Hi Rita: So good to see you on the forum again.I have missed you.I have nothing blooming yet, no buds on anything either.It has been very cold here, too, too cold for me to be outside for long,altho,I did get most of my roses pruned..Think I have 3 or 4 left, not pruned yet.it was 26 last night, and suppose to warm up to 28 tonight.March I susually nice and warm here, not this year, cold and very windy.

Jean

As soon as spring rolls around I think of posting on the forum. Mostly I passed the winter on an exercise program to loose weight. Have lost 20 pounds in the past 3 1/2 months and need to loose 10 more. But I am really looking forward to spring arriving out in the garden.

My iris reticulata blooming in the front yard.

Isn't it wonderful, those first few blooms of springtime. I've had some daffs in bloom for a few weeks now. The old fashioned pseudonarcissus started blooming about January 21 or so & have continued to bloom til just the last few days. That is the earliest they have ever bloomed, even though temps were much warmer last spring & most plants were coming out early. Of course, I've never seen them last this long either, with temps down to under 20 deg several times. Newer hybrid daffs are starting to bloom now, a little earlier than last year, but more in line with normal. I looked just now to see when I had my first bearded iris blooms last year. SDBs of course are the first to bloom. BAby Blessed was blooming on March 18, Boo on March 20, several others quickly behind. I should be seeing some SDB blooms in the next week or so, but spring has been pretty cool so far. I haven't noticed any bloom stalks yet. My reticulatas are almost finished blooming now, and they lasted much longer than they usually do. I guess the cooler weather kept them going just like those daffs. I love to see the early blooms, but hate the thought of losing them early too :)

March was so clold here I was wondering if spring would ever come/ As it is only a few bulbs have shown up already, we need warmer weather to get the rest blooming. But the iris reticulata is new for me. First year here and I really love it. I plan on putting in more come fall.

Yay! You're back! We have missed you here. I can't wait to see more of all those thousands of spring bulbs you were busy planting last fall. We are in for a visual feast! It sure has been a very different winter than last year. Last March the snow was already gone and we had a freakish heat wave so that everything started growing long before it should. I remember DH and I getting the motorcycle out and going for a ride in March when the earliest is usually May for us. We got a snowstorm recently that dumped another foot on top of what already was there so this March is wintery. In the sunny spots in my yard, the melting snow is turning to MUD and I can't even walk in my yard at all or else I sink down. I am itching to get out there and start cleaning up, pruning and mulching but the weather isn't cooperating. It's not terribly cold but it's not warm either.

Another little grandson was born in January so I take care of him & his brother who is 2 1/2, and my Mom....plus....my oldest daughter is expecting a baby boy in early June (she lives with us) so I will be at my busiest just when my garden is coming alive. I was hoping to get a jump start on things so I won't have so much to do when the baby comes but I can't do a thing just yet out there and it's frustrating.

Congrats on losing the weight! You've done good, girl.
I am proud of you for keeping with the program all winter.
For years and years I've had a daily routine of speed-walking and I am up to 55-60 miles a week (around 8 1/2 miles a day). I walk very fast and for that reason I walk alone. The roads here are very hilly so I get a major workout and I walk every day, even in the wintertime and even during snowstorms...even when it's 5 degrees outside. People always ask my secret for staying slim and when I explain my routine they say 'No thanks...I'll just stay fat'... LOL.

I am looking forward to all the photo treats you will be sharing with us. I lurked now and then on the other place and saw you there but I'm so glad you're back here with us too.

Celeste

We really missed you when you were off the forum, Rita. Losing weight is a journey. You have done remarkably well. I can identify since I have had to watch my weight since I was very young. It is frustrating when someone acts shocked that I am careful about what I eat, since many people think it is natural for me to be thin. Ha! It is blood, sweat and tears, and I love to eat.

Going to the gym, and we still go three days a week, has not made me lose an ounce. But...I have gained a lot of muscle which is so important. These little oak trees are coming out of the ground. I rarely cannot pull them out now. The longest one had a tap root of 20". Of course if we hadn't had so much rain, it would have been stuck like concrete, muscle or not:)

I am finally down to one partial flower bed to finish weeding. I have an awful lot of mulching left to complete, however. I told DH that I was back to fighting shape since I can spend the whole day in the garden now. And it was finally warm again this week.

