Saturday Gardening Thread [KT]

Hello, gardeners and garden admirers! Today we try to say goodbye to winter and welcome spring. Lots of bright colors today. A few veggies and such, and some gardening tips.

I really like the photo above. It reminds me that the bees of Notre Dame Cathedral survived the blaze. Our photo is from crisis du jour. He calls it "Touchdown":

I'm a longtime lurker at Ace. I post rarely (once per year, +/-) but read daily, including your gardening thread when I have opportunity ... which is infrequently because I work most Saturdays. Even so, thanks for your efforts in making the Gardening posts! They're a good break from the weekday focus on politics and culture.
I didn't realize until today that you publish reader-submitted photos. I don't have a garden - and my thumb is not green at all - but I do have a camera and a Flickr page. Over the years I've posted more than 100 flower photos at Flickr, mostly closeup shots using my 'macro' lens. I often have no idea what it is I'm shooting; I just point the camera at something that looks pretty and press the button.

This is an example of what a macro lens can do. "Spring Smile":

There are some other great photographers in The Horde, too. Don in Kansas has some new photos up. And some other interesting posts.

Welcoming Azaleas

ALH sent in a photo of some welcoming plants. White is a good choice against that dark brick:

Hi, this is the front flower bed at my house. We planted these azaleas about 4 years ago. They are finally big enough to put on quite a show!

I think Jane D'oh's azaleas have been delighting visitors for more than four years. We are glad that the deer haven't eaten them.

A closer view of one of them.

Overwintering Tips

From S. Lynn, in one of the less-frigid parts of Idaho:

Planted carrots and garlic last fall. They are growing like gang-busters with the warmer weather. The lettuce was reseeded from last year. Ducks and chicks love it.

About those carrots:

I planted then in the fall. Were about an inch high at the first snow. Covered them with hay. I love to experiment.

There's more:

My herb garden survived the winter. I covered it with plastic sheeting to help guard against snow, wind and freezing temps..

I guess you could say her daffodils, tulips and hyaciths (which "smell heavenly") overwintered, too.

From my cousin in Utah who keeps the geraniums in her basement over winter:

The geraniums are almost ready to go back out as soon as the weather gets a little warmer. They have had a wonderful winter some of them are ready to bloom and their leaves are huge! They loved the cold winter downstairs.

A friend who had tried to keep geraniums over the winter and had given up asked how she did it.

I trim them when I bring them in because the summer leaves die quite quickly. Some of the growth just needs to be taken off. I do Miracle Grow a few times over the winter and water them ever 3 weeks. Right now before going out, they need more water.
You probably give up when they look quite ugly, but they seem to recover. I think trimming them down might be the key. Some of mine only looked like stalks after their fall trimming.
When you take them back out, they go through a bit of a shock and might look a bit sad for a couple of weeks, but they get better. They are by a west window in my unfinished basement, not heated.

Little trip to Switzerland and Italy

Since we last visited our Swiss doggie friend, Rocky, he has played in the snow some.

He has visited mountain communities.

His human parents went to Rome.

And took a photo of this old olive tree. Fitting for Easter Week, I think.

Now, back home in Rocky's garden, it is spring. I guess they call Bleeding Hearts (Dicentras) "Tears of the Heart". Might be more fitting. What do you think?

Also note that they seem to have garden cow statuettes in place of garden gnomes in Switzerland. In honor of the Swiss love of cows, Here is a bovine playing fetch.

Have a great Easter weekend. Try to spend a little time outdoors if you can.

We have some great photos that we didn't get to today. But we will take more. If you would like to send information and/or photos for the Saturday Gardening Thread, the address is:

ktinthegarden
at g mail dot com

Include your nic unless you want to remain a lurker.

