Spring flowers.

We have enjoying some nice mild weather here.  The sun has been out and even when the clouds cover it, it still definitely feels like spring is in the air.  How nice to have some windows open and feel some fresh air inside!  The girls are out on spring break this week and we're off to a nice start to it.

 Tulips around the yard are beginning to bloom.

 The fish are swimming around quite a bit.  I got the pond cleaned out after this picture, it usually requires a few minor cleanings in the spring.

 An unusual Frittilaria.

 Deutzia 'Chardonnay Pearls'

 White Bleeding Hearts

 Old-fashioned Bleeding Hearts, I have lots of these, I just love them!

 A Frittilaria, the one and only.

 And here's an update on the chicks.  At the top left is Tina, she's the largest, below the yellow one is Chirpy, the little one on the roost in Blossom (she must be the slowest growing chick ever, but otherwise she's fine), the other brown chick is Sunny.  The bigger chicks are getting their feathers, testing out their wings and their personalities are really showing.

If you remember we had originally gotten four.  Well, a friend recommended we go check out a feed store that she had gotten her chicks at.  She thought I would really like the stuff they sold there.   A woman there showed us some chicks and my husband asked my girls and I if we wanted a couple more.

 We said yes!  This is Elke and Inge - Barnevelders.  They are a couple of weeks younger and a couple of the older chicks have been chasing them, so we have divided the brooder with chicken wire so they can eat and rest without being bothered.  A couple of times a day I put them all together when I can watch and make sure they are doing okay.  Once these two are a bit bigger we'll let them all stay together.

 Gracie is totally fascinated with the chicks.  She likes to sit on my lap and watch over the side of the brooder while the chicks hop around.  Today I took each of the four big chicks out to meet her.  Gracie followed Tina all over and neither seemed bothered by the other.

 Tina likes to sit on top of the feeders and when the cover is off she pops her head up to check things out.

I've had some time to garden as well as watch the chicks.  I was able to get the potatoes planted, fertilize the roses, lots of weeding and planted some things by the picket fence.

Hoping everyone is seeing some sun, or at least an end to the cold weather soon!

All words and photos in this post are property of A Gardener in Progress.

A (very) brief visit from the sun.

 Right now while other parts of the country are enjoying temps 30 to 40 degrees above normal, us here in the Pacific Northwest are "enjoying" temperatures about 10 to 15 degrees below normal along with endless rainstorms and wind.  It's hard to believe that spring is just a few days away.  They are still forecasting snow and rain mixed for next week.  I decided that since the sun was out for a few minutes I would see how my soggy garden was doing.

 The birds are sporadically working on nests in the birdhouses.  I found sticks all over the deck after the last wind.  I think it was part of a nest because I also found a dead baby bird under a tree - it almost looked like some type of woodpecker.  Made me sad that the poor birds are even struggling with this weather.

 Tete-a-tetes splattered in mud.

 I'm so glad I built up this bed recently.  The dirt next to it is so soggy I'm not sure the plants would survive.

 Bleeding Hearts are slowly but surely coming up.

 Hellebore 'Cotton Candy' raised it's face to the sun.

 One Camellia 'Marie Bracey' is open, the rest of the buds are tightly closed.

 Winter Hazel 'Buttercup' survived the move last fall and is starting to bloom.

 Grape Hyacinths are coming up everywhere.

 Flowering Currants are behind right now.  They are usually in full bloom with hummingbirds fighting over them.

 The variegated Rhododendron still has flowerbuds, hoping it will finally bloom this year.

 A lone daffodil thinking about blooming.

 Pieris and Violas blooming despite the weather.

Blackthorn was anxious to get out of his hutch and play for awhile.  He loves being pet and flops all around his hutch looking for attention.  Poor guy has barely had a chance to get some exercise.

I know I'm not the only one beyond ready for some dry days.  The ground is soggy no matter where you walk and constant gray days can really get you down.  So, for as short of a while that the sun pops out and no matter how windy it is while it's out, it does feel good to go outside and soak up what there is.
All words and photos in this post are property of A Gardener in Progress.

Keeping busy.

