How is your garden looking today?

It is a New Zealand native Rimu (red pine)

Holy mackeral~! I've never imagined that New Zealand would have such devastat'n pictures of floods. Oh me gosh, what has nature wrought?

'Dacrydium cupressinum' - what a beautiful tree.

Oh, Eve, What a sad & desolate scene! Never mind, it'll bounce back in no time!

Well the web does say that Rimu like moist soil. And, flooding is good for the soil, it enriches it. I know you want your yard back, it'll dry up - has it already?

Not exactly dry - but not underwater either. And the sun is shining for the first time in several weeks.

That's terrible Eve...did you have any water damage in your house?

saturday i was doing some yard work in the back and accidentally raked up a small snake

it was about 5-6" long, maybe 1/4" diameter, brownish green... at first thought it was a worm, but then noticed it had a diamond shaped head!
picked it up and sent it in the direction of the neighbor's back yard

i hear they're fairly common, but in 9 years i had never had a close encounter like that before.

does anyone know what type it was? thanks

This year I have to do all my gardening inside, sigh. But I am giving it a try I have a Texas Blue Bell about to bloom in a pot on the window sill and some periwinkle in another pot in the window.

Most of the snow is gone, but the groundfrost still runs pretty deep; a few inches down the soil is about as workable as a paved road yet. And, as usual this time of year, the yard and the garden alike are "Omigawd" messes. The retreat of nature's gentle white blanket has exposed plenty of evidence that lots of dogs live here. Looks like I prolly coulda done a better fall stick-and-leaf cleanup, too. Nothing abnormal there; always plenty of material for the Annual Memorial Weekend Bonfire, held in commemoration of The Great Memorial Day Barnfire of some years back, but that's another story alltogether. Starting trays and seed sets occupy just about every space in the house which offers a reasonable length of incomming sun ... it'll be this way for weeks yet. The driveway looks like it could use another 50 yards or so of gravel.

Spent alot of time in the garden over the weekend, planning. Hostas bursting through, azaelas and dogwoods blooming, cherry and apple blossoms dying out (sob!), raked and mulched on Saturday, roses growing along fence, ordered annuals tonight from White Flower Farm. New Japanese Maples appeared dead back in January, hubby and I almost yanked them out of the ground. Now limbs seem to be growing daily and filling in with beautiful deep red leaves. Haven't put plants out on patio yet, still hibernating inside. Need to go out this weekend, I think.

Dogwood Festival this weekend.

I love spring

Pah! Dogwoods in BLOOM!?!

I have some dogtooth lily, trllium, and cordyalis poking through the ground and the crocus and daffodils may bloom within a week! Sigh.

Ah, littlek, you haven't lived until you've seen the pink and white dogwoods in bloom. They always bloom at the same time as the azaleas and tulips. It's so beautiful this time of year.

Spring will be in the NE soon littlek, do not worry.

With the advent of (weak) sunshine - it is garden time once again !!

Got the lawn mowed, and weeded yesterday - pots arranged, filled with compost and ready to be filled with flowers !!!

And I have daffodils blooming - not that I am very fond of them !!!

the kerria is flowering, the daffodils are out and grape hyacinths, pansies, primroses, camellias - and a few non-hardy geraniums in chimney pots have come throught their 3rd or maybe 4th winter and have small unhappy little flowers on - they'll pick up quickly once the weather warms and flower early.

osteospermums are beginning to flower, apple blossom in bud and spirae, bluebells and caenothus soon. i love spring

got all my muscles sore from this weekend. raked and raked and swept and swept. bought pine bark nuggets, planted pansies and primroses outside (I am the only one with some color in the frontyard on the block, ha!). all sorts of things are poking out, and i hear we may have some snow, grrrr. put some compost, top soil and fertilizer on a future veggie and herb garden area, started oregano, thyme, basil, sage, marjoram, hungarian hot wax peppers, all kinds of tomatoes inside, all over our not-so-big apartment. joy oh joy oh joy. can't wait to see them grow and plant them outside!

Oooowee dag! You've been busy!!

yup, and now i can barely sit... or anything else for that matter.

Nothing as of yet but last fall I planted lots of nicely rooted wild flowers.It could really be a riot of interesting things.