In article , "madgardener" wrote:
The fairies are ahead of themselves. Yesterday during the surge of energy I
had when I started feeling like I had the flu, I went out to see if there
were any flowers. Well, yes, there were. The little daffodil fairy has a
sense of humor. She teased open one fat one out front on the western end of
the front bed. If we get the snow they're predicting, it'll be clipped and
brought in rather than let the snow burn it. And I have my first
Helebore!!! It was quietly sitting open, all cute and freckled faced in the
Salix garden on the west side of the house. More crocuses open and more
long green tongues poking up indicating that the rest of the narcissus are
not too far behind the early one. No sign yet of the hoops narcissus in the
pot, but lots of varigated tulip tongues poking up where I remember the
Pinochio's, Toronto's, and Waterlily tulips live. And the pot of sedums with
the 'Marilyn' tulip has returned, wheather or not it blooms is up to it this
year. I sprinkled bulb food to make sure................
Spring is close!!
Yesterday the first "Rip Van Winkle" daffodil bud burst open, a small
lonely bloom. Lots & lots of this dwarf's gooseneck buds should follow
suit in a day or two.
I've a small drift of pure wild kaufmanniana waterlily tulip which I
yesterday noticed already have fat buds showing color, but the several
hybrid waterlily tulips & greigiis aren't showing their buds quite yet,
though the fat pointy leaves are everywhere.
The earliest rhododendrons are starting, which seems more surprising than
the bulbs. Evergreen R. pachytrichum has one truss opening wide, & two
others have brightly colored buds preparing to burst, "Milestone" &
"Crater's Edge." In past years I think it was "PJM Elite" bloomed first,
but it's going to be fourth in line this year.
-paggers
--
"Of what are you afraid, my child?" inquired the kindly teacher.
"Oh, sir! The flowers, they are wild," replied the timid creature.
-from Peter Newell's "Wild Flowers"
See the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl:
http://www.paghat.com/