Blooming Wednesday Potpourri

What a lovely spring day today: partly cloudy, highs in the low 70's ... and I sure wished I hadn't been cooped up in the house working! But I at least was able to get out for a little while after work (and before dinner time) to make the discovery rounds with Fernymoss. Though we didn't get anything in the ground just yet, we both were able to get some shots of the current show and made a few surprising discoveries in the process.

So let's peek inside the Mother Ship below and get going on the tour....

Alas, the tulips are starting to wind down, and all it's going to take is a hard rain or a really windy day and their precious petals will be sent sailing off in the breeze ... but for the moment, they are still looking pretty stunning nonetheless. Fernymoss was having a lot of fun shooting these types of shots of blooms that were lowering the front door of the Mother Ship to reveal the mysterious forms within. This particular bloom is one of our Darwins that have made somewhat of a comeback this year. Even though we lost over 100 of these in that awful late extended freeze in 2007, we're still convinced that these hybrids are the best tulips who truly qualify as perennials. With their 18" stems (no kidding!) and brilliant colors, the Darwins are by far your best value in tulips if you want them to stick around for a good long time.....

Here's a quick shot I took of the overall "ensemble" going on in the Primrose bed by the front steps ... I plan on doing an entire post on these beauties soon, but I need to be able to take the time to get close ups, but for now, I wanted to give a sense of just how this grouping works together. The Blue (and red) one you see at the lower left is the pot I got last weekend and planted on Sunday, and so far they look quite happy in their new home. To the right, just by the yellow ones is the plant I got for Valentine's day. It had to spend a little too long in the house on the windowsill, but now that it's in the ground near its cousins, I'm hopeful that it will stake out its place and join the party ... it's a crap shoot as to whether this will be perennial or not (quite often the primroses sold as potted plants aren't), but at least it has a fighting chance. It will get pampered throughout the season, as will all of these, my much prized Primulas.

And here's the newest member of our Hellebore family, Ivory Prince, that we just got last weekend. Though this is not his permanent home, I just wanted to get a shot of him to show off because he's currently got a lot of blooms going on. Talk about instant gratification ... though we have been patiently nursing some very small plants we got in 2005 over the past four years (and they are blooming now ... more on them later), we both feel that $22 was more than a fair price for this plant, given what most nurseries charge for much smaller plants (usually in the $8-9 range). Plus, we already know what the blooms will look like! Gail commented the other day that she has this variety and she really likes it, so we have confirmation from a good source that this was indeed a wise buy. We're excited to see how this new addition will make his home in the Woodland Garden....

An update on what I posted as a "mystery plant" last week ... long term readers here immediately knew what this was, so I might as well lift the veil of "secrecy" and reveal that this is indeed Dracunculs vulgaris, aka: Dragon Arum, and affectionately known as "Mr. Stinky" around Casa IVG. This was an enormous bulb we originally planted in 2005, and in 2006 it came up, leafed out but didn't bloom ... but then in 2007, it rewarded us with its first bloom. (If you'd like to see the evolving history of this plant, click on the "Dracunculus vulgaris" label below the post to see all previous entries. Then you'll see what this will become in another month or so.) Last year it bloomed again, but also put up five little offshoots at its base, so we're hoping for multiple blooms this year ... but today Fernymoss discovered that this year we have eight offshoots coming up and leafing out right now. Wow, just wow! When we planted this, we weren't even sure it would be reliably hardy here, but it sure seems to be happy where we have it planted in the Woodland Garden not far from the peonies. It's ironic that we chose to plant the stinkiest plant in our garden so close to the flowers with the best fragrance ... we'll just call it a happy coincidence.

For those of you who need your daily puppy pic fix, here's Hanna this afternoon, working her Kong for all it's worth. During the day when I'm working, she hangs out with me in my office either snoozing on the futon couch or looking out the window at the world, and is very patient with my schedule. Of course I give her regular attention and loving, but she really seems to realize that I'm working and behaves herself quite well. But when early afternoon comes, she needs to head out for a potty break, and when we return she expects her Kong! So I usually stuff it with a bit of peanut butter and a few small treats to keep her busy for a while ... Here she's trying to extract that last little bit of peanut butter from the Kong, after getting the crunchy treats out first. She has a really cool way of using her front paws literally as hands to grip the Kong, and that was what I was trying to capture, but once the camera is fired up, she gets "shy" about showing off what she can do. At least this shot shows a little bit of what she can do to grip things with her front paws ... what a constantly amazing little girl she has turned out to be! We think she's going to grow up to be "scary smart" due to her already huge vocabulary of words she recognizes! She definitely has mastered every corner of the house so far and knows where everything is (especially the food and treats), so she clearly has established the reign of Princess Hanna, whether we like it or not! And we're thrilled, of course.....

May Day Tidbits and Previews

Here it is May Day, and it seemed like it would never get here! Today, all over France, people are already celebrating the arrival of Spring (as well as Labor Day) with the Fête du muguet, when practically everyone gives someone they care for a nice bouquet of Muguet des bois, aka, Lily of the Valley. We're a bit behind here in Iowa (and regular readers know what a protracted winter we had this year!), so we don't have any just yet, but I'm sure it will be arriving soon in the odd spots around the house where it has always grown since we've been here. So, I'll offer you some other pretty tidbits and encouraging previews of flowers just arrived and more to come...

Remember when I posted this shot back in March after the snow finally melted in the Primrose Bed by the front steps?