Posted by: Open Blogger at 12:59 PM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 Good afternoon Greenthumbs

Posted by: Skip at April 20, 2019 01:05 PM (BbGew)

2 Howdy

Posted by: blaster at April 20, 2019 01:10 PM (r6yYr)

3 Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return. -- Genesis 3:17-19

Posted by: Insomniac - Founder, Farmer Liberation Front at April 20, 2019 01:10 PM (NWiLs)

4 Corgis dutifully called.

Planted lots of seeds in containers, moving them in and out as weather requires. Have all but a little of garden overturned ready for plants. Chives and basil are only things growing there now, no sign of life from oregano. It was getting bigger and bigger and should have took a cutting to start another as I think it was killing itself with old dead growth.

Posted by: Skip at April 20, 2019 01:10 PM (BbGew)

5 Some day I might get around to sending pictures of how I set up my tree-rat baffles in the back yard. Haven't seen the little creeps defeat them yet.

Posted by: Helena Handbasket at April 20, 2019 01:15 PM (2jo2J)

6 Nice pictures of horde gardens. I didn't realize Savannah was warm enough to support palm tree cultivation.

Posted by: kallisto at April 20, 2019 01:16 PM (DJFLF)

7 Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat
food from it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and
thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat
of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground,
since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will
return. -- Genesis 3:17-19

grammie's modern translatian (GMT) - "Just look at what you did. Now you're stuck cleaning up this mess for the rest of your life."

Posted by: grammie winger at April 20, 2019 01:17 PM (lwiT4)

8 omg, now I've seen everything...a cow that plays fetch!

Posted by: kallisto at April 20, 2019 01:18 PM (DJFLF)

9 I've been outside a lot this week.
Grass is starting to grow along with the usual weeds.
After 4 years of dandelions I've gone full genocide on the beasts. Rooting them out as I see them and then, if the root breaks off, pouring salt in the hole.
Why yes, I am annoyed with them.
Crocus are up and out, no daffodils yet but soon, I think.
Already pulled a couple of Salsify out. It's like a dandelion on steroids and is a noxious, invasive weed here. I want to see what else is going to come up. The weed wacker works fine but the mower refuses to start.

Posted by: Winston a dreg of society at April 20, 2019 01:19 PM (5U303)

10 grammie's modern translatian (GMT) - "Just look at what you did. Now you're stuck cleaning up this mess for the rest of your life."
Posted by: grammie winger at April 20, 2019 01:17 PM (lwiT4)

Heh. Watch out, Zondervan!

Posted by: Insomniac - Founder, Farmer Liberation Front at April 20, 2019 01:20 PM (NWiLs)

11 We had 7.5 inches of snow this past Sunday. Rev bought me tulips in a pot. That's about the extent of my gardening.

Posted by: grammie winger at April 20, 2019 01:21 PM (lwiT4)

12 Hey Insomniac
Always good to see you. Any chance you can make it out to Yakima?

Posted by: Winston a dreg of society at April 20, 2019 01:21 PM (5U303)

13 Helena Handbasket at April 20, 2019 01:15 PM

That would be great.

Posted by: KTbarthedoor at April 20, 2019 01:22 PM (BVQ+1)

14 12 Hey Insomniac
Always good to see you. Any chance you can make it out to Yakima?
Posted by: Winston a dreg of society at April 20, 2019 01:21 PM (5U303)

Hi Winston! Unfortunately that chance is slim to none and Slim left town.

Posted by: Insomniac - Founder, Farmer Liberation Front at April 20, 2019 01:23 PM (NWiLs)

15 Sorry to hear that Insom. It'd be great to meet you in meatspace. Nurse thinks highly of you which is good enough for me.

Posted by: Winston a dreg of society at April 20, 2019 01:24 PM (5U303)

16 It is wet. Wet. I can't till and plant yet, and the lawn is getting long enough to tickle my calves.
I also still have piles of trimmings in the yard because I have not hauled them away to a friend's burn pile.

Spring arrived like a freight train this year.