Waiting patiently on all those pictures from your garden. As I recall, you had the garden in good shape last fall, unlike me, so you should be in pretty good shape anyway.

kay

I was so enthused talking about spring-raining here today so spring seems farther away. temps are warmer today, but I always feel colder when it rains. I overlooked your weight loss though. Congratulations! I am always trying to lose weight, but not a lot of luck. I REALLY like food :) With my arthritis & joint problems, I really need to pull off more weight, just can't seem to talk myself into it. You've done a great job, especially for holiday season in there.

I hate the thought of going to a gym and besides I stay inside as much as possible during the winter. Celeste, I applaude you for you walking program especially during the winter. I can't stand winter weather and could never go for walks in the cold. I just wait for spring when I can go out to my garden.

I just exercised at home. I have a Gazelle Glider fitness machine and use it ever day.

Kay, I have been naturally slim most of my life. I never had to worry what I ate when I was younger. This weight was put on late in life and I never liked it. Hated having extra weight but did like to eat. Now I have cut out all sweets, cakes, donuts and such that I used to eat. That helps. And I watch what I eat and have smaller portions these days. Loosing is hard work.

I think when I reach my target weight plus it is nice weather so I can work outside in the garden things will be much easier. I always want to eat more in the winter anyway. I think it is becasue I am much more bored than I have time for in the summer.

Celeste, congrats on the addition to your family and your future addition. You were already one busy lady so I don't know how you will manage now.

Kay, I am major organised as far as the garden goes. I did everything that was supposed to get done last fall and I have already prunned my roses this spring. That is always a big job. I have been doing my spring cleanup and as soon as the garden greens up it is going to look very good around here.

I am planning a big veggie garden again this year and have already planted some of my peas. Still have some more to get in. Will be planting tomatoes, cucumbers and yard long beans later this spring amoung other things.

And of course I am really looking forward to all those bulbs blooming and will be taking lots of pictures.

I am planting peas again today. Changed my mind and decided to plant the Cascada peas in four pots I have instead of that in ground spot. Instead I will plant some Norli snaps in ground. I thought I had those seeds and checked this morning and I did. I had planted the Norli in pots last fall, didn't think they produced well at all. Maybe they will be better in ground. Will plant those this afternoon. Meantime I planted four more pots already. I thought I had Cascada seeds but after I was finished I look at the bags (left over from last fall) and I see that they are not snap peas, Cascada or otherwise. They are Mammouth Melting Snow peas. Oh well. I like snow peas, grew them last year. So now I have four pots of snow peas planted. That will be it for snow peas for me this spring. I guess I will just put the rest of those Sugar Lace II snap peas I have in those last two big pots. Not today, I want to get this Norli peas planted in ground. They are shap peas.

Oh by the way I already have yard long bean seeds ordered. I will be growing them again this year as they were a big hit last year.

I have nothing up... we had so much snow pack, its still melting.. Last year by April 8th I had daffs bloom and I think my crocus had already passed.

Funny driving 50 miles south a few days ago and I saw daffs in bloom, just had more snow here I guess.

Im not a huge spring bloom person, I enjoy them, but nothing like the excitement of late spring, early summer and mid summer stuff for me. Im just a summer bloomer I guess, though I enjoy spring temps more.

I love spring. By the time spring rolls around I am so tired of winter I can't wait to get out in the garden. And spring bulbs, I just love spring bulbs. Especially tulips and then daffodils.

I got those peas in the ground, now I am sorting thru my tomato cages trying to get them organized. Don't know why I am worried about doing that as it is a long time yet till I can plant tomatoes here.

Back inside for the day. Really tired as I have been working out in the garden these past few days and then afterward still doing my Gazelle machine workout as I have more weight still to loose. Don't know how much I will get done as I used up my energy out in the garden.

Working out in the garden today I see so many places where I could (and should) plant crocus as they would look so nice. Not that I didn't plant crocus last fall, I planted about 1,150. And I thought I did well at that number. But looking around it is apparent to me that I would need 5,000 more (yes 5,000) to plant them in most of the spots I think should have them.

I put 500 of those crocus I planted (large flowered mix) in the Southside rose garden and afterward I saw where the squirrels had been digging them up. But I thought they couldn't have gotten them all. Well, so far very, very, very few have come up there. I planted crocus in other places around the garden but apparently the squirrells left them alone and just had a feast with the ones in the roses garden. Drats! My plan was for all those crocus to look stunning before the roses leafed out.

So I will be ordering another batch of the same and replanting in the roses garden. I wonder what I can do to keep the squirrels away from them this time around?

Rats! that's what they are, tree rats. They dug up my tulips year before last. You are planting too large an area to put down chicken wire, so I'm not sure what you can do...maybe red pepper? I don't know. Try a separate post to that topic here and in the Cottage garden forum, and or bulb forum. Maybe someone can help.

Take it a little easy, you have to get the bod used to gardening come spring. I know exactly what you mean when you say you are tired.
It always astonishes me that you can get so tired after a couple hours working at the beginning. I am up to 8 hours now (I tell DH I'm up to fighting weight) but can't do it to start with. A nice hot shower or bath helps those sore muscles.

I won't be ordering crocuses...no point, but I will be getting more tulips than last year, and the Dutch iris and some more daffs. Aldo, I need some more hyacinths. I think I will get a little refrigerator just for bulbs this year. Not a big one, one of the ones for dorms. I have to have them chilled for long stems.

kay

I will figgure something out to outwit those squirrells. Usually they don't dig up my bulbs. But crocus are planted shallowly so that must be why they found them. I am thinking get a bale of hay and mulch immediatly after planting. That way they can't tell that the ground was dug and there might be something there.

This year I have been exercising all winter to loose weight so I guess I should be in good shape to start gardening. But gardening and indoor exercising is not the same. Yesterday I was just tired. Oh well, no big deal. I can get back to work today or tomorrow or whenever.

Those iris reticulata today.

A section of the front yard daylily bed. Dayliles are bareing beginning to grow. But tulips are popping out all over the place between the clumps. And in back of them also. I can't wait for the tulips to bloom.

Crocus sieberi tricolor are new for me. Bulbs I planted last fall.

And this one is new also. Golden Bunch.

The crocus are pretty. Can't wait for the tulips.
kay

I love the brilliant blue/purple of the iris. I don't have a lot of crocus, but mine are gone now. I spent a little time outside this afternoon working in the yard. A little cool for me, but wasn't too bad when the wind wasn't blowing. I'm ready to see your daffs & tulips! Shouldn't be too long now.

Love the color of the little iris. they are so pretty.

We had a good bit of rain today. Grand-kids managed their egg hunt even with a bit of drip. I hid the golden egg in my mulch pile, and had to make and hide a second one since I couldn't find the first one after I hid all the other eggs. (I was Not using a golden egg, but a brown one). The rain had shifted the mulch a bit and hidden the bit of egg I had left showing. (I took a picture the second time around)

When I told my DIL, she couldn't stand it, and she dug in the mulch until she found the first egg, so two of the DGK found a "golden" egg. I always put a $20 in the "golden" egg, so they are pretty intent on finding it, and I intend to make them really hunt for it. The weather was so bad, I gave them more hints than usual. Everyone had a good time.

I knew I would find the egg when I shoveled the mulch this week, so it didn't worry me. The plastic eggs are water tight, so the $$$ was safe.

Hope it is dry enough to get in the yard a bit tomorrow. We aren't supposed to have a freeze again anytime this week.

Hope everyone had a good day.
kay

My crocus had pretty much pettered out after all these years so that is why I planted many new ones last fall. But this fall I am planning to really go hog wild on additional crocus all over the garden. They don't last long but they are so early when I want spring color so badly.

I Have never had anywhere near as many tulips as I have this year. I have tulips popping out of the ground everywhere, just everywhere. No up enough to even have buds yet but I know that will come.

Plus so many new to me types of tulips. Emperor, Greigii and Kaufmanniana tulips, all new classes of tulips (New to me) and all suppised to be perennial. I can't wait to see what I think of them. But of couse I also planted the darwins, triumphs and late tulips that I love. PLus the single early ones also. I just went overboard wuth tulips this year.

Well, I love forward to seeing the tulip blooms and see how they look. I love the pansies here, since their color lasts all winter and util it gets too hot. My tulips are earlier than yours, so I won't be planting crocus which don't do all that well here.

I will spend several hours in the yard today, but since gym was this morning, I don't have as much energy as I should tomorrow.
kay

Pansies don't last nearly as long here as they do for you. But I do like them and violas too.

No going to the gym for me. I just exercise at home. I have a Gazelle fitness machine and I use it every day.

Didn't get much done in the garden today. I went outside but it is colder today and windy with no sun so it is just not that nice a day. I didn't stay out that long before I ended up back inside again.

