Gardening, Home and Nature Thread, April 18

The weather can always double-cross you - - this is Kansas, after all - - but it looks like spring is early this year. I snapped these pictures earlier today.

March 20 update (survivor after a hard double-cross freeze)

Phlox grayi

Don't overlook those charming, tough small flowers that invite you to look close in the garden.

And a few of the small flowers featured today:

We're probably done with snow this year, and the temperature hasn't quite hit 100 degrees F yet, though it's come close. The big show is underway outside. Here are some of the early highlights.

Polemonium reptans

Dianthus gratianopolitanus

Linum-narbonense

Be sure to click over at the links for more cultural information and photos, including some larger-flowered plants.

Edible Gardening/Putting Things By

2026 Maple Syrup report from the Great White North
We had a very strange maple syrup season this year. We started early March, which is typical, then after bottling our first batch, cold weather returned & shut down the trees for almost 2 weeks. It's not unusual for sap flow to stop when the temperature remains below freezing for a few days but the break this year was the longest in the 15 years we've been doing this. Optimal sap production happens with temperatures of about 45F during the day 25F at night. Sunshine helps. We had very few such stretches this year.
Regardless of the weird weather, we had a very good year, better than Quebec & New Brunswick (our top maple syrup producing provinces). We made a record amount of excellent quality syrup with no sediment. The quantity record was more a result of having more firewood than ever.
As usual, we had our 3 helpers, Maggie, Molly & Candi. You only have to pet their heads to know its maple syrup time. You can feel the hardened droplets of maple syrup they get from hanging around below the spout of the coffee urn style dispenser we use to fill the jars.

WoW! Great yield! Great information! Love your helpers.

Adventure of the Mind

Thought you might like these dogwood pictures from Virginia. The best part is they are very pretty AND I don't have to drive into Washington DC to see them unlike the Cherry Blossoms. This seems to be the week my dogwoods peak and I am enjoying them.
Thanks for the garden thread, as it another one of the AoS decompression safety valve posts it is much appreciated.
Hrothgar

Gardens of The Horde

What's going on in your garden? Got any greens growing?

Hope everyone has a nice weekend.

If you would like to send photos, stories, links, etc. for the Saturday Gardening Thread, the address is:

ktinthegarden at g mail dot com

Remember to include the nic or name by which you wish to be known at AoSHQ, or let us know if you want to remain a lurker.

Week in Review

What has changed since last week's thread? Gardening, Home and Nature Thread, April 11

I closed the comments on that post so you wouldn't get banned for commenting on a week-old post, but don't try it anyway.

Posted by: K.T. at 01:35 PM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 hay

Posted by: Ghost of Turbines past at April 18, 2026 01:43 PM (jrgJz)

2 Daffodils and forsythia are just about done here. Tulips thriving! Dogwoods starting to open their flowers, fruit trees blooming everywhere.

Posted by: JQ at April 18, 2026 01:44 PM (rdVOm)

3 Got a late start on tomatoes & peppers, so they're just now ready for repotting. That's on my list for this afternoon, along with another lawn-mowing. Spent couple hours running string trimmer yesterday so hands/arms still a bit shaky, LOL.

Posted by: JQ at April 18, 2026 01:46 PM (rdVOm)

4 Thanks for all those lovely pictures, KT and everyone who contributed!

Posted by: JQ at April 18, 2026 01:49 PM (rdVOm)

5 Good afternoon Greenthumbs

Got a load of 6" cinder blocks at work leftover so improved my wife's compost bine.and had to take the weed whacker around for the first time this year.

Posted by: Skip at April 18, 2026 01:53 PM (Ia/+0)

6 I just bought my first tomatoes and shishito peppers. We had a slight frost on windshields, but no frost on the grass, so the bad frosts are probably over with.
I hope.

My onions and potatoes are coming up though, so we are getting on in the season.

Posted by: Kindltot at April 18, 2026 01:56 PM (rbvCR)

7

Here in SW Wyoming my apple tree is blooming and other trees are leafing out. Tulips and daffodils are blooming.

The weather this winter has been weird. Last week it's been in the 20's and next week it will be in the 70's.

We'll probably have a blizzard in May, lol.

It's never boring.

Posted by: four seasons at April 18, 2026 01:57 PM (3ek7K)

8
Spring is busting out all over here! A 3-foot kingsnake slithered across the yard a few days ago, a 6-inch lizard just tried to enter the house, and those 3-inch moths are sitting on the walls. The 18-pound cat, of course, is oblivious. One for the pet thread.

Posted by: Blonde Morticia at April 18, 2026 01:57 PM (n7rxJ)

9 Daffodils are blooming, hostas are up, my pollinator garden perennials are popping out, and the lilacs are budding. Spring is bustin' out all over SE Michigan!

