Cemetery Whites March 11, 2018

These white iris are the earliest iris to bloom every year.  I found them growing in a ditch many years ago. I dug some of them up and I have enjoyed these harbingers of spring every year. 

Ridding Myself of Four O'Clocks

I dug out my white Four O'Clocks growing in the back bed.  I'm getting tired of them, and I have them growing in the Long Border and the back bed.  And I had them growing in the bed adjacent to the dining room but I dug them out a couple of weeks ago.  I want to use the space in the back bed for cosmos and zinnias.  Keeping the flowerbeds free of Four O'Clocks will take quite a bit of continued effort because its pretty hard to find all the bulbs.  Plus Four O'Clocks throw off a lot of seed.  These bulbs can get really big, I took a picture of some of the big ones I dug up (with my glove next to them to use for perspective).

Purple Phacelia March 4, 2018

This is a wildflower that showed up in my Vegetable Garden.  Very special.  I invited Amy Thomeson over to take a look at it, she has an interest in things such as this.  It is a prolific re-seeder, so I will share seed with her and the other small landowners that are trying to do prairie restorations.  After it sets seed it completely disappears because it is a reseeding annual.

Savia Greggii Vibe Ignition Purple March 4, 2018

I've decided to post my new varieties of plants because it is easy to keep track of them just by using the search engine.  I planted one of them in the dry part of the Star Garden.  And I planted the other one in the Rose Garden.

Southern Crabapple Flowers March 4, 2018

Last year I was thrilled when I had a single bloom on my little crabapple tree after years of nothing.  This year it is covered in buds.  I'm very happy to see my crabapple tree finally begin to take off. I am hoping that the tail-end of its bloom time will coincide with my Fuji tree which hasn't even broken dormancy yet.  Fuji is not appropriate for our climate, but I planted it before I understood the importance of chill hours.  Now my Fuji is a huge tree, and it will be very difficult to get rid of.  Crabapple can be used to cross-pollinate with apple trees.  If crabapple stays in bloom long enough to pollinate Fuji then I don't have to get rid of Fuji.  I hope that works out!  Crabapple flowers are very pretty and they smell very sweet.

Pearlbush March 4, 2018

As soon as my Pearlbush finishes blooming I'm going to prune it back to hopefully make it bushier.  Sometimes I get little seed pods on mine after it blooms, and I have a small seedling underneath this tree.  I intend every winter to dig up the seedling and plant it in a sunny location to see if it will grow in a bushier shape than this one (which is in a semi-shady spot).

Rolf Fiedler Ipheion March 4, 2018

I always look forward to my little Star Flowers every year.  They multiply very quickly, but they don't seem to mind being crowded.  And they put on a much more striking display if you you have lots of them.  I have thousands of them growing throughout my gardens.  Anybody want some?  I happily give them away.