Posted by: Kindltot at April 20, 2019 01:25 PM (TN7xY)

17 From my cousin in Utah who keeps the geraniums in her basement over winter:

It looks like they're multiplying. Is she taking cuttings?

Posted by: kallisto at April 20, 2019 01:25 PM (DJFLF)

18 Winston a dreg of society at April 20, 2019 01:19 PM

Some people eat certain types of salsify.

Posted by: KTbarthedoor at April 20, 2019 01:26 PM (BVQ+1)

19 Not strictly gardening but for the out of doors folks who enjoy really good music check out, Musical Mountaineers on you tube.
Two young women who play small concerts in the Cascade Mountains here in WA state. Violin and keyboard. They're cute also.

Posted by: Winston a dreg of society at April 20, 2019 01:26 PM (5U303)

20 kallisto at April 20, 2019 01:25 PM

I don't think she takes cuttings. Some are more than 10 years old, and if she buys and plants a new one in the yard, she digs it up in the fall and brings it in.

Posted by: KTbarthedoor at April 20, 2019 01:29 PM (BVQ+1)

21 KT. I didn't know that about Salsify. It makes sense though. I'm not going to try it though. This is a farm and ranch area so the county is very protective of fields.
I have harvested chicory, also listed as a noxious invasive here. Clean the roots, roast them and add to coffee.
Not bad and easy to do.

Posted by: Winston a dreg of society at April 20, 2019 01:29 PM (5U303)

22 Beautiful photos. Talented photographers. All of our herbs survived. Apparently last year's dill self-seeded which was a nice surprise.

Posted by: Mrs. JTB at April 20, 2019 01:30 PM (bmdz3)

23 Winston a dreg of society at April 20, 2019 01:26 PM

My sister may know them. She's a fiddler. Has done workshops in Washington.

Posted by: KTbarthedoor at April 20, 2019 01:31 PM (BVQ+1)

24 grammie's modern translatian (GMT) - "Just look at
what you did. Now you're stuck cleaning up this mess for the rest of
your life."

Posted by: grammie winger at April 20, 2019 01:17 PM (lwiT4)

And your kids too!

Posted by: Commissar Hrothgar at April 20, 2019 01:32 PM (f3oO4)

25 And now for something completely different.

Some morons may be familiar with Styxhexenhammer666. He's an anti-left youtuber who had about 16k subscribers right after the 2016 election. He went against the grain of what people thought comprised a deplorable, and his following is now over 300k.

What does this have to do with gardening, you say? Well, turns out he is an avid Vermont gardener, and a slice of his channel is devoted to his gardening exploits. Here he describes how he prepped his garden bed:

https://tinyurl.com/yy362rjn

Posted by: kallisto at April 20, 2019 01:32 PM (DJFLF)

26 S. Lynn will have to watch those carrots. They have been through a winter, so they could bolt at any time. Carrots are biennial.

Posted by: KTbarthedoor at April 20, 2019 01:33 PM (BVQ+1)

27 KT that's cool. They were recently feature on KING TV in Seattle. The videos are very good. They have gotten some better sound people though and it's been delightful to see them performing in places with which I am familiar.

Posted by: Winston a dreg of society at April 20, 2019 01:34 PM (5U303)

28 Love the carrot foliage. Would fit in many flower beds.

Posted by: KTbarthedoor at April 20, 2019 01:34 PM (BVQ+1)

29 Lettuce and spinach are growing nicely. A bit surprising how quickly the seeds broke ground. Maybe another month and salads might be possible.

Posted by: Mrs. JTB at April 20, 2019 01:37 PM (bmdz3)

30 Love the styxenhexenwhatever. Different take on things, does not GAS. Wardrobe and all.

Posted by: Burger Chef at April 20, 2019 01:37 PM (RuIsu)

31 Spring must be getting closer. The bomber flies are coming out. I don't know where they come from.

Posted by: Ronster at April 20, 2019 01:40 PM (eRnj9)

32 Posted by: Burger Chef at April 20, 2019 01:37 PM (RuIsu)

Yes I used to faithfully follow him but as his fame and viewership grew, his interaction with his viewers got spottier. I'm going to focus on his gardening vids because he is good at it, grows a lot of his own veggies.

