I love ham hock pea soup. I only grow the sugar snap as that is what Damien likes to eat when he is wandering in the garden which he rarely does. Usually it is a Kamazi run out to pick beans and peas fresh to munch in the garden. Oh and carrots too.

All the transplanted stuff perked up so I am really glad. I have to read up on the drip system to know how to use it effectively. Right now the beds are fairly dry so they must have some sort of initial wetting down with a hose, then the drips can keep up the moisture. I need to plant more broc. Can hardly wait til it is warm enough to get the other stuff (warm weather vegies) into the beds and plant (oh, I could do that now. seeds in the huge pots 1/3 buried in the ground in the outside garden. I figured I could put more beans and such in there. Keeps it out of the dirt and away from the slugs. I need to rim them with some tiny copper fence I have. Should line the raised beds also as once the slugs work their way up there it will be too late.

Everything is really popping now. I should have daffodils soon and the primula is blooming its head off. I am especially looking forward to seeing the half dozen new ones I bought last year as they are very different from the ones I have had for years. Now that I know they like that bed (lilies rotted there) I will look for more varieties. The sale is coming up on the 25th. The first sale. Then the big sale at the botanical garden on the 28th. Starting to feel better about spring. I always start out so depressed as it all looks so dead and messy.

Bleeding hearts are blooming. I sprayed the quack grass in my flower garden yesterday and the thistles that are popping up. Got information on what to use from folks on the national daylily society, since I have mostly daylilies. I am trying to make the weeding easier by getting rid of those two thugs.

How in the world do you get rid of quack grass? I have some, mostly in my lawn and would love to be rid of it.

My daffodils are just beginning to bloom -- and I really need to do some serious weeding in that perennial bed!

Daffodils are blooming here, too! But so are the dandelions.

Mine are about 8" tall but not even a bud showing yet.

JuneOntario said:Daffodils are blooming here, too! But so are the dandelions.

Yes, those are blooming here too!

The spray I use for quack grass would not work in the lawn as it kills grass.

OH. Doesn't it hurt things in the flower beds? Or is it very specific to the plant you spray it on and not bother nearby plants?

Bloodroot is now flowering in the foundation planting on the north side of the house.

Soon after I moved to this house, I sprayed Roundup on the flowerbed, which was a mass of grass and weeds, and then dug the ground to a depth of about 12 inches. Imagine my surprise next spring when bloodroot popped up, and a trillium too!

I ordered some red trillium and another white one from an outfit in Tennessee. Most of what they sent was wrong and some is still unidentified though grown. A little irksome as I really wanted what I ordered. Not magic mystery plants. I have planted them in the garden and it should be interesting to see what they do and if they bloom.

Mary. Not getting what you ordered is annoying! Although, I was quite happy when a hardy gladiolus bulb got into my order of daffodil bulbs, since the next spring I discovered that the poisonous daffodils were keeping the deer away from the gladiolus in their midst. It seems that the further plants and bulbs travel, the more chance there is of mislabeling and substitution, but sometimes it turns out well!

I would love some trillium but I think it is too dry and windy here for them, I never see any growing in the area, but maybe I should give them a try in the sheltered corner of the garden and see what happens.

I had read some reviews of this company that alluded to this problem but I couldn't find any other place to purchase Hepatica and since I was ordering anyway, got some other plants that were unusual but supposed to grow here. One plant that was supposed to be a painted fern is robust but looks like a fuchsia (at least the leaves do) has sprouted the tiniest little fern right next to the woody base. Guess they sent part of a fern with something else attached. I sent one email but didn't get a response other than they sent four plants that I was shorted that should have been hepatica but look like heuchera. Oh well. Huechera doesn't do well here for me but maybe these are not the over bred kind and will.

Mary, that's funny about the fern, don't you just hate that when you don't get the correct plants you ordered? I have given up on the catalogs, sick of getting the incorrect bulbs, roots, and colors.

It wouldn't have bothered me so much except that I was trying to get more naturalized plants in my garden; stuff that would not necessarily be flashy but would grow and thrive and maybe provide a few spring flowers. We'll see. I have three more pots to place out side and just figured out where this morning.

I had to look up Hepatica, very pretty blooms, what color did you order, Mary?

I have no clue but I had hoped for blue. I think they are so lovely and delicate and one of the very very first flowers up here to bloom. Not a terribly attractive plant but that is okay.

Well, since my pond is part of my garden and sitting in my chair wasn't helping any, I went out and retrieved some pots from the pond and the new floating pots I ordered and repotted stuff. Cost me a bunch in pain but I was going to hurt anyway so might as well accomplish something while I am screeching. I need to boy more lead sinkers to attach to them so they will stay in one spot out in the pond, not surround the skimmer getting sucked there by the submersible pump. Maybe Eric can do that for me. I am played out for today. Just waiting til a decent hour to take my meds. Hate to take them during the day as they make me fall asleep.

It seems like if there is anything that will make us get up and do something, even though it hurts to do it, that thing is gardening! I can easily ignore house cleaning, deck staining, you name it... but, the garden needs me, I'm there!!