I am already plotting my fall bulb order in my head. That is when I plan it, when the spring bulbs come up. I watch the blooms and plot so that by the time the spring show is done I know what I need to order for the fall. I fear it is going to be a whopping amount of bulbs again. This falls 4.999 bulbs was almost too much to plant and I bet I end up wuth an order just as large this year again.

Today is a lovely spring day with temps in the 70s and sunny. Of course sprig will be very short followed by summer then inferno.

I fed the daylilies fish emulsion today. I need to get up early to spray everything with the fungicide and the seaweed tomorrow.

I am putting out more mulch and still have a bit of weeding to do. We just picked up a load of pine straw (all the pick-up would hold) from out neighbor down the street. He uses a leaf blower to put it all in a pile for us. That's for the blueberries and azaleas.

The gym we go to is associated with the physical therapy office. Most of us who go there have had PT. It has all the gym equipment, and a personal trainer is there to work with you. I have never been there when more than 6 or 7 people were there, and it is usually 3 or 4, so it is not like a regular gym. It has been wonderful at building muscle and greatly improving balance for both of us. I don't think we would like a regular gym with all the guys with 42 inch necks:)

kay

Hi Rita-It's still so cold and miserable here. Only in the upper thirties today. I am SO desperate to get outside. I have a couple brave crocus blooming and dutch iris but that's it. The daffs are starting to show some buds and a little green from the tulips and hyacinths. I got a couple lily bulbs (Big Brother, Red Fury, and one called the 'Green' lily) in the mail-but have had to hold off doing anything with them. I may end up potting them this weekend if nothing else. I'd hate to have them rot out. They came in smelling musty and a little softer than I would buy them in person. I think it's the last order I will place with Michigan Bulb Co. Anyone else have problems there? Is there some thing I should do to prep them before planting as they do smell so musty?

You can plant the lilies as soon as you can work the soil. It is not too early. If they are soft and mushy that does not sound good. I would get them in the ground as soon as possible.

I never bought from Michigan Bulb co so I don't know anything about them.

Yesterday was nice & I got to play outside for a while! Can't wait for the weekend, supposed to be our first really nice weather. I have some lilies I really need to get in the ground too.
Lisa3, I think you should contact Michigan Bulb if the bulbs are soft. They are pretty good about refunding or reshipping, although quite possible you would get more mushy bulbs. I don't think Michigan bulbs has a great reputation. I've ordered from them a couple of times & had problems, but they have always been really good about fixing it. Like you said, you can't expect a lot at their prices & on the whole I've been satisfied. There is a rate & review forum here, you might check it out.

Here is a link that might be useful: rate & review forum

Nancy, it always feels so great to get out in the garden after the long winter. At least spring is here now even if it is not always warm out.

My onion sets that I ordered last week just arrived in the mail and so did the vetch and clover seeds I bought from Peaceful Vally Farm Supply. I should go out and plant them but I am not going too. It is too cold!!! Maybe tomorrow will be better. It would be if the wind died down.

My onion sets that I ordered last week just arrived in the mail and so did the vetch and clover seeds I bought from Peaceful Vally Farm Supply. I should go out and plant them but I am not going too. It is too cold!!! Maybe tomorrow will be better. It would be if the wind died down.

I just got back from buying some strawberry plants & onion sets, but just a bit too chilly to get them out today. Probably be Friday before the weather cooperates enough. I'm gonna be busy planting once it is warm enough for me. Like for you, it wouldn't too bad outside but the wind makes it just a tad too cool for comfort.

I thought for sure winter temps where gone for the season but not today, today they are back., I hope the cold doesn't last and the more spring like weather returns soon.

I am organised in the garden, not behind with more to do than I can get done. But still, there is always something to do in the garden.

I used to have strawberry plants but then the daylilies got out of control and there was no room for strawberries. Made it into a daylily bed.

We are supposed to be in the 80s next week...and it is that time of year in Alabama.. tornado season.
kay

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Lets see if this works. I hate the new photobucket. I don't know why they just couldn't have left it the way it was.

Wish me luck!! I am going outside today to garden. It is to be in the mid 40's , which is stll rather chilly, but I will take it!! The sun is shining brightly, hopefully it will coax those daff buds into opening. I don't have a single one open yet!! I used to wait until it was at least 50 degrees out to work in the garden, but this spring I am lowering my standards!!LOL :) The extended forecast looks great, even hitting into the 60's and staying above freezing at night.

Cindy

Beautiful little blue flowers, Rita. What are they?

