The Backyard: 4/14/15

Are you tired of plant posts yet?  It's only the beginning. Buwahahahahahahaha.  That was my evil laugh.

We've had rain off and on all week, but we're supposed to have beautiful weather this weekend.  I'm SUPER excited.  Rain and sun means lots of growth.  And lots of what my newly planted annuals and tiny seedlings like.  As soon as they're up far enough to tell what everything is, I'll do a post on what I started from seed this year.

Until then, let's take a gander at the most exciting thing EVER.  Flowers on my dogwood.  I wish I could remember how long I've had it. Years.  He started out as a bare root and has been in a pot the whole time. Every year I do the examination.  And every year all I get is leaves.  Until now!!!!

This is beyond good stuff, kids.

So that's his home at the moment.  I move everything around so many times every season, that the next time I post pictures, you may spy him somewhere else.

The buds are just starting to open, but I couldn't wait any longer.

I had to document my feat.

Gah, love, love, love it.

Since I mentioned them, I figured I'd show you my fancy grow set up for starting seeds.

Yep, fancy.

Three grower's flats with a window over the top.

I didn't even buy starting mix.

Just plain old potting soil from last year's pots.

I started them on the 26th of March.

I also have 4" pots with random seeds in them, that The Girl planted.

Most of them are tagged with ?????, but they're coming up.

I have something else super exciting.

Remember the "it" plant last year?

That fancy Foxglove that nurseries were selling as a tender perennial for at least $15 bucks a pot.

I wanted one really, really, bad.  But I couldn't justify the price for an annual.

Wellllllll, guess what I found last weekend?

Another version of it, just as pretty (according to the photo on the tag), in a gallon pot, for $5.99.

Woot woot!

Digitalis 'Foxlight Ruby Glow.'

I totally bought two.

I put them both out back.

I can't WAIT for them to bloom.

A pot of liriope that my mom brought me.

I painted the kids' pots.  They were purple for years and it was annoying me recently.

I got out a quart of black paint and went to town.

The Kid went with me to the nursery the other day and picked out his plants.

I had to put my foot down when he begged for a day-glow orange calendula.

I know, I'm mean.

He always wants orange or two-toned flowers.

Both of which I do not care for.

He tried very, very hard to reason with me, explaining that it was HIS pot and HIS choice.

I told him it was MY yard and MY money.

I know, again, mean.

But I did agree to a two-toned carnation, and may have redeemed myself.

The Girl still gets a trip to the nursery to pick out a couple more things.

Baby has stuff coming up in hers from last year, and I stuck in a couple begonias and a coleus for fun.

Oooh, I thought of something else exciting.

This is a very exciting post, apparently.

Remember the gigantic Brugmansia that I bought at the end of the season last year for $1.99?

It was sooo pretty.  I wanted to try to winter it over.

I brought it in the garage and then didn't give it a single drip of water all winter.

Fail.

I bought my mom one the same day.  She put hers in the garage and watered it.

Hers has a bud.

Mine looks like this.

BUT, I didn't yank it.  I set it outside and waited patiently.

And by patiently, I mean checking it every single day for signs of life.

Well friends, I got my sign.

Two little nubs have teeny tiny bits of green coming.

So small, in fact, that my camera just wouldn't focus on the poor little things.

So I'll have to give a progress report later.

Note to self: water the plants that you bring into the garage to overwinter.

Up next, I spy with my little eye, my very first clematis flower opening.

Nelly Moser, of course.

She's always my first.

I mentioned the other day that my annual buying spree had begun.

Here's a tiny sample.

I never have a plan.

I just buy and plant.

And last, a few pulled back shots for fun.

Yes, the excessive pot filling and cramscaping has begun.

My BFF in Arizona is coming to visit this weekend.

We haven't seen him since our trip for his wedding last June.

So I'm frantically trying to get the house and yard ready (I have unreasonably high standards and might be a little insane), and I'm planning and prepping to host a dinner for possibly 17 people for the occasion.

EEEEK.

Don't be surprised if you don't hear from me until next week.

Until then......