My mother had several plant collections, she collected rare alpine plants, most of which were 2 to six inches tall, and I never did appreciate them, but I loved her Primula collection, odd gilded Victorian primroses, hose in garter prims, Japanese primroses, drumsticks and species. My first love in my own garden was the Lily, I loved the trumpet and oriental lilies for their rich deep scent. I lived with more than 200 different modern rosebushes for five years and only one was fragrant Double Delight, and I could not stand the gawky bare limbed growth habit of those H.T.s and Florries. THEN LUanne changed my life with one suggestion "since your'e looking for fragrance why don't you try growing Old Garden Roses ? I did and never looked back. I was enchanted to know that I could and would grow the white 'Rose of York' and the Lancaster Red Rose, cloned from descendants from the same plants that bloomed in medieval Europe. The white Musk rose that Shakespeare wrote so sweetly of, is in my garden now about to bloom. The history and mystery of Old Roses endears me to them, I love knowing that I see roses blooming that I grow the white rose of York, known since the 1400's in England, and that white rose and the red rose of Lancaster was likely to have been seen by both Shakespeare and the Tudor family back when knights fought in tournaments, and some people truly believed that unicorns might exist, the wild eglantine one sees in Queen Elizabeth 1's portraits, painted in the 1500's, are a symbol of virginity and I have held the wild eglantine in my hand, so small and frail and perfect, and smelled the welcome scent of its leaves on a moist breeze. - the rare and only yellow garden rose, brought from the middle east, seen in the paintings of the dutch masters was so rare in the 17th century that one painter had to wait months for a yellow rose bloom to appear in the marketplace, so he could fulfill his patrons request for a yellow rose in a still life. The many Tea roses blooming in my California garden, and the Banksiae have ancestors in China, and I would love to see them all in their native habitat. I love roses best with companions, the photo posted recently with hollyhocks and red Valerian in profusion with one Le Vesuve in the center is my idea of high beauty; lush colorful companions with a queen in the middle. O, Splendor, O, Joy!!! The leaves,up to 15 leaflets upon one stem, fern shaped leaves of Scotch Burnets, pleated rugosa folaige, the scent of the Incense Rose leaves, more strongly scented than many a flower of a modern rose, the flagon shaped hips of Alba Semi Plena, and millions of R. moyessi hips, hips as large as cherry tomatos on Magnifica rugosa, tiny sprays of black hips an ornament many Spinosissima roses, the lush grow of de la Grifferaie' blue-green leaves of the Alba roses, pretty arching growth of a pegged Hybrid Perpetual Ulrich Brunner fils' , and many scents of the different rose classes, , classic Damask, to the sexy scent of Tea roses has opened a world to me that I could not dream to comprehend before I knew of any rose other than 'Peace'. -and best of all, the people I meet at Old Rose events, and here on gardenweb that share their love of roses with me. Thank you all for sharing your beautiful writing, Lux

I think that finding the right varieties of rhodies is most important. Like Mainegrower I have a number of rhodies, both evergreen and deciduous. I see quite a bit of difference in how the evergreen ones come through the winter, based as Mainegrower said, on both siting and variety. Also, those winters that get to -22 and windy, the portions of some of my rhodies (like the one I inherited with my house that I think is a "Roseum elegans") that are above the snow look rather frost-bitten for a few weeks until the new foliage emerges, but then they are fine for the next 10 months. Winters like this one where it was quite mild, all my rhodies look great, despite not having much snow cover. The ones that I currently have that come through the winter with foliage looking best even in challenging areas are some of those with smaller leaves that have been bred for cold areas like PJM, Checkmate, or Olga Mezitt. The leaves of the first two are a nice mahogany in cold weather while Olga M is more olive green. However, the screaming magenta of PJM blooms isn't for everyone and is quite common in this part of NH. There are many others that I haven't yet tried and I'm adding a few every year. A couple of resources that might be good to give you ideas include the search option for the ARS database, linked below. One of the options is to search for plants hardy below a certain temperature, and if you choose a temperature lowest than your coldest temps you should find they come through pretty well. It doesn't have every variety I've ever come across, but it has a great many. Someone else linked you to http://www.rosebay.org/chapterweb/index.htm, the NH/MA chapter of the ARS. They have some slide shows of New England (including southern NH) rhodie gardens that might give you some ideas of varieties. They also have a listing of New England nurseries that you might find helpful. And, as Mainegrower said, you don't have to plant only rhodies. I have some nice tall native shrubs/small trees that grow in shade, like Cornus alternifolia (pagoda dogwood) or Viburnum nudum and V. cassinoides, that while not evergreen, have nice winter branch structure and seasonal flowers and pretty foliage. There are also lots of other natives and non-native plants you can mix with rhodies to lengthen the season of interest and provide variety of structure and form. Here is a link that might be useful: American Rhododendron Society database search