It's been very busy around here, I think this may have been the longest time between postings in awhile.  Part of the reason I've not posted was that I've just been busy with life, kids, etc.  The other part is that this cold and wet spring has gotten very old and I've been frustrated with wanting to garden and not being able to because of weather, also that it seems the garden is in slow motion.  I've also found that I lost quite a few plants, I've pulled rotted rootballs up of quite a few plants.  Anyway, we did have good weekend weather and today apparently we had our first average temperature day of 62!

Old-fashioned bleeding hearts (Dicentra spectabilis) 'Alba' are finally in full bloom.  They were worth the wait!

The white ones usually bloom after the pink Bleeding Hearts but they are blooming together this year.

I'm so happy to see so many apple blossoms on the tree.  Last year there were very few.  I forgot what a pretty pink color they are.

The shed garden has really taken off all of a sudden.  Columbines, Bergenia, Bluebells, Deutzia, Meadow Rue and Heucheras are all beginning to bloom.  I think even the variegated Rhododendron might actually bloom this year.

Aside from tulips the front yard is still taking it's time.  I'm wondering if the Mexican Orange (Choysia ternata) will survive the move back in February.  It's pretty wilted still, but I'm not giving up yet.

Today I finally was able to get some of the plants that I started inside out in the ground.  I planted out Pattypan squash, Butternut squash, zucchini, pumpkins, chamomile and roses.  I now have cookie sheets for cooking again.  Funny how many kitchen supplies I use for seed starting.

The vegetable beds before I planted.  I can't wait until they are full of things to eat, if the temperatures warm up the seedlings will hopefully grow a bit faster.

As I worked in the garden over the past month I noticed that the soil we had delivered back in February didn't look very good.  It was very gray, full of rock and sharp glass and formed a hard dry crust after the soil began to dry after all the rain we'd been having.  Many of the seeds I started began wilting.  A woman from the company came to look at the soil and told me they had delivered the wrong type.  It wasn't the special garden mix we ordered, but some other "supreme mix".  I pointed out how hard the soil was, showed her the glass and she apologized.  The company agreed to credit us back half of the money and agreed to deliver 2 yards of compost.  That meant scraping off the top layer of the raised bed, then spreading the new compost over most of the front yard.  This was another two days of hard work that we thought we were done with.  I think the soil will be fine when I mix it in as I plant things.  I was happy the company acknowledged their mistake, but not happy we had to spend all that extra time on it.

Looks like more rain and cool temperatures are back on their way here.  I sure hope we can start getting more than one day at a time of warm weather.  I know many others are dealing with a cold and wet spring too.  Hopefully things will begin to turn around.

All words and photos in this post are property of A Gardener in Progress.

Something to look forward to...

Is it spring yet?  Just kidding... sort of.  After the freeze we had last week the garden doesn't have much blooming besides some cheerful Pansies and Violas.  I see lots of buds have formed on Hellebores, rhododendrons, Sarcococcas and Camellias but it will be awhile before I get to see them blooming.  It's been very rainy and the ground is too wet to do much in so I've already been going through my garden photos to remind myself of what the first blooms will be.  These spring bloomers have always been very reliable in my zone 8 garden, I would plant all of them again and if I have room I'll gladly add them to other places.
Here are some of the first flowers that will be blooming in early spring:

 Hellebores (H. orientalis) are usually the first to bloom and can be blooming as early as January.  Last year I added a double and am very excited to see how it looks this spring.  I've already made room for another double in the entry garden.  Hellebores can get very pricey, but the good thing about them is that they reseed freely and will give you lots of babies to move or share, they don't usually look like the parent plant though.  The flower buds come up from the ground in late winter and seeing those buds are one of my favorite discoveries in the winter.

 Corsican Hellebore (H. argutifolius) blooms a little later than the ones above.  They also bloom on the end of the flower stems, they already have set quite a few buds.  This was a seedling from a friend and has already started reseeding in my garden.  This type can handle quite a bit more sun and gets to be about 2 feet high and 2 to 3 feet wide.

 Tete-a-tete daffodils seem to be much easier for me than the larger daffodils.  These have been multiplying like crazy over the last few years.  I love how they look popping up from the snow, the yellow seems extra bright then.

 Pulmonaria is another favorite.  It starts blooming very late in winter and then continues to bloom for several months.  This is another that will reseed which is great because they tend to be a little expensive too at most nurseries.

