@ExtraMedium I love those pictures! Pretty flowers, lovely dogs. What are the little red blooms coming up around the white pup?
Oh, I guess they’re next to the brown pup too.
@Kyeh I don’t know how to find out, really. My wife likes to put wildflower seeds in parmesan shakers and just randomly seed grassy spaces, so a lot of our back yard is random wildflowers.
@ExtraMedium@Kyeh
I love that style of doing wildflowers! I’m with Kyeh, I’d love to see more pics as they grow!
My first guess was the white flowers were crocus and after a Google lens search I found I was correct.
Very PRETTY white crocus! 🪻
@Cerridwyn I’m a pretty neglectful gardener and don’t do well with anything that needs to be fussed over. But bulbs are amazing - you put them in the ground and leave them alone, just water them when the whole yard/lawn gets watered, and they come back every year all by their bright little selves!
@phendrick@PooltoyWolf
Same in reverse- I hate the cold and for some decades, we bailed out for 2-3 weeks of the later part of winter to Florida [mostly the middle Keys], Arizona, or Nevada- that was when I used to have some better benefits, including getting paid to go to medical conferences to learn, and could manage a vacation on the way or while there.
How does your garden grow? With silver bells and cockleshells
And pretty maids all in a row.
??
No, wait…
Actually, I spent a good part of today mowing lawn weeds that have been neglected so far this year.
At the highest setting, because I never know what kind of bottles or other trash have accumulated below the surface (I live on a corner lot along a popular walking area for students of many persuasions who don’t understand what “litter” is).
Just before we get another day or two of rain, to grow more weeds.
When that is past, I will mow again, at a little lower setting, and continue that process until I’ve got it at proper level.
But the sorry excuse for a city park across the street actually is sprouting some pretty flowers on the ground and on bushes. Might post some pictures of that when the sun shines again.
@phendrick
Go to the National Wildlife Federation and register as a pollinator refuge, then mowing is at worst optional. Local zoning and HOA regulations may supersede.
We have the official designation posted at the front of our [decidedly wild or maybe just rustic] rural property to forestall complaints by neighbors/zoning enforcement.
Of course, it might not be necessary given the hay and corn fields across and down the street from us.
@unksol You’re up there in the frozen north, I guess; although not that far up. We’re supposed to get more cold weather next week, so there’ll be tulips and hyacinths coming up through the snow.
I probably won’t get the top bar hives built intime to order the bees again, but that wood had been in the garage for a few years so. Nothing new lol. And that’s a whole new project anyway.
I probably just need to build them this summer and order hives next spring. Doing it last minute is dumb
They’re the only spring bulbs the deer didn’t eat.
Even things that are supposedly deer-proof the deer will consume.
(To be fair it could be other woodland critters that arnt deer doing some of the damage too… But deer get the blame.)
I’ve got wild irises growing in the woods though that they don’t eat… But they do eat mine that I planted. And the crocus, the muscari, tulips, those tiny blue flowers that grow like weeds up north but struggle here whose name escapes me but begins with an s. Lol.
@OnionSoup I’ve had tulip plants with buds just about to bloom and suddenly they’re just bare stalks with no bud on them. Oddly enough it’s been a while since I’ve seen any deer around here. They used to camp out in my yard and act affronted when I walked out my door.
@chienfou@Kyeh my deer love them too! Got one solitary flower this year. Deer (or something) ate the rest despite the fact I think they’re actually slightly toxic.
@chienfou@Kyeh@OnionSoup
Those are pretty but I can’t say I remember seeing them here. I was thinking the little blue flowers that sprout up here was phlox, it’s kinda like a ground cover. My guy, the ex landscaper HATES it and I just LOVE it. Needless to say it’s never been part of our landscape.
Here’s a picture from Reddit. This is what I had growing up and I LOVE IT!!
So here it is the second day of spring and 4 inches of snow fell last night. And another 4 of so is expected Sunday night. Might be a while for my weeds to pop up
@Kyeh
Lorapetalum (aka witch hazel)
We have one that’s about 30 ft tall! They’re also called Chinese Fringe Flowers and have a really unique long, confetti-looking bloom. I’ll try and find a better close up to post.
@chienfou@Kyeh
You’ve got a fantastic variety of flowers and flowering bushes, they’re gorgeous! I now understand why my guy insists on calling hydrangeas snowballs. I actually thought snowball was just another name for hydrangeas, thanks for the clarification. Where abouts do you live that everything is already in bloom? I’d love to see your entire yard at once, I’m just imagining how beautiful it must be and all the wonderful smells…
OMG!🪷🪻
@chienfou@Lynnerizer
SO glorious!
Did you plant all of it yourselves? I agree that the fragrances must be intoxicating! Thanks for posting these and I’m looking forward to seeing what else comes along.
How are those kittens?
@Kyeh@Lynnerizer
Thanks… We are in central AL, a little bit under an acre. The wisteria is awesome right now but a lot of the others are just showy. We have been on this property over 35 years so we’ve had plenty of time to work on it. Some of the plants were existent when we got here but many have been moved from spot to spot at SWMBO’s will. We have a second nursery trip for this season planned next weekend. