plant swap!

I traded five of those extra baby trees with a lady for some hosta, and she threw a handful of lamb's ears into the bag as well.

So today planted the hosta

 

in a row against the house, shady side by where the cauliflower are growing.

If the state of the plants she gave me is any indication, hers grew a lot quicker, or came up sooner than mine, which are just about to unfurl their leaves:

but I guess that might be because mine almost died last year. Then I tucked the lamb's ears:

 into the front haphazard flower bed. They look pretty sad but I hope recover soon.

unidentified

I don't know what this plant is, in the flower bed. It went unnoticed among the grape hyacinths because it has such a similar growing habit, but then I noticed the hyacinths were beginning to fade and not this one; it stood out strong. Also, it doesn't have grass-looking foliage, but low-growing spread of round leaves. Is it a weed with a pretty flower? or a plant okay to encourage. Anyway, I like the way it looks.

cauliflor

Moved the last few cauliflower plants out of their pots and into the garden rows yesterday. One of the seedlings under plastic got chomped by bugs, so I put a larger plant in its place.

pea plants

Set the remaining eight pea plants which were started indoors, into the garden yesterday. I forgot to keep separate the sugar snap peas from the shelling peas, but I think the shelling are the ones with darker green leaves.

sunflor seeding

Started sunflower seeds inside today; both the regular kind and the tithonia. Some in cardboard tubes, the rest in crocked trays, as I didn't have enough tubes saved up.

I was pretty happy to find three tithonia seedlings coming up in the emptied compost spot outside, too!

kiwi

Moved the four remaining little plants which I still believe to be kiwi,

into a larger pot with fresh soil. I had put them out in the coldframe on a sunny day, but the leaves started wilting and two plants (now gone) began looking poorly. Already now they seem to lift their leaves higher.

jade

I've done some repotting. The little jade plant has its own pot now,

and each of the leaf cuttings is in one of the tiny pots from the miniature greenhouse. When I gently wedged them out of the soil to move into the pots, saw many small threads of roots growing. So perhaps soon new leaves will appear...

withered

The poinsettia died.

So none of my attempts to start plants from cuttings have worked. Only the jade is still around.

green corner

That daylily corner I made has grown into a forest of greenery. It looks just like thick, tall grass but I'm anticipating the showy orange flowers to come.

When it rains, the water drops look pretty on the leaves.

fresas

Tiny little green strawberries are forming in the center of what were the first flowers; new flowers are coming on constantly. I don't know where to get straw, so I've mulched mine with grass clippings. Hope that's suitable. I'm so excited for the strawberries!

trees

The shrub I moved, which I thought was a lilac bush? Turns out it is a crape myrtle tree. I guess I can be excused for mistaking its identity, as it's also known as "the lilac of the south." And mine's showing signs of life. I didn't see them until sharp-eyed Isa showed me: little tiny buds lining the branches.

And now I have another one. Months ago gave a small donation to the Arbor Foundation and what do you know, they sent me a dozen infant trees (twigs with buds on them, and a tangle of muddy roots). I don't have space in my yard for twelve more trees! So I picked out a few to keep: two flowering crabapples, a white dogwood, and a red crape myrtle. I'm trying to find someone to take the rest. For now, the little tree-twigs are planted in the end of the raised bed. They need loose, weed-free soil for the first year or two before getting moved into permanent location, the accompanying literature says. So I'm sacrificing a bit of garden space to grow a few young trees. Pictures later, when they have leaf and look like something.

hydrangea leaves

Hydrangea is getting leafy, taller and taller. Next year I probably won't find it remarkable, but right now watching it grow I'm amazing how quickly it puts on height.

Edit 6/2/10: I now know this plant is a Peony! (not hydrangea)

garlics

Those few garlic cloves I set in the ground last month? They've begun to come up

alongside the much larger and sturdy plants already established.

Just yesterday I started mulching them with grass clippings, as it's already getting hot enough to dry out all the ground.

itty bitty

Some basil is coming up in my third-sown tray. I want to transplant the tomatoes into the garden soon, and plan this year to have basil flanking them.

hosta

Thrilled to find some of my Hosta plants sprouting!

I wasn't sure they'd come up again, after getting dried out last summer. (We were gone for a week and it didn't rain and they didn't get watered). When I first went to buy these plants last year, Isa misheard the name. She still calls them "pastas" or just "the plant you like." I'm afraid the spot they're in is a bit too sunny, though, and want to put some behind the house next to my small patio plot, where there's almost constant shade. Maybe next year I'll buy some more plants, or when these get bigger later on, divide them.

tomato seedlings

There are some volunteer Tomatoes coming up from last year's patch (which is now sown in carrots).