Laura, Oops, the link didn't work and I know I looked at it right before I hit submit and it was there then. Let me try it again and we'll see if it 'stays' where I put it this time. Don't become too discouraged. We still have the rest of June and all of July, August, September and October--and probably November...before the first freeze comes. You still have tons of time to get tomatoes. Y'all still have reasonable temps and heat indexes up there, so tomato set should still occur....unlike here (my time to whine) where I have been driven in from the garden today by a measley old high temp of 90 degrees, but a heat index of 101. One-oh-one. What did we do to deserve that? Texas is getting the rain and we're getting the humidity, and that doesn't help the dry soil at all. I want to trade my weather for somebody else's weather. Your plants ought to correct quickly if it is waterlogging. Dig a trowel down into the soil right between two plants and see if it has that mucky, sour swampy smell of soil that's been wet too long. --If it does, you'll have to wait it out. --If it doesn't, your soil is already drying and your plants probably need a good feeding to boost them. I'd run straight to the store (or the garage or garden shed if you already have some plant food in it) and get them some Miracle Grow for Tomatoes or, even better, one of the Bloom Booster fertilizers like the one MG makes or Super Bloom (my favorite, and my Lowe's here carries it). Feed them to help them recover from the overabundance of rainfall. In this case, because you want a quick boost for them, a synthetic fertilizer is preferred to an organic one because most organic ferts are slow-release, and you need fast-release in this instance. The plants ought to take off and go mad with growth if their problem is a lack of nourishment due to previous waterlogging. Their leaves will untwist and uncurl and return to a healthy green. My plants last year took about a full month to start looking 'right' and growing at a fast rate after the waterlogging began drying out, but they made an amazing comeback and I bet yours will too. If you feed them, and see a general green-up or new growth, but the old growth stays twisty, then let's worry about a virus or something. Right now, though, without seeing your plants and based on your description, I just think they're hungry. It could be the heavy rains washed available nutrients out of the soil or it could be the roots have been clogged with water and couldn't take up nutrients or it could be both. When you feed them, wet down the ground and wet down the foliage so they can maybe absorb some nutrition both ways--via the roots and via the foliage. Don't give up on your tomatoes. Those plants WANT to grow and produce fruit, but the excess moisture has stopped them. All they need, most likely, is a good feeding and several days without rain to allow the soil to dry up and you'll be back on the road to 'happy times' in the tomato patch. Dawn Here is a link that might be useful: TAMU Tomato Problem Solver

AUGUST***** Pennsylvania - salvias, especially red ones; black-eyed susans (though the rudbeckia goldstrum are done); chelone; zinnias; marigolds; moonflower; a few ratty-looking nasturtiums; one persistent "Happy Returns" daylily which is happily returning!; blue mist shrub, beautiful and effortless; "Clara Curtis" chrysanthemum; ornamental grasses; boltonia 'Nana'; Heliopsis; Phlox paniculata; Chelone; Centranthus; balloon flower; Gaura; Stokesia; Coreopsis; the Sedum and Solidago are close to starting; Nepeta and Yarrow are just starting to rebloom; Lantana, Pentas; mini petunias; alyssum; Cleome; Brazilian Verbena; Ageratum 'Blue Horizon'; Cosmos; Portulaca; Dahlias; Morning Glory; Daylily "Rosie Returns"; Hosta plantaginea; Begonia grandis; Anemone 'September Charm' Maryland - Japanese anenome; Lobelia cardinalis; Cannas; Naked lady lilies; four o' clocks; hardy hibiscus; helianthus; morning glories; rosemary Washington, DC - Caryopteris; Hibiscus 'Lord Baltimore'; cannas; castor beans; Verbena bonariensis; Asclepias curassavica; Asclepias tuberosa has already bloomed and it should do even better next year; Catmint; Begonia grandis; Pineapple sage; Achimenes (a.k.a. magic flowers, widow's tears, among others) outdoors this year. They definitely love the heat. Among the best are 'Purple King' with big deep purple flowers--blooming continuously since late June; Achimenes cettoana is smaller growing and took a bit longer to get going, but has been covered with smaller luish-purple flowers for several weeks. SEPTEMBER***** Maryland - Garlic chives -- oh, dear, more seeds! Sunflowers, Gaura from madgardnr--this drought baby won't stop! Coneflowers, Figs - (they're flowers!) Tomatoes & cukes, Balloon