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sandyslopes z5b n. UT likes a comment on a discussion: Above average temperatures
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sandyslopes z5b n. UT likes 3 comments on a discussion: Hosta Mini/Small 2023 .....................................
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nicholsworth Z6 Indianapolis

sandyslopes..I’ve witnessed squirrels damaging lots of different plants 🙁..pretty sure it’s squirrels..but we do have wildlife (chipmunks, rabbits etc) so it’s possible the squirrels are innocent..
I’ve seen goldfinches here but not lately..
debra..have you ever had crocus damage?..

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undertheoaksgardener7b

Minis heave for me. But that are sooooo cute! Crumb Cake, all my true minis coming in last year under protective mesh, Teaspoon and Coconut Custard among friends, and my new carnivorous plant garden (in frost-resistant pot on a stand under a basket). Sigh.

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romanszone8

my crocus have come and gone now but my hosta babies are arriving!!!

I wish I would have kept my tags. Great advice here and i see so many varieties i want to add to my hosta garden. Starting with curly fries and teaspoon! 😍

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sandyslopes z5b n. UT commented on a discussion: A new addition to the garden?
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peren.all Zone 5a Ontario Canada

Sherry the losses are heartbreaking and I feel for you. It is never easy but getting Charlie will help both you and Abby. Charlie is beyond adorable! He will bring you a lot of joy and we know he will have a wonderful life with you. Here's hoping he goes around all of your plants.

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sandyslopes z5b n. UT

What an adorable puppy!

I'm sorry about the loss of your other dogs. They all have their own personalities that we miss. But you're lucky to have found a new pup that will be lots of fun, and no doubt will bring his own personality to your family to enjoy!

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sandyslopes z5b n. UT likes 3 comments on a discussion: my Blue Angel has too many new friends
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sherrygirl zone5 N il

Sure looks like a hosta leaf to me!

i ileave my hellebore be and have never seen any seedlings from it. do you have super soil or something?😉

Sherry

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nicholsworth Z6 Indianapolis

Sherry..I had the same thought as Laurie..do your hellebores have marbled leaves and burgundy stems?..my hydbrids do..a neighbor walked over with them and said ”my husband hates these..want them?”..no seedlings from them..

making and spreading compost has no doubt improved my soil..I don’t spray anything..my lot is very ”natural”..I have weeds but I don’t stress about it..

Laurie..I could fill the lot with hellebores and Clausa!!!…I did have lilies by the arborescens in that area but I removed them..guess I missed a few!..you surprised me that you noticed them!..do you relocate hellebore seedlings or destroy them?..I’ve moved quite a few over the years..it’s hard for me to destroy plants..but getting all of the work finished is tough..

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peren.all Zone 5a Ontario Canada

Ann the work never does end! I have been redoing so many beds that either got inundated with weeds or I was just unhappy with them. My garden is old so it happens after a number of years that you just look at it think...nope.

Your patch of Hellebore is fabulous!

Ann & Debra unseasonably gorgeous out for weeks then this week barely above freezing. It was snowing lightly this morning and even I have plants that have started emerging.

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sandyslopes z5b n. UT likes 2 comments on a discussion: Some of my crazy hostas are pipping, here in March!
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41 North (Zone 7a/b, NE, coastal)

Today looks like peak for the Camellias.




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romanszone8

And of course we have a freeze warning 🤣

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sandyslopes z5b n. UT likes 3 comments on a discussion: THANK YOU PAULA !!!
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hosta_maker

Good job paula

i see fb trying to imitate, but they are not the real deal.

no sense of humor!!

bigger is not better.

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indianagardengirl

My favorite comment among all the posts is this one from Paula:


7. Get dressed in street clothes at least once a week.


Thanks Paula for the entertainment and education!

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ilovetogrow z9 Jax Florida

Good evening! You guys made me blush. Thank you for making this ABC happen. You take the photos and keep the conversation going. Why look Spring starts tomorrow. You know Facebook has nothing on us. They were done way, way in the beginning of January,

As the Master of Ceremonies (I gave myself that name) I think we need to keep the ball rolling. Look for me every other Monday for a 'what have we been up to' kind of a thing. Thank you Thank you all. Even in Florida the winter can be long and look it is over! Yea Spring.

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sandyslopes z5b n. UT likes 2 comments on a discussion: Tulips in your garden 2023
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Jeb zone 5

Oh my gosh - tulips? They won't be blooming here for another four weeks or so! The daffodils have just started, I noticed some hyacinths coloring up, but the tulips are only showing leaves so far.

Since you posted a picture from last year, I have some shots of my tulips from last year too. I hope that isn't cheating! - I really love tulips in the garden, and the ones that I don't use as cut flowers all tend to return, multiply and flower very well for many years. (Don't hate me for that) I have tulips that were planted about 15 years ago along my front walk and they have gotten so thick this year I will have to dig and divide them. My summers are very dry and the soil is a fertile sandy loam which makes the tulips thrive here. I kiddingly call the areas of my garden "Little Keukenhof" that have tulips growing in them!