I have to think they'll be more vigorous plants than the seed I sowed in trays, leftover from last year's packet. Those ones are only just barely starting to reach the same size.

I thought I'd get a head start by planting tomato seed inside, when it was still too cold. But at this point, my seedlings in the coldframe are about the same size as the volunteers in the plot, and not growing quite as fast. Next year ought to start those tomatoes inside far earlier, perhaps even when I do the cukes and celery- Feb?

volunteer what?

In the plot that had cucumbers last year, this large-leaved seedling has sprung up.

At first I thought it was a cucumber plant, but then I found two identical seedlings on the side of driveway. No way cuke seeds got over there. But a sunflower seed could have been dropped by a bird. So I looked more closely at a photo of young sunflower last year, and am pretty sure now that's what this is.

I'm tempted to dig it up and move into a better spot, but after reading Thalassa Cruso's dismaying incident with sunflowers, not sure that's a good idea. (She left volunteer sunflowers alone, and the following generation was crazy-tall plants with small flowers that fell over constantly making a mess.)

rhubarb leaves

Large crinkly dark-green leaves are unfolding on all three Rhubarb plants.

Some have tears or holes in them.

I can't tell if this is from insects eating at them, or they tore themselves when unfurling (does that happen?) I suspected slugs or pill bugs, but find no sign of them- no sticky silvery trails, no bugs actually on the plants, no pill bugs scurrying away when I brush the mulch aside, no bugs apparent when I search at night by flashlight. Well, they look healthy and are growing fast, so whatever it is I hope it's not doing too much damage.

I know rhubarb leaves are poison to people, cats, etc. Do they also kill the insects that try and eat them?

carrot foliage

The overwintered Carrots, though I'm still not sure they will be edible, are growing fast. I love the ferny foliage.

The young ones in the garden are just putting out their first ferny leaves. Soon I'll have to thin them.

avocados!

My Avocado pits are growing! The one with the large root, is finally sending a shoot up.

Another one in a jar is finally growing its root, but funny sideways.

This small one, which was mostly split open when I started it, has a rootlet emerging.

The rest are in various stages of cracking. So it takes roughly a month after starting a split, for the root to emerge, and another four or five weeks after that for the sprout to begin growing. Patience, patience.

little broccolis

I should have started the Broccoli at the same time as the cauliflower, mid February. They're so small in comparison at this point. But do have their true leaves, and I think they'll grow faster in the ground.

So I set them out today.

As the pill bugs are chomping any tender leaves they can get to, I've put them under plastic cloches just to be safe.

These are slightly larger than the water-bottle covers; they used to hold juice I think. Bottoms cut off, and the lid removed so a bit of rain and air can get in. If it rains too hard, can put the caps back on. If it gets really hot, have to take the cloches off so the leaves don't get burned. These juice jugs are a lot sturdier than the water-bottle ones, I can re-use them next year if washed out, and they can accomadate larger plants, too.

On the other side of the garden, are some stumps of last year's Broccoli plants. By the time I went to remove them, ground was frozen and I couldn't get the roots out. So I left them there, intending to dig out when I turn the soil over for composting and planting something else. To my surprise, I found that instead they're growing again!

One from the roots, it looks like

and two from the stem.

I have no idea if they'll ever form heads, but I'm sure going to let them grow and see!

cauliflor

I swear those Cauliflower plants have grown overnight. They look so beautiful and lush.

pinks

Two small Azaleas in the front, right by the door, have put out pretty dark-pink flowers. They seem to have come on quickly, taking me by surprise. Just a few days ago I noticed the buds

and now they're bursting open all over.

rapid growth

The plant which I think is a Hydrangea is growing quickly. Earlier this past weekend I took this shot of the shoots just emerging from the soil

and now they're already quite tall.

bell peppers

Moved the larger Peppers in their cardboard tubes into the pots vacated by cauliflower plants.

cauliflors

I don't think any more Cauliflower seedlings are going to come out of the ground outside; something is eating the tender little plants right when they emerge. I have only been able to find one slug, maybe pill bugs are the culprits.

So I've set out the large plants

and covered the remaining seedlings with plastic-bottle cloches. Damage has halted for the time being.

violets

There are tiny little Violets in the back lawn. I suppose it's a weed, but I think they look so delicate and pretty.