 Winter Hazel (Corylopsis) 'Buttercup' has the sweetest flowers.  They are hard to photograph with my camera because of how light they are.  The whole shrub is covered in the dainty yellow flowers, then it leafs out after.  It's very slow growing, which is good since it probably doesn't have much growing space where it is.

 Old Fashioned Bleeding Hearts (Dicentra spectabilis) is another flower I look forward to seeing.  It seems to start showing signs of life in late winter and once it starts coming up it grows quickly.  These remind me of my mom because when I was living in an apartment and didn't have a garden I asked her to plant one in her garden so I could see what they looked like.  I had only seen the name and was dying to know what the flower would look like.  Of course under my mom's green thumb it grew larger than any of mine have ever dreamed of growing.  I also grow the 'Alba' variety which is pure white and just beautiful.

 Camellia japonicas are early spring bloomers in my yard.  I see them blooming a month or so earlier in other gardens, I think it must have to do with the amount of sun mine get.  I know not everyone is a fan of Camellias, but they do well in my garden and I appreciate their evergreen leaves as well as the pretty flowers.

Pink Flowering Currant (Ribes sanguineum) is not only my favorite spring blooming shrub but also the hummingbirds who fight over it.  It took a few years to really get settled in under the pine tree, but now it is loaded in flowers every March.

A few other late winter/early spring blooms are Sarcococcas, Water Hawthorn (which grows in the pond), Tulips and Crocuses. 

What are some of your favorite early spring bloomers?

Frost free Fertilizer Friday.

Another week has flown by and Spring break is just about over. Yesterday, which was forecast to be stormy and even started with a little snow, turned into a beautiful day, cool but sunny skies. We spent part of our day at a fruit market which I discovered sold many plants as well, and at a very reasonable price. So we picked up Dill (to hopefully attract butterflies), Campanula rotundifolia 'Olympica', Dianthus 'Plumerius' and Chocolate Mint. All but the mint will go into the butterfly garden, mint is always planted in pots to keep them contained in my garden. We once rented a house that someone had let mint run wild in the garden. It was everywhere and impossible to remove. Even something that smells like Chocolate needs to be kept contained. ☺
The buds on so many plants are beginning to appear; Hydrangeas, Iris (a real surprise), tiny Rose buds and Columbines and the Dogwood are very close to blooming.
April 9th is supposed to be the last frost date for where I live, and that means I can begin sowing some more seeds outside now. I've got lots of things sitting and waiting to go in the ground and it looks like this weekend the weather should cooperate for me to be able to plant.

Pink Flowering Currant (Ribes sanguineum) is still looking good, although it's just past it's peak time. It bloomed early and the hummingbirds haven't found it yet, although I did see a hummingbird at one of the feeders yesterday. I always love how the flowers look against the bark of the Ponderosa Pine.

I never tire of looking at the Bleeding Hearts (Dicentra spectabilis).

Spanish Bluebells which I remember hearing had become invasive in certain places. The clumps get larger every year, but I never find them in any new places.

Bergenia 'Winter Glow' which was planted last Fall. I planted several of these along the front of the bed. These flowers are hot pink and the foliage turns reddish in the Fall. I actually didn't used to like these, they reminded me of lettuce, but somehow they've grown on me.

Apple blossoms getting ready to open. I don't think we'll have as many apples this year, I haven't found that many buds. I think with the mild winter it didn't set as much fruit.

Daffodil 'Sempre Avanti' just starting to bloom in my front yard. It has a really nice scent. After having such great luck with Daffodils this year I plan to add lots more for next Spring.

Jacob's Ladder (Polemonium) has grape scented flowers. They smell like candy.

Camellia japonica 'Kumasaka' is still blooming.

Pieris japonica 'Purity' is a veeeerrrry slow grower. I'm just glad it bloomed again.

Leopard's Bane (Doronicum orientale)

Fertilizer Friday is hosted every Friday by Tootsie at Tootsie Time. Visit her to join in or see who else is "flaunting their flowers."
I found this quote the other day, and for some reason it struck me as funny. I think because this time of year when so many plants are coming up it's hard to know if something is a real plant or a weed.

"When weeding, the best way to make sure you are removing a weed and not a valuable plant is to pull on it. If it comes out of the ground easily, it is a valuable plant." ~Author Unknown