Mixed varieties of Lefeber tulips

Don Quichotte

Salmon Parrot

Blushing Beauty

Sonnet

Mixed Parrot tulips

More Don Quichotte - one of Grace's favorites!

I cannot remember the name of this one - Apricot something

Juan

Annika


I don't think you can ever have too many tulips! When the new ones start to bloom this spring, I will post some more pictures, if that is okay with you guys.

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mazerolm_3a

@mxk3 z5b_MI: thanks! They were a Costco mix of Triumph tulips so probably won’t return this year but I got sucked in by the Easter pastel colors


@Jeb: your tulips are just gorgeous!! Can’t wait to see your pics from this year!!!

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sandyslopes z5b n. UT likes 3 comments on a discussion: A Year of Bulbs
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Jeb zone 5

More bulbs growing and blooming today - it is so good to see things growing in the garden again


This is narcissus 'Small Talk' and it is 6" tall

More Iris reticulata

Narcissus 'Little Gem' - this grows only to about 5 - 6" tall but looks like a standard variety

My tulips grown for cut flowers to be taken to the market and sold this spring - they are protected from the rabbits, deer and the occasional stray water buffalo that love the tender new shoots

Tulip 'Juan' in its 2nd year - most of my tulips return as perennials and actually multiply at a good rate. My soil and weather conditions must be similar to the mountains of Turkey!

Pots of Bloodroot, crocus, and lilies

Narcissus 'Elka' - another mini daff

This is a new narcissus for me this year, it is called 'Breath of Spring' and it is very nice

Happy spring!!

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mazerolm_3a

Wow Jeb, they all look fantastic!! 🤩

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diggerdee zone 6 CT

I still don't have lots of daffodils in bloom yet, but these caught my eye as I was pulling out of my driveway. I have to go back and look at what I bought, but theses were newly planted last fall and I don't think they were supposed to be three inches tall lol. Perhaps it was the temperature swings that made them bloom so small??? You can kind of see a crocus right in front of them and the crocus is taller.


I think they are Tete-a-Tete daffs, which I know are small - I have some already from years ago - but even they are usually at least six inches tall.


Sorry, not great pictures- they were taken through the car window!




:)

Dee

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sandyslopes z5b n. UT likes 3 comments on a discussion: Hosta 2024 Garden Plans ............................
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ilovetogrow z9 Jax Florida

I thought it was the 3 Budweiser frogs.

My goals or plans are:

1. Not to appear in the front yard dressed in your pajamas and then chase birds down the street (crows).

2. Actually, get the repotting done. I am thinking of awarding prizes.

3. Get a better slingshot. Again crows.

4. Repair reclining lawn furniture as I fell though both this year.

5. Order soon the hosta. I am doing some moving about to make more room for them. The returns from last year are looking good.

6. Do more with zinnias.

7. Get dressed in street clothes at least once a week.

8. Feed the plants more.

9. Take better photos. Not just major masses of green.

and 10. Move the BBq, get the house painted ect ect ect.


I will be back on December 26 and I have already started saving jokes.


Fierce Bald Eagle, juvenile. He/she will be flying from tree to tree soon not just branch to branch.












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Esther-B, Zone 7a

I want to finally use the BBQ I had put together last year and invite some friends to a BBQ on the patio I haven't used yet. I want to move 2 overly aggressive columbines to their own containers so they don't overshade the hostas in the same container they're in. I want to plant a new Royal Tiara hosta, as mine didn't make it through the move to my house from my apartment balcony. I have already applied weed killer to many of the weeds invading the lawn and rose garden, and the kids next door promised to pull out weeds for me, as one of my prescriptions makes me dizzy to bend over and then straighten up.


And, with any luck, the new front door and side door, which I had ordered almost 2 years ago, will finally be installed by a 4th contractor. The first guy hasn't returned calls for 3 weeks, supposedly waiting for his star carpenter to get back to him. The second guy now has 3 hernias and is supposedly retiring, The third guy is not qualified to do advanced framing carpentry. But this 4th guy looks very promising. Wish me luck getting the beautiful new door and storm door installed, after almost 2 years. It's currently leaning against the dining room wall, where it does me a whole lotta good.

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nicholsworth Z6 Indianapolis

Paula and Kathy..I should step up with you both and add the wardrobe improvements to my goals 😂..

I went to Walmart again..now I have enough 😂..
my daffodils in front before our temperature drops..😢





Clausa has returned..there’s less than before!..but there’s more work to do..


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sandyslopes z5b n. UT likes a comment on a discussion: Germinating wild bergamot
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mxk3 z5b_MI

Update 2024: I never got around to sowing them out in the pasture back in 2022, but I did germinate them under the lights this year after about a month of cold stratification in the fridge. Easy as anything, even with 2-year old seed, and now potted up into large containers. I'll transplant them out into the pasture after DH does the mid-June cut-down.

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sandyslopes z5b n. UT likes 3 comments on a discussion: Hosta Companion 2023 ......................
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undertheoaksgardener7b

Camellias today, just a sample: April Kiss, Sadaharu Oh, Gay Baby, and Camille.

