PV

We have had cold rain the last few days. I still see some snow from our snow storm in a couple places.

The rain was nice to get my new containers watered.

One batch I sowed dry because it was raining so much. I checked them and they look great.

I am kind of hoping for a few inches of snow to cover the containers. When it snows I have a better time resisting checking on them so much.

Karen

Brad AKA Moonwolf

Gardenweed, I love it when you post the days to Spring!

last week we had some really warm days for our area! We hit almost 60 degrees.

It gave everyone spring fever real bad!

Karen

Last week we have several mild days here too, and had a lot of melting. However, there is still 20+ inches of snowpack over the gardens and a big hump of snow in my winter-snowing area. Sigh.

Now I can catch up on my wintersowing and not have to go slogging through mud to set them out. Our average last frost here is May 15th and it is usually pretty wintery until early-mid April. The winter warm spells that we had last week don't really speed anything along here they just make for a muddy mess, so I don't really look forward to them. A yard on a hill or with a proper drainage system might make me feel differently though :)

Seems about half the snow has melted around here, but there's still TONS of snow everywhere and a big pile on top of my winter-sowing area. 2-4 more inches tonight. Can't complain too much because a few inches here and there is nothing compared to what we received in January.

Still wondering if we will see the ground by Spring?

There's more rain and temps near 40 in the forecast this coming week. Crossing my fingers I see my lawn by the first day of spring. I'm ready to look at a few of these:

There was a tree a fairly large tree that look like it was either about to bloom or really big pink buds. I am not sure what kind of tree but it was a large one.

It won't be long now!!

Glad you liked them NancyPlants - #4 is Dicentra spectabilis 'Alba'/white bleeding heart. #8 is regular Dicentra spectabilis/bleeding heart. They're as reliable as clockwork and put on such a gorgeous show every spring. The white plant is growing in full shade but the red/pink one is growing in a crack in the cement down near my cellar door in full sun + lousy soil.

I shot this one the year before last just as the late afternoon sun was illuminating the flowers:

Caryl

I found this in one of the beds, yeah direct sown. Out of all of the seeds I tossed out this is the only one!! I believe I may have to move the little booger, this is why direct sowing to me is so frustrating.

Last year I saw my first sprout on March 14. I'm guessing I won't see one this year for at least another couple of weeks but that's better than looking at a couple of months. More than half of my snowtel has melted and I can finally see the WS containers I set out back in December. Sure seems like a long time ago!

Here. In over-crowded NJ, will probably have another drought. Because we really only got 2 large storms (3 1/2 ft.). We usually have heavy rain storms during Late Feb/March. We barely got 1-inch of rain.

Water is priceless!

I'm hoping for at least 1 foot of snow.

Same bed opposite side another about to bloom!!

Another bed, large hyacinth coming up nicely still a little time before I will see blooms. I have cleaned the leaves out once already this year, the oak leaves are dropping like hotcakes!!

Always the best flower in spring for me. I love it when the BH pops up!

Last season I ws some white BH that I got in a trade. I took good care of it and protected from pests and I HOPE it comes back this year. It was so cute and tiny last summer.

I may have to buy soem BH seeds now. I realized that was somehting I planned to WS this year.
oops.

Karen

Also I always miss the seeds. I thought about sticking some panty hose over a few pods last summer but I missed them. That is what I plan to do this summer. I will stick a seed catcher on them with pantyhose and a small rubber band or some soft string or something.

I wonder if some birds eat them before they drop? We have lots of birds in the yard.

Karen

"There's a place up ahead and
I'm going just as fast as my feet can fly
Come away, come away if you're going,
Leave the sinking ship behind."

CHORUS:
Come on the rising wind,
We're going up around the bend.

Ooh!
Bring a song and a smile for the banjo,
Better get while the gettings good,
Hitch a ride to the end of the highway
Where the neons turn to wood."

Songwriter: John Fogharty
Creedance Clearwater

What a change in the forecast from just two weeks ago--most days in the 50's with 30's at night. Guess all the perennials that need cold strat that haven't been WS up to this point will have to wait until next year. Next up? Lettuce - a French heirloom Romaine called Cos Rouge de Hiver.