End of the Month View March 2013

March 2013 has been a cold, rainy, windy month, but things are greening up nicely.

The Clematis trellis was rotting and falling down.

I carefully eased parts of the old trellis away from the vine and put up another trellis.

The Peony began growing new shoots in February despite freezing temperatures.

It is so tall now that I have already put the ring-support around it.

The Tulip Magnolia has had a hard time this Spring.

A few mild days coaxed it to bud, then the cold weather returned.

You can see the damage on the edges of the petals.

The Ornamental Pear Tree is in full bloom. The evergreens to the right are Pines and Holly.

Behind the Pear to the left is a Maple and an Oak.
The green shrub in the lower right corner is Butterfly Bush.

The Daffodils have finished blooming, but the Day Lilies will soon display their cheerful colors.

The Roses are beginning to leaf out.

I am excited to see the Pink Flowering Almond I bought last year has new leaves!



March 8, 2013

On March 8, I sowed my Salad Garden - lettuce, onions, carrots, and radishes.
I mix the seeds all together and sprinkle them in large tubs of potting mix.
Kind of reckless, I know.
They are coming up, but still tiny. Sunny April days will give them a fantastic boost! 

I have also planted some onion bulbs. They mature a lot faster than the ones started from seeds.

How is your garden growing?

Happy Easter!

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Sky Watch Friday March 29, 2013

Beautiful sunny skies, but what's that in the Sycamore tree?

Shoes!

This Shoe Tree is alongside Highway 72 near Cherokee, Alabama, USA. No one seems to be sure of how it started, but it has been 'growing' for several years. It is more noticable now than it will be later in the year when the tree leafs out. Keep looking up - there's no telling what you might see!

Happy Sky Watch Friday!

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Wildflower Wednesday and Outdoor Wednesday March 27, 2013

Spring Beauty

Spring Beauty, Claytonia virginica, carpets this lawn a few miles down the road from my house.

Native to Eastern North America, its name honors Virginia botanist John Clayton (1694-1773).

To admire these tiny wildflowers properly, you have to get down on your knees.

 

Growing from small edible corms that are sometimes called 'Fairy Spuds,'

Spring Beauty's leaves and flowers are also edible.

Please Note: I do not recommend eating wildflowers.

Bees and flies are the usual pollinators, but they may be visited by butterflies as well.

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

To see more wonderful wildflowers visit Gail at Clay and Limestone: Click Here!

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Information source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claytonia_virginica
All photos, except the first one, are at my home.

Scavenger Hunt Photos March 24, 2013

This week's Scavenger Hunt prompts are: Asian, Wavy, Draw, Soft, and Texture.

Asian:

The Asian Wisteria vine is usually pruned back to make a shrub.

Now near the end of March, it is just fat buds on bare branches.
Unless we get a hard freeze, we will have blooms in a few weeks.

The grape-like aroma of the Asian Wisteria attracts bees and other pollinators.
There is an American Wisteria that looks similar, but has no scent.

Wavy:
I don't have Wavy. The best I can do is Waving.

It is difficult to get a sharp photo of my Spirea,

because the branches are constantly waving in the wind. 

Draw:

Each year I draw my garden plan.
Of course, I will see other vegetables I want to grow,
and find room for them somewhere!

Soft:

Not only is Big Jay soft, he claims the softest seat in the house!

Texture:

The beautifully textured bud of Aesculus, Buckeye

From first bud to full bloom is about 6 weeks (April 2012)

Hope you have a beautiful day!

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Sky Watch Friday March 22, 2013

Clouds like angel's wings!

Happy Sky Watching!

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ABC Wednesday and Outdoor Wednesday March 20, 2013

J is for Japonica
Japonica refers to things related to Japan.
In horticulture, japonica means a plant that is native to Japan.

Kerria japonica 'Pleniflora'  - March 21, 2012

This is a rather unruly (but beautiful!) shrub whose stems arch over into any available space.

It grows best in full sun and blooms from March to May in the United States.
March has been so cold this year that there are only tiny buds, so I used last year's photo.

Hope you are having a beautiful day!

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Macro Monday and Monday Harvest March 18, 2013

An Unexpected Harvest

After I pulled my Spring onions last year,

I neglected the spot, and it grew up in weeds and tall grasses.

Imagine my surprise last week when I began to clean it up.

Looks like I missed one!

What was one onion is now six!

A bowl of beans with onions and corn bread - Simple but delicious!

Happy Monday!

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Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day March 2013

What's blooming in Mississippi, USA, zone 7

We are blessed to live in an area where Pansies bloom throughout the Winter months.

I bought twelve plants, already blooming, on October 31,

and they will continue to bloom until the weather gets too hot for them.

February is peak bloom time for the Daffodils at my house,

but I have a few late-season Daffodils that are just now opening their buds.

I forget about the Hyacinths for most of the year.

 Then suddenly there they are with their wonderful aroma.

Muscari, Grape Hyacinths
These are very small and easy to overlook.
I am thinking about moving them all to one flower bed for an en masse planting.

Leucojum, Snowflakes, are sometimes confused with Snowdrops, Galanthus.
One way to tell the difference is to remember that Snowflakes have several blooms per stem;
whereas, each Snowdrop bloom has its own stem.

These Hellebores are sometimes called Lenten Roses because they bloom during Lent.

If you see a yellow shrub at someone's home, it is probably Forsythia.
I let mine grow naturally, but they can be pruned into square or round shapes.

These Spirea blooms are tiny, but there are thousands of them.

When all the buds open the shrub looks like a big white ball.

The Ornamental Pear buds are just beginning to open.

They are small, so I zoomed in to show more detail.

Hope you are having a beautiful day!

Visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens to see what's blooming around the world: Click Here!

Ruby Red Tuesday March 12, 2013

Chaenomeles speciosa, Flowering Quince

These shrubs are native to China, Japan, and Korea.

Some varieties produce small fruit,

but Flowering Quince is usually grown as an ornamental shrub.

Happy Tuesday!

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Sunlit Sunday March 10, 2013

Daffodils, Monday, March 4, 2013

Have a beautiful day!

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Sky Watch Friday March 8, 2013

Yesterday's beautiful blue sky
Oh! Look! The trees are budding!

Welcome Spring!

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ABC Wednesday and Outdoor Wedneday March 6, 2013

H is for Hawk!

Saturday was a cold, grey day with light snow flurries.
This hawk seemed to be watching for his breakfast to come along that morning.

Hope you have a wonderful day!

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Macro Monday and Monday Mellow Yellows March 4, 2013

Last week's bud is this week's bloom!

Amaryllis 'Red Lion'

Happy Monday!

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