GTS - Lilac Festival

Green Thumb Sunday
Gardeners, Plant and Nature lovers can join in every Sunday; visit As the Garden Grows for more information.
Some of the pictures I took at the Lilac Festival. I will post the rest on myphotoalbum and link to it later.

A closeup of one of the Dogwood Trees

Purple Lilac

Lilacs along the path to the pansy bed.

More purple lilacs.

White lilacs- they didn't smell as strongly as the purple ones.

Another Lilac tree/bush.

So pretty.

The pansy bed.

I thought the black ones were really neat.

Happy GTS!
~Sarah

Trading Meteorologists

I've been trying to get my Lilac Festival post together, but every time I try to get started I can't keep my eyes open. Maybe I should work on it in the morning, instead of before bed. My sister took some great pictures, so while you wait for mine, go check hers out.

Anyway, I was wondering if anyone wants to trade meteorologists with me? All week they were predicting a nice warm Friday and Saturday - with temperatures in the 70's as opposed to the upper 50's and lower 60's. Yesterday the forecast suddenly changed to temperatures in the upper 60's. My poor plants that I'm trying to harden off are threatening to die because it's been so cold! And I'm supposed to be planting them within the next week??
Lets see; For sale or trade: one weatherman with low temperature predictions in the near future. Will trade for a meteorologist predicting clear weather with temperatures in the 70's or 80's.
On second thought, maybe I shouldn't say 'for sale' since that would leave me with one of the meteorologists on the other local channels.
Maybe I should try trading the forecast instead: Up for trade: forecasts for Friday and Saturday, May 23 & 24. Early birds get Tuesday and Wednesday, May 27 & 28 as well.
~Sarah

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day. You can learn more and participate by going to May Dreams Gardens.

Johnny Jump Ups. They are all over the place.

My Mom's miniature Iris.

Azalea Bush.

My sister's Barberry Bush.

My Mom's Candytuft - it's very happy. A little to happy.

My family and I went to the lilac festival this afternoon, so my next post will have pictures of the lilacs.
~Sarah

GTS & Happy Mothers Day

Green Thumb Sunday

Gardeners, Plant and Nature lovers can join in every Sunday; visit As the Garden Grows for more information.

Happy Mothers Day to all the mothers out there! My GTS picture is of my Mother's miniature iris.
~Sarah

Garden Mysteries

Some puzzling questions.

1. Why did the daffodils a street over bloom a week or two before mine even started budding?
2. As long as I'm on the topic of bulbs, why do so many gardeners grow Grape Hyacinth? At our old house they were a terrible nuisance. Every year they somehow managed to escape a bed surrounded by a concrete walkway and the driveway and get into the lawn. They seemed to be heading for the neighbor's yard - they moved a little closer every year. Anyway, I never hear anyone complaining about their grape hyacinth spreading, and can't help wondering why?
3. What will the Mystery Berry Cane turn out to be? I suspect either blackberry or raspberry. We had a large blackberry bush at our old house, along with a strawberry bed. I think I miss the fruit bed more than I miss any of the other gardens. Although the Lilac Bush is a close second.
4. Last September my Mom got me 2 clematis plants that were on sale at the local farm market. If I recall correctly, it was buy one get one free. They are supposed to be climbing the lattice that is supposed to form a windbreak for my veggie garden. The mystery is: I mixed up the tags after planting them, and have no idea which one is which. The 'Clematis' photo folder has 2 sub-folders labeled 'left' and 'right'.
5. What is the 'mystery weed', and how do I kill it?? This weed has frustrated annoyed plagued me since I built the (veggie) garden last year. At first it was only in one bed. Now it's in both beds, and in the paths. It spreads through it's roots, and for some reason I can't get the entire root out. I suspect that the newspaper layers weren't thick enough or didn't overlap enough and that's why the root always breaks, no matter how careful I am in pulling the weed out.
   
6. The question most people ask around this time of year: 'Will the lilacs bloom for the lilac festival?' Right now they are on schedule. The question becomes 'Will they stay on schedule?'
   
7. Will any more of my winter-sown containers sprout? So far the parsley and basil have sprouted. And one that doesn't have a label. I'm sure I thought I would remember what was in it, since it was the only one without a label. Based on my garden journal, the educated guess is that it's Cilantro.

Just some things to ponder.
~Sarah

GTS 5-4-08

Green Thumb Sunday
Gardeners, Plant and Nature lovers can join in every Sunday; visit As the Garden Grows for more information.

The back view of my Perennial/Bulb Garden.

Sugar Snap Peas.