Here's how it looked on this late April day (late afternoon when there was actually a bit of sun poking through) ... what a difference a month makes when the weather finally improves! After all the rains we've been having the past several days, the Primroses have been soaking it up and revving up to burst into bloom ... these blooms have just appeared within the last two days and there are many more yet to come. And the two rogue Tulips that I swear we never planted have emerged and are strutting their stuff proudly. The Snowdrops and Crocuses in this bed have finished their show for the year and only the foliage remains at this point, but there are other things preparing to take over the show ... the variegated Solomon's Seal is up (and multiplying) as well as the 'Gilt Edge' Toad Lily, Meadow Sage, Bee Balm and Lavender ...but for the moment, the Primroses will rule the roost for the next several weeks.

This tenacious little Muscari armeniacum has persevered for many years now, having been originally planted when there was still a bit of yard along the front steps before we dug it up and created the front boulder bed (back in 2003). We lost quite a few bulbs when we filled in the area, but a few have persisted (crocus and squill) and this little guy shows up in exactly the same spot every year, peeking out from under the rocks. This year it looks like he brought along a friend to keep him (and us) company, so welcome to the garden, little fellow!

Ah, consider the gentle little native wildflower that many consider the bane of their yards and garden ... but the humble Viola papillionacea is such a pretty flower that always reliably blooms for May Day (I used to put them in the May baskets I gave out as a child). At least it does have enough admirers that it was chosen (in a rather odd manner) as the Wisconsin State Flower. We love these little beauties but have to be a bit harsh with them in the garden after they are done blooming or we would have nothing but Violets remaining if we let them have their way. We do allow some to remain (come on, no one could ever really eradicate these!), but we dig as many as we can and dispatch them to the compost or to bare areas in the back yard, where they can perform a useful function without choking out our more prized plants....

Just a couple of weeks ago, our Dicentra spectabilis (Bleeding Heart) hadn't even broken ground, but look at our original plant today! It has just lept from the Woodland Garden and sprung immediately into bloom, and our others aren't far behind, so you'll be seeing lots more of them soon.

A couple of weeks ago I was fretting because I hadn't seen any signs of our Trilliums yet, but just in the past three or four days they have appeared magically and are gearing up to bloom. We originally planted three of them several years ago and last year we had five appear, so we know they are multiplying ... we've only seen five so far this year, but are hoping that more will join the party soon and start staking out their territory among the ferns in the Woodland Garden.

Fernymoss was thrilled to see these unfurling shoots today when he was out with the camera ... they're his favorite fern, the Maidenhair, and every spring we marvel at the many odd shapes they take before they fully develop into their mature fronds. Here you can see them surrounded by their neighbors, the Leatherwood ferns who have been steadily greening up in the past few weeks. Soon they will go vertical and abandon their prostrate ways of early spring and the Maidenhairs will take over the territory quickly for the rest of the summer.

Ok, for a bit of fun here, I'll leave it to you readers to guess what these emerging shoots are, although if you're familiar with the denizens of the Woodland Garden, these should be pretty easay to identify. Let me know in the comments what you think they are and we'll see who can ID these first!

For those familiar with the oddities of our garden, this last one should be really easy ... and it appears that it has successfully produced about five offshoots from last year's growth, so we are hoping for multiple blooms this year! We'll see if that happens, but this one has arrived quickly ... last weekend before the rains arrived, I was out looking for signs of this plant and found none ... so look at it now!

So happy May Day to all you fellow gardeners (and garden admirers) out there! I hope you're fêted with a lovely day to celebrate (looks to be another cloudy one here, alas) and that your gardens are springing back to life as vigorously as ours is currently doing! I've got lots more to post in the next few days, so do stop back for even more colorful flowers now taking their positions on the Spring Stage!

All photos taken on April 30, 2009. Courtesy of Fernymoss

Pearls of Minimal Price

What a difference a Spring day makes in April in Iowa! Yesterday we had mild temperatures in the low 60's and a fair amount of cloud cover most of the day, but today we had plentiful sunshine and a high of 75F, one of those days that gives office bound folks the itch to get outside and enjoy the long awaited warmth.... Fortunately the nice weather lasted until I was done working so Hanna and I could get out for a little bit late this afternoon (around 6:00) to take in the fresh air.... And though tonight's featured flower Tulipa humilis v. 'Persian Pearl' had closed up shop for the day, fortunately Fernymoss had the closing shift today, so he got some sunny shots for us this morning before he left for work, so direct any accolades his way for the photos!

We've been eagerly anticipating these blooms for a couple of weeks now since the foliage first emerged in the boulder bed out by the front steps of our house, and now we're fully enjoying their (albeit brief) spectacular show, which serves as a prélude to the blooms of our larger tulips. These tiny tulips tiptoe into the garden to dazzle us every year, and since I first planted these in 2005, they have been gradually naturalizing into a nice colony among the hyacinths we also have planted in this area. That's one thing I really appreciate about Tulipa humilis ...unlike its larger cousins, if happy, it will naturalize for you and provide even more color each successive year. We have two clumps of these that came from an original planting of 10 bulbs, and they have easily doubled over the past four years, even during times when our Darwins perished in late spring cold snaps (think 2007). They're hardy over a wide range of North America (from Zones 3-8), even though they are native to the rocky slopes of Central Asia. Fortunately for us, we don't have to travel far to procure them for our gardens, and though 'Persian Pearl' is a bit harder to find than other varieties, a quick internet search will turn up at least several nurseries who offer them. (I originally got these from Park Seed, but curiously, they aren't on their website anymore ... maybe in the fall, when they concentrate more on bulbs?)

