Azalea + Hyacinth

I picked up a couple of plants on the cheap today. I just couldn't help myself. I got a pretty "Double Crimson" azalea at Stop and Shop for $6. The tag tells me nothing about it, but I put it by the side of the driveway to see how it will do there. If it makes it through winter plowing season then that will be great! I also got some "blue" hyacinth plants at Walmart for $2.50. They look more like a purplish-blue to me, but they're very pretty.

I also got one bed mulched with 5 bags from Walmart. I figure I need at least 10 more to get the rest done, which means lots of hefting in my future.

New purchases:





In front of the house:


Grape hyacinth and scilla, pool bed:


Other grape hyacinth patch with barberry:


The sand cherry (can't see the 10 weak flowers on it?) It's going to get at least another year to try and make a recovery:


The wild poppy Terry gave me that I thought had been lost:

Some New Perennials

I picked up a few new perennials this week, and also found out I've been ripping out a few perennials I thought were weeds. Oops. I *think* I've been pulling the anemones I planted in the pool bed a couple of seasons ago. I'm letting them grow this year and seeing what happens. I'm basically taking a much more hands off attitude this year with weeding, which suits me fine. Apparently I've been ripping up some perennials in the crowded island bed in the front yard, including Cushion Spurge, a type of euphorbia. I actually waited for it to "bloom" this spring, and it turns a pretty yellow color. I've got it all over that bed, so I may put it all in one or 2 big spreads when I move things around in the fall.

New purchases were pink moss phlox for the front bed near the garage, and some electric blue for a neglected back bed near the basement door. I got a nice full Phlox Laura to replace the 2 bareroot plants from VB that failed to come back this spring. And a blue agastache to replace the Siberian irises that also failed to come back. Also, 2 beautiful evening primroses.

In good news, my transplanted Russian Sage has put out new growth so I won't have to replace that. This is its 3rd year and hopefully it will bloom well in its new home. I have a long list of items to call VB about that I'm not looking forward to. My Blue Drumstick Alliums are actually grape hyacinth, my blue tulips look like they're going to be red or pink, and my frilly white daffodils are just more of the yellow minnows that made up part of my order.

Jenn tells me VB will happily replace items that don't match what I've ordered, so I hope they make good on their offer. I should be getting a ton of replacement bulbs/plants this fall if that's the case!

Here are lots of pictures from this week.

The cushion spurge, aka Euphorbia polychroma:



































Barberry filling out well in the pool bed:









































A wildflower (I think) growing in the back yard:










































The Japanese maple is huge now that it can see the sun:










































Yellow Minnow Daffodils - 3 blooms per stem:










































Front beds slowly filling in. Bob's azalea should be blooming pink soon under the living room windows:










































Forget-me-not:


































Neglected bed near basement door. I ripped out most of the invasive multiflora rose. The vinca is in bloom and here is the new electric blue moss phlox. This azalea will bloom bright red in a few days.









































Blue and white muscari actually turned out to be 2-tone, but I like them anyway. Here is 1 of my 2 primrose:
























































Magenta primrose:









































Pink moss phlox:

Hellebores!

I guess the big news is that the hellebore I have planted in the pool bed started to open today. I wasn't sure if it would open at all this year, so I'm pretty happy. Major thanks to Terry (again). The weeping cherry reached its peak earlier in the week, and the blue and white muscari in front of the house are just about at peak. I think the tulips and frilly daffodils in the front will also open within the next few days.

Scillia in the pool bed:

Everything is Taking Off

I'm amazed at how quickly everything is sprouting and flowering. All of my VB bulbs are now up, even the hardy glads. My weeping cherry is almost in full bloom, and the lilac should be flowering within the next week or so. We'll see if the sand cherries put out flowers this year. This will determine if the big one stays or gets pulled. I'd like to yank it and put the Japanese maple next to the pool shed, and move the smaller sand cherry to the front yard where it can thrive in a sunnier location. I suspect this will be the end scenario. I also have blue bells/scillia beginning to flower in the pool bed.

My basement seeds are really taking off now. I wasn't watering them enough, go figure. I have cosmos and zinnia sprouts as well as plum and beefsteak tomatoes. I should also have parsley, oregano, basil, and 2 types of impatiens sprouts within the next week. I have spinach sprouts on the north side of the house as well, although it looks like the sugar snap peas and moonflowers aren't going to germinate. Oh well. Soon I will move our marconi, jalapeno and ancho pepper plants outside. Some of them are beginning to flower already and need bigger pots.

The big shocker has been the butterfly bush. It was sparse and leggy last year, and I'd been cutting it to the ground in the spring the last 2 years. I read conflicting advice online and decided to leave it alone this year. Sure enough, It's got new growth within 6 inches of the top of the existing canes, as well as new canes starting at the bottom. I'm leaving it alone and I'll give it a light trim in the hopes it will fill out and provide more flowers this summer.

And my male holly has made almost a full comeback. It just needed a little fertilizer, who knew? The leaves have turned green and it's putting out all kinds of new growth. Overall the gardens are doing great. My only concerns are my 2 VB bareroot Phlox "Laura" plants, they don't seem to be doing anything. And my transplanted Russian Sage....I'm watering it a ton in hopes it will make it. If not I'll replace it end of summer.

Here's what's happening now.

Hanging pansies from Willie & Terry are thriving near the garage. I picked up 4 blue plants at Walmart this week at $1.25 a pop and potted them up on the front stoop. It gets the same amount of sunshine (a bit in the morning) so I'm hoping they'll thrive there.





















































The weeping cherry nearing full bloom with white/yellow daffodils:



























The daffs:




































Blue and white muscari.....they look purple thus far. We'll check back in a few days:

It Feels Like Summer

The weather here has been ridiculously warm for April, with temps in the 70s and today is breaking 80. I've gotten all the beds cleaned out and I went ahead and planted my mother of thyme plants along the front walk this week. Actually, I planted and Jake watered each plant - such a great helper! We also planted his biodegradable birthday card from Grandma Gumby today. It's forget-me-not seeds, and he was very excited to plant and then water the seeds.

The first daffodils opened up yesterday, and I should have a nice show by the weekend. They are all bulbs planted by the previous owners, the ones I planted in the fall are weeks behind, but growing. I think the tulips will bloom before them. I have purple grape hyacinth and bluebells about to open up in the pool bed, and what is supposed to be blue and white grape hyacinth ready to open out front. I suspect the "blue" hyacinth will actually be purple, but we'll see.

My shrubs are all looking good, and everything seems to have survived the winter. The only one I'm concerned about is the Blue Prince Holly, which has a bunch of brown leaves on it. The stems looks healthy and I see new growth, so I'm going to follow my mother's advice and give it some chelated iron as soon as I can pick some up.

A few pictures from this week are below, I suspect I'll have lots more pics within the next week.

"Giant" Purple Crocuses: