Garden Bloggers BloomDay March 2020..Socializing with the Plants

 Unless you decide to chew on an Oleander leaf, hanging out with your plants is a pretty healthy pastime.I did however manage to schedule a 3 day weekend that coincides with the first rain we have seen here since January. It looks to be intermittent so I hope I can get a few things planted and some mulch down between showers. I can't complain-watering the garden in March is just plain wrong and if this weather event had not come along it would have been a hose dragging weekend.

 My usually laid back Saturday morning grocery shopping was a Black Friday-esque experience -I have never seen so many people in Whole Foods at 8 am on a weekend. What were all these people doing in my grocery store ?  Why did I actually have to wait in line ? And a long-a** line at that. My shopping cart contents looked pretty measly compared with my fellow shoppers abundance piled high on the conveyor belt. Is my hoarding gene undeveloped ? I just felt absolutely no sense of urgency-in fact I was so intent on getting the hell out of that store I forgot to get flowers.The floral department was the only area in the store that was not clogged with humanity. Short sighted if you ask me. If I was quarantined I'd rather have 20 stems of tulips than 10 boxes of Rice Pilaf.

  I have 300 tulips in various stages of bloom in my garden, but I can't bear to cut them so I left the grocery store I drove to the farmers market . No hoarding seemed to be going on there but I don't think there is a toilet paper booth. I bought a mixed bouquet from a local flower farmer. If they grow for wedding designers they could be in for a bad year. I will continue to support them this summer even though I will have my own material to cut.

 So, lets move on to the real topic of this post --Garden Bloggers Bloomday hosted by the intrepid Carol of May Dreams Gardens . Be sure to visit and enjoy blossoms from gardens near and far.

 It's been a few months since I've put up a BloomDay post. I sure didn't have much going on till this month and I have been having some struggles with my computer files which has put a damper on blogging in general. I made a big mess of my Lightroom Catalog and I hope I have just about got it straightened out. So lets see what I found in the garden today.

  Last weekend I replanted this container -this spring stuff will stay til May and then I will have to change it out. I am fond of Pansies but they are not fond of summer.



 We had a very warm February and the Fuchsias have started to bloom. Not typical.



 I planted 350 tulips in fall, and they are cycling through early, midseason and late blooms. Some of these designations can be pretty meaningless in my climate. When it is 70 degrees in February Tulips can be a bit confused.I've been experimenting with different varietals over the last several years and try to keep to those that tolerate zone 9. I do refrigerate them for 8 weeks before planting. The pink is 'Rosalie' (highly recommended) and the bi-color is 'Dordogne'. I think it is too warm here for the latter to have it's best color.



 Geum 'Totally Tangerine' . A great plant ,but I should have cut it back to the ground in January. Too many old crappy leaves persist.


 The Hellebores have been fabulous this spring. I plan to add more this year.




  The Euphorbias are demanding attention. E. myrsinites is holding court on the hellstrip. This plant reseeds prolifically so I am going to dig up this year and replace with E. Rigida
  




  Euphorbia 'Portuguese Velvet'  has had spotty success here. It's been several years since I tried it and I'm feeling optimistic this time. We shall see.
 

 Euphorbia 'Blackie' was blown over in a windstorm last month. I have it propped up with a tomato cage but it is still listing. I had 2 at one point but the second was the victim of Random Euphorbia Death . You just never know when they are going to inexplicably kick the bucket.


But E. characias wulfenii always lives on. 
 


  I have Leucodedron success this year..very marginal plant for me but I have two that are holding their own.
  Luecodendron 'Little Bit'


 Leucodendron 'More Silver',



 The Pulmonarias are all in bloom.



 This is my faux Abutilon 'Victor Reiter' ...tagged as such but questionable.
 

  Borage blooms away most of the year. It's the first host for the bees in spring.



 Lady Banks has been chopped down to 4 ft stumps. She persisted in sending up succulent canes clustered with blooms. Her swan song before she is removed for good. One needs 'property' to grow this rose.


 Happy Bloom Day to one and all. No matter our challenges in a few days spring will be here.

Comments

  1. Great to see your blooms. Truly the best medicine right now.

    Very happy to see your Leucadendron 'Little Bit' doing so well. I've lost two now.

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    1. I think I lost 3 different Leucodendrons before the three successes I have now. Very much a trial and error part. At least when they go it's in year one so I don't waste too much time ! I'm going to give Wilsons Wonder a shot this year if I can find it.

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  2. I am impressed - you are way ahead of me for blooms. They are all beautiful! So nice to see Lady Banks rose - I had that one in my old garden.

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    1. I really struggled with the decision to give Lady Banks the heave-ho, but the pergola she lived on had dry rot and she was starting to encroach on the house . She gave me many years of pleasure. I still have my climbing Cecile Bruner though-much easier to keep in bounds !

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  3. Lovely blooms.I am envious of your collection of Euphorbia some of them like Euphorbia 'Blackie' is completely new to me.Your leucodendron are having good time.Happy bloom day

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    1. The Euphorbias do really well here for the most part, although they are short lived.

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  4. Your garden is looking fabulous, Kathy! 350 tulips! Will they come back for you? I had to chuckle at your 2 Leucadendrons - although I've been successful with numerous varieties, I managed to kill BOTH 'Little Bit' and 'More Silver'.

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    1. Tulips are an extravagance for me Kris. Most don't come back so I dig them all up and buy new ones every year.

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  5. I would love to see the look on your fellow shoppers faces if you stood in line with a cart full of flowers! I am jealous of your success with Euphorbia 'Blackie', the dark ones never do well for me.

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    1. I'm done standing in line, even for flowers ! Thanks goodness for the farmers market. I tried to go to Trader Joes today and when I saw the lines I turned right around and walked out. I'm only sort of successful with E. Blackie. I get 3 years at the most. And it's hard to find .

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  6. Aren't you glad you planted all those tulips now that we're on lockdown? 'Little Bit' is looking amazing!

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    1. Every year when I do tulip thing I tell myself I'm nuts and this is the last. And then when the catalog comes I say 'Ok, well one more year.' I love 'Little Bit' and feel kind of smug that Kris and Gerhard both had unfortunate results.

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  7. Another killer of both 'Little Bit' and 'More Silver' here. Feel smugger! ;^)

    Tulips, they fabulous, but planting them here even properly chilled is a guarantee of a ferocious late winter heat wave that arrives just as the flowers open. I'll enjoy your beautiful photos instead.

    Been trying to find a dozen eggs for a week. Not 10 dozen eggs, just one dozen. Can't. The Trader Joe's here is stripped bare, except for maple syrup and wine.

    Best wishes to you KS!

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    1. In fact , Little Bit is doing so well I might get another one. If I can find it. Eggs have been good at Whole Foods but you can just about forget anything in a can .

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  8. Hi, I just visited your garden and was extremely amazed to note all the show stopper garden plants. I for one can't imagine having them as they won't survive in my garden.
    But unlike what you mentioned, plants are not highly favoured in my region - currently with the pandemic, I can't imagine all the plants and flowers in the nurseries of which going through massacre.

    Anyway Stay safe and Take care during this Pandemic global lockdown - Happy Gardening.

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    1. Take Care yourself James. Gardening is a safe pursuit during this pandemic.

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