GARDENING

The snow cover out back gives promise of a good start for the gardening season.
My lilac hedge,which is in the location shown, should continue to firm up nicely -- some of the transplants show flower buds. The ones in the foreground were set out just last year.

geez neko...when did that happen?

We've had a real nice early spring day and I spent the day cleaning up the yard, gathering tree limbs, emptying pots, raking out the hosta beds. Still so much to do before planting time but today was a good start.

Got to divide the hostas this year for sure and I finally, finally figured out where to put the new plants. That's a big step.

It's been a real good garden day.

eoe:
This is a view of the backyard February 23rd:



Now click the photo to see how it looked February 25th. It was an all-day snowfall. That's when it happened. Typical for this time of year.

Neko - How did you do that!? I mean, how did you make one photo link to another?

littlek : Two separate web pages (URLs) are needed.
The large picture is on Photo Bucket. I posted its URL (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v188/nekonomad/nekonomad427.jpg)
through the Post URL feature.
The smaller picture is on Raven's Realm. I used its URL(http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0VgAAAKEZ!1k0gq0S4Ys1TMj6sw2E9*8lCbuUQ04zSatkHCWLXotEUkEDjERquwu*CNCsMBeUICSIx8HiEFWBzStSyLCnsvZH!UZa9K9Elcij8OsU*Np9HQQvJdJxHRAq/neko%20nomad%20427A.jpg) (w/IMG tags) as the Page Title in the URL posting process. The combined tagged URLs will look like this in the text frame (without the colorcoding,of course):
[URL=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v188/nekonomad/nekonomad427.jpg][/URL]

The red part being the Photobucket URL, and the blue being the Raven's Realm URL.
Simply put, you're looking for
URL= Photobucket URL][IMG]Raven's Realm URL[/IMG][/URL]

Not simple, but it's fun.

Got it ?

I do get it! Thanks, neko!

Today was a good day, while its branches were still bare, to do some touchup trimming of new growth off the flowering crab out back to maintain a manageable size and intensify its blossom display.
If you click on the photo, you'll get its last year's show.

I'm relieved to see that my new peony
was spared by the resident pest squirrel
which had been systematically rooting and digging around its vicinity.

I've set it near a lilac bush (click photo) in a color-coordination scheme. They should bloom
at about the same time, in early June. It's to the left of the lilac.

My projected yellow iris border will run right in front of them.

It has single salmon pink flowers, and I'm eagerly looking forward for it to bloom, which I suspect will happen
a couple or so years from now.

My gentian seedlings are now hardening off outside, by the side of the house, and should be ready to set out a couple of weeks from today.

Much to my surprise, my new peony is sporting flower buds, which I hadn't expected for at least a year. Click photo for a look at its spot as of today.

The mailorder irises that I set out August last year.

The blue one is "Missouri", and the yellow one is "Truly Yours", both Dikes Award historic cultivars. Next year, I'm going to set "Missouri"-- there are three blooming divisions to start with-- into a bed for a massed planting(with subsequent dividing, of course). The yellow one will go into a border.

The photo does not do them justice; they're beautiful.

Here's what my new peony, "Janice" (Saunders 1939) looks
like, surrounded by what will be a bed of butter-yellow primulas.
It sits a couple of feet from a lilac bush, and some maidenhair
ferns will be set out between them. Should be a pleasing arrangement:

(click)

Yesterday my gentiana asclepiadia seedlings, which I began last November, were ready to set out.



They now grace a path through my border, and along with yellow evening primroses , asters, cardinal flowers, and daylilies, should provide a showy ensemble of summer colors.


(click on photo)

A maidenhair fern and some divisions of yellow primrose are now set in place beside the new peony. As the yellow primulas expand to form a solid drift, they'll be edged by dark crimson ones. -- Click to enlarge--



Here's the palette of colors I work with:



Sort of like adding detail stitches to a floral tapestry or Persian carpet.

I'm looking three years away here.

Around about now is the time to start using that composter out back:


Its capacity has just about been reached:


The stuff at the bottom looks ready for use:


Some clean kitty litter is mixed in (to improve its moisture retention):


Then some bloodmeal is added to the mix as an added treat for the new plants:


Now the new peony, maidenhair fern, and the yellow primulas are off to a good start:

click on this photo for a view of this year's area of interest. A shipment of irises due sometime in August will round out the remainder of the job.

That maidenhair fern division has taken to its new home like a duck takes to water. New fronds are emerging and unfurling, thanks in part to the warm and humid weather.

All images i see dont work!

They're not all linking pics, if that's what you mean; I didn't link them all.

Using smaller size pictures don't stretch the webpage-- but larger pics help add detail to the post-- so, linking is, I think, a pretty good compromise to achieve both ends.

Get it?

Yesterday a shipment of six irises came in for the iris border project:



I set them out this morning. (Click on photo)

Wow, what a dedicated gardener you are, neko! (Just found this thread) All that work in progress & what fabulous results for your efforts!
(but ... I was hoping to catch a wee glimpse of you know who sleeping/browsing/investigating/sniffing around the delights of your garden. :wink: )