This shot was taken late afternoon on April 21, by an excited Fernymoss who was looking for them to pop this morning, and pop they did!

Every grouping of flowers always starts with a single bloom, and this lovely example shows just how much Persian Pearl loves basking in the morning sun .... their rich hues of magenta-pink just positively pop when offset by the brilliant yellow centers of these blooms ... and if you enlarge the photo (always click through for a larger version!), you can even see the shadows of the stamens against the center, it was that sunny this morning.

As I mentioned earlier, they like company, and I suspect that these two "twins" represent an older bulb that has produced another, smaller offset that is just blooming for the first time this year. These dwarf or "wild tulips" are sometimes referred to as "crocus tulips" and it's easy to see how they got that nickname, since they seem to naturalize much like crocus do, with smaller progeny appearing very close to the parent bulb....

Here we can see a slightly larger "family" has emerged to join the larger party forming around the Hyacinth (Peter Stuyvesant ... more on him in a later post) nearby. Their bright hues provide a beautiful contrast to the deeper shades of violet-purple of the Hyacinths (see the first shot in this post) and are just what I was aiming for when I originally planted these here. It may have just been a "color hunch" at the time, but it has worked out well over the ensuing years....

This spot is apparently the focal point of the party, at least at this point in time! This is where I concentrated the bulk of the bulbs when I first planted them and used the rest a bit further afar to punctuate the Hyacinths. These are bulbs you definitely want to plant in groups so they don't get lonely ... that's the essential lesson we learned early on with planting tulips: planting one or two here and there just doesn't do them justice --they need the company of their relatives to really shine! (The same "rule" seems to apply to many of the other spring bulbs such as crocus and daffodils.) So if you decide to add these (reasonably priced) jewels to your garden, keep in mind that they do best when surrounded by their peers....

This view features the largest concentration of these beauties near one of the foundation boulders of the bed at the edge of the sidewalk where our steps begin, so they're on full display to anyone passing by. And that's something to keep in consideration should you decide to plant 'Persian Pearl' (or any of its cousins) ... they really deserve a position where they will be seen, and relegating them to a position further back in the perennial border really does them, yourself (and potential admirers of your flowers) a huge disservice. With a flower this small (they max out at about 6 inches tops), they positively demand prime eyeball real estate to perform at their best.

To my mind, these are indeed Pearls of Great Beauty at a Minimal Price (American Meadows is currently offering them at $6.73 for a bag of 15) ... and what's even nicer, they only need to be planted about 4-6" deep (unlike the 6-8" their larger cousins demand), so like crocus and other smaller bulbs, you could potentially plant a good number easily in a small amount of time. If you liked what you saw here, consider adding some Tulipa humilis varieties to your garden this coming Fall!

We'll be seeing the other variety we have planted here a bit later (they're not as early), so stay tuned for the début of 'Little Beauty!'

And speaking of little beauties ...here's the puppy fix of the day (taken on 21 April) ... lil Princess Hanna relaxing after a long walk (25 min + !) last night.....

I call this one "Full Stretch Mode"

"I'm trying hard to stay awake, but the snoozies are hitting me right now!"

Sunny Friday Bulbular Delights

Finally, Friday arrived ... with abundant sunshine and a balmy high of 72F, perfect for bringing more Spring bulbs forth to join the colorful parade around Casa IVG, and here I was, stuck inside working furiously at finishing a report for work. Hanna and I were both antsy to get outside to enjoy some of the first truly warm weather we've had (except that anomaly of the first day of Spring), yet trapped inside (albeit with heat off and windows open!) until 6:00 p.m.....

Just as we eventually managed to get out to survey the progress of the bulbular show (I was walking Hanna on my tour around the gardens), Fernymoss came home from work and interrupted my attempts to get some shots of what's currently blooming ... but never worry, tonight I'm pleased to present some of his work from late yesterday afternoon, when he got home earlier, so any comments on the photos are all for Fernymoss.

Alas, the Crocuses are starting to wind down for the season now, ceding the stage to the Daffodils, imminent Tulips, Hyacinths and others yet to arrive (Wood Hyacinths, Camassia, Alliums, Fritillarias). Though it's a bittersweet transition for me, I take comfort in the fact that many of last year's planting are still coming up here and there, especially in the Woodland Garden, so their time is not yet over, though their most dramatic plantings in the front are quickly fading to clumps of foliage.

This shot is, of course, another planting of 'Pickwick' (Giant Crocus), and if you look closely (click through, as always, to the larger version), you'll see that we're not the only Crocus admirers in the garden ... you can spot small leaf hoppers and flies on the flowers here, and down at the bottom left, it appears that someone has been munching on the blooms, probably a rabbit. Whoever it was, at least they didn't devour the entire stand of flowers!

This shot is yet another planting of 'Pickwick' ... as I promised in an earlier post, we have a lot of these charmers planted in various spots around the front Boulder Bed and in random spots in the Woodland Garden. In the background you can see a rather tardive yellow Snow Crocus coming up, undoubtedly another of last Fall's planting. I can only imagine how this spot will look in a few years when both varieties have had a chance to colonize a bit ... it should be quite impressive!