flowers (pruned after 1st bloom), Aster tartaricus 'Jin Dai', Heteropappas 'Blue Knoll', Allium senscens glauca, Kirengeshoma palmata, Trycirtis hirta 'Miyazaki', Cimicifuga Racemosa (C.Simplex will bloom later in the fall), Clematis (an un-named white that goes all summer), Grasses!! But still waiting for Pennistum Moudry to bloom. Sanquisorba, Ceratostigma plumbaginoides, Perennial Begonia (Begonia Grandis), Salvia guaranitica 'Argentina Skies', Sedums, many types (pinched early and often to prevent summer blooming), Nippon Daisy is in full bud. A few summer bloomers still making an effort: Rudbeckia Hirta, Verbena bonariensis,Ground Cover roses, Nepata, Agastache,Buddleia, Coreopsis,Scutellaria biacalensis. And lots of annuals are still going strong. Species nicotianas, zinnias, pentas, Ceratotheca triloba, Ricinus communis. Artichokes (1 at least) seem to be firing up for a second season, too. Anemone Japonica, Roses Butterfly Bush, Liriope, Pyracantha 'Mohave' (w/berries). Hmmm...Rosemary "Hardy Hill" ("Hill Hardy?") just starting. Many Roses, Butterfly Bush (Buddleia), Sedum "Autumn Joy", Mist flower (Eupatorium coelestinum), Mirabilis jalapa (Four O'Clock), Cleome hasslerana, Crepe Myrtle, Anemone, White Wood Aster, Unidentified lilac-color aster, Marigolds, Eggplants, Scarlet runner beans, Purple, green white bush beans, Garden Phlox, Ceratostigma plumbaginoides, Passiflora caerulea, Datura "Blackcurrant Swirl" finally starting, Agastache Foeniculum. Plus lots of (other) annuals that have been blooming nonstop all summer. Washington, DC - Annuals: Ceratotheca triloba (one of my favorites!), Celosia spicata 'Flamingo Purple', Salvia guaranitica 'Black and Blue', Cannas (various cultivars), Datura (unknown species, marginally a perennial), Fuchsia 'Gartenmeister Bonstedt', Rehmannia angulata (annual, biennial, or short-lived perennial), Dolichos lablab Perennials: Begonia grandis, Caryopteris (unknown cultivar), Hibiscus 'Lord Baltimore', Persicaria 'Red Dragon' (not very showy, but cute little white flowers), Verbena bonariensis. Unexpectedly, Spigelia marilandica is putting out a second flush of bloom! Pennsylvania - Boltonia 'snowbank' and 'nana', Obedient Plant, Chelone, Russian Sage, Japanese Anemones, Sedums are just starting. 'Clara Curtis' chrysanthemum. Phlox paniculata are going strong. Purple Dome Aster is in bud. Roses are blooming their hearts out. Annuals that are going strong include: Salvia, several varieties, Alyssum, Portulaca, Cleome, Zinnias, Morning Glory, Ageratum, Pentas New Jersey - Golden Rain Tree (Koelreuteria paniculata), Crape Myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica) OCTOBER********** Pennsylvania - "Medallion" rose is blooming, also Japanese anemones, mums, "Black-Eyed Stella" daylily, asters, gerbera daisies, "Burgundy" gaillardia and coreopsis. Scentimental rose and knockouts are going strong. The pineapple mint is flowering bright red and the mums are in full swing. After tonight's 28 degree frost though things will change. Hollyhocks are still blooming. Double anemones are blooming, so is geranium Nimbus, still have blossoms on Coreopsis ?Limerock Ruby?, lots and lots of johnny jump ups, the autumn crocus are just in their full glory, plenty of purple and rose chrysanthemums, a few pinks here and there, a very pretty sedum with blue foliage and lovely rose pink blooms, buddelia still hanging in there, coneflowers still blooming, too. Roses still blooming are: Buff Beauty, Frederic Mistral, Abraham Darby, Angel Face, Mary Rose must have 30 blooms on her, Sombrieul has 10 to 20 blooms, a couple on Graham Thomas and Tamora, Darlow's Enigma, and the fabulous Brilliant Pink Iceberg never has fewer than 20 blooms on her since May. Four or five different clematis are blooming onesy-twoseys Maryland - "Gruss an Aachen" rose has 12 buds. Salvia Involucrata 'rose leaf sage' is the color of the fuschia zinnias in the same garden. Picked up a cutting at the Baltimore Conservatory plant sale this spring, and the plant is now at least 4'high by 2' wide. I never imagined the flowers would be so beautiful. Lovely surprise. The Nippon Daisy (shrublike) is in full bloom, having it's best (third) year yet. Climbing aster Acarolinianis is just getting started. Blooming is white wood aster, aster 'Alma Potschke', plumbago, hardy begonia, japanese anemone, toad lilies, lobelia cardinalis, eupatoriam purpureum, obedient plant and New York aster. Sedum 'Autumn Joy' is still going and hyacinth bean vine (lablab) is still going and going and going... I've even had a few blooms on my clematis tanganutica. I also have camellia bushes in bud and they should pop in a couple of weeks. Cyclamen hederifolium is pumping out blooms! Started a few weeks ago. Oddly, my Digitalis lutea are throwing up bloom spikes (spring bloomer). Aster tataricus 'Jindai" is in full bloom. What's really happening out there is that the plants have finally received adequate water during the past month, and are spreading! I was out planting bulbs today, and found offshoots and stoloniferous spreading everywhere I tried to poke in a bulb. Foxglove is also blooming, although it is almost finished now. The blue monkshood is in full flower and the cleome is in its final flush. Two or three salvias are still at it and the alpine strawberries look like they are going for one more little crop. Aster oblongifolius Raydon's Favorite doesn't begin to bloom until October and is still at its peak. A great easy care plant but a bit of a thug. Neighbors are always wowed. New Jersey - Camellia sasanqua 'Sparkling Burgundy', C. s. 