Wow, so many new countries have signed on! Up to 47. Welcome to Jordan, Bahrain, Mauritius, Pakistan, New Zealand, Chile, Qatar, Jamaica, France, Slovakia, South Africa, and Gabon (Western Africa - I had to look it up.)
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| pieris - Japanese Andromeda |
We were teased terribly by an early spring heat wave. People wearing shorts and sandals, air conditioners turned on and plants and trees forced into early bloom. Heaven!!!!
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| zinnias |
I have been burned in the past and I have learned from my mistakes. I have to restrain myself. I waited to start seeds indoors. How many years have I had a jungle growing in my basement because I couldn't wait to start my tomato plants? Most gardeners know that tomatoes grow like weeds when the temperature soars.
The stores already have tomato plants for sale. You know some poor soul is going to put that in the ground and lose it to frost. Last night and tonight we have frost and freeze warnings. I will wait til Mother's day to set my summer plants and seeds out.
I have planted some perennials. Siberian Iris, Liatris - blazing star, and bugle weed.
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| home to new perennials (and a few weeds still) Just wait a few months |
Ready to go into the ground is Chelone lyonii - false turtlehead and Culver's root Veronicastrum virginicum. Culver's root is a native beneficial to butterflies and other pollinators. Chelone glabra is the host plant for the Baltimore Checkerspot butterfly. I will add this as well when I can find it (cheap and on sale.)
The critters have not been kind to the small shrubs I planted last fall. No deer. Bunnies. Saw it with my own eyes or I wouldn't have believed it. If they survive, great. If not, I may replant and protect them in the fall with wire. My dogwoods and paw paw look great, but they were larger plants and could tolerate more trauma.
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| My little dogwood - rabbit food |
I haven't been to the farm garden recently. I know I have root crops and greens I can harvest. Got sidetracked by a trip to Florida for a birthday party, (Happy Birthday Aunt Shirley 100!!!) and the UMD Extension service Demonstration Garden. And last but not least - the flu.
I did take a walk around the yard to see what is happening:
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| Mountain Mint |
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| bearberry and fall blooming anemones |
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| bearberry - a native ground cover that has red berries in winter |
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| painted fern |
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| black eyed susan |
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| broken boxwood (thanks, Bear) cut all but one limb |
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| native columbine |
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| dicentra - bleeding heart will die back and disappear then come back next spring |
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| hostas and violets |
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| hostas |
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| naked ladies in front |
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| pachysandra in bloom |
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| phlox |
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| photinia fraserii - new foliage is red |
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| photinia |
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| virginia bluebells - mertensia virginica with pieris |
My next plan is to get to the farm garden to get it in shape for all the seeds I have started. I still have about 5 weeks.
No rush :)
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