This is another one of the "new" plantings from last Fall ... and I really like the pairing we got here, with the delicately purple veined white trying to compete with the flashier 'Pickwick,' by no means failing in the attempt, but providing a subtle, yet complementary contrast with its showier cousin. Again, I'll be delighted to see how they increase over time, amplifying this pleasing effect!

And now, for something totally different! These are, of course, perhaps our favorite early Spring blue flower, Scilla siberica, which has been gradually colonizing areas of the parking at the front of our property. This year, it has definitely increased its coverage of the area, but has yet to achieve the true "drifts" that we see in others' yards around the city ... but it's steadily getting there! It's often difficult to get a "head on" shot of this flower, but the rear ends are equally lovely ... and note the luscious purple stems leading up to these exquisite blue flowers....

Here's another view of our growing "Squill Colony" in the parking by the sidewalk....

And this shot is of the "surprise" colony emerging by one of our (sadly diminished) plantings of Tulips in the corner Boulder Bed ... I think this was Fernymoss' handiwork from a couple of years ago when he was "Squilly Seeding" the bulblets produced from those planted elsewhere, but no matter where their origin, they're certainly welcome here! And curiously, we have yet to see the Grape Hyacinths (Muscari armeniaca) coming up here ... there are a lot planted around the Tulips, but we have yet to see any signs from them so far ... more winter casualties? We'll see what happens....

And finally, here's a Daffodil bud that just screams out "Feed Me!" for some reason ... it's one of the many we have planted in a sunnier area of the Woodland Garden and they're rapidly advancing into bloom by the hour, it would seem. When I went out today, there were at least 20-30 in full bloom, so they're just beginning to announce to the world that Spring has truly arrived! I'm glad to see them providing such a big splash of color, and just hope that this year no one decides to "poach" them ... We never cut them to bring inside because we feel they should complete their cycle as Nature intended, and think that in a small way we are helping the neighborhood celebrate Spring with us. Maybe when we have them in the hundreds (if I live that long!), we'll use them as cut flowers, but until then, they're part of the gardenscape!

Here Comes the Sun ...

The sun finally made a welcome return to Casa IVG today, along with a high of 65 (!), and proceeded to bring about a few minor miracles in the garden, among which was the opening of our first two Daffodils (at long last)! I can't decide whether I get more excited about seeing the first crocus or daffodils or tulips (okay, I'll fess up, the crocuses rule my world), but somehow for me Daffodils signal the true arrival of Spring and the promise of all the flowers to come over the growing season....

These are the first two blooms of many yet to come ... years ago I planted some of our first Daffodils in a "tree ring bed" in the parking of the northeast corner of our lot and though they've been faithful bloomers for us (though once they did skip a year) ever since. Until this year, that is. Where there used to be about 25-30 bulbs, there are now only two remaining. Now, whether this is due to "natural" causes or something more nefarious, I have no idea. I've mentioned in previous posts (from last year) that there was a huge Daffodil die-off in Des Moines last year, though ours appeared to be spared, so perhaps this year it was our turn to take our lumps. Fortunately the 150 or so naturalizing daffodils we planted in 2005 in the Woodland Garden are thriving and multiplying and currently budding out, so you'll be seeing those soon. In any case, these first two are the "Dutch Masters" variety I planted back in 2000 (yes, they were Martha Stewart bulbs, lol) and I think they're one of the prettiest varieties ... real classics of their kind.

Let's move in for a closer look, shall we? I took these shots in the late afternoon sun, and I love capturing the glow and shadows this particular lighting gives these blooms....

I also revisited the Chionodoxa today, hoping to get a better shot that would capture a more accurate blue hue ... well, this is definitely an improvement over the one from Sunday, but still doesn't quite render the correct shade (they should be a bit darker). I guess I'm going to have to pull out the manual and read up on setting things manually as FARfetched so helpfully suggested in the comments of my previous post. (Thanks, FAR! You're a pal!) I'll keep at it until I get a shot I'm happy with, or else resort to some tinkering with the image with my photo editor. (Of course, my preference is to get the most "natural" shots I can.) One thing I neglected to say about this particular bulb is that it also comes in shades of pink and white, for those so inclined to those colors ... we're fans of anything blue in the garden, so we only planted the blue variety ... so stay tuned for many more shades of blue to come....

This lonely white crocus appears to be one of our Van Bourgondien Snow Crocus Mix that was planted last fall, because I don't recall seeing it in this particular spot before this year, but am happy to welcome it to the party! You can see the remnants of some Snow Crocus 'Dorothy' petals at its base, but apparently Fernymoss just popped one white into this particular planting. I guess that's a sign of things to come, because as the yellow crocuses are the first to appear, they also are the first to depart the scene ... farewell, my fiery lovelies, I'll be glad to welcome you back again next Spring and make sure to bring lots of your friends and relatives along with you!

As you can see, we still have a lot of raking and clean up to do in the Woodland Garden, but weekend weather just hasn't permitted much work the past few weeks (cold, rainy and even snow) and since Saturday is supposed to be rainy (again!), we may not get to this area until Sunday at the earliest. Still, this hasn't impeded the emergence of one of our favorite Columbines, the 'Alpine Blue.' There are a couple of others still to show themselves, but I'm sure once we get the leaves cleared out, they'll show up (I suspect they're still lurking underneath). In a way, it's probably just as well we didn't get to this area back on that great sunny weekend a while back, because we have had several cold snaps since then, but those now seem less likely as April slithers to a close....

