the front bed

Filling up, but still has a ways to go-

Both cranesbill are doing better since moved forward into more sun- 

I moved the nepitella here from the herb bed

yellowish stonecrop is starting to creep along the edge

Remembered to pinch my chrysanthemums

Curious how these two columbines next to each other, are a slightly different green

Maybe a few of the alyssum will make it after all? this one has grown a bit

Mountain laurel bloomed for a few weeks, and it was lovely. They're just starting to fade now.

of the newer stuff

or, things that got moved- as I'm especially pleased when they do well. The sweet woodruff- still a nice height for stepping over. It's like a bright little surprise, when I walk around the back perennial bed. My youngest says "Oh, I thought it was a weed!" which amuses me becaue they look so pretty bright green.

I thought my yarrow had died, it disappeared right after I planted it. But there's a new tiny lacy sprig come up, so maybe it's okay. 

Near it one a plant I hadn't seen last year- do rabbits eat milkweed?- the common milkweed.

Up front a surprise in the stonecrop- I swear this seedling with the wedge-shaped leaves is a cardinal climber. It's growing now so that should tell me it's warm enough to plant my vines outside.

The oakleaf hydrangea I dug and moved this spring continues to do well. Soon I'll have to use up part of the leaf pile and shift the fencing container, to give it room!

My black and blue salvia finally emerged a week ago- looks like this will be a good spot for it.

some planted out

The alyssum- so small, but smell so sweet. I kept the white one for the garden- and one of each purple and pink as reserve against any freak cold spell. Planted the rest across the front flower bed. So small hardly can see them yet.

Also kept as reserve a few coleus cuttings 

and these in pots 

the rest went into the front bed- 'gay delight' behind the sedums and heartleaf brunnera

'main street rodeo drive' in front of columbines

A few others went into pots

Separated out the little stonecrop and planted across one edge of the bed- also doesn't look like much yet

plant swap!

I was delighted to attend the spring plant (and seed) swap at my local library (not hosted by the library, it's an individual group). I missed it in the fall, and last spring due to covid. This is what I took to give away- pink turtlehead, echinacea, a sprig of lavendar-

some coleus (the best ones leftover from the first set of cuttings I grew out) and one cilantro

A brandywine tomato, and a jade I've been growing for a while- one lady in particular was very happy to get the jade, and asked me how I grew it "so big!" so I showed her how I pinch them to encourage branching. Also, some packets of seed I'll never grow (sweet corn) and of saved seed I have so much of- cilantro, parsley, sage, echinacea, marigolds.

And here's what I got! The idea is you can take as many plants as you brought (though nobody checks, it's an honor system). I took twenty plants plus the seed packets, and didn't bring home quite as much- but some I'm so glad of that I don't mind. To start- a bunch of stonecrop. 

Creeping jenny

Yarrow

This one wasn't marked but I am pretty sure it's artemesia, or dusty miller- which would be nice because the ones I dug out of someone's yard and moved the year before all died on me, and the wormwood I'm trying to grow from seed hasn't sprouted at all.

Salvia lyrata- I kind I hadn't seen before

A sad-looking ostrich fern. There were many more, nicer ones- but other people got them first! (Behind it you can see the row of new geraniums, which I just moved up into larger pots yesterday)

A group of aloe vera pups, and a variegated spider plant- happy to have these because I used to have these plants but they died. I think I'm doing better by the plain-colored spider plant I have now, and with semi-succulents in general, so hope these do well!

Strawberry begonia. Again. The one I got year before, died. I mentioned that to another attendee at the plant swap and she said with surprise: "how did you kill it? they grow back outside!" It's usually grown as a perennial groundcover. Well, I got four clumps of it- one I'm going to try to keep as a houseplant again (because I do find it attractive) and the others put outside like everyone else does.

Not a great picture, because I'd already stuck it in the greenhouse, but this is spider lily, or spiderwort- scientific name tradescantia virginiana. I remarked on it when I saw the tag- yes, it's a native plant but what struck me is that it's related to tradescantia zebrina- or the wandering jew. They look nothing alike.

Most of the plants I got, had obviously just been dug out of the ground, a lot weren't in pots but just bare root. A bit wilting, and it was a warm day plus I am not sure yet where I will locate them all. So I put the bare root ones in pots with a bit of soil, and put most on the floor in my little greenhouse, to get some humidity and recover a bit from their shock. Except for the spider plant, aloe, and one strawberry begonia of course, which I kept inside. And this- my prize: 

It's a crown of thorns plant! Three cuttings, to be exact. I was so thrilled to see this I snatched it up immediately.