Good luck Cindy. Hope it's a good gardening day.
kay

Kay, they are Chionodoxa and they really are small but so pretty. I just have to get some bulbs for this fall in order to plant more. These I have now have been here forever. I ment to get some last fall but I already had ordered so many bulbs that I just didn't order them.

Cindy. many years I wait for it to warm up some before starting spring garden chores. This year I was like you. I did my rose prunning while it was still chilly and I had to wear my thick winter garden coat. I just needed to get those roses done before they started growing leaves.

After that it warmed up some, felt like spring but now back to feeling colder again. Winter just wants to hang on. But I do have more daffs blooming in the backyard and frontyard too.

I hope you post pictures of your beautiful daffodils and your yard when they bloom. I remember it from past years and it is so pretty.

Rita; can you see the crocus blooming from a inside window or do you have to go out to see them/? I planted some crocus one year, many years ago, and the flowers were very pretty, but,I had to go out and stand over them to see them,cause they were so short.only about 4 inches tall I think, so I never did buy no more of them.i like to be able to look out the window or sit on the front porch and look at the blooms..Right now,I have nothing blooming except a mini azlea,and buds on the bigger ones.Wont be long now till some thing will be blooming.its back very cool here today again, 44 outside. hate cold weather.course, don't like the very hot weather either.

jean

Crocus are short and small flowers though certain types of crocus are smaller than others. But yes, I do usually have to go outside to see them. No big deal as I love to go outside and visit my garden often. I like crocus because they are such early bloomers.

Your crocus are very pretty, but I cant wait to see all them tulips blooming and the daffs. One of my daughters bought aa good sized package of daffodil bulbs and some tulip bulbas during the fall to plant. I was out staying with her again with the other broken wrist and watched her plant them.Dont know if they have bloomed yet or not.I rather doubt it, yet.

jean

I have tulips comming up everywhere. I have never had as many as I will have this year. My Maria daffs are now blooming but there are so many still to come as there are sure lots of daffs here also.

Those peas in pots are doing so well that I planted two more pots. Used up the leftover Sugar Lace II seeds that I had. So I had four pots of Sugar Lace II and four pots of Snow peas. Now I will have six pots of Sugar Lace II.

I always have good luck planting peas in pots, I planted them in pots last spring. None in ground. Then last fall I planted them in pots again but did put some in ground. This fall I will be planing peas in pots also.

I watered all my peas including the inground ones. Those early inground ones (Super Sugar Snap) I planted March 21 and I don't see anything sprouting yet. But the pots I planted March 29 and March 30. So they sprouted quickly.

Hurray for spring peas. The peas are the first veggie of the year for me and part of my veggie crazies that I had real bad last year. Going to be lots of veggie crazies for me this year again as late last summer I expanded one of my tomatoe beds and then moved all the TB iris in Tower Sqare so that Tower Square could be a veggie bed this year. Going to have tomatoes, yard long beans and some greens growing there. Going to put cucumbers upstaires again in the main path thru the mid backyard daylily bed.

Well Rita,
apparently I have Spring sickness or stupidity more like. I had already ordered some plants from
Annie's annuals, and last night I ordered some from Graceful Gardens...some being 32. and I have another dozen from Burpees in the greenhouse. They are doing very well. My onions are up, and my lettuce is beautiful.

This weekend, a nice group of plants will go into the ground to make room for the new ones coming.

kay

I love plants from Graceful Gardens but I am not ordering this year. Any spring plants I can't get locally I am just not going to have. That is my way of trying to save some money this year. Last year I did buy lots of mail order plants including from Graceful Gardens. But I don't need to go crazy as I will have all my veggie plants to buy as soon as I hit the nursery.

You mean it's spring already! Today is the first it's felt like spring here. The frost and snow got my daffodils, and the tulips are late this year. There do seem to be lots of weeds already blooming.

Debra

The weeds are terrible this year! The repeated freeze and warm up killed at but a tiny handful of blooms on the bridal wreath spirea.

The dormant day lilies are a bit tired too. Maybe spring is finally here.
kay

spring time weather this weekend. it got to 75 today, but it was a cold wind blowing.but,I did go out and pull weeds out of the beds several times today.Had to keep stopping about every 45 minutes and go in and rest a little while.The back was hurting so bad,thats how I had to do it today. its how I been having to do it since this last fall in November.but, it was nice and warm, just didn't like that cold wind.

Jean