Here's another 'Pickwick' crocus planted last fall ... now I'm beginning to see what Fernymoss did that day I was sick and couldn't help plant them ... I'm seeing the lone one or two crocus popping up in all sorts of odd spots around the place! Though I would have preferred planting at least 3-4 at a time, I'm sure that given a few years, we'll have some nice little colonies developing, so I just need to temper my impatient Leo ways and be patient until that happens....

While I was out taking these shots, I left Hanna on the porch so she could at least see what I was doing and keep tabs on the neighborhood goings on while I was occupied. The next two shots were impulse photos I took as I opened the porch door to go back inside ... there was such an adorable puppy waiting for me that I just had to give her her due. I've found that since Hanna is such an energetic dog who moves all the time, the best way to capture her is to put the camera in continuous shooting mode and just snap away ... so here are two of the results.

Why can't I go out and run around out front with you Daddy? I'll be good!

That was not the answer I wanted to hear! Remember, I'll be one year old on April 20! I think I'm a big enough girl!

Cloudy Spring Potpourri

We've definitely been pretty sun starved the past several days and yesterday (Easter) and today were no exceptions ... but still, I had to try to get out for a little while yesterday, as the temperature dropped and the winds whipped up, just to try my hand at getting a few shots of what was valiantly blooming. Some of the Giant Crocus are now done and gone, thanks in no small part to the gusty winds ... but others are rising to the occasion to replace them, as are our other early spring bloomers, such as this Chionodoxa forbessi ('Glory of the Snow') that I showed a glimpse of in my previous Crocus post from last week.

It may be the 'Glory of the Snow,' but for the amateur flower photographer, it might as well be nicknamed Le désespoir des photographes ('Photographer's Despair') because of its stubborn refusal to be captured accurately (color wise) by the camera in most situations! As I mentioned in my previous post, for some reason I have a terrible time getting the right shade of true blue from this gorgeous little ephemeral that graces the front boulder bed every spring. Of course, yesterday was insufferably cloudy and it was late afternoon before we got home and I could get out with the camera, but still ... to my eye, it was its usual glorious blue! So I said what the heck, these won't be the best photos I'll get, but I need to get things chronicled one way or another, so here's one of the shots I got of the several colonies we have established out in the front boulder bed. As you can see, it looks a little bleached out and more lavender than blue, but this was in natural light with no flash (which would have made them look even worse!) ... so go figure. I'll try again later this week when the sun is supposed to return at least briefly and maybe I'll inadvertently discover the holy grail....

I'll just mention one more time that this is a great early spring bulb -- gorgeous, inexpensive, very hardy (Zones 3-6), and a great naturalizer that multiplies very quickly. (These were planted in clumps of 5-6 back in 2005 and at this point have almost tripled in number.) If you don't have this little beauty in your garden currently, you'd do well to consider a few mass plantings with your spring bulbs ... they're small, about the size of snow crocus, don't have to go down too deep and you can plant a good number in a short amount of time. I've been thinking about getting 50-60 more of these in the Fall and doing a couple of big plantings with assorted crocuses, since finding a real blue in crocus is a challenge ... think how lovely a 2-3 foot space filled with all of these would be ... a real spirit booster after a long winter!

Here we have another one of our very favorite early spring ephemerals, Scilla siberica 'Spring Beauty,' commonly known as Siberian Squill. It's another of the truly blue spring bulbs you can plant, with lots of great features: it's incredibly hardy (Zones 3-9), it naturalizes freely over time (though not as fast as we would like) and is just a joy to behold for the brief time it is on the stage. This particular clump was not intentionally planted here amongst the tulips ... well, I mean we didn't purchase these bulbs and put them there deliberately, though I suspect that Fernymoss had a hand in this particular planting. (I think he plucked some mature bulblets from other plants and tossed them over here a few years ago ... à la Fernymoss Squilly Bulb.) You see, Scilla siberica has a great naturalizing strategy ... after the blooms have faded, they turn into litlle "bulblets" that eventually weigh down the stem and fall to the ground and work their way into the soil (well, usually we give them a bit of an assist by digging a little hole for them) where they can advance out from the parent plant.and come up the following year. That's how you sometimes see, in fortunate gardeners' yards and gardens, huge drifts of blue appear when they bloom. That's what we have been aspiring to since we first planted them, and at present, we do have a pretty good colony going out in the front parking. Right now, they are just starting to bloom, but I'll feature them soon when they are a bit more prominent ... but we've had to be patient, because the soil in the parking is very poor and hard, so I think it has slowed them down a bit. They're an outstanding spring bulb to introduce to your garden if you don't already have some planted ... we also have over 100 of their larger cousins Hyacinthoides hispanica (formerly known as Scilla Hispanica or 'Spanish Bluebells') planted around the garden and they are starting to come up in droves right now, though they probably won't bloom until early May. I spotted some substantial clumps coming up yesterday and was thrilled to see that they have yet again multiplied their numbers over those we had last year, so you'll be seeing those when they burst into bloom....

Finally, here's another planting of Crocus 'Pickwick' (which I've featured previously), which though obviously not happy with yesterday's weather, was hanging in there despite the cold and wind. I think this clump was planted about 2-3 years ago, due to its placement and the number that have come up this year ... we're seeing more and more of the crocus on the northern exposures blooming now (where it stays colder and less sunny than elsewhere in the front), so the season's show is far from over at this point! Consider this post just a snapshot from some very cloudy days, looking forward to more sunshine that will bring the rest of our spring friends into bloom ... I guess we're just having to be ultra patient this year, given Winter's stubborness about leaving. Patience is just one of those traits that the gardener has to cultivate, otherwise we just set ourselves up for infinite frustrations!

