I am still alive
And so are most of the plants in my garden, amazingly enough.
I owe everybody an apology for not posting earlier. I took on the added task of writing a novel (over 81,000 words at this point) and it overloaded my circuits. Blogging was the main victim. But I am still here, I've reactivated my email account, and I thought I'd start this year off with some of the early bloomers in my garden. I doubt if I'll be checking in daily, but I will make an effort to do better.
Dasystemon tarda is a charming botanical tulip that seems to interest squirrels less than the showier varieties. It's supposed to come back year after year and spread itself around a bit too.
My Pasque flowers have responded very happily to the better treatment they got last year by flowering profusely and prompting at least one neighbour to beg for seeds. And unlike all the spring bulbs blooming along with them, the squirrels ignore them entirely. I approve.
I planted a good number of these Daydream tulips last year, but only two survived the solicitous attention of the local squirrels. They opened a rich, buttery yellow with a black throat, making me think I'd gotten the wrong variety. They have since "faded" to a lovely apricot colour, which is what I was aiming for. Not that I disliked the yellow.
Previous post on the topic of Pasque flowers
Technorati tag: Tulips, Pasque flowers
11 comments:
Welcome back!
I love my Dasystemon tarda. It's the most dramctic spring blooming flower I have next to the Bloodroot. I didn't know about the squirrels though. I was surprised how short the blooming season was for them. maybe our cold snap this spring had some influence?
Aw, gee, shucks. *shuffles her feet*
Lynne, Mine are still blooming. I've never had any before so I don't know what to expect. And here we didn't get a cold snap per se, just a winter that refused to leave past its due date. Everything's late this year.
Welcome back! I had actually tried to email you and when it got bounced back I kind of wondered... glad to hear you were okay, just busy. :)
Glad you are back. Enjoy your blog and missed it over the last several months. Happy gardening.
Glad to see you back Janet !
I have the Tardas too. They are wonderful little jewels in the garden ... and a new dwarf type Tulip that the squirrels haven't managed to destroy yet ... thankfully !
Look forward to seeing your garden info again this year !
Joy : )
Did you place your Pulsatilla in a South facing side of the house? I am not sure how many hours of sun that plant needs. I have a patio that is almost completely North facing and receives sunlight only after 4PM. I am starting this plant from seed and I want it to bloom!
Rino, it's on the western side of the house and gets a lot of afternoon sun. Before, it was on the same side, but shaded by a purple sandcherry. I honestly don't think it's going to bloom for you with the kind of light exposure you're talking about. Still, plants can sometimes surprise us by breaking the rules in gardening books (or blogs). Give it a try, but don't get your hopes up. If it doesn't work, see if you can trade for a Jack Frost brunnera, which would give you beautiful flowers just a bit later, beautiful leaves all season, and which would probably be very happy in such a shady spot. Good luck!
Thanks, actually, I still am trying to get the seeds to germinate. They are taking forever! I sowed them in January and placed in the fridge for 6 weeks, and still they have not germinated!
rinoman, check the germination database in the sidebar. It might help you out there.
I'll find pictures of flowers always nice and it is amazing with what one hand, the nature always pleased
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