Posted by: kallisto at April 20, 2019 01:40 PM (DJFLF)

33 great to see the flowers in full bloom ... spring is late here, but plenty of moisture ready for warmer days. Those azaleas must be in the south, since there is a palm in the picture. Quite the show of color.

Posted by: illiniwek at April 20, 2019 01:41 PM (Cus5s)

34 I have determined that all accusations about the IRS scandal and the intelligence misuse can be laid at the feet of Obama, in any and all forums.

After all, there has been no official exoneration of the Obama administration. So when they start about "collusion" we can start in about Obama's Police State.

Narrative a narrative, baby!

Posted by: Axeman at April 20, 2019 01:41 PM (YOhRS)

35 Just out of curiosity, how many black players were on the Yankees roster in 1939?

Posted by: Jaqen H'ghar at April 20, 2019 01:42 PM (5fSr7)

36 15 Sorry to hear that Insom. It'd be great to meet you in meatspace. Nurse thinks highly of you which is good enough for me.
Posted by: Winston a dreg of society at April 20, 2019 01:24 PM (5U303)

I'd definitely like to meet you and the other PNW morons. She is clearly an excellent judge of character!

Posted by: Insomniac - Founder, Farmer Liberation Front at April 20, 2019 01:44 PM (NWiLs)

37 Here in central Texas we are at the tail end of bluebonnet season, but DYC season is just now gearing up. What's a DYC, you ask? Damn Yellow Composite. And yes, that's really what they are called in wildflower parlance.

https://texashillcountry.com/texas-hill-country-filled-dycs/

The "damn" comes from the fact that our various species of yellow composites cross-breed enthusiastically thus making a more specific identification impossible.

Sort of like sea gulls, I guess.

Posted by: Art Rondolet of Malmsey at April 20, 2019 01:44 PM (S+f+m)

38 As always, the most beautiful pictures on the site each week. I love all the flower photos, and those ones taken with the macro lens are magnificent.

Looking at S. Lynn's garden, I would never believe that anyone in Idaho could have so much growing at this time of year! And I have never thought of covering my rosemary with plastic in the winter. Every winter it dies, so every spring I dutifully plant new ones, and then every winter they die.

My herbs have to be in pots though, because we don't get enough sun to put them in the ground (too many trees, which I don't think is actually a bad thing). I wonder if the plastic would work if the rosemary is in a pot. I am going to find out this winter, I think.

Posted by: bluebell at April 20, 2019 01:46 PM (aXucN)

39 Jane D'ohs azaleas are lovely. Mine are just now beginning to bloom. They are a dark pink and I love them. Makes me feel like spring is really truly here.

And I agree with S. Lynn that hyacinths smell heavenly!

Posted by: bluebell at April 20, 2019 01:47 PM (aXucN)

40 SW OH and everything is greening up. Had hoped the daffodils would make it to Easter, but alas, no. Most of them are past peak. The squirrels finished off all but one tulip that I planted in the wooded area off the front grass. The tulips around the house are in bloom.
I always have potted bulbs in a hanging container on our side porch. House wren decided to build her nest in the daffodil pot. That poor pathetic daffodil will have to remain in the containers for a few more weeks. Don't want to dislodge momma and eggs.
We 're going to be gone a lot this summer. One full month in Montana and two weeks in Iceland. Why yes, my husband loves to travel. Not planting much in the veggie garden. Have lettuce sprouting, onion sets are in and I put in yukon and white potatoes. Going vertical this year with the spuds. Wire cages with the potatoes planted in dirt and as they sprout will add straw. As the growth pops through the straw add more straw. Wire cages are wrapped in weed control fabric. Hope it works.
One third of the garden is berries. Raspberry, blue berry, blackberry and strawberries. I like to feed the squirrels berries as well.