And speaking of patience on another front ... I finally (after a 1 month+ wait) got my new glasses late last week (first pair in 10 years) and I'm having to really be patient adjusting to them. I had to get bifocals (my first pair since 2nd grade) again and though it's great to see clearly at distances again, the up close work has been challenging so far, but give me a few weeks to adjust and I hope I'll be back to as good as I can be (with my complicated prescription). I know one thing: it's going to be less of a crap shoot when I take pictures now! I'm looking forward to that....

The Crocus Parade Continues ...

Today we finally had some sun again, which pretty much finished off the rest of the snow lingering from Sunday's "storm," so the crocus were able to show their faces again to the world after spending two days closed up and shivering. The temperatures have also begun to moderate slowly and with any luck, we'll be seeing the upper 50s by the end of the week, with partly sunny days in store. That's a Spring I can start to believe in, but it's still too chilly at night to begin putting anything into the ground (other than early planted seeds).

My goal for this weekend is to get at least one afternoon spent cleaning up the back yard because it's a mess! If you recall, after the tree came crashing down last October, the weather turned cold very quickly and there's still a lot of branches and stuff that need to be picked up and disposed of, and then there's the matter of getting the tree taken out. Fernymoss finally got a lead on a reasonably priced tree service, so we'd like to get that taken care of before too much longer, not only to get rid of the unsightly mess, but also to ensure a sunnier back yard this summer. I can see my tax refund disappearing already ... but it has to be done soon!

Now we return to our regularly scheduled Crocus coverage, already in progress...

Note: the shots in this post are also from my most recent session on April 3, 2009.

(Be sure to click through to see the larger, more detailed versions.)

I'm a bit baffled as to exactly what variety of Giant Crocus this one is ... it definitely came from one of our Van Bourgondien mixes and I thought it might be Blue Pearl, but after looking at that one in the catalogue again, I'm not so sure. It's definitely not Pickwick (shown below) because it doesn't display the prominent purple striping that characterizes that variety. But whatever this one turns out to be, it's another reliable bloomer and has been multiplying quite happily over the past 3 years or so out in the front boulder bed, and at this point has grown into a respectable, showy clump that stands out in the bare ground of the central bed.

This is one of our small clumps of Pickwick that we have scattered around the front beds ... I suspect this is one of the more recently planted groupings because it doesn't show signs of having multiplied just yet. Though this variety doesn't seem to colonize as quickly as the other Crocus do, it's definitely one of the more dramatic cultivars with its white tipped petals striped with deep purple hiding the brilliant orange stamens. We should be seeing more of these soon, and though this shot doesn't really do it justice, it's the best I have for the moment. The only drawback I can find for this variety is that, like Jeanne d'Arc, it's really prone to lose its petals in a heavy rain or strong wind, and its bloom period is somewhat shorter than most of our other Giant and Snow Crocuses. Still, it's a very worthy crocus to have in your garden and would make a nice planting companion to others like Jeanne d'Arc and Golden Yellow. Have I sold you on the virtues of the Giant Crocuses yet?

I have no clue what variety of yellow snow crocus this is because it was in a grab bag mix I got from Park Seed several years ago ... this little clump is one of many I planted along the line of the sidewalk on the Woodland side of the house (on the north). When I planted them, I just mixed up a bunch of crocus and Muscari (Grape Hyacinth) and planted them in groups of 5 or 6 every foot or so down the sidewalk line. This year, this is one of the first ones to show up, and there are still quite a few more that should be appearing sometime soon, so consider this a sneak peek at more to come....

I was really happy to see these little guys coming up in profusion last weekend when I was out with the camera! Though at first glance one might mistake them for Squill (Scilla siberica), they are actually Chionodoxa forbessi, aka 'Glory of the Snow.' These cheery little star shaped blue flowers with white centers and yellow stamens are really a great naturalizer that can go just about anywhere you want a splash of blue among the early spring bloomers and would look good with snow crocus, because they start (at least here) blooming just about the time the snow crocus are on the way out (but while their foliage remains). I think we have about 3-4 clumps of these near the edge of the front boulder bed, where they have been happily colonizing for the last several years. I think I started with about 5 bulbs in each planting and I've definitely noticed that every year more and more return in the spring ... they're definitely a bulb you need to plant in masses, because the sight of one or two lone flowers just wouldn't do them justice ... they need to be seen in groups for the full effect! I'll also note that getting good photos of these flowers is a real challenge for some reason ... if there's not enough sun, they look muddy blue, too much sun and they end up looking bleached out. I hope I have better luck capturing them this year than I have in the past few years. You'll see soon enough....

Now these are a bit of a mystery so far, but one thing's for sure, they're something that Fernymoss planted that day last fall when I was sick, so I don't know where anything he planted is (and he can't remember what went where). My best guess is that these are either Nectaroscordum ('Sicilian Honey Garlic') or Fritillaria 'Fox's Grape.' Now that I think more about it, I think they might indeed be the Fritillarias because they are up so early and are supposed to bloom in April or May, while Nectaroscordum doesn't bloom until May or June ... so time will tell what they really are! If anyone can positively ID these just from the initial foliage, please let me know what you think it is, otherwise we'll just have to wait until they bloom....

