Spring starts officially next week and I’m a bit behind in starting some seeds. I’ve gotten some of my patio pot flowers started (geraniums, pansies), but neglected to get the peas started until today. I soaked them overnight and that, combined with the saturating rain the last few weeks, should get them off to a great start.
The first type I planted were these:
Blue Podded Blauwschokkers Garden Pea
I also planted a lot of these:
And lastly, I started some of these:
I probably planted 100 seeds in the raised beds today and planted 7 pots with the remaining seeds. My hope is that I overwhelm the pea snackers with so many plants that some of them survive. I may put out some netting, too, just in case. I suspect that birds get most of my pea seedlings every year. 
The leaf mulch got removed and put in the compost bin today and the peas were planted underneath.
Other peas were planted in this cleared area — weedy dead nettle, Lamium pupureum, had taken over.
Now, for a look around the garden and greenhouse:
Deep, rich burgundy flowers on this hellebore in the woodland garden.
Another view–amazing color!
Pachysandra blooming in the woodland garden–odd flowers have brownish tips.
Exquisite corydalis blooming the same pot as the Osmanthus fragrans.
A big pot of hyacinths that should bloom in the next two weeks.
I really like this sturdy pot, filled with a few hyacinth bulbs this year–and the ever-present chickweed!
In the greenhouse, the orchids are blooming madly. They love this cool time of year combined with the improved light.
Geranium seedlings pouting on the greenhouse shelves. I started them inside the house on a heat mat, but had to move them outside to make room for more seed starting. I think they will thrive once things warm up a bit. The sun predicted for tomorrow will no doubt get them back to a happy place.
This lovely clivia is spiking–this is Light of Buddha seedling. A tree peony seedling is next to it, leafing out vigorously.
The Pleione orchids are budding up. I counted six buds today on the big mother plant. I realized I can pot some up for brother Tim’s plant sale in May.
More seedlings that I’ve cast out into the greenhouse–geraniums and petunias.
The gorgeous pastel clivia is opening its giant blooms finally–it opened two about a month ago, then waited to open the rest until now. Two different pictures show the color differently–but it is orange leaning toward pink and very softly colored.
This cymbidium is trying to be pretty–but it struggles every year with marks on the flowers and the fact that it doesn’t open its flowers all the way.
More traditionally colored Clivia miniata flowers–this is a gorgeous umbel. The plants are blooming well this year–I expect at least a dozen spikes.
Another striking clivia umbel.
Another cymbidium about to bloom. This one opens green and turns creamy white over time. It is a full-sized plant given to us by Karl Huffbauer (an artist friend) ten or more years ago.
The Voodoo lilies are coming! Here is a strong clump and you can really see the spotted/striped stems.
Close-up of these Dracunculus vulgaris plants jumping out of the ground. Their stinky blooms will expand in six weeks or so.
Plant Delights hellebore blooming beautifully in the Doug fir bed. This plant outlasted the two others that were planted at the same time.
Another view–a few of the flowers look outward instead of down.
Another view…
And another….
Here is the brother Tim hellebore near the downspout on the corner of the house. It isn’t blooming as heavily as I’ve seen it in the past, but it is still remarkable.
Too lazy to get down on the ground low enough to photograph these flowers responsibly…but the camera did a decent job without any help from me.
Another view…
And another…
The poor Fred Meyer plants that I bought a month ago to perk up the patio pots outside the front door have been deluged by all the rain and aren’t looking their best. The blue primrose is impressive, though.
I set a couple of pots of dwarf narcissus in front here–they’ve been flooded, too! You can just hear the ground and the plants drowning! But the sun will be out tomorrow–maybe that will help.
Sister Cate’s hellebore–similar to brother Tim’s, but the white is maybe whiter and there are fewer freckles inside.
Another view, showing the wet, dripping blooms with spots inside.
Close up–and you can see all the raindrops, too!