Years ago visiting a friend of my husband, I saw a large specimen of this plant in their living room window. I'd never seen one before and it was so striking. Wanted one ever since but never seen it anywhere for sale- in person that is. So I am delighted to have acquired this one, it was worth the whole swap to me. A bit concerned I might not have enough sun exposure for it (nearly all my windows are indirect light, the one window with direct light is always crowded)- but the lady who brought it said she puts hers outside for summers, and just overwinters it indoors. I'm certainly going to read up on it!

new for the garden

I finally started seed yesterday. Um, very late this year.

Here's my first batch of seed sown in trays: dill, leeks, columbine. Two kinds of marigolds: the regular packet mix and the 'red velvet' (my own name) ones I particularly saved seed from last year. Celosia, saved seed from invididual pink and peachy-colored flowers. Curious to see if they come up all the warm colors again. Tithonia (aka Mexican sunflower, torch flower), joe pye weed, ironweed and milkweed for the butterflies and pollinators. Arugula and four kinds of lettuce: bibb, romaine, cesar and some leaf lettuce I saved seed from (maybe a hybrid of several from last year's garden). Sad I don't have any black-seeded simpson, but perhaps next year I will use the catalogs again. Peppers: 'wisconsin lake' and 'california wonder' (they both have blocky shapes like bell peppers). I have no interest in growing the decorative aurora pepeprs again, and can't find my packet for anchos- I think I've used it all up. Tomatoes: brandywine, italian heirloom, beefsteak and cherokee purple.

All the trays are double-stacked on top of my fridge for warmth. I gave the pepper tray some extra heat while seeding the others- sat on the plate in a pan warmed on the stove and turned off again, but it was still too warm. Melted the bottom of the plastic tray a bit. Oh well, that's one I will just recycle at end of planting season. I have plenty of newly saved trays anyhow.

That's only about half the seed I mean to grow this year, but will have to wait and sow more once space is freed on top of the fridge. Also I have beets, carrots and swiss chard to direct-sow in the garden as soon as I can. Wanted to grow turnips again, but I've run out of that seed as well.

I gave myself a treat yesterday and went to my favorite local greenhouse. I go there once or twice a year (spring and sometimes fall), and there are always some plants I've never seen before, which is exciting. This year I noticed tons of varieties of decorative sage, and so many salvias, they all look so different. I don't know the variety name of the salvia I have in my yard, but it's done so well I wanted to try a few more. Also there were many types of mint, and thyme, and succulents galore. It was hard to be picky... here's what I got:

Monarda 'Petite Delight'

Russian Sage 'Blue Jean Baby'

Salvia 'Black and Blue'

Rumex 'Raspberry Dressing' this is a salad leaf

Mountain Mint pycanthemum flexuosum- I love its blue-green hue

Stonecrop 'Autumn Fire' this is one I have admired in neighbor's yards and I finally figured out its identity so I could get my own. I'm still a bit puzzled on the distinction between stonecrop and sedums, by the way...

And I am certain now that the mystery 'scat plant' from my prior post, is not rue. Because this is rue- ruta graveolens. I love its color, and its pretty leaf shape, so even if it doesn't ward off cats and squirrels like some people say, I like it.

They're all sitting inside right now, with day trips to the coldframe when it's warm enough outside. Last frost date is may 10. Gives me time to learn their requirements before I situate them in the yard.

I also bought myself a 'needlepoint' ivy, to be a houseplant.

signs of life!

from an early spring walk around the yard- in no particular order:

my blue 'dusty miller'. Only the two small ones I grew out as cuttings in pots and planted on west side of a tree in the backyard are green now. Small ones in the front probably got stepped on, and the main plant may have suffered too much from transplant shock, but maybe it is just slower to wake up.

Sage around this backyard tree is still green, too

Although there's more of it in the garden. Time to ditch the dried bunch and start eating fresh!

Found quite a few volunteer borage-

coming up in sheltered spots.

This is the only plant around my mailbox right now. It sprouted earliest of all- over a week ago- between a rock and the mailbox post. Maybe that nook was just a bit warmer.

Green onions have been alive all winter. I need to eat them!

Rhubarb! Perhaps we will actually make pie of it this year.

Sweet peas coming up tons. I needn't have saved any seed last fall, ha.

Arum is more lush.

I cleaned leaf litter out of the crowns of liriope, to see if new growth had emerged yet

just barely- (and it looks bitten) Not time to cut the older foliage down, yet.

I thought it was too early for hosta, but brushed aside leaf cover. The big ones on the sideyard have purple crowns!

Salvia is coming up everywhere

that I planted it last year

stonecrop still hangs on by the edging where other sideyard drops off-

not nearly as numerous as the sedums among it. Which I think will shoulder it out. Those around the stump pushed up through the extra leaf cover I dropped on them before snowstorm, and wow they are thick already.

and there's more to come!