Random Friday

Sort of random.  These are all shots from my garden on a recent and rare sunny day.

I'm lucky to have sevaral daphne odora perfuming my garden.  These have a reputation for being fickle.  Here are my tricks for success.  Plant in horrible soil, don't worry about the amount of sun, step on the small plants several times a year, abuse the plant horribly.  This might explain why I'm not horribly upset that some jerk passerby snapped off a new variety that I'd planted in the parking strip  About three inches of it are left sticking out of the ground and it has leaves and blooms. (This obviously isn't that one.)

Speaking of jerks and the parking lot,   I was thoroughly enjoying walking past this Hellebore that this year hit it's stride and was quite full of bloom.  There were even a couple of photographers snapping shots of it a couple of weeks ago.

Someone decided that their personal enjoyment of the blooms was more important than leaving them to brighten everyone's day.  I put out a sign that says, "Please leave the flowers for everyone to enjoy." Much nicer than what I was thinking.

Who can stay angry when the sun is shining and crocus are spreading about so nicely.

Speaking of spreading nicely (no, not my waistline but good guess,) this clump of sweet violets continues to grow and choke out the grass in the front lawn.  I'll help it along with violets that must come out of a flower bed inside the fence. These are evergreen, don't seem particular about light or soil conditions, stayed green during the drought this summer that killed most of the lawn, and never need mowing.  I'll look for some other colors to add.

Narcissus 'Tete-a-Tete'  

 Meanwhile, out in the greenhouse the amaryllis (Hippeastrum) are going at it. 

Last year these hyacinths were planted in a pot, put outside, and brought inside when they started blooming.  The pot, bulbs and all got put on a shelf and kept bone dry all summer. The intent was to either put them in the ground or discard them if the bulbs looked too small to bloom again. Summer and fall got busy in the garden as they will and they were forgotten.  Imagine my surprise at finding them when looking for a pot for something else, foliage beginning to emerge from the bulbs.

Clivia beginning to bloom and on the left, the Manihot grahamii which I thought would be evergreen but seems to want to drop it's leaves each winter and convince me that it's dead, is coming back to life.

There's always some abutilon or other in bloom. 

It might be time to tidy the greenhouse a bit!

Nah, let's go back outside instead where the Stachyurus praecox is putting on it's late winter show.

An early species tulip.  Several clumps were planted for the first time in the fall.  I hope these will spread!

Meconopsis 'Lingholm'  (blue poppies) bloomed so beautifully last year, have returned and some seedlings are present nearby where I shook the seed heads.  How lucky am I?

Furry little Syneilesis leaves pushing out of the ground.  Isn't spring grand?  It's like a family reunion when beloved plants return.  I guess it's more like living in  resort town where one's rich relatives have summer places while you're left there as caretaker of the properties all winter.  Anyway, spring's cool.

Like every reunion, there may be a strange cousin or two.  The leaves of this poor Syneilesis are being eaten, maybe by weevils.  Coffee grounds on the way, hold on little plant.  Maybe this year, you'll get planted in the ground!

Happy weekend and happy gardening all!