This is a bit of a wider view of one of our mass plantings of Daffodils, Tulips, Hyacinths and Crocus we have on the Woodland side of the house (where, as you can see, we haven't gotten much cleaning up done yet!). I'm cautiously optimistic that some of the tulips we had there that didn't return last year may be back this year, because it seems that I'm seeing more there than last year. These 'Yellow Trumpet Daffodils' are a very basic version of the flower bred primarily for naturalizing, which is exactly why we bought a whole half bushel back in 2005 to plant all around the garden. We have experimented with some of the fancier varieties in the past and been disappointed that, like the fancy tulips, after several years they either disappear entirely or revert to some kind of unattractive mutant Narcissus resembling the stinky Paper Whites we made the mistake of forcing one winter. That's an experience we won't repeat again because those pestiferous things stunk up the entire house and we ended up sticking them on the porch to kill them!

Fortunately, these Daffodils come back true every year (so far) and have been multiplying nicely in the 3 years they have been blooming for us. And they even escaped the great Des Moines Daffodil holocaust that hit so many gardeners last year, who lost entire long-established beds of them for some as yet unknown reason. Our neighbors across the street used to have masses of lovely Daffodils next to their house and their bed was decimated last year and only a few still remain ... yet ours were seemingly untouched and actually thrived last year. It looks like they're gearing up for a good show again this year, so we're looking forward to their appearance soon!

And for those of you who need a puppy fix, here's Lil Miss Hanna ...
I call this shot "Inscrutable"

What dog owner hasn't wanted to peek into the mind of their dog when s/he gives them one of these kinds of looks? Of course, Terriers are notorious for their staring capacity and can stare the best of us down (Pepa was a pro at this too) ... actually this shot kind of reminded me of that old Frasier episode that had a section called "Stare Master" where Eddie got the best of Frasier, despite the latter's best efforts to out-stare Eddie. Hanna definitely has the talent, so when you combine that with her incredibly expressive face and her frequent brow wrinkling and you get truly inscrutable looks. How do you interpret this gaze? Is it Hanna concocting some devious plan? Is she merely expressing concern? What wheels are spinning inside her head at this moment? Let me know if you have any good ideas....

Pre-Easter Crocus Parade

Friday was, in many respects a stellar day around Casa IVG ... what with the historic Supreme Court ruling on marriage equality, to mild temperatures in the mid-50s and abundant sunshine ... and I, being the obsessive meteorology geek that I am, already knew it wouldn't last. For days, the weather service had been forecasting a cold turn and rain morphing into sleet and snow for Saturday and Sunday. Well, Saturday started out fairly sunny, but over the course of the day, conditions darkened and by evening, it began to rain ... nothing truly dramatic or stormy, but steady, light showers that persisted throughout the evening, and then sometime overnight, there was a transition to sleet and then snow. Sunday it snowed steadily all day, but with temperatures in the low 30s, much of it melted when it hit the ground and there were only light accumulations (perhaps an inch or so) on grassy or garden areas, and the sidewalks and streets remained clear. Not at all what we had been expecting from the forecast: 3-5 inches with high winds behind the snow. We did get periodic bouts of wind, but fortunately no accumulations requiring shoveling. Of course we weren't happy to see the snow return one more time, but at least it wasn't excessive and it will likely be gone before the end of the day tomorrow ... so we can live with this kind of April snow shower!

On these kinds of weekends when the weather threatens to be "iffy" we often try to plan to get all of our errands out of the way on the decent day so we can just hole up at home when the nasty stuff sets in, and this weekend was no exception. This is when I get the cooking bug to make something really tasty and satisfying because I have the time (which I never seem to have during the week). So Saturday night we had cheese ravioli and meatballs (both frozen, but tasty) and Sunday I set about putting together a real meal for dinner ... a pork roast, fresh steamed asparagus and yukon gold mashed potatoes, with cranberry orange zest quick bread for dessert. It was the perfect "cold weather again" meal for the day and we really enjoyed it, and even Hanna got some little tastes of the meat and potatoes just for being an exceptionally good girl on a day when we were sure she was suffering from a bit of cabin fever, even though she did get a brief walk (wearing her jacket of course, due to the cold). After dinner, we were three contented souls enjoying what was left of our weekend....

Friday afternoon after work, while it was still gloriously sunny, I headed out front to get some sun-soaked shots while I still could and these photos are all from that session (April 3, 2009). This first shot is in the "original" bulb bed next to the steps ... These are two of my favorite Giant Dutch varieties, Jeanne d'Arc (White) and Flower Record (Purple) ... they were part of a Giant Crocus Mix we originally got from Van Bourgondien several years ago, and we liked them so much we ordered another couple of bags last year, though many of them have yet to come up, since they are scattered about the various beds that make up our gardens. I suspect many are on the northern side which has yet to fully warm up (though there are tulips and daffodils galore breaking ground in the past week or so). So, unless they have been poached by the tree rats, we should be seeing them sometime fairly soon. We've both been noting with concern, a lot of holes around the beds and hope that we're not losing things to these voracious thugs, but then again, it may just be random digging, since I've heard many times that tree rats are so stupid that they forget where they bury the nuts so they dig everywhere ... I sure hope this is the case!

