the signal

that frigid-cold mornings will soon be a thing of the past

With the early-blooming yellow daffodils, it's possible (and likely) to have additional snowfall.

Now, with the beginning of the progression, all of the different types of daffodils signal warmer times to come.

It almost seems like the warmer the weather, the more color & complexity is coaxed from the ground.

How Small are They?

Dwarf Iris

These dwarf iris were mail-ordered and planted in October. 

CG never expected these to start blooming this Spring. 

He would have been content with mini-iris greenery in the first year. 

So, it was a very nice surprise to see such splendid color & structure this early. 

First Daffodil 2011

For CG, it's a special moment that happens once a year.

It's a compressed moment that represents all of the planning and work from the previous year.

The daffodil blooms may progressively continue for the next six weeks.

When compared to last year, there will be more of them, too.

There will be nice surprises from new varieties.

Large blooms nearing 6" across, intricate doubles, majestic solid whites, and bold orange colors.

However spectacular, these cannot compare to the smallish, pale yellow that managed to become -first.

First Winter Snow

a very light snow, but amazingly, it managed to shut everything down

(nandina bushes are doing well, but the azaleas still have a long way to go)

Landscape Notes

• has been an extremely dry month
• forsythia bed only lacks ~24 daffodil bulbs
• ~40 cannas will need to be transplanted 
• burning bush bed has a nice branch-architecture appearance
• will consider installing the foundation for the north side planting area this Spring

done.

For the 2010 Fall planting season.

The last 16 daffodils were planted this afternoon (temp in the low 50's).

Hopefully, conditions will be adequate for this last batch to bloom 4 months from now.

While the final tally of daffodils planted this Fall is being calculated, CG believes that he is approaching 75% capacity.

Front Bed Make-over

The front bed has received a make-over with rocks imported from Eureka Springs.

CG likes the more natural appearance.

early?

CG just happened to notice these daffodil shoots yesterday.

They're located in the sidewalk bed, amongst the hostas that are still green.

(checking the dates of first daffodil shoots of years past)

Landscape Notes

• planted ~100 daffodil bulbs this weekend
• all of the dwarf burning bushes have dropped their leaves
• forsythia bushes have about 40% of their leaves
• semi-sheltered hosta plants are still green
• Louisiana iris bed is approaching capacity
• weather has been mild & fairly dry

war

CG has realized that most of his forsythia are having problems with clay-heavy soil. 

A few weeks ago, he experimented with 3 different ways to win the war against bad dirt. 

            1. Forsythia A: 
                completely dug-up, rinsed all clay/dirt from root system
                used 5ft of 6" edging material to form above-ground circular planter
                filled planter with premium home-made dirt
                re-planted forsythia and re-mulched (edging is hidden by mulch)
  
            2. Forsythia B:
                completely dug-up, rinsed all clay/dirt from root system
                removed 4ft diameter circle of clay/dirt (4" deep)
                back-filled with 5" of premium home-made dirt
                re-planted forsythia and re-mulched

            3. Forsythia C:
                completely dug-up, rinsed all clay/dirt from root system
                back-filled hole with top soil 
                packed 3" of premium home-made dirt on top of back-filled hole
                re-planted forsythia and re-mulched

Each forsythia was marked with its corresponding letter. Hopefully by the end of March, the best approach towards winning the war against bad dirt can be identified and implemented before the Summer's scorching heat begins.

Saffron

the fall crocus got a late start,

they were planted towards the end of September

CG had given-up on the chances of even seeing a sprout,

so even if there's not a bloom this year-

it has already been a pleasant surprise.

Maybe in a couple of years,

CG will be able to trade saffron for non-purple iris