'Pink Butterfly', Impatiens omeiana(perennial!), Salvia suaveolens, Cestrum parquii, a perennial which flowers midsummer-frost. Fall blooming Crocus. Salvias including Van Houtei, Indigo Spires. Hedychium coronarium. Washington, DC - Most true perennials have stopped blooming, with a few exceptions: Begonia grandis, Hosta sp. (not sure which, small narrow dark green leaves and tall spikes of purple flowers), Persicaria 'Red Dragon' (tiny white flowers not terribly exciting, but the plant is still putting out new foliage, which is much more dramatically colored with the cooler weather). Many annuals or tender perennials still have flowers: Asclepias curassavica, Begonia sutherlandii, Cannas, Ceratotheca triloba, Datura sp. (metel?) (having removed all fruits as they form), Morning glories, Salvia guaranitica 'Black and Blue' (but nearly finished), Verbena bonariensis (first year in my garden, not sure if it will be a reliable perennial or not) NOVEMBER****** Maryland - Still have cyclamen, salvia greggii, autumn crocus, pansies. Rosemary, pineapple sage, cosmos, Japanese anemone and blooming roses, chrysanthemum Sheffield, Clerodendrum bungii, ?Stella? daylily, pervoskia, fall anemone. The Cimicifuga racemosa are in full bloom and smell wonderful (though I have to walk into the middle of the garden to smell them :-). Cimicifuga simplex is covered with racemes and just starting to open. (Frost always came too early in NH, so I never saw C. simplex bloom in that garden.) Salvia involucrata 'Rose leaf sage' still blooming and untouched by frost, (love that fuschia!), as is the S. guaranitica. I plant 30 or 40 Argeratum "Blue Horizon" (2 feet tall and branches madly) every year in a garden that's becoming too full of perennials to accommodate them...but I can't stop. They deal with lack of rain, too much rain, are not susceptible to early frosts and take drought and sun and just bloom! I've cut nearly everything else in that garden down, and the ageratums are going to keep blooming 'til Christmas. Pictures I've seen in catalogues never do these justice. They have larger leaves and are much more graceful and a deeper blue (not purple) that the pics show. Great annual. Nicotiana sylvestris are still putting out fresh blooms in the shady areas. These came back from last year and I'm curious to see if they'll go one more winter. My Cyclamen is still blooming, and the leaves are coming up ten inches away from the flowers, so this has more than doubled in size since spring planting. I want more and am going to try some from seed this winter. I think I need to find room for a Camellia or two :-) Butterfly bush is still going strong (bloom height must be above the first freeze); whereas, mums starting to blow. Circium japonicum, Echinacea, Saffron Crocus, Spiderwort, Tomatoes (like they'll have time to set fruit!). Spring Swap goodies: Asters, Gaura ?Apple Blossom? from Madgrdner--this is a great plant! White Salvia - from First Kim (gee, that name bothers me. LOL) A few blues I can't identify (DH removed tags--GRRRRR!) Craziest one? My neighbor's lilac is blooming! No kidding! Narrow-leaved sunflower (Helianthus angustifolius). This attention-getting late season perennial grows 6-8 feet tall and doesn't start blooming until mid-October, then produces a "tidal wave" of flowers that can persist for six weeks. The stems tend to lean over neighboring plants when in bloom, although I've read that a stronger branching structure can be produced by cutting the plant back in early summer (before it has grown to giant size). To add to the above, my aster carolinianus - climbing aster is blooming it's head off, camellias in full bloom and New England aster just stopped a couple of days ago. Still some blossoms on my Lonicera sempervirens 'Blanche Sandman' and sporatic blooms as well on Lonicera sempervirens f. sulphurea 'John Clayton'. Elaeagnus! I can still catch a whiff of this in the garden. Great fragrance. New York/Connecticut - Osmanthus, Disanthus and Hamamelis virginiana are all at their blooming peak right now! New Jersey - Salvia 'Indigo Spires', Spilanthes (stolonifera)?, Verbena 'Snow Flurry', Cestrum parqui(hardy here), Camellia sasanqua 'Sparkling Burgundy' 'Seventh Desire','Pink Butterfly', 'Sekkugeke', 'Leslie Ann', 'Shishigashira', 'Little Slam'(just starting) Camellia oleifera, Camellia 'Mason Farm', 'Snow flurry ', Camellia sinensis, shrub and groundcover roses. Washington, DC - Fuchsia 'Gartenmeister Bonstedt'--still going strong, in fact looking better than it did all summer. Lobularia maritima (sweet alyssum), Salvia guaranitica 'Black and Blue'--still a few flowers, Persicaria 'Red Dragon'--tiny white flowers, but any are appreciated right now, and the foliage looks fabulous (cool weather really brings out the color). I'll have to go check, but I believe there are still a few flowers on Verbena bonariensis and Lantana 