If you've never grown the "Giant Dutch" varieties of Crocus, they are just as easy as the smaller "Snow Crocus," though need to go down a bit deeper than the smaller ones ... growing conditions and situations are identical, and they look fantastic mixed in with the smaller varieties, especially when they begin to multiply. They're not as quick to colonize as the "Snow Crocuses," but gradually increase their stands year after year, so patience is the operative concept once again. They grow to about 4-5 inches tops and as long as they're not subjected to pounding rains or consistently high winds, they generally have a bloom time of maybe 2-3 weeks if you're lucky. Like all crocus, after the blooms fade, the foliage remains until the weather gets warmer and then disappears for the rest of the season, going into "snooze mode" until the following Spring.... This shot is a closer view of the Flower Record clump seen above, positively basking in the late afternoon sun and showing off the various hues of purple they exhibit ... I think the most striking feature of this variety are the brilliant orange stamens that really contrast gorgeously with the purple petals ... If you don't have any "Giant Dutch" varieties in your garden, this one is a must have in my opinion ... it's a virtually carefree and fail safe early Spring bloomer that will reward you year after year!

These little beauties look a lot like 'Tricolor,' but they're actually a different variety of Crocus sieberi called 'Firefly.' I really enjoy the subtle gradations from lavender to white, and the brilliant yellow stamens of this variety, which make it really "pop" wherever it is planted, whether it be in a formal bed or right in the middle of a lawn, providing a pleasant surprise to anyone who casts a glance in their direction. Something I don't think I've mentioned in my many musings on Crocus is that they do quite well in grass, where their foliage blends right in, but the flowers stand out, and the best thing is that they are done blooming long before the first mowing needs to take place, so they can fulfill their whole bloom cycle before they're forced into summer retirement. Again, I realize that for a lot of people the idea of planting bulbs is a daunting one (especially for tulips and daffodils and the larger bulbs), but if you enjoy the early spring rewards of these joyful crocus, there's really no excuse why one's garden should go wanting for these little jewels. They're small bulbs that don't need to go down very deep and one can plant a hundred easily in an afternoon armed only with a trowel ... dig a small plug of grass (or dirt) out of where you want them to appear, about 2-3 inches deep, pop 3, 4 or 5 bulbs in, replace the dirt or grass plug and you're done! As my culinary muse Ina Garten would say, How easy is that?

I admit I used to pooh-pooh the idea of white flowers as boring, but I've certainly changed my tune as I've matured as a gardener --don't get me wrong, I still go for the fiery colors with a passion-- there's a lot to be said for flowers that produce a pristine, clean shade of white ... and how much more pure could one get than a variety named Jeanne d'Arc? When planted in proximity to the flashier purples and yellows, they really provide a striking contrast, as you can see in the first shot of this post. At this point, I really wish I had popped some of the larger yellow ones in near these two for even more flash, but this bed is so full of bulbs that I don't dare mess with what's already there, so maybe I'll just designate a small area somewhere where there aren't crocus this year and do another planting of several colors next fall.

I call this shot "Nonchalant."

For the puppy deprived among you (how's this, Deborah?), here's another candid shot of Princess Hanna from Friday evening ... when I looked closely at this shot, I had to laugh when I realized that the image on the TV in the background is that notorious motorized bar stool that has been in the news the past week ... you know, the one the guy in Ohio was riding when he crashed it after having drunk 15 beers, then told the police he followed that up with half a bottle of whiskey? Loose lips sink ships buddy, and got this overly loquacious dude a first ... a DUI on Motorized Bar Stool citation! I hope he thinks twice the next time he considers driving this to the bar....

On the weekend cinema front, we only managed to get one "real" film in on Friday night ... the Cohen Brothers' Burn After Reading, which was a pure comedic delight which reveled in the unadulterated stupidity of a whole ensemble of bizarro world characters (CIA operatives and health club types) who fall into a convoluted plot way over their heads. Though much of the comedy is far from the "laugh out loud" type (say, as in a Will Ferrell or Sacha Baron Cohen movie), it's definitely sardonic enough to satisfy even the most jaded viewer who can tune into the Cohen brothers sensibility. My take is that it's a great light (?) hearted follow up to the more sinister No Country For Old Men, which I found to be a real stunner of a different sort. (Oh, Javier, that haircut was painful!) Though I'm no great fan of Brad Pitt under most circumstances, he was positively delightful in this role where he (as one cast member notes in the extra features) "fully embraced his inner knucklehead." George Clooney has never been sexier than he is in this film, (despite his despicable lothario-like sex addict character), and it was great to see him engage in a performance ranging from purely comedic to full blown paranoia ... at one point I was so engaged by his paranoia that I started to get nervous myself when I heard sirens going by nearby.... Another standout performance by Frances McDormand (the original "Marge Gunderson" so amply imitated by Sarah Palin) punctuates the bizarre dynamic of this film ... so much so that of all the characters we follow, she is the only one who achieves her central goal, despite all her idiotic missteps. After we watched this film, I marveled at how oddly this film was marketed ... I remember at the time thinking that it was nothing more than a "fluffy" Cohen Brothers film I might not like, but after having spent the evening going through this impossibly convoluted adventure, I felt greatly rewarded and had quite a few hearty laughs along the way. Those guys still have it in spades and this film deserves a lot more exposure than it seems to have gotten on its original release ... you could find many worse ways to spend 96 minutes of your time, so I give it a hearty recommendation.

Hanna, on the other hand, slept through most of it, so if you're taking cues from her reactions, you might as well take a nap....