Garden surprises!

[dgibby]

Moved to the Alleghany Highlands of Va. in Jan, so have had to wait for Spring to figure out what's growing in my new yard. So far, I have a producing Cherry, several White Dogwoods, Oaks, Maples, a Bradford pear.

Also popping up are tulips, irises, strawberries, onions, a grapevine, daffodils, azaleas, chives, and a few yet to be identified flowering bushes.

Also popping up, but not nearly as welcome, dandelions, dandelions, and more dandelions!

I planted bulbs and potted some petunias and geraniums yesterday, and found out this am that we're in for a freeze tonight, so guess I'll be moving my babies inside tonight. Just when you think the coast is clear! Ha! Yesterday was beautiful here, warm, sunny, breezy. Should have known it would be too good to last.

Can't wait to get the raised veggie beds in, plant some more fruit trees and bushes, and finish the landscaping. I'm working on an edible design for the front, will be replacing boxwoods with blueberries, planting some veggies, fruits, and edible flowers. Am so looking forward to this growing season!

Happy gardening, DU!

[trud]

1. excellent :-)

I enjoy the dandelions in my lawn. Also the violets, purple and white. and the clover. My own little meadow. The animals and birds like them too.

[dgibby]

2. I love the violets and clover, too.

I could be perfectly happy to remove all the grass and replace it with clover, crown vetch, and native wildflowers. Can you imagine the pollinators, butterflies, and hummingbirds that would attract?

I'm going for the "grandma's garden look" + plants that will attract wildlife. Just got a packet of old fashioned sweetpea seeds that I'll be planting asap. They seem to thrive in the cold, so am not worried about these little cold snaps we are having here now. Hollyhocks, snaps, stock are also on the list, but will wait another week or so before planing them.

Happy gardening! :hi:

[beac]

4. You must be just a little behind me in terms of season.

Our violets (love them too!) are over and we are on to buttercups now. And dandelions, dandelions, dandelions-- naturally.

I covered my peppers/tomatoes/squash/cukes/turnips last night and tonight and the weather report looks warmer after tomorrow straight thru until after our "last frost" date.

The hollyhocks I planted last year seemed to live right thru winter (they didn't ever get very big last year) and now are HUGE and leafy and I hope will have flowers this season. I planted sweet peas back at the end of February and they are growing along just fine, so yours should be okay too. I'm pleased that my a-little-early planted glads are coming up gangbusters. Ad the peonies I dug up the worng way and transplanted at the wrong time BOTH came back and one is even going to BLOOM this year!

The only big FAIL so far is Nasturtiums. I thought I could trick them with all the warm weather we had earlier and planted some on 4/15, but not a one of them came up. I put more in today (still too early, but I'm stubborn like that. ;) )

[WhiteTara]

3. I love those surprises. I try to make it

a plan NOT to do anything the first year so I won't destroy what is already there. LOL One of my first years in gardening, I almost dug up all the peonies because I didn't know what they were. They survived and maybe they even accidentally needed to be thinned, but they were so beautiful that year, I've been a fan ever since and I realized that it's best to wait for awhile before I impose my dream on the landscape.