My tomato seedlings are a foot high now and looking very healthy. I thought I held back late enough to start seeds but I overshot it by at least two weeks, and now I've got triffids a month before planting time. I'm very vulnerable to seed catalogs in the grim dark days of February and start them to immanentize milder weather.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes. at April 18, 2026 01:58 PM (kpS4V)

10 Hanging out on the deck with son #1 and kitty Pippin with coffee and a view of the Cascade mountains.

Beautiful morning out here.

Posted by: nurse ratched at April 18, 2026 02:00 PM (PqWuF)

11 Only in t0s next two days and looks like frost is possible Monday

Posted by: Skip at April 18, 2026 02:01 PM (Ia/+0)

12

We have a severe drought situation here. Strict water restrictions, no outside water use allowed.

No gardens, landscaping allowed unless you can use reclaimed water or have a well. Most people here don't have wells.

It's a bummer because were so looking forward to planting vegetable plants this year.

Posted by: four seasons at April 18, 2026 02:01 PM (3ek7K)

13 Kindltot, I started shishito seeds (among others) and have three plants for my garden. I love them sautéed with a bit of soy sauce, and there's always that spicy one in the mix! Like roulette.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes. at April 18, 2026 02:01 PM (kpS4V)

14 Beautiful flowers as always, from the widespread climates of The Horde. Love those dogwoods, Hrothgar.

I ordered some fancy irises last year, and they're beginning to bloom. Will get pics.

Posted by: Miley, okravangelist at April 18, 2026 02:02 PM (w6EFb)

15 Did use oregano that is starting to come up on a pizza yesterday

Posted by: Skip at April 18, 2026 02:02 PM (Ia/+0)

16 Kindltot, I started shishito seeds (among others) and have three plants for my garden. I love them sautéed with a bit of soy sauce, and there's always that spicy one in the mix! Like roulette.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes. at April 18, 2026 02:01 PM (kpS4V)

My wife pickles them in soy sauce, garlic and sesame oil, so she adores them. The lady at the farmer's market remembered me from last year when my wife was telling her about how she prepares them.

Posted by: Kindltot at April 18, 2026 02:06 PM (rbvCR)

17 Lovely dogwoods, Hrothgar! Looks like you have a very pretty yard and environs.

I stuck to Columbia and Ellicott City for the cherry blossoms. D.C. looks lovely during the festival but I hear it's a gauntlet of idiots with selfie sticks making duck lips at their cameras.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes. at April 18, 2026 02:06 PM (kpS4V)

18 sorry--willowed, doing chores before going to meet daughter and grandgirl:

"The Church doesn't pay for a lot of things that their mission seems to indicate they should.
Plenty in The ChurchTM like to milk that same old hustle that made a lot of robber barons of the church wealthy in the past.
Giving to The Church is not the same as giving to God, as The Church is very much administered by men.
A lot of stuff in the church was dismantled in the 60s (as with a lot of other things) and one of the first things undermined was a truth, that giving the best was for God.
So yeah, nuns should dress from Walmart, like the poor, instead of wearing a handloomed habit that lasts for 50 years if you take care of it--there's poverty, and PovertyTM.
Get rid of the Latin chant and the choir, and have Father Goodfriend strumming two chords on the guitar while the youngsters swoon.
I'm not expressing it well, but it comes down to the modern ChurchTM pretty much being a skinsuit, like a lot of other institutions.
And yes, their team runs their social media. Francis had to do a lot of backtracking on his idle ruminations, which were given great airplay as coming from The Mouth Of God, when useful"

Posted by: barbarausa at April 18, 2026 02:08 PM (enw9G)

19 over and out for a bit--thank you all for good discussion, and sorry to OT

Posted by: barbarausa at April 18, 2026 02:08 PM (enw9G)

20 Can maple syrup be fermented?

Posted by: Commissar of plenty and festive little hats at April 18, 2026 02:09 PM (Kt19C)

21 Can maple syrup be fermented?
Posted by: Commissar of plenty and festive little hats at April 18, 2026 02:09 PM (Kt19C)

honey can, and syrup is very similar.

Posted by: Oldcat at April 18, 2026 02:13 PM (Ai6WH)

22 Can maple syrup be fermented?
Posted by: Commissar of plenty and festive little hats at April 18, 2026 02:09 PM (Kt19C)

https://expertbrewing.com/can-you-ferment-maple-syrup/

a key is you need to dilute it cause it is too sugary to support yeast growth

Posted by: Oldcat at April 18, 2026 02:16 PM (Ai6WH)

23 It's a bummer because were so looking forward to planting vegetable plants this year.

Posted by: four seasons at April 18, 2026 02:01 PM (3ek7K)

plant some in a barrel or pot and water from inside

Posted by: Oldcat at April 18, 2026 02:17 PM (Ai6WH)

24 Dogs in the jarring area? Seems...unsanitary.

Posted by: Dog fur syrup at April 18, 2026 02:18 PM (TbWk/)

25 Well, it is definitely spring around here. We have a couple of robins that decided our front yard is theirs. Every time we pull into the driveway they stop and give us the stink eye for interrupting their food shopping. And they aren't subtle about it.

