Springtime Awakenings!

21 Mar '07 2:38 am

Hi Liza. In summer I have a lot of butterflies single out these flowers for feeding. When I first started growing it it would die off in the winter because we were colder for several years. So I would grow it from seeds every year. When it warmed up during the winters, I noticed it made it through the winter and even reseeded (but just a bit). Now the plants are fairly old but I think you could grow it as an annual if you wanted. (Not that you need to .. the butterflies like you just fine the way you are.)
-Mark

21 Mar '07 2:46 am

Long time no see. Yes it would be nice to get visits from our on-line gardening friends, but seeing the pictures is definitely solace. If you ever do get up this way you know you would be most welcome. We're thinking of going to southern california for part of spring break in a couple of weeks. I like having tea at the old estate garden in San Marino, the Huntington. If the wildflowers are still in bloom we might also choose a route to take some in.

By the way, how did that Sunset thing work out? Has your garden tour happened yet? I remember you had a lot on your plate the last time we talked. Please let me know how it went.

Happy gardening, Mark

21 Mar '07 2:57 am

Well, we are both online, so we almost have the opportunity to chat. I have often wished that when I see other Forum members are logged on, I could send them a direct message at the moment.

I haven't heard anything from Sunset yet, and may not for a while. I'm not holding my breath. The garden tour is scheduled for June 9, so I am holding my breath over that. I am scheduled for an MRI tomorrow to see if I have to have surgery on the knee. My dear husband has been trying to help me all he can on the weekends, but there are some tasks that only I can do, such as weeding. Bless his heart, he just doesn't know what's a weed and what isn't. I'll keep everyone posted about my progress (or lack thereof) and try not to whine too much.

21 Mar '07 4:54 am

This has been such a delightful corner of Mooseys -I have spent some time visiting the gardens on the individual sites -Lovely ! Best wishes for your scan today ,Faith - we are anxious for you too .Yes it is heart - warming seeing a familiar avatar down the bottom of the page - makes this such a special place to be .And I am quite envious about all the butterfly visitors !
Dixie

22 Mar '07 9:46 am

Hi there, Liza.

How wonderful your spring gardens are. We, on the other hand are still waiting for the snows to melt. Soon though. Then back to the earth again.

I'm so glad to read your posts again. It's been a long winter.

Christopher

28 Mar '07 8:41 pm

Dear Christopher! I just saw your post! Oh, yes, a long winter , indeed!But I long to see your happy babies blooming again in your happy garden! I long to see again those adorable ...Mad Daisies! How madly gorgeous they are!

I have been gardening myself like crazy these last days, soon after the sun returned again...Lots of things to be done...I am posting now some photos I took from my ...springing garden recently in early morning, like I promised to Gordon and Bambi a few days ago,...... while here it was snowing!.. They are simply some garden corners , that have just started being a little more colourful these last days.

29 Mar '07 12:59 am

My dear Liza, I just wanted to say thank you so much for sharing your wakening garden with us! Such beautiful photos - I particularly love the composition of your Kerria Japonica into the blue sky! But I can't believe your daffs are only just coming out - is this true or have I got the wrong end of the stick? The reason I'm confused is because mine have been blooming for weeks and you're no further north than me, so I thought our gardens would be pretty much on a level as far as that's concerned (obviously yours is much bigger, better and more established than mine but that's beside the point! Wink

).

My tulips are only just blooming now but I didn't realise they were short-stemmed like your one and they're a bit swamped by the daffs that I planted them amongst, so that's a job for later in the year - to try and identify which is which and move the tulips!

29 Mar '07 2:19 am

Ooh, Liza, your springtime photos are so fantastic. Where do I start? First, I love that pot with a treeform plant in bloom in your entrance garden. What is the plant, possibly a rose? Also, I love your violets in the heart border; and the beautiful heart border itself. I have self seeding violets in my gardens now that came with some gift plants from my father's garden. They are trying to take over, but I love them so much because I think of him every time they bloom. And of course your tulips and daffodils are also favorites for me.

I was just interrupted by the honking of the pair of Canada Geese who have decided my back pond is a nice place to hang out. They were swooping low over my back deck on the way down to the pond.

Anyway, back to your lovely spring gardens. I am so happy that spring is finally coming to your garden. I can't wait for all the beautiful photographs that will be coming from your garden this summer. Enjoy your sunshine, dear Liza!

29 Mar '07 6:14 am

Thank you for sharing your awakening garden ,dear Liza .It is easier now to understand how it all fits together -front and back .I have seen the pretty blue gate in another photo ,from the other direction I think ,and the blue pot with orange flowers is a gorgeous and brave colour combination .I,too, have been wondering what plant the standard is in your entrance -viburnum?
Dixie.

29 Mar '07 7:15 am

Wow , my friends! I did not expect that we'll have so many things to discuss! I love it! So:

Bambi! I loved a lot , too , that Kerria+blue sky photo! I found it very ...Spring optimistic! And about the darling Daffs! You know , there are so many varieties! The first to flower are always the short ones. And among the tall ones, the woodland ones, are those that bloom first and multiply a lot! Remember the Daff-carpets at the Chateau? Now. In the garden the old ones(: between 5-3 year old), have been blooming for the last two weeks -- poor things, with the rain, snow and cold...You can see them clearly in the big size of photos no 12, 18, and 19. I do not plant them in big batches, cause I want them to have a natural growing look in the garden from afar or near, like being self-grown, or wild flowers, like soft touches of brush in a painting. I prefer planting the tall ones in the middle or in the back of the border, like I do with the tall red and yellow tulips (:Darwin Dutch ones). The dwarf tulip varieties are planted at the edge of the borders, or in the small borders. I love , too, planting tulips singly or by two/three, in order to grow and look like wild poppies in the meadows...

Another factor , that enables your Daffs to grow earlier, is that your garden is protected all around , and it is not open completely to the cold winds and frosts..They are happier your babies , and grow earlier! Voila!

Springtime Awakenings!

Tracheleum is a butterfly magnet.

Hi Faith,

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