Random Spring Stuff from My Garden

Snowdrops and crocus are finished, hellebores continue and, with the advent of warmer weather, new leaves are popping up everywhere.  Now, if I could only remember where I planted those tulips last fall.  Oh well, if they lived, they'll bloom one of these days. Let's take an after-work stroll around to see what's new.

Impatiens omeiana 'Silver Pink'

Podophyllum 'Red Panda'

Magnolia time!

Begonia pedatifida

Acer palmatum

Yellow violets

Peony 'Coral Charm'

 In the greenhouse, clivias are putting on  a nice show. 

I have several rhipsalis that are all different but were all sold with a label reading simply Rhipsalis.  It's a step above "assorted succulents."  Anyway, this one, which I think is rhipsalis salicornioides, has yellow blooms  that perfume the entire greenhouse for a couple of weeks. 

There are various echeverias and aloes blooming in the greenhouse as well but some of the flowers are hiding behind other plants at the moment.

Tillandsias did well this winter. 

Back outside - Tree peony. 

Some rhododendron purchased years ago at Heronswood for it's interesting foliage.  It's finally decided to bloom.  Since it's grown too large for the space, seeing this will make it easier to cut back nearly to the ground.

The vibrant pink color of these Acer palmatum leaves lingers until mid summer.

The main trunk broke under the snow load and I just noticed it.  Hope it'll survive.

Sinopanax formosanus  looking unfazed by the strange winter weather. 

 Agave 'Mr. Ripple'  looking a bit battered but the center is still firm so hopefully it'll be okay.

Daphne odora makes everything better, right? 

I hope spring is bringing you lots of happy surprises!

Happy weekend all!

A Sunny Saturday Nursery Hop Part Two: Valley Nursery

Have you ever been so overwhelmed by all the spring tasks that need doing in your garden that you simply run away from it?  What better place to run than a nursery?

I have this in my garden but it hasn't achieved this grand size. 

You may recall a post last week featuring this noxious weed in a hanging pot in my garden.  What can I say, that golden color seduced my eye.

Lots of gorgeous hellebores but I already have enough. 

Some cool plants for inside as well. 

Been there, have that but isn't it beautiful.  

Fabulous Agave 'Blue Glow' and planter combination.  

Gold variegation was speaking to me for some reason and Rhododendron 'Blattgold' also came home with me. 

Edgeworthia chrysantha 'Akebono'

Ranunculus flowers always appeal to me as they remind me of one of my early garden mentors in Alaska who grew these in her garden.  They never last long in my garden here but make a nice splash in seasonal pots.

Interesting use on a broken pot. 

There's always an agave!

Oh those double primroses are so sweet. 

Camellia japonicas are in full swing now and will be producing flowers for quite some time for us to enjoy.

So, I got away with only two plants this time and only one of those required planting.  

My spring break is next week and I'm hoping for great gardening weather. I promise to actually work in my garden rather than trying to escape the horror of it all. 

It's time for the semi-annual plant migration to begin.

Wednesday Vignette - Signs of spring

Wednesday Vignette is hosted by Anna at Flutter and Hum.  Click here to join the fun. 

There will come soft rains and the smell of the ground,

And swallows circling with their shimmering sound;

And frogs singing in the pools at night,

And wild plum-trees in tremulous white;

Robins will wear their feathery fire

Whistling their whims on a low fence-wire;

And not one will know of the war, not one

Will care at last when it is done.

Not one would mind, neither bird nor tree

If mankind perished utterly;

And Spring herself, when she woke at dawn,

Would scarcely know that we were gone.

- Sara Teasdale

Tell the Truth Tuesday

On Tuesdays, Alison at Bonney Lassie encourages us to tell the truth about our gardens by showing areas of them that are not looking great at the moment.  Since my entire  garden all looks great  between 1:00 and 1:15 a.m. on August 12 when it's dark outside, it's always easy for me to find material for TtTT posts.  It gives the phrase point and shoot an additional meaning.

The oldest camellia, previously entirely upright, now has splayed trunks.  The one on the far right must have partially broken off to be hanging that low and it'll need to be cut off but why not wait until the blooms are gone?

The Camellia flames in the fire pit aren't looking particularly nice at the moment.

The topiary was severely cut back to reduce it's size and now is throwing a fuss by wearing brown splotches.  Schefflera delavayi in the foreground is also pouting for some unknown reason.

My love of Narcissus 'Tete-a tete'  caused me to buy a few bulbs in the fall.  They're easy to fit in just about anywhere but must be there were some extras that got planted in  a pot, thrown in a corner and forgotten until this flash of gold caught my eye.  One must admire the stunning way the black plastic pot doesn't really fit in the ceramic one but is stuffed there anyway.  It's so hard to get good help, isn't it...

What's offending your senses in your garden this week?