snow! Back in 1996, we were travelling some of the north island & Mt Ruhapehu was smoking, there was some ashy snow on the side of the road.. that's all i have seen!

Snow is beautiful when it is still white and glowing, but when it starts to melt and turn grey with pollutants, it is the dreariest thing on earth.

With your climate, you could grow lots of colorful things in pots.  Nothing wrong with pansies!  I like to grow herbs in pots.  Dialysis diets are livened up with fresh herbs; they cost so much at the store!  Some sweet alyssum might be nice; they smell lovely!  You could experiment with plants/flowers that are fragranced.  I don't know how much room you have, but when I was in England, I grew some various types of bamboo in largish pots, and they were stunning! 

[-Lady Noir-]

True! We have lots of room, we could even dig up our own gardens, but it's all very costly with what we would have to do, and because we are renting, it would all depend if the landlord would allow it 
Pots are probably the way to go. I've thought about herbs, but we would have to organise keeping the pots up high, there are many cats around!

[okarol]

 Nasturtium and poppies are blooming, so are the camellias and climbing roses. I need to feed the azaleas and plant some new flowers. Weather has been glorious!
 

[jennyc]

It's autumn here but that matters not to me the official worlds best WORST gardener. My grandfather was great though. i remember his veggie patch at the back yard. summer/spring to us meant beetroot, carrots, beans peas, lemons, roses and of course funnel web spiders and trap door spiders. we used to love poking at the trap door and this spider would jump out at us, PA would come running with his petrol bottle and blow torch and lite the bugger up, this spider would flee from it's hole and run around till it burnt and died.

I really miss Pa's garden. He used to plant this pot for me each spring it was a succulent where the flowers opened in the day and closed at dusk. he also had a bed for me full of snap dragons and sugar snaps. ( i was about 8 at the time) and our front yard smelt of all different types of roses, my favourites where those deep blood red ones with that hypnotic scent. and his jasmine vine.

Isn't it amazing how even the memory of flowers smelt can evoke such emotions.... miss him so much. Thank you for bringing up gardens, even not being a gardener it made me smile 

[Lisa]

My indoor plants thrive well as long as I beat the cats off of them!!

My mom does all the flower gardening...but I prefer veggies and fruits!!  I plant tons of veggies from tomatoes, to cukes, to green,red,yellow/sweet peppers, even though I can't eat anything this year. 

Unfortunately  this year I should have plenty of time to take care of the garden since I can probably only go back to work part time but I absolutely love watching things I started mature into full luscious edible plants. 

I do have an ulterior motive though, I have 12+ guinea pigs and 3 hamsters who eat 98% of anything I harvest!

[paris]

My yard is really waking up with all our warm weather.  Hostas are popping up. Easter lilies are up a few inches. Clematis is coming alive with lots of new leaves.  Trees are blooming and everything looks fresh and new.  Now I need to get my annuals planted. And I need to repot my bleeding heart and coral bells.  What I really need is enough energy to do all that I want to do!   

[MooseMom]

Oh, I know...it's finding the energy that is the real problem.  Up here in Chicagoland, I have lots of stuff sprouting but not much blooming yet, although I have one clump of daffs that actually have yellow bits.  My clematis is just starting to put out new growth.  I haven't been round the side yet, but I think my paeonies are just starting to peek up out of the beds; I can see them from my bedroom window.  I need to go out into the back garden to see what's what, but I just haven't found the energy to do that yet.  It is very shady, and I have mostly hostas, coral bells and bleeding hearts in the beds, and luckily those don't need much care.  One exciting note...I've seen sprouting foliage on my english bluebells!

[okarol]

Will plant tomatoes this week, hopefully.
My bluebells have filled the front flower bed.
All the fruit tree blossoms are so pretty.
Wisteria is also blooming everywhere. Here's a photo of my daughter Becca (she left to go back to college in NY today.) 

[monrein]

I just love every aspect of that shot Karol.  Beauty everywhere.   

[paris]

Lovely picture, Okarol.  Wisteria is one of my favorite spring blossoms.  Our dogwoods are almost open. In a day or two they should be in full bloom.  It will be a lovely Easter with everything in full bloom.  Suppose to be in the 80's this weekend.  Need to keep working on planting! 

News just said it will be 86 on Friday!  Time to bring out the shorts!

[del]

The snow is slowly melting here(there is not much left) but it will be at least another month before we even see the spring bulbs blooming!!!  I can't wait to get out in my garden again.  We are planning to do a green house this year so that I can grow my own tomatoes and peppers.The leaves won't even start coming out on the trees for at least another month.  I will just have to be patient and read how everybody else's garden is growing and blooming.

[monrein]

Things are just barely starting to peek out here but this weekend is supposed to be very warm so there'll be a spurt then I think.  A greenhouse would be cool to have.  Will it be a permanent type structure or a more temporary seasonal type frame one?
I always thought I'd make a good Victorian type lady (would need lots of money though) with a fancy glass house solarium attached to my house so I could grow amazing things.  On the other hand I'm a bit too independent to be a very good victorian unless of course I could be Queen Victoria herself.   

[MooseMom]

Last month, I finally broke down and bought a digital camera, and today I used it for the first time.  I have some wonderful pictures of my beloved garden in England, but I have none of my not-quite-as-wonderful patch here in Chicagoland.  The daffs are now in full bloom...PHOTO OPPORTUNITY!  And the scylla, and the jonquils and my early spring cottage tulips...MORE PHOTOS!  I have four pots of geraniums that I have had for five years...each winter I haul them inside and then place them back on the deck come spring, so today they're back outside as it is near 80 today!  Those geraniums have somehow managed to survive and even thrive, and they make me hope that I can be more like them.

Now I need to learn how to upload photos onto my computer...

[monrein]

Yes MM, please post your photos I'd love to see them and kudos on the geraniums.  They are lovely when you can keep over wintering them inside.  I don't have enough room and I hesitate to bring outdoor things in ever since I got an infestation of white flies from an hibiscus, even though I'd washed it thoroughly with insecticidal soap before dragging it in. 

[okarol]

 
Yes, we love photos!