Posted by: never enough caffeine at April 20, 2019 01:50 PM (N3JsI)

41 Gigantus Maximus the huge bee thought to be extinct has been spotted in some weird named place full of people who's name I can't pronounce..

Posted by: Professor Erwin Cory at April 20, 2019 01:51 PM (k3N8X)

42 Art Rondolet of Malmsey at April 20, 2019 01:44 PM
Interesting piece. Thanks.

Posted by: KT at April 20, 2019 01:52 PM (BVQ+1)

43 I planted my tomatoes early this year because of surgical date. Even though risk of frost is well over by the time they went in the ground, the ground is too cool for them to do much. All have survived and now are growing. 12 Amelias and 4 cherry tomato plants. Here in SE coastal NC its hard to find varieties that are resistant to the various nematodes, blights, and viruses present in our soil. The Amelias did well last year, hence the second planting. The cherry tomatoes are a new variety to me. Time will tell.

Posted by: Agitator at April 20, 2019 01:54 PM (m9DnX)

44 never enough caffeine at April 20, 2019 01:50 PM
Sounds like a lot of gardening to me, given your travel schedule. Let us know how it turns out.

Posted by: KT at April 20, 2019 01:56 PM (BVQ+1)

45 Agitator at April 20, 2019 01:54 PM
Never heard of Amelia tomatoes. Are they readily available in your area?

Posted by: KT at April 20, 2019 01:58 PM (BVQ+1)

46 Also had a bit of snow last week, but grass is greening, even saw the first dandelions in the warm sunny spots. Crocus are spent, early daffs blooming, late daffy & tulips still week+ out.
Big chore has been cutting all the trees knocked down from all the wind this year. Howling again since & 40's, not much gardening today.
My garlic looks great from the fall planting. Raked off the rest of beds last week & burned refuse in place to save time. Supposed to be a very nice Easter Sun calm & warm.
Those azaleas looked fantastic!

Posted by: Heirloominati at April 20, 2019 02:15 PM (cT+Os)

47 Big mushroom project next week, planning to start some oyster mushrooms for the first time, should be interesting.

Thanks for the gardening thread! Not always here to comment mid Saturdays, but always check it out later.

Long Live the Horde!

Posted by: Heirloominati at April 20, 2019 02:20 PM (cT+Os)

48 Heirloominati at April 20, 2019 02:15 PM
Nice nic.
"All the trees knocked down"?

Ugh. Where are you, roughly?

Posted by: KT at April 20, 2019 02:21 PM (BVQ+1)

49 Well, after the emerald ash borer killed all of the white ash they've had a few years to dry out. They tend to snap coming down all at once, snapping near the base, often hanging against other trees. SW MI has seen lotsa wind it seeems this year.

Posted by: Heirloominati at April 20, 2019 02:28 PM (cT+Os)

50 Normal garden planting is Mother's day here but thinking of stopping for plants this week, maybe just a couple of peppers and tomatoes.

Posted by: Skip at April 20, 2019 02:28 PM (BbGew)

51 First flower with bee is a prairie crocus.(wildflower)
We have oodles of them around here, illegal to pick.

Posted by: Speller at April 20, 2019 02:29 PM (pSotA)

52 We always waited til Memorial Day to be safe on tomatoes & other warm weather crops. Great Lakes weather can be, CRUEL, in spring. But, an extra 10-20 miles inland can make a big difference.

Posted by: Heirloominati at April 20, 2019 02:33 PM (cT+Os)

53 heirloominati. I'm envious that you're in SW MI. Love it there being that I'm from NW IN originally. Lived in IN and went north for enjoyment.