Posted by: JTB at April 18, 2026 02:18 PM (yTvNw)

26

Oldcat,

That is a good idea but our indoor water use is being monitored by the town. It's really bad here.

Posted by: four seasons at April 18, 2026 02:19 PM (3ek7K)

27 Darned robins! There's one that likes to sit on my car's rearview mirror (for long periods) and crap all over it and the door. Fortunately just passenger side but still gross.

Posted by: JQ at April 18, 2026 02:24 PM (rdVOm)

28 Maple syrup can be fermented like any other liquid containing sugar but for me, it's too much work making to be used for that.
What I do enjoy is drinking maple sap instead of water for a month in the spring. It's crystal clear with a hint of sweetness (about 2-3% sugar).

Posted by: PointyHaireBoss at April 18, 2026 02:25 PM (ndKAo)

29 Dogs in the jarring area? Seems...unsanitary.
Posted by: Dog fur syrup at April 18, 2026 02:18 PM (TbWk/)

You should see how he makes the donuts..

Posted by: Just the punchline at April 18, 2026 02:26 PM (nbLIj)

30 It's still too cold at night to turn on the outside water, but once it's warm enough-- little robin will get water-cannoned!

Posted by: JQ at April 18, 2026 02:26 PM (rdVOm)

31 Backyard report. After the unusually nasty winter I hoped our shrubs would survive but didn't assume they would. The lilac is in full leaf but almost no flowers this year. Bummer. I love going into the yard on a cool, moist morning and the scent can fill the yard. The rose of sharon, the dogwood and the crepe myrtle are really leafing out. The crepe is in a container but it came through.

Definitely a win for the good guys and a pleasant surprise.

Posted by: JTB at April 18, 2026 02:26 PM (yTvNw)

32 I thought Mead is honey fermented

Posted by: Skip at April 18, 2026 02:28 PM (Ia/+0)

33 The groundhog that burrowed under my deck is out with the warmer weather and gnawing on my plants.

Is groundhog good to eat?

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes. at April 18, 2026 02:29 PM (kpS4V)

34 Mead is an ancient alcoholic beverage made from fermented honey, water, and yeast, often called "honey wine". Its flavor varies widely based on honey type (like wildflower, orange blossom, or buckwheat) and additions such as fruits (melomel), spices (metheglin), or apples

Posted by: Skip at April 18, 2026 02:30 PM (Ia/+0)

35 Beautiful flower pictures, KT ...

Posted by: Adriane the Gather Ye Rosebuds While Ye May in April Critic . . . at April 18, 2026 02:31 PM (3ZUWJ)

36 Maybe I should make liquor.
I've got the syrup.
I've got the hair of the dog.
mmmm....

Posted by: PointyHairedBoss at April 18, 2026 02:34 PM (ndKAo)

37 It's been an odd but beautiful spring. First the daffodils appeared and lasted longer than typical. The ornamental cherries and pears bloomed. The tulips came up the last few weeks and now the irises are up in all their purple and white glory.

Posted by: JTB at April 18, 2026 02:35 PM (yTvNw)

38 It snowed twice this week, with none of it sticking, but none of the existing snow leaving, either. We still have about 8 inches on the ground. Another storm is moving in this coming week.

My garden is still in starter flats under lights. I need to get into the greenhouse this week and clean up the pots so my cucumber starts can get put in bigger containers. I think I can get the gate open with a little bit of shoveling.

Should have the greenhouse up and running by the beginning of May. I won't be planting the garden proper until the end of May at this rate.

Posted by: tcn in AK at April 18, 2026 02:39 PM (DwqWV)

39 The Bradford Pear trees bloomed about three weeks ago and soon the Crepe Myrtles will bloom. I’ll submit some pictures soon.

Posted by: Unkaren at April 18, 2026 02:39 PM (utGqj)

40 Love the maple syrup pups. Look they want to be a helpful handful. That photo could be used in the pet thread as well.

Posted by: JTB at April 18, 2026 02:39 PM (yTvNw)

41 I'm very vulnerable to seed catalogs in the grim dark days of February and start them to immanentize milder weather.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes. at April 18, 2026 01:58 PM (kpS4V)

Those catalogs are crack.

Posted by: tcn in AK at April 18, 2026 02:42 PM (DwqWV)

42 Kansas is way behind Texas - all of our hyacinths and daffodils have already bloomed and died. The Japanese irises, too. Our lawn service came out last week and dug up the pansies and replaced them with the summertime begonias and incase.

