Hark, what grows there in the lawn? Is it a weird fungus? No, it's the seed pod of a crocus. As the crocus seed pod opens up, it reveals these little seeds that remind me of radish seeds. Once they drop their seeds, the empty seed pods look like this. In a nearby flower bed, I see lots of seed pods forming. I'm going to keep an eye on them and collect some of the seeds when the pods open up. Then maybe I'll sow some of them just to see if I can get them to germinate … [Read more...] about Crocus Seeds
bulbs
Bulb Buying Secrets You Need Now, In the Spring
Hello, my fellow gardeners. If you lean in close and not let others look over your shoulder, I'll share some of my bulb buying secrets with you. Secrets you need now, in the spring. Ready? Let's get started. Secret Tip 1: Look Around You Right Now Look around your garden and see where there are bare spots, places where maybe you plant annuals later in the spring, or just cover with mulch. Those might be good places to plant bulbs in the fall for spring flowers. Do this … [Read more...] about Bulb Buying Secrets You Need Now, In the Spring
Watch your step!
Watch your step, look around. The first of the colchicums has just been found. I stepped outside early this morning to begin the third day of my 30-day challenge to spend at least an hour in the garden every morning rescuing it from all the weeds, and I felt just the slightest bit of chill in the air. It wasn't enough of a chill to send me running back inside for a jacket... just enough for me to notice how pleasant it is to be out in the garden early in the day. I've made decent … [Read more...] about Watch your step!
Barnardia japonica
Barnardia japonica is one of my favorite late summer flowers. The foliage comes up in the spring and then around mid-August, there are these lovely flowers. Dee Nash and I talked about this flower on our latest episode of The Gardenangelists podcast. I got my plants as passalong plants from the curator at the Elizabeth Lawrence gardens in Charlotte, North Carolina about five years ago, give or take. I went looking for a source to buy plants of this little late summer charmer so I … [Read more...] about Barnardia japonica
Daffodils
I'm not a big fan of daffodils. I can take 'em or leave 'em, as they say. "Really, Carol? Because it looks like you've been mostly taking them and now you have quite a few blooming around your garden." Well, yes, there do seem to be quite a few daffodils here and there. "And it's not just the same ones over and over. You actually have several varieties, it seems." Yes, but if I can't remember all the variety names, do they count? "You know they count. Fess up, Carol. You … [Read more...] about Daffodils
In My Garden: ‘Variety Unknown’
Lately—and I'll just admit it up front—for many years, my favorite flowers in the garden share a cultivar name of 'Variety Unknown'. These are the first two reticulated irises that popped up a few days ago. They are 'Variety Unknown', part of a mix of Iris reticulata I purchased years ago. They are slowly coming up to join the crocuses in full bloom now, which are also 'Variety Unknown'. The crocuses are from mixed collections of Crocus tommasinianus, planted years ago, affectionately … [Read more...] about In My Garden: ‘Variety Unknown’
