Well, winter is done. We’ll have light snow and below freezing temperatures, off and on, until mid May, but now, it’s out with the snowshoes and, just in time for yesterday’s downpour, in with the rain barrel. Heavy sigh…..just joking! Every Saturday, The Propagator encourages gardeners around the world to share six things that are happening in their garden. This is what’s happening around here:
Tulips!!! I planted a bunch of new ones last fall, which, given how ravenous the chipmunks were last spring, was either stupid or hopeful. We shall see, but in the meantime there are a few, like these, that the chippies neglected to dig up for themselves.
The ‘Woodstock’ Hyacinths I planted two years ago have returned!
My first harvest of the year will, once again, be chives – I’ll likely be adding them to salads and soups by mid April.
I love how the tall, sturdy stems of Sedum spectaibile (now known as Hylotelephium spectabile) start out as tiny rosettes.
Heirloom Apricot ‘Faerie Queen’ Foxglove (Digitalis) – this year’s seedlings on the left and, on the right, last year’s plants, starting to gather energy to send out flower stalks.
VERY frustrating. My rabbits tend to prefer chard in the summer, and, when the ground is snow covered, the tips (ie flower buds…) of spirea and viburnum. Oh, also young burning bush branches and the bark from Staghorn Sumac. Utter devastation…
Despite the snow and freezing temperatures, you have great promises. My chives are not ahead of yours. All other plants yes.
Thank you for pointing the new name of the sedum, I didn’t know
It takes me a long time to adapt to new names, especially if they are harder to pronounce or trickier to spell. New England Aster was given a new same several years ago – I still can’t remember it.
Well, the rabbits have almost consumed a Blue Glitter Thistle I spent months nurturing from seed. Arggh. Stay away chippies!!! I always hope the Bobcat that lives around here will eat them. Not the thistles. I wish I had your chives, the ones I have grown here were tasteless. Another thing needing a pot.
Exactly, I still find some chives now and then. I guess the sand doesn’t have enough nutrients to make taste? no clue, though I have been wishing I had some chives lately!! We have coyotes here as well. Outdoor cats do not last very long.
Sedum specatible is tough! Small pups came up with floral stalks that I pulled up two winters ago. They were left in a small pile of debris all summer, but then started to grow over this last winter! I canned them as new plants, and they are doing well!
I am going to try putting my tulip bulbs in a pot then putting chicken wire on top and see if that will keep the chipmunks out. I am changing my gardens over to where I put a big pot in the ground berried to its top then set another pot with plants inside that pot.
Yep. I am usually satisfied with the daffodills and irises, but a neighbor started putting down chicken wire and didn’t loose as many. I have a bunch of pieces laying around that I am not using any more and thought I would give it a try.
County Gardening 
It must be frustrating to see chipmunks devour the tulips? For anyone living in rural setting here, it’s the rabbits that do the damage.
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VERY frustrating. My rabbits tend to prefer chard in the summer, and, when the ground is snow covered, the tips (ie flower buds…) of spirea and viburnum. Oh, also young burning bush branches and the bark from Staghorn Sumac. Utter devastation…
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Despite the snow and freezing temperatures, you have great promises. My chives are not ahead of yours. All other plants yes.
Thank you for pointing the new name of the sedum, I didn’t know
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(I’m talking about the cold and the snow you’ve had so far of course. it slowed down the growth but you often catch up with us later in summer )
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Yes, when it starts to warm up everything springs out with a bang!
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It takes me a long time to adapt to new names, especially if they are harder to pronounce or trickier to spell. New England Aster was given a new same several years ago – I still can’t remember it.
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Yes isn’t it Symphyotrichum novae-angliae? I prefer aster … 😂
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Lots of encouraging signs of spring. I hope more of the tulips have survived the chipmunks.
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Me too – I think I’ve spotted two T. turkistanica – the earliest blooming, species Tulip. Out of 100 planted…
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Well, the rabbits have almost consumed a Blue Glitter Thistle I spent months nurturing from seed. Arggh. Stay away chippies!!! I always hope the Bobcat that lives around here will eat them. Not the thistles. I wish I had your chives, the ones I have grown here were tasteless. Another thing needing a pot.
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Tasteless chives! Why even bother! I rely on our local coyotes for rabbit control – this winter I lost most of a burning bush but not much else.
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Exactly, I still find some chives now and then. I guess the sand doesn’t have enough nutrients to make taste? no clue, though I have been wishing I had some chives lately!! We have coyotes here as well. Outdoor cats do not last very long.
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Sedum specatible is tough! Small pups came up with floral stalks that I pulled up two winters ago. They were left in a small pile of debris all summer, but then started to grow over this last winter! I canned them as new plants, and they are doing well!
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They sure are, with no watering required!
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Well, I will water mine. There is no rain from now until autumn.
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So great to see plants’ (and gardener’s) resilience through the winter months. I expect all will be on hyperdrive now. Happy spring to you!
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Thanks, and to you as well!
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I am going to try putting my tulip bulbs in a pot then putting chicken wire on top and see if that will keep the chipmunks out. I am changing my gardens over to where I put a big pot in the ground berried to its top then set another pot with plants inside that pot.
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I hope that method works – certainly with a try eh? Amazing the lengths we’ll go to for tulips! 😁🌷🌷🌷
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Yep. I am usually satisfied with the daffodills and irises, but a neighbor started putting down chicken wire and didn’t loose as many. I have a bunch of pieces laying around that I am not using any more and thought I would give it a try.
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