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indianagardengirl

Zone envy!!!!! Those are beautiful.

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indianagardengirl

Hellebore seedling with a double bloom :-)


More seedlings



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sandyslopes z5b n. UT likes a comment on a discussion: Found some pots….
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undertheoaksgardener7b

Debra, Miss America today and some color in my garden made me think of you.

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sandyslopes z5b n. UT likes 2 comments on a discussion: Hosta NOID 2023 ....................................
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old_dirt 6a

Paula - Love the juvenille eagle - I'm waiting to see (hopefully) a couple Great Horned Owlets soon.



Debra -Sorry, I'm no help in IDing yours. I have a few that I've had for several years and I think could be one of a few different varieties.


Just a plain green and not sure what the flowers are. This was sold as Sheila Macqueen but is far from it. I'm thinking close to Fortunei Hyacinthina but doesn't seem to spread like mine does.


Small gold - I called it Gold Edger?


Small blue - This one was sold as Elegans, it has never gotten any bigger than this in 10+ years. Possibly Hadspen Blue but not quite the same in my eye.


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ilovetogrow z9 Jax Florida

Do you know that owls DO NOT make nests. They steal them.

This owl mistook a duck egg to be its own.

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sandyslopes z5b n. UT likes 2 comments on a discussion: For better or worse, what garden "rules" do you ignore?
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indianagardengirl

Height rules - you must keep plants and shrubs below the windows! Not in my garden, where I love to see the flowers of my foundation plants peeking over the window sill from inside. I love that view more than I worry about what someone driving down the street thinks. Pic below from inside the house:



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nicholsworth Z6 Indianapolis

LaLennoxa..I won’t tell anyone Lol..it’s hard to leave the garden untouched until May..I’ve been cleaning a little..my bulbs were coming up with leaves stuck in their foliage..I bet we still have a decent amount of leaves compared to many people..

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sandyslopes z5b n. UT likes 3 comments on a discussion: Pollinators in the Garden
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arbordave (SE MI)

The temperature here yesterday afternoon soared to a new record high for December 9th (63 in Detroit, 59 at my location), and it was entertaining to watch various flies jockeying for position on the few remaining Nanking chrysanthemum flowers. Its flowers (as well as the flies apparently) are quite resistant to low temperatures - it dropped to 19 degrees overnight twice in the last 2 weeks. I did not see any honey bees out, however. It sounds like the related Ajania (C. pacifica) mentioned in a couple threads on the Perennials forum is also very tolerant of cold temperatures and a good plant for late season pollinators.





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arbordave (SE MI)

Happy New Year! A final posting for 2023. For those who may be yearning for an escape from the colder weather, a visit to a butterfly house can be an instant cure for the winter blues. These longwing beauties were easily approached at the Judy Istock Butterfly Haven in Chicago. Their greenhouse was home to quite a few other butterfly species as well (plus some interesting birds). I believe the species below are: False Zebra Longwing, Common Postman, and Sara Longwing. Not sure on the last one.





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arbordave (SE MI)

indianagardengirl, great photo – thanks for posting it. Today (3/8) was cool and rainy here, but it was warm and sunny yesterday afternoon when I noticed several honey bees visiting Cornus mas (even though the flowers had barely opened).

With the record setting warmth this winter (including an all-time record high for February in Detroit of 73F), pollinator season began much earlier than expected – this fly found some open witch-hazel flowers on Feb 9th (by far the earliest my witch-hazel has ever begun flowering).

Observed this hover fly visiting the witch-hazel on the day of record warmth (2/27). I think it is probably in the genus Eupeodes, which as a group are sometimes called “aphideater flies”.



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sandyslopes z5b n. UT likes 2 comments on a discussion: A Few Spring flowers
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lilykate7a

I love spring flowers too! We had early heat and my daffodils have ”flash bloomed” with early, mid and late all blooming together. I prefer a longer daffodil season!

See, all buds blooming at once!!



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shive

It's so nice to see those Spring flowers. My earliest daffodils started blooming at the end of February.



The Ice Follies started last week.


The miniature irises are blooming too!


On my neighborhood walk yesterday, I saw hundreds of daffodils, along with Saucer Magnolias and Tulip Trees in bloom.


Debra

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sandyslopes z5b n. UT likes 3 comments on a discussion: Hosta Large and Giants 2023 .........................................
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old_dirt 6a

I really like all the giants and large. Most of mine while still fairly healthy are smaller than a couple years ago.

Crazy For You

Hudson Bay

Krossa Regal

Sagae

Komodo Dragon

Sum and Substance


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nicholsworth Z6 Indianapolis

old_dirt..are you sure they’re smaller???..
they’re so BIG!..
your Komodo Dragon is fabulous 💕..

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old_dirt 6a

nicholsworth - Thank you but I did just pick the best ones from this year - This is Hudson Bay two years ago.



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sandyslopes z5b n. UT likes a comment on a discussion: Hosta Medium 2023 .................................
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undertheoaksgardener7b

Danubie Isla, Orange Marmalade with Moonlight Sonata, Remember Me, Mango Salsa

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