Spring Bulbs

Hyacinths weighed down by their heavy heads. Pollinators are loving the early blooms.

Through the bedroom window. Tulips and hyacinths are pretty this year in the window box although I can't remember where I ordered these from. I'll look back at my receipts on the computer because I want them again for next spring.

Some of the plastic is still attached to the bulbs. That's what happens when you wait to late to remove it before they emerge. I'll pull these after they finish and allow the hosta to continue emerging. Then plant some impatiens probably that I'm waiting for from Burpee. Supposedly the are a new type that don't get downy mildew.

Last years alliums returned and some narcissus yet to bloom.

The flower bed is filling out. Some perennials have not emerged and to think I've bought dahlias and other plants waiting. They'll squeeze in here some how. I found a nursery that sells the type of stones that make up my boarder. Hopefully I'll pick some out and have them delivered this summer so the boarder can look more neat and uniform. Would be nice to have a professional brick flower bed done. Maybe in the future.

Hyacinths have finished blooming on the sunporch and tulips are in bloom. My container bulbs have done well. So have the containers I did for my daughter's apartment balcony.

From Bloom Box waiting to be planted. The large leaves are foxgloves. Where are they going to go?

Oxalis, helitrope that smells wonderful but is deadly to animals so I have to get it off the porch because I have a cat. Two maiden hair wire vines. It's not even summer. I have to behave and stop buying stuff.

Oxalis that gets delicate yellow blooms. Spring is a beautiful time of year. Arthritis has stopped my neighborhood strolls to see the trees in bloom. But this year I did ride through the park and get to see the beautiful site of all the cherry blossom trees in bloom. What a beautiful sight. In Philly their peak was last weekend.

Petunia seedlings starting to bloom still under lights. Probably the only seedlings not attached by fungus gnats from the soil I used to transplant them. Bad decision. Normally I use seed starting mix when repotting so I haven't had a problem with gnats in years. Won't happen again. Destroyed my gloriosa daisies that were so large, the salvia, and now my amaranth. I moved the amaranth to the sun porch in the hope they'll survive until I move them to the flower bed. They're a nice size. My geraniums are still tiny probably from gnat larva in the soil eating the roots although I treated all the plants. I'll show some pictures of them soon. Still have coleus, a few begonias, primrose which has surprised me and doing well, and pansies. I still have a tangle of snapdragons that I did not treat well. I can try again in winter.

 

Spring 2021

 

On the sunporch today. We got up to 64 degrees.

Tiny cottage in the city. Don't laugh. Love my new window box planter from window box.com.

It was a beautiful day. Soon the Norway Maple will be in bloom showering down yellow pollen. I'll have to keep the windows closed at night to avoid it triggering my allergies and the kitties also.

Organized the porch a little. Pots were everywhere. The two black containers are tulips for my daughter's balcony. She has to have some spring blooms also.

Some of the tulips were removed for container outside.

Still working on this area.

Tiny lilac. Yes another lilac for the porch. If it ever grows Guess it will need to stay pruned as the get to be large shrubs.

New plant shelf in my daughters room. She moved several months ago. I'm supposed to be freshening up the wall paint and making it my prayer, plant, and library room. In time although it's moving slowly.

Sorry for the bad picture taken last week. The bloom is open and larger today. Had to see what the gloriosa bloom would look like.

Don't know what's going on with the salvia. Hope I can get them to make it another month. Plans are to change the soil and move them to plastic pots. I tried everything except this.

Blue jean petunias I think from Park Seeds. They're doing good.

Pansies

The pansies are still small.

Gloriosa daisies getting large. Will start some dark flowering ones I ordered later 2 months before autumn as I've found they only take 2 months to get to this size.

Pelargoniums are sad also. There is one pot with 3 seedlings that are much healthier and further along. The other seedlings are down stairs on the other plant shelf. They all long over due for transplanting.

Yes, A Girl's Thoughts Turn To Spring

It would be wonderful if all year could be spring. There's no other season like it. Fall is a beautiful time of year also with relief from the oppressive heat and mugginess of summer. A beautiful show of autumn leaves in shades of reds, gold, and colors in between. Followed by the cool crisp air that only comes with winter. A time to feed and watch the bird and enjoy falling snowflakes. But spring is the winner for me. It's a season of hope and renewed strength and energy. Maybe because plants and some animals hibernate and sleep during the winter but only for a while. Then in the blink of an eye, they start to emerge again. They know that spring is arriving before we do.

Back in the pansies this weekend at the nursery. This time at Holod's True Value Hardware and Nursery in Lafayette Hill Pennsylvania. It was my first time there and now a new favorite. Yes I still have pansies I sowed from seed but they're still small. In the fall I'll start this extra early in the summer. But I'll have pansies for my window seal when they start to bloom. Orange pansies seem to represent fall but I love orange and all the colors of pansies especially the blues. This year a color to go with the stucco. Normally I plant blues and purples.

Planted up the container on my stoop on Monday during a warm and spring like day. Removed a box wood, 2 coral bells, and a creeping Jenny which I'll put back. Threw out the old soil and watered. These pansies came from Primex Garden Center in Glenside. The tulips and a few hyacinths are ones I forced in containers on the sunporch this winter. I removed them from pots and inserted in this container. This way I didn't have to worry about squirrels eating or carrying the bulbs away.

Soon I'll have tulips and narcissus blooming up here. Plastic mesh helped save my bulbs from squirrels this year. Looking forward to them.

A lily from the produce market about a week ago.

 

Buds on my lilac purchased in the fall. Yes lilacs on the sun porch. I have 2 others. One looks dead but may not be. The other I just bought in a quart pot which has yellow blooms. Can't wait. Spring is such a beautiful time.

Alliums have emerged.

The sunporch 

Buds on the new lilac and a pumpkin still hard.

Two ferns from last fall survived the winter in their containers on the porch. Will pot this up this year. They'll live on the porch.

Catnip never died this winter and is putting on new growth. My kitty will be patiently waiting. 

Snapdragons. Why did I buy them, I have seedlings? I want to plant my planter now, impatient. And snapdragon seedlings can be difficult. I hope some make it.

Not a good plant mom sometimes. My amaryllis still on the porch all winter. They'll survive and bloom again late spring or summer. They were beautiful last year.

New orchid pot from Holod's and some nasturtium seeds for my small flower bed out front. When deep summer arrives and most of the perennials have bloomed, it's nice to have some extra color. I found they do better direct sown.

Waiting patiently for more hyacinths. The last few forced bulbs are blooming indoors. I need to start my amaryllis that arrived in the fall still in bags on the porch.

Creeping Jenny started growing on the porch after I pulled it. Will go back into the planter soon.