I had to postpone any garden work for a couple of weeks due to work conflicts, so I set today aside to get the bare minimum done, especially since the weather was perfect to get things done.

My order from Plant Delights landed on Thursday, so I potted up or planted out all of those treasures.  The more tender ones ended up in pots in the greenhouse until warmer weather.  The hardier ones went right outside.  I’m probably most excited about Iris ungicularis “Francis Wormsley”–a winter blooming fragrant iris!  I planted it near the plum tree along the fence in the orchard garden.

Two kiwi vines arrived from Burgess.  The female is pretty healthy looking, but the male looked like a dead stick.  I planted it anyway, but will watch it and get a replacement if needed.  I planted these on the trellises in the raised veggie beds.

Much of the day was spent cleaning up after the serious windstorm we had here last weekend.  There were hundreds of branches off the Douglas fir, and thousands of cones from that tree, as well.  I didn’t attempt to pick up the cones–something I’ll tackle another time.  But the branches got picked/raked up and readied for yard waste pick up.

I fertilized the cane berries today, too, with an organic food from Raintree Nursery.  The blackberries are looking really strong this year and I expect many more berries this year than last.

It was an excellent day for photographs, as the sun was filtered by thin clouds.  I’m going to dump some here and will add captions some other time.

One of last year’s forced hyacinths–a gorgeous very light pink.  All over the garden and pots, many of the hyacinths have bent over, likely due to weather and weak stems.

This may be the third time I’ve photographed this potted hyacinth from last year’s forced bulbs, which means it has been in bloom for the better part of a month.

I couldn’t get a clear shot of the clivia buds that are coming on throughout the greenhouse–the space is stuffed to the gills.  But I took a blurry shot to show that the flowers are coming…

This mounted orchid has increased in size ten-fold since I got it at the flower and garden show maybe 4 years ago.  It has yet to bless me with its flowers.  I think it is an Aerangis, but I couldn’t reach it to read the tag!

Many of the cymbidiums that I assumed would not bloom are now spiking–probably 5 or six more spikes throughout the greenhouse.

This is a second spike on the “hooded” cymbidium.  Its first spike of flowers had bad viral spots and were ruined.  Hopefully, the second spike will fare better–I have adjusted the fan and will open the door frequently to ensure air circulation.

Fuchsia “Cardinal” tree is blooming.  I need to pinch it back, but couldn’t bear to take these lovely flowers off!

The form of this holiday cactus is spectacular.  This is one that I’m growing in a hanging basket in orchid bark.  The flower display has been less than impressive in quantity, but the blooms themselves are fascinating and beautiful.

The “classic” holiday cactus still has dozens of bright blooms.

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At the front of the greenhouse, out of reach, the Veltheimia is blooming.

I don’t think Freesia laxa plants exactly thrive in my care…but they bless me with flowers, anyway.  This is a seedling of the blue morph, and while the sparse flower show does not inspire awe, the delicate lavender color with distinctive spots are worth a spot in the greenhouse.

I appear to have a knack with Pleione, however.  I started with one bulb and now there are a dozen or so.  I’ll be able to try some outside when I divide them.  The clay pot they are in has 7 blooms this year.

For such short plants, the flowers are actually huge.

The bulbs have spread quickly in this terracotta rectangular pot.

Here are what the bulbs look like.  They are starting to pile up on top of each other, so I will pick a few out and share with family/friends, and plant some in the Douglas fir bed to see if they can survive there.

A slightly clearer picture of the pot.

This bloom is not quite open yet.

Another picture of the soon to be fully open Pleione formosana flower.  This flower was closest and I could reach it easiest, so that’s why I photographed it so much!

I spent part of the day going through potted plants on the shelves next to the house and repotting/topdressing (and composting) the contents there.  Above is a Japanese maple seedling that I put in a bonsai pot today.  It is not really a bonsai yet, but has some real potential.  I believe this is a five year old seedling from some arboretum seeds.

Here is the shelf mentioned above.  I got through the top three shelves.  There are two shelves to go–might get to it tomorrow.

Trillium aren’t huge fans of the Douglas fir bed, but they persist there after probably 15 years.  I think there are only two that will bloom this year.  I love these plants, but I suspect it is too dry under that giant forest tree to keep them truly happy.

Anemone blandas blooming in the Douglas fir bed.  I forgot I had planted these, along with some other fall-planted bulbs back in October.  They were happy to remind me, though.  They are fantastic–perfect woodland citizens.

A close up of the Anemone flower.

More Anemone flowers.

One narcissus that perennializes in my garden is the poeticus–you can see a healthy clump here that will have 7-10 flowers in the next week or so.

Very few tulips have survived, but this cream/white one will be wide open in a few days.  It has graceful form.

An absolute spring favorite–the sweet olive, Osmanthus fragrans.  As I worked in the orchard garden and front yard, this generous shrub rewarded me with its sweet scent.

Ferns around the garden are really coming into their own this month.

Fiddleheads.

More fiddleheads.

Strong new growth as the old fronds make way by laying on the ground.

This Heuchera is in the woodland “pond” garden.

Probably  my favorite picture of the day–this is a bleeding heart (Dicentra) in the woodland “pool” garden.

The same plant from a little distance.

Yellow is not my favorite flower color, but this Epimedium x versicolor “Sulphureum” in the pool garden has earned my appreciation.  It is tough as nails and blooms brightly in earliest spring.

Not fully in focus, but this is Brazen Hussy, the best-named plant in the pool garden, a selection of Ranunculus.  It is a runner, for sure, but hasn’t proven thuggish, since it disappears in late spring.

The Goumi (Elaeagnus multiflora) in the orchard garden is budding up better than ever–looks like it will have a bumper crop this year!