Posted by: never enough caffeine at April 20, 2019 02:40 PM (N3JsI)

54 Two weeks in Iceland? That's a lot of time in an expensive place. But I have wanted to go back, and circumnavigate the place in an SUV with the rooftop tent. It can be done in less than a week.

The trees are budding in Minnesota, except for the oaks. They're never in a hurry.

Posted by: Gordon Scott at April 20, 2019 02:43 PM (iB6rh)

55 Landed here by marriage. All four seasons. Farms, orchards, vineyards. Pace of life !
Similar to where I grew up...
I often say, same weather, different lake.
Too far NW Indiana starts to get dangerously close to Cook County, IL
Yikes.

Posted by: Heirloominati at April 20, 2019 03:01 PM (cT+Os)

56 Speller at April 20, 2019 02:29 PM
I think the photo at the top is a real crocus. The Prairie Crocus is in the Ranunculus family.

Pasque Flower. Fitting for this week.

Pretty. Toxic.

https://photo-bytes.com/183-pretty-but-dangerous

Posted by: KT at April 20, 2019 03:03 PM (BVQ+1)

57 Never Enough - shhhh ! Fortunately, no one on the thread today, so the secret is safe, for now.

Posted by: Heirloominati at April 20, 2019 03:05 PM (cT+Os)

58 No. I order the seed online and start myself. I don't think I have ever seen them as started plants down here. Seeds are relatively expensive but germination rate is very high. I planted 18 seeds and got 17 plants. This variety did very well last year until Hurricane Florence hit. Too much salty rain for them to survive. Decent size fruit and prolific.

Posted by: Agitator at April 20, 2019 03:06 PM (m9DnX)

59 ALH, nice choice - and I like your "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" birdfeeder there!

Posted by: Tom Servo at April 20, 2019 03:32 PM (V2Yro)

60 Good news Horde, the grass carp are already working in my pond.

Posted by: CSMBigBird at April 20, 2019 03:35 PM (xInes)

61 Rain, rain, go away... I don't care if April showers bring May flowers, my backyard has giant puddles. I suppose it could be worse - it could be snow - but the rain... it accumulates too!

Posted by: Ann at April 20, 2019 04:02 PM (NDO5Q)

62 Rainy and cool here.

Yesterday was sunny and warm, so I bought a 6pk of Better Boy tomatoes -- against my better judgment.

Now I must pot them up or they'll just get spindly and die.

Must get out the pots and bag of soil, make a huge mess, then make room to bring the plants indoors overnight cuz it's still too cold to leave them out.

All this trouble so we can have a few tomatoes that actually TASTE like tomatoes unlike the store-bought wannabes.

Posted by: JQ at April 20, 2019 04:15 PM (gP/Z3)

63 Agitator at April 20, 2019 03:06 PM
I looked Amelia up. Introduced in Texas in 2004 or 2005.

Bonnie Plants has it in "limited productions" for some Southeast locations, so maybe there's hope for some of your neighbors who don't start their own tomatoes.

Do you like the flavor?

Posted by: KT at April 20, 2019 07:37 PM (BVQ+1)

64 CSMBigBird at April 20, 2019 03:35 PM
I know nothing. Can you eat grass carp, too?

Posted by: KT at April 20, 2019 07:39 PM (BVQ+1)

65 I have such a hunger to begin planting. Since I'm renting, I can't dig up any new garden, so I'm limited to containers (repurposed cat litter tubs). I'll do a few tomato plants, San Marzano if I can get them, and begin collecting my favorite perennial herbs.

There's a weed-and-grass-choked border by the east-facing front steps, where I'm going to plants some lilies to put in the front by the steps. I've been hacking at it to break it up. I'm soaking Heavenly Blue and Scarlett O'Hara morning glory seeds overnight, for
planting tomorrow. They'll look great climbing by the front window and door.
I've been reading up on coconut coir blocks. They have no nutrients - what kind of pellets would I mix into this growing medium, and how much?

