The joys of gardening.

That looks so friendly and inviting for the birds now, neko. Very well done.
I also like peonies, unfortunately they don't grow down here close to the coast,
same with lilac - so fragrant, so beautiful, but not in coastal southern California.

Thanks, Cal; it's looking like a good year for the flowers here. I couldn't begin to offer any ardening tips for your locality.


This little fern I've been nursing over the winter, a Dryopsis carthusian,



now has a home.

It has been hardening off for three nights in the bottom of
a tall pail in a puddle of water. (to prevent drying out)



A spot near an emerging hosta clump in the shade of the
flowering crab marked by a trowel stuck into the ground:



My sidekick Miss Mollie is somewhere in the picture.

Then:




It's given a bit of compost here:




It's now becoming acquainted with its neighbors, the hosta and some red tulips.

Ah I can see Miss Molly now. She's blending in nicely into your landscaping.
Will the fern survive your winter climate? Out here they'll get so big and need
tons of space to fold out.

Here's how a Japanese Tassel fern Polystichum polyblepharum looks now, and click picture for a close look at the new growth just now emerging.

Most ferns die back for the winter here, and so far none have outgrown their space for me. But then I'd be only too glad to divide any that would do so, and spread them around.

Ah they come back then. I like fern too - they look so gracious, don't they.
My favorite is maidenhair fern, but somehow it never survives under my care.

That particular fern I showed, Cal, is later to start off than the others;
I pinched off a curl to check if it was still alive -- it was green, so it seems to be. . .

And now:
Today I took the opportunity of a rainy morning to add an
embellishing touch, by way of a row of primulas, to the iris bed.



Placing divisions of this red,and of this yellow, here yesterday, they look to be off to a good start:



Those four divisions should be dividing size this time next year to allow me to continue setting them out along the entire length of the bed.

A narrow leaved glade fern,Diplazium pycnocarpon
set out last year, has awakened:

I didn't realize you are a neighbour of the hamburgers, neko. I'd often wondered why our gardens seemed to be in almost the same place, in terms of when things were blooming/unfurling. Makes sense now.

So how's you garden coming along, Ehbeth? I do believe it's
going to be a good year here..

I'm looking forward to some photos and gardening comments from
Hamburger - soon, I hope, because I'm approaching A2K burnout.



Those Border Beardeds picked up at the supermarket
are already blooming, much to my surprise. I hope these
bloom at the same time as the yellows going in at the end
of summer.

well, anyway, I'm averaging about one hour of work a day, and so far
I managed to get more primulas set out between rain showers we've been
getting this week.

Irises have center stage in the garden today:

Your garden looks good, neko, very green and healthy.



Mrs. Hamburger died a few days ago, I don't think he'll comment soon.

I'm so sorry about my remark to Ebeth -- I simply didn't know.


Now here's an iris, an historic Eleanor Roosevelt (Sass/McDade 1933) I'm
making use as accents for the yellows for my iris border. They may or may
not bloom together at the same time, but what the heck, it's something to
go for. Moreover, they aren't consistent in bloom times anyway, as I've
observed over the years.

The front yard having a kodachrome moment:

Oh how pretty, neko. I especially like the vivid color.

You'll love this one, Cal.
This is the first three-toned iris I've come
across, and it's really an attention-grabber from across
the yard. It needs a more prominent location, like, in the
front yard near the door.



BB Brown Lasso (Buckles/Niswonger 1975)

Hi Neko, things are looking very good there.

I'm going to Kingston this weekend - going out to Cataraqui Cemetery with hamburger. I'll try to get some pix of hamburger's garden while we're there.

My sincerest rgards to the Hamburger family...

In the meantime, here's one of my pet ferns:

Shaggy wood fern.
Slowly developing a crown. Should be dividing size this coming spring.
Note new frond. Fresh compost was applied last week :


re:dryopteris Cycatina.

Ah - one of my favorite ferns! Do they stay evergreen even up North as far as you are, Neko?

I continue to garden my landlady's yard for reduced rent. I am supposed to make a small raised bed in an odd, uneven spot with less than ideal parts. I am putting this off. If I tell you all that I will post about it, perhaps I'll get a move on.

The only fern that's evergreen here, Littlek, is my Christmas Fern, in another part of the yard near the maple tree, and last year's growth can be made out in the linked pic.

I had the impression that the grounds where you're at were contracted out -- but hey, gardening toward the rent sounds like a neat arrangement. I'do the same, myself...

Oh neko, those colors are just so vivid and beautiful. I've never seen an
iris of this color. You're right, it definitely deserves a more prominent location.