Our antique roses were delivered this week - Mr. TiFW didn't get his "guy" here in time to prepare the beds, though, so we've had to just place them outside in a holding pattern until we can get someone here to do that. I wanted to get our lawn service guys to do that while they were here last week, but no, Mr. TiFW insisted his guy could do it.

Guess who called and said he didn't know if he could fit us into his schedule this week? And guess who is mad at ME that I made him put the plants in the north yard where they would be protected from the elements (and neighborhood strays of the human kind)? I gave him plenty of warning that they were arriving this week....🙄🙄🙄

Posted by: Teresa in Fort Worth, Texas, AoSHQ's Plucky Wee One - Eat the Cheesecake, Buy the Yarn. at April 18, 2026 02:43 PM (SRRAx)

43 40 Love the maple syrup pups.
Jack Russell mixes.
39 total pounds of mayhem.

Posted by: PointyHairedBoss at April 18, 2026 02:47 PM (ndKAo)

44 I know The Science (TM) says there isn't a connection between weather and acorn production. But after this especially nasty winter I still wonder if our white oak will make a bumper crop of acorns. The squirrels would appreciate it. The previous couple of years the numbers were low after mild winters.

Posted by: JTB at April 18, 2026 02:48 PM (yTvNw)

45 Here is a musical interlude, at risk of turning it into either a boob or fashion thread, since Hope's shirt is amazing:

Mazzy Star - Fade Into You (Official Music Video)
https://youtu.be/ImKY6TZEyrI

The three ladies are fine; Hope Sandoval (lyrics, lead vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica, Hammond organ, percussion) and Suki Ewers (keyboards, rhythm guitar, bass) are still with the band, while bassist Jill Emery left music to focus on her art. The three gentlemen -- David Roback (composition, guitar, keyboards, piano), drummer Keith Mitchell, and violinist/keyboardist William Cooper [Glenn] -- have all died of cancer.

They're pushing up daisies.

Posted by: SciVo at April 18, 2026 02:54 PM (Sy6m/)

46 Planting taters next week. It's been unseasonably cool until now.
Meanwhile spreading peat moss over freshly seeded lawn. Damn crane fly has done a number on it.

Posted by: Diogenes at April 18, 2026 02:54 PM (2WIwB)

47 Tulips blooming in spite of a bit of snow this week. Other spring flowers done. Daffodils not happy this year from lack of snow (I guess...many hundreds). If I replant instead of the peach daffodils I am going to stick with Winston Churchill narcissus as they grow no matter where you put them.

O/T but I think some of you may watch Tousi TV for independent news of Iran.

Five of his reporters were arrested last night in Calais by French polics. No charges. He mostly mocks Starmer, who is hanging out with Macron before he has to address his Parliament in London on Monday for defending a pervert.

I hope (and pray) Tousi and others come to the USA. The only free country (so far). Insane.

Right, Macron. Arrest these guys vs the Africans and eeslamists invading.

Posted by: ChristyBlinkyTheGreat at April 18, 2026 02:58 PM (WONhk)

48 Did use oregano that is starting to come up on a pizza yesterday

Posted by: Skip at April 18, 2026 02:02 PM (Ia/+0)

How on earth did you get oregano to grow on pizza?

Posted by: Miley, okravangelist at April 18, 2026 02:58 PM (w6EFb)

49 Beautiful flowers I love Texas, but the rhododendrons and dogwoods of the pacific northwest are hard to beat.

Posted by: LASue at April 18, 2026 02:58 PM (aVbgC)

50 Hoping these rosebushes will perform like their previous sisters did many years ago. We are planting them in the same location that the ones we had to take out were originally in, but in the decade or so since then, the pecan trees that were volunteered by the squirrels have matured to provide much-needed shade on the south side of the house. It used to be blisteringly bright and hot in that area, but now it is mostly shady.

The bushes may get some sun, but it may not be enough for them to bloom profusely like they did before -

Posted by: Teresa in Fort Worth, Texas, AoSHQ's Plucky Wee One - Eat the Cheesecake, Buy the Yarn. at April 18, 2026 03:00 PM (SRRAx)

51 Caraganas are blooming here. Nothing else.

Posted by: Ronster at April 18, 2026 03:01 PM (LjEfn)

52 Oregano is a perennial, you do have to pick it, it doesn't grow in the oven

Posted by: Skip at April 18, 2026 03:01 PM (Ia/+0)

53 Oh Skip!

Posted by: Miley, okravangelist at April 18, 2026 03:05 PM (w6EFb)

54 Miley, have you planted your Okra?

Posted by: Ronster at April 18, 2026 03:21 PM (LjEfn)

55 Love dogwoods. Especially the pink ones.

Posted by: Quarter Twenty at April 18, 2026 03:24 PM (9ok2J)

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