GBBD March 15, 2010

It's that time of the month when we share with others what is blooming in our gardens. GBBD is brought to you by Carol of May Dreams Gardens-be sure to check out the list and visit some of the incredible posts.

On a recent browsing trip, Rose and I saw this very appropriate sign. We had a few very spring like days last week, but are now back into the rainy and gray days of late winter. We so enjoyed those days-an almost tropical feeling breeze blowing in the warm sun shine...just a tease from Mother Nature of what is hopefully coming.

While there are no blooms in my gardens yet, I do have a few indoors. I thought I would show you this one in stages. After planting the amaryllis that was a Christmas gift from Rose, I waited for weeks to see a bud stem. When it finally got to it's full height, a real bud appeared.

From there it progressed quickly taking only a day or so to get to this stage ...

and the next day I had two glorious 'Apple Blossom' blooms. From there it went to four! I was in heaven.

For the first time ever, I tried my hand a forcing a bulb. I read somewhere in blog land that Big R had them and the vases on sale for $1.99. When I found them they were only $.75 at out store. I called Rose and between the 2 of us, we decided we needed 7. Unfortunately this is the only one that made it to bloom stage. Either we didn't do them right or the bulbs were just to dry. I prefer the 2nd excuse as we are excellent gardeners. :) But I am thrilled to have this one! My kitchen smells of spring!

This impatiens was a surprise. It started blooming this week in the peace lily that sits in my kitchen garden window. I summered this lily outdoors last year and when I brought in in for the winter, seeds from nearby impatiens must have stowed away in the soil. When the sun and the temps were just right, it started to grow and finally produced blooms that also say spring is coming. I learned, though, that these must be fairly easy to grow from seed and am intending on finding some to start indoors. Do you notice a theme here? Pink, pink and more pink. It is strictly by chance, but very fortunate for me as I LOVE pink!

Now to my gardens. When the snow melted in the front beds, I found a couple of bunches of daffodils poking their heads out of the ground. Thrilling!!! There was also a tulip or two. Come on spring.

No, these aren't mine. I wish, though. Visiting a favorite cousin farther south a couple of weeks ago, I found several of these in her yard. Now, these really do say spring.

While we were visiting, we went to a family baby shower. I was so taken with the decorations that I took photos(of course) to share. Notice the miniature daffodils and the hyacinths and ivy and the baby bottle filled with spring colored almond M&Ms.

The room was like walking into spring. A delight to the eye and the nose. This was a door prize-not won by me. :(

Even the cake shouted spring! I knew it was all about the baby, really I did. But it seemed more like a spring shower. :)

I hope you all have an early spring and a wonderful week in the garden!

Spring Play Date!

The wind was horrific, the ground too wet to work, and most of the gardens had been cleaned. What was a grandma to do? Call a granddaughter to see if she could come out and play-that's what! Miss Liv(very soon to be 3) and I headed to a favorite place well armed with a loaf of bread. The place were the 'gooses' swim.

It didn't take long for them to swim our way.

And we even had a few ducks. I thought they might not get as close as the geese, but after seeing there was food involved, here they came, too!

He even brought his mate!

Liv(and I) loved the mallard's iridescent green head. In the sun, it sparkled.

When the bread was gone, and after checking our shoes for goose poop, we needed a snack! Grandma wanted a chocolate sundae, but Liv had strawberries on her mind. Wind-blown and tired, we went home. Liv to play some more and grandma to rest.

Later, walking around the gardens, I found 'Mister Lincoln' leafing out. 'Queen Elizabeth' is showing no signs of life, though. In fact, I am seeing little on several roses. So will give them a while yet, and hope they are just later. We did have a lot of heaving this winter and that can be very hard on tender rose roots.

I think this is called 'bearded tongue' ( my legendary lack of keeping records is showing again!)

What ever it is, it has self seeded in several spots and I always think of those extras as gifts from the birds or maybe the wind.

I did find a few grape hyacinths hiding in the grass at the edge of a couple of beds. These are another of those plants I don't remember planting. I should try to move them to better spots, but usually end up forgetting about them until they surprise me the next spring.

I know, another Daffodil! I just had to show this one-really. It is a new color for me.

I hope everyone has a great spring weekend!