This aronia shrub has flowers coming.   It looks like it may have fewer berries than last year.   The plant is growing well, though, so I imagine it’ll produce a lot more berries next year.

Corylopsis still blooming.  The flowers fade to a soft lemon yellow and elongate into this graceful form.

Again, with the past-its-best Forsythia in the background.

Another Corylopsis branch.

Squirrels help spread the grape hyacinths (Muscari), or at least I assume that’s how they end up in places they were never planted.  This stand is in the raspberry bed.

Throught the raspberry canes.

I need to fertilize this poor camellia, but it is blooming beautifully.

Many more flowers on the Asian pear espalier–I am hopeful that we’ll actually get fruit this year.  Last year, despite quite a few flowers, not fruit appeared.

Here is sister Cate’s Hellebore–I couldn’t resist another picture in the perfect lighting today.

Dicentra in the orchard garden–this also from sister Cate.

Close up of the sister Cate bleeding heart.

The plum tree is blooming well this year, too.  Hopefully we’ll get a few plums.  I believe this is Santa Rosa.

Close up of the flowers.

And more plum flowers.

Here is the start of Iris unguicularis “Francis Wormsley” from Plant Delights.  The plants were all great starts and packed extremely well.

Started very early from seed last year, these wall flowers are just now blooming.  I absolutely love this rich burgundy color!

Coronilla (emerus?) blooming near the front door.  This came as a start from brother Tim at least 15 years ago.  It has done really well for me.  My only challenge is how to keep it pruned and yet let it bloom–it has grand aspirations in a limited space.

More Coronilla flowers.  This shrub is just starting to bloom now–it will stay cheerful for about a month, and will rebloom if I cut it way back.

 

We had rain squalls, sun bursts and then a thunder storm at the beginning of the evening–all of the weather March can bring in one busy day.

I didn’t let the weather slow me down, as I had a rare garden day set aside and I got quite a bit done.

My Raintree Nursery order arrived this week and I had to get the trees and brambles in the ground.  There was a dwarf Morello cherry:

A dwarf Vandalay cherry:

Two urban columnar apples:

One Royalty raspberry, planted in a raised bed:

Chester blackberry, planted between the espalier Asian pear and the plum tree:

Here are some pictures from the greenhouse and around:

Old-fashioned holiday cactus blooming in the greenhouse.  I inherited this from some neighbors that moved away, and begrudgingly found room for it.  And of course, it makes me feel guilty every year by blooming beautifully!

Very soft pink hyacinths blooming for the second year in a pot on the potting bench.

I like this starry blue one, too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I visited West Seattle today for Brother Tim’s birthday celebration.  We walked all over and saw some amazing things.

First, on the way out, I saw this blooming in the pot with the Osmanthus:

Corydalis solida, which gets forgotten every year because it goes dormant so early, comes back with a lot of fanfare in early spring!

This seems happy in the pot, even though the soil is full of Osmanthus root.

Also on the way out, I noticed raindrops and sunshine on the primroses in the pot near the porch.

I wasn’t sure about flower colors, but I think springtime allows for brighter combinations without worrying about too much brightness or contrast.

Below are more crocus pics–they are just so photogenic!

Here is a foliage standout–Persicaria “Red Dragon” in the Douglas fir bed.  This was a big, robust grower at first, but I think it is unhappy now and it just throws a few stems each year.  This is probably an okay thing, as I gave starts to my friend Jeff and they turned into monsters in his yard–tall and wide thugs that had to be tamed!

Another hyacinth picture, with the light and raindrops–love these white ones.

And then on to West Seattle.

These were some amazing pots we passed outside a business.  I’m not sure what these gray leaved beauties were–tried to find them online (centarea, senecio?), but couldn’t find them.  They were brilliant!

A close-up of a particularly attractive Hellebore in one of these pots.

I photographed this same Rhodie last year around the same time.  It is extremely beautiful.

Camellias are a mixed blessing.  Lots of pretty flowers and a giant mess underneath!  I had a gardening job years ago in a job with HUMONGOUS camellia shrubs and I spent hours and hours picking up the dropped flowers from the ground/lawn.  They were heavy.  I filled whole garbage bags with them every spring!

Like last year, we had a gorgeous day to explore and the magnolia flowers looked great against the blue sky.

On the same gardening job, I had to pick up saucer magnolia flowers after they dropped–they were even worse than camellias!  They stuck to the lawn and had to be raked out of it.

Aubrietas growing in a rock wall.  The flowers don’t last long, but they are fun.

Some amazing grasses were still looking good after winter.

Red-flowered currants were blooming.  I love them for maybe two weeks, but not enough to add any to my yard.  Brother Tim says they are worth it for the hummers they attract.

I’m not a fan of bergenias normally, but the below white one (possibly Bressingham White) was very pretty.

And here’s a close-up.

Below are the catkins on a contorted Colylus avellana

I love Magnolia stellate, and there were some stunning ones in West Seattle today, perfectly pristine.

Next, we went to Schmidt’s Preserve, where we walked through some great wilderness, including some old-growth trees.  Only the plant-geek Petersons would be mostly impressed by all the skunk cabbage plants throughout the area!

The leaves on these smelly water plants will extend out to 3 feet or more.

And there were some salmon berries blooming (Rubus spectabilis)

The forest was really wet and I saw these mushrooms growing on a nurse log:

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the beach, this amazing log covered with ivy vines was laying on the sand.

And a bird sighting–these appear to be Barrow’s goldeneyes!  So amazing!

And the other amazing this was to see how WARM it is in West Seattle vs. my house, just 12 miles away!  This acacia was growing outside in a sheltered corner:

All in all, it was a fantastic day, celebrating my big brother’s 58th birthday outside in a beautiful world!