'Miss Huff'. The blue monkshood is in fullest bloom, aster are now just past their peak in the middle of November. Pennsylvania - Camellias and Galanthus reginae-olgae are in flower now. Delaware - My Camellia still hasn't flowered, due to the cold and snow we got a couple weeks ago. However, the flower buds haven't dropped off, so maybe there's hope. DECEMBER***** Pointsettias JANUARY****** Ice FEBRUARY****** and Snow MARCH 2003 ******* The end of one of the harshest winters in the Mid-Atlantic for many years. *Posted by ChrisMD 7 (My Page) on Tue, Mar 4, 03 at 7:46 Saw the first crocus today, Cream Beauty. * Posted by: Blueangel Md 7 (My Page) on Tue, Mar 4, 03 at 8:17 I have helleborus blooming as well my Arnold Promise witchhazel. * Posted by: KidHorn 7a MD (My Page) on Tue, Mar 4, 03 at 10:06 Nothing. I think the ground is too cold. I think the daffs and hyacinths will come up later than usual this year. Good thing. Last year they came up early and were hit with temps in the teens in late March. Killed a lot of blooms. * Posted by: Nannie6 z6PA (My Page) on Tue, Mar 4, 03 at 10:16 Nothing yet. Still a lot of snow covering everything. But today is the second day in a row that the sun has been bright and it's wonderful! So, again, I walked (rather trudged and slid) all around, looking and dreaming. * Posted by: aka_Peggy Md6b (My Page) on Tue, Mar 4, 03 at 13:22 I have some daffodils planted against a brick wall with a south facing exposure. They started to emerge a couple of weeks ago. Everything else is still covered in snow. No blooms for awhile here. * Posted by: mary11 6B/7 (My Page) on Tue, Mar 4, 03 at 14:18 I am starting to see dead grass where some of the snow has finally melted away -- everything is relative this year, I guess... * Posted by: steve_NJ z7A NJ (My Page) on Tue, Mar 4, 03 at 22:09 Hamamelis 'Jelena', Hamamelis-yellow, 1 daffodil bud, Wintersweet. * Posted by: robin_DC (My Page) on Wed, Mar 5, 03 at 14:28 Oddly enough, this morning I saw some green sticking out from the snow and cleared it away to discover what appear to be dianthus, with a few buds, buds but no blooms. Other than that, everything is later than usual. Daffodils, tulips, and crocus stems are just starting to emerge from the ground. * Posted by: carol23 z6PA (My Page) on Thu, Mar 6, 03 at 7:09 Helleborus foetidus, some winter aconite, and a couple of snowdrops in bud. * Posted by: hscott z7 maryland (My Page) on Thu, Mar 6, 03 at 13:33 my ground is still frozen under snow in Baltimore * Posted by: ToddMM z7aMD (My Page) on Thu, Mar 6, 03 at 14:19 I discovered buds of an early double-bloom daffodil and about-to-break buds of snowdrops this morning. They had come up under the snow. * Posted by: Vgkg 7-Va Tidewater (My Page) on Fri, Mar 7, 03 at 8:58 Old daffodils are now blooming at my home near Richmond. That one day of 70F got em' going. The daff bulbs I planted last fall are breaking ground now too but the tulips are still hiding. vgkg * Posted by: Daylily 7 (My Page) on Sat, Mar 8, 03 at 11:29 NOTHING! Except the plants in the greenhouse, brugmansias, abutilons and a few others. * Posted by: beth_b_Kodiak MD 7 (My Page) on Sat, Mar 8, 03 at 15:19 Iris reticulata and species crocous have been blooming for almost a week on southern Delmarva. A few pussy willow are peeking out and today, the red maple buds have exploded. * Posted by: Nannie6 z6PA (My Page) on Sun, Mar 9, 03 at 17:01 The snow is melting some and I saw bare ground AND some daffodils coming up. A welcome sight! That's about it. Lots of snow still here. But, I did see two robins yesterday! * Posted by: Cynthia z7 MD (My Page) on Sun, Mar 9, 03 at 18:18 This is like thawing a 30 pound turkey! My entire yard is still -in spite of 50+ temps this week-end solid snow. At the edge of the property near the road there's a patch of snow melt in the front garden and I see Eranthis blooming!!! Also think there may be species tulips and crocus starting to poke through in the same area. * Posted by: gardenwitch 7 Va (My Page) on Mon, Mar 10, 03 at 8:55 Some Minature Daffodils , Crocus, Hellebores are in bloom and the Pulmonaria is setting buds .My Camillia got frost bud blasted and I don't know if my Dahpne will bloom or not. Yesterday was 70 but today highs of 40 are predicted and maybe snow later in the week . Ahhh spring!!! * Posted by: madsquopper 6b No. VA (My Page) on Mon, Mar 10, 03 at 14:13 A few of the earliest yellow crocus are open, and the heathers, despite being covered by 2 feet of snow until this weekend, are starting to show some pink flowers. I unwrapped the camelia and it looks like the several hundred buds made it through winter OK and will open within the next few weeks. * Posted by: collectordi z7VA (My Page) on Wed, Mar 12, 03 at 0:24 I have snowdrops just starting to open and the buds on my hellebores look more beaten up but at about the same stage as they did when I last saw them before all the snow (when was that nice warm day- February or January?) Since its supposed to be warm again tomorrow I hope those buds will open. Last year I had flowers blooming on those hellebores from January to April! I've been wistfully looking at pictures from early March 2002 of my garden with crocus blooming. Yesterday I was lucky to see crocus leaves. * Posted by: Wolfe15136 z6 PA (My Page) on Thu, Mar 13, 03 at 12:12 just a few snowdrops and one single viola blossom. * Posted by: chicfox z6 NJ (My Page) on Sat, Mar 15, 03 at 12:29 I'm soooo excited!!! Today I saw tulips, tiger lilies, daffodils, irises peeking through the mulch.... ....just need to figure out how to get rid of those darn squirrels * Posted by: Springcherry 6/7 Philly,PA (My Page) on Mon, Mar 17, 03 at 10:19 Snowdrops just starting to bloom. Nothing else with buds, thou lots of green shoots are poking thru the mulch. I saw the snowdrops right before going to a memorial service -- a nice juxtaposition. * Posted by: Cecilia_MD7a 7a/Baltimore,MD (My Page) on Mon, Mar 17, 03 at 12:49 Snowdrops, Crocus, Hellebores. * Posted by: Kathy92757 z6 PA (My Page) on Mon, Mar 17, 03 at 17:12 Nothing is blooming here, but there is a lot of stuff poking up through the ground! * Posted by: Cynthia z7 MD (My Page) on Mon, Mar 17, 03 at 20:19 Well, everything except for the north iceberg has melted here ;-) Clearly I overplanted the winter aconite, and the garbage men will, after a long winter, finally have something to aim at again when return the cans to earth. I'm happy for them. Daffs and bulbs poking up everywhere, and while I garrote myself on the tree stanchions, myopic me can spot the minuscule nodes of the emerging perennials 12 feet away. Spring is 3 days away!! * Posted by: Nannie6 z6PA (My Page) on Tue, Mar 18, 03 at 0:06 Finally...some winter aconite. Bulbs poking up here, too. And my tree peony buds are looking good. With the snow gone, I see more rabbit damage and deer damage, too. A harsh winter for us all. * Posted by: Johnnieb Washington, DC (My Page) on Tue, Mar 18, 03 at 14:08 Snowdrops and several species crocus finally started blooming this past weekend. I think this is the latest I have ever seen them bloom. Just yesterday I saw the first open flowers on Iris hystrioides 'George'--very nice. Still buds only on my daffodils, and tulips have barely even begun to poke through the soil. One bonus: three pots of Sarcococca confusa, which I never got into the ground last fall and thought for sure were goners after freezing solid, are blooming on my back steps and filling my yard with a sweet fragrance. * Posted by: loghomelady z7 VA (My Page) on Tue, Mar 18, 03 at 20:57 Just returned from Cold/snowy Connecticut to find forsythias blooming, crocus & daffodils, the winter blooming jasmine and the star magnolia in my Blue Ridge Mtn yard. * Posted by: Kathy92757 z6 PA (My Page) on Wed, Mar 19, 03 at 6:19 My first crocus bloomed yesterday in one of my flower beds! Many other things are poking up, but I was so excited to see the crocus. * Posted by: handhelpers z6 PA (My Page) on Wed, Mar 19, 03 at 19:06 my snow drops are blooming!!! * Posted by: Connie_MD z7 MD (My Page) on Thu, Mar 20, 03 at 9:16 Snow drops, Helleborous Foetidus, Winter Aconite, Crocus blooming. Hyacinths and Daffodils poking up * Posted by: Cecilia_MD7a 7a/Baltimore,MD (My Page) on Fri, Mar 21, 03 at 12:41 All of a sudden, the mini daffodils and iris reticulata in my backyard have started blooming. * Posted by: nickel_KG z7 VA (My Page) on Fri, Mar 21, 03 at 21:14 Spring is definitely running late. My daughter's birthday is March 16, and we had only one daffodil of my earliest variety. Usually she gets a big vase of mid-season daffodil varieties.... * Posted by: steve_NJ z7A NJ (My Page) on Mon, Mar 24, 03 at 23:33 Daphne mezereum * Posted by: ChrisMD 7 (My Page) on Wed, Mar 26, 03 at 13:26 Today one of the Manchurian apricot trees is in full bloom. The others are still dark pink with buds. "Tete-a-Tete" daffodils have been out for the last week. * Posted by: Alfie_MD6 z6 MD (My Page) on Wed, Mar 26, 03 at 14:16 Viola odorata (next to the house). * Posted by: busyasabee 7MD (My Page) on Wed, Mar 26, 03 at 15:10 My Crocus and Daffs are blooming; Angelique tulips and hyacinths are peeking their heads through the mulch and the peach tree blossoms are getting ready to pop! * Posted by: cloudy_christine 6B SE PA (My Page) on Wed, Mar 26, 03 at 22:11 Chinese witch hazel, wintersweet, Narcissus minimus 'Little Gem,' Iris reticulata, anemone blanda, winter aconites and snowdrops. Helleborus foetidus, with H. orientalis and abchasicus just showing buds. * Posted by: Johnnieb Washington, DC (My Page) on Thu, Mar 27, 03 at 13:40 Forsythias are blooming in my neighborhood. Downtown, I see the ornamental plums (can't remember the species, but they have pale pink flowers followed by dark purple foliage) just coming into bloom. * Posted by: steve_NJ z7A NJ (My Page) on Fri, Mar 28, 03 at 21:34 Abeliophyllum, Prunus mume * Posted by: ChrisMD 7 (My Page) on Sun, Mar 30, 03 at 12:23 Snowing here today - the air is warm so the flakes are clumping together into fat feathers. APRIL 2003****** Maryland - Blue starflower, daffodils ?Minnow?, ?Ice Follies?, and ?Thalia?. Nanking cherries, various daffodils, and hyacinths. Pulmonaria 'Silver Lance', bloodroot (yep, first year w/ one little stem and bloom... ):o( grr..now to keep the squirrels out of the pot), forsythia, Snow Glories and hellebores. Daffodils 'Ice Follies' and 'Jet Fire' mixed (gardener's little joke and it actually looks good :-) Most years the Jet Fire bloom first...Forsythia, Forsythia, Forsythia and it's so darn....yellow. Hellebores, Pulmonaria, muscari, crocus. Very yellow in my garden just now - Leatherleaf Mahonia (usually blooms in Jan-Feb) is prime, my all yellow daffs, species tulips, pieris andromeda japonica, creamy hyacinths, and Glory in the Snow, (okay, a little blue). The Umbrella Magnolia is just beginning to pop at the top. And I just discovered a hybrid tulip growing in the thick ivy under my blue spruce. Squirrels! Don't you just love 'em. I'm seeing the Virginia bluebells starting to flower out this way. The red buds are coloring up well and the grape hyacinths have just burst open after last weeks rains. Also Claytonia virginiana spring beauties are abundant. Various azaleas, tulips, common lilacs, viburnum juddii, kerria, pulmonaria, grape hyacinth, epimedium, creeping phlox, various narcissi, vinca minor & major, spring snowflakes, candytuft (late this year!) and white money plant. Deutzia and wood hyacinths are just starting. As of today April 27 - My garden is blooming in shades of white, pink, purple and red. Angelique tulips, hyacinths, phlox, azaleas, Anemone sylvestris, Anemone coronaria ?Mr Fokker?, ?Firewitch? dianthus and late blooming narcissus. Violets and Dandelions (mowed them.) Iberis, species tulips, Ipheion (finally! I guess they bloom late the first year.) Geranium tuberosum, Lychsimachia atropurpurea has buds (!), brunnera, creeping phlox, pulmonarias (what a great plant), dogwoods, lilacs, azaleas are in bud but not blooming yet. The species tulips 'Lilac Wonder' opened up wide for the sun today and it's like looking into the sun. Johnny, find a magnifying glass, you'll see little nubbins on the Spigelia. Saxifrage virginiensis, (sp, too lazy to look up) and the viola "pedata." Armeria's, several alliums. Many tulips still going strong and some daffs as well. Azaleas, lilac, wisteria, tulips, pansies, and strawberries (oh, and dandelions). Virginia - Daffodils are on the wane here now but the tulips are just starting to bloom, a few have been found by the voles though. Old single apple tree is just blooming this morning, been in the 80's for 3 days now. Phlox divaricata and stolonifera, dicentra spectabilis and eximia, Pulmonaria, lilacs, dogwoods, some azaleas, tulips are fading, late daffodils are fading except one just started blooming I think it?s Cheerfulness, Brunnera Hadspen Cream, Tiarella, Lunaria, Iberis, Arabis, Iris Baby Blessed, primroses, pansies, violets, Corydalis, Myosotis, Virginia Bluebells are fading, Vinca, Muscari, Lamium, redbuds. It?s all just so gorgeous!! A few more that I forgot: variegated solomon's seal, Mazus reptans and holly. The holly blossoms don't look like much but they smell wonderful maybe better than the lilacs. ?White Cloud? dogwoods, redbud, viburnums, lilacs (purple and pink), heather. ox eye daisies, roses, iris, cross vine, jack in the pulpit, wood hyacinth, columbine, dianthus, sweetshrub, spirea, weigela, GOTTA LOVE SPRING! New Jersey - Magnolia stellata, Rhododendron mucronatum, Daphne odora (green and variegated), Edgeworthia papyrifera, Aubretia, Forsythia (4 varieties), Corylopsis sinensis, C. platypetala. Camellia japonica 'Professor Sargent'. Pennsylvania - Around the area - forsythia peaking, daffs waning, some deciduous azaleas are out, some cherries, saucer magnolias in full glory, redbuds, Bradford Pears, serviceberries. Ahh yes, and some early pierises are blooming with my P. japonica "Valley Rose" about to burst open all the way with its heavenly fragrance, if the sun would only come out already...LOL Washington, DC - What a late spring! Some late daffodils are still blooming, and all but the earliest tulips are still going strong. Iberis is in glorious full bloom. There might still be a flower or two on Asarum splendens (not that they're much to look at!). A tree peony is heavily budded and the first flower should open in a day or two but the herbaceous peonies are at least a week or two away from blooming. Some of my perennials aren't even up yet: Asclepias tuberosa, Spigelia marilandica, Hibiscus 'Lord Baltimore', Begonia grandis, Dryopteris marginalis, all either just beginning to grow, or not even showing above ground. How could I have forgotten violets? One of the weeds in my garden I tend not to pull... Tree peony just opened its first flower today--huge, double, pale pink. Very nice. One of the few things planted by the former owners that I actually like! Azaleas are in full bloom. Tulipa batalinii 'Bright Gem' just began to open today--I'm not sure why these bloom so late (last year too), perhaps because I planted the bulbs too deep. Dianthus gratinopolitanus (sp.?) cultivars and Aquilegia canadensis are heavily budded, and should be opening in another day or two. I just saw bearded irises blooming in a sunny yard down the street from me. (My own are on the north side of my house and not even in bud yet.) May 2003 ? the wettest May in many years, after one of the coldest winters!***** Maryland - White and blue Dutch iris, sweet woodruff, pansies, Hershey Red azalea. Fuchsia azaleas everywhere! And the dogwoods are in their glory. Centaurea Montana (Mountain Bluet) are about to pop, some hardy geraniums have buds, wild buttercups are out (I allow them in selected spots 'cause the foliage is nice too), the half-dead Erodium pelargoniflorum is blooming anyway. Alliums have fat buds. I notice every year that the leaf tips are always browned before the flowers open on the alliums. These are A.Christophi and A.Giganteum and A. Idon'tknowsmalldrumsticktype. Lilac (fading), woodland squill, bridal wreath spirea (peak), woodland phlox (stonilifera), dianthus ?Firewitch?, ipheion, ?Otto Luykins? cherry laurel, ?Lancaster? perennial geranium, doublefile viburnum, ?Yaku Princess? rhodo, variegated solomon seal, lily of the valley and vinca (ho hum). Oh and a couple of generic azaleas. Azaleas, lilacs, roses. dianthus "Bath's Pink", the no-name Allwood dianthus that came from Walmart, Dianthus deltoides, Spanish bluebells Scilla hispanica, roses ?Nymphenburg? and ?GrussAnAachen?, Geranium maculatum, Geranium "Nimbus", Geranium "Max Frei", Centaurea montana, late azaleas, bishopweed, yellow Dutch iris (blues and whites bloomed earlier), Penstemon smallii putting up flowers, a rescue iris that has to be the ugliest iris in existence, several different colors of self-seeded trandescantia, pansies and petunias, honeysuckle bush. Just finished: sweet woodruff, camassia. Roses are really starting to hit full bloom now, iris winding down. Blueberries, blackberries, hybrid rugosa roses, alliums, catmint, rhododendron ?Home Depot?, culinary sage, clematis ?Nelly Moser? and "The President", bearded iris. My tall bearded iris are exploding! on the ground!!!! This rain has got to go!! Peonies are loving all of this rain, as are my Asian lilies, which are about 5' tall waiting for the sun. 5/22: Scutellaria baicalensis has been blooming a few weeks, Lysimachia atropurpurea (deepest burgandy against blue silver foliage), Allium karataviense in full bloom and starting to pass, Allium christophi just starting to open, Allium giganteum on their last legs, Aquilegia canadensis is fully blooming with a bunch of other cultivars, Trollius, Phlomis tuberosa has sent up giant scape (singular, hmm.) Salvia lyrata 'Burgandy Bliss' (If you call those blooms :-), the Campanula persicifolia and Adenophora would probably be blooming if the 3 foot stalks hadn't been 'pinched' (cleanly cut) but a bunny or woodchuck. And the stars: Rodgersia and Baptisia are both in bloom after 3 years of waiting!!!! May 27: roses ? ?Gertrude Jekyll? & ?Sheer Bliss?, foxgloves, phlox, Mexican evening primroses, alyssums, gypsophilia, ?Firewitch? dianthus, shasta daisy, anemone sylvestris, chives, sweet william, columbines that I started from seeds last year, and purple & yellow bearded irises I got from the fall swap. May 29th: Valerian (Valerian officinalis), peonies, and more roses. Virginia - My gardens are coming alive with color. I've got over 200 hybrid iris (most in bloom already), Iceland poppies, Oriental poppies, old fashioned yellow rose, bridal wreath spirea, pink spirea, variegated spirea, scotch broom, weigelia, blue sage, mayapples, bleeding heart, lily of the valley(pink & white), azalea (pink,red,purple & yellow), hyacinth, tulips, jasmine, Star-of-Bethlehem, amsonia, orange field poppies, lettuceleaf poppies(pink), columbine, redbuds, fruit trees, dogwoods, ground geraniums (cherise), ground phlox, ajuga, blue flax, baptisia, Viburnum(white), Solomon seal, prickly-pear cactus. Isn't gardening WONDERFUL? My false indigo is fabulous right now as are my rhododendrons! Roses haven't popped open yet, but buds are numerous and promising! Pennsylvania - In my garden in early to mid May (western PA): Blue flax, Centaurea montana, early clematis, iris, coral bells, allium, Snow in Summer, bleeding heart (Dicentra), rhododendron, forget me nots (Myosotis), Weigela variegata, the shrub Calycanthus floridus--with fruity-smelling flowers, rosa 'Therese Bugnet,' and honeysuckle 'Gold Flame', peonies (just starting), dianthus, beauty bushes, flax, irises, poppies any minute now, and still have one lonely tulip :), pansies from last year and some annuals I just put in pots. Bridal Wreath spirea, weigelas, azaleas, rhodies, lilacs, TB irises, and something else that I think is a kerria. Washington, DC - May 21st, in Washington DC: Snowball viburnum, privet, Chinese dogwood, climbing rose, azalea, mock orange. Aquilegia canadensis has been blooming its head off for two or three weeks. Dianthus gratiopolitanus 'Bath's Pink' and "Firewitch" have been in full bloom for at least 2 weeks. Chives have been blooming for about a week. Bearded iris and Siberian iris have just opened, within a day of each other. Peonies are either in bud or just beginning to bloom (and I think I will cut them all for indoors because several days of rain will ruin them). Neighbor on one side has roses blooming, neighbor on the other side some kind of bulb that I believe is Hyacinthoides (Spanish bluebells). Everything is so late this year! On top of the late spring, my property is on a north-facing hill which makes it even worse. Bearded irises across the street (facing south) were blooming two weeks ago. Bridal Wreath spirea, weigelas, azaleas, rhodies, lilacs, TB irises, and something else that I think is a kerria.