Posted by: Miley, the Duchess at April 20, 2019 08:18 PM (NMAzL)

66 Now I must pot them up or they'll just get spindly and die.

Must
get out the pots and bag of soil, make a huge mess, then make room to
bring the plants indoors overnight cuz it's still too cold to leave them
out.

All this trouble so we can have a few tomatoes that actually TASTE like tomatoes unlike the store-bought wannabes.

Posted by: JQ at April 20, 2019 04:15 PM (gP/Z3)

You can set them deeper in the ground; they'll send out new roots. That's what I do with spindly spring tomatoes that I haven't gotten around to planting sooner.

Posted by: Miley, the Duchess at April 20, 2019 08:21 PM (NMAzL)

67 From Idaho's Treasure Valley (Boise area): I'd love to know where S. Lynn lives, because if it's a less-frigid part of Idaho, it might be somewhere around here, and I'd love to meet up. (Is "meatspace" now the correct term? - what happened to "F2F"?)

I once tried overwintering a few carrots, but wasn't successful. This winter I tried overwintering 4 fall spinach plants, and 3 did make it. The herbs I've checked so far, look fine. My oregano's been through one winter, the spearmint and thyme more than that. The chives even survived our Snowpocalypse winter! But I haven't really inspected the sage or lavenders yet. (I'd like to try a rosemary 'Arp' since I hear that's the most cold-tolerant one, but anything outdoors would have to be able to survive to minus 18 F, which is a low temp we did have here, and I don't know if any rosemary can do that!)

I've spotted a few tiny carrot sprouts, and the second row of radishes is up. First 2 little asparagus stalks are peeking up. Another row each of lettuce and spinach seeds went in, plus a few fill-in seeds in the rows of peas. The red raspberries are leafing out, and we've given away one batch of roots to a friend.The neighborhood irrigation's due on, this week - I need that to get my potato pots watered! Indoors, we're still having a tough time keeping tomato starts alive.

My main accomplishment this week was turning over 2 bins of compost. Husband has needed to mow the lawn, spread weed 'n' feed, and spray weeds. We used an electric de-thatcher on some problem spots in the lawn.

Husband rescued a neighbor's riding mower out of a ditch, and in return, she brought us a big batch of herbs, including thyme and sage to dry, garlic leaves and cress to eat, and a chocolate mint to plant.

Tulips have started blooming - the first were the sort that are yellow, with red edges and "flames", and black centers inside - I love those. All of them seem to need digging and dividing - I'm trying to map them all so I know which bulbs are which colors, though I don't know if I'll be able to dig them neatly enough to keep them all straight.

We spotted a pair of California Quail strolling along behind the house one evening - must be time for them to pair up. Looking forward to all the little babies running through my back yard!

Posted by: Pat* at April 20, 2019 09:34 PM (2pX/F)

68 #67 Pat-I'm on the outskirts of Wilder. Maybe KT would give you my email address to contact me?

Posted by: S.Lynn at April 20, 2019 09:44 PM (RbwbO)

69 So many awesome colors in the photos, even the snow. No one comes close to the original artist/Creator of nature in recreating beauty among us.

Posted by: S.Lynn at April 20, 2019 09:48 PM (RbwbO)

70 Thanks for the tip, Miley.

It's just that the 'planting out' date here is generally Mothers' Day or the following week... so, nearly a month from now.

Hail storms, high wind, heavy rain, frosts are all likely until then.

Plants in those little 6packs (also 4-packs) dry out so fast, needing water even *twice* daily if they get enough sunshine, that they'll sometimes die if I don't repot right away to prevent that.

It's been good to bury them all the way up to about 2 or 3 sets of leaves -- regardless of plant size -- each time I've transplanted or repotted them.

Tomato "pinchings" also will root in water-- especially nice if you get a plant you really love but is horribly expensive, sterile, or rare-- and you want extras.

Posted by: JQ at April 21, 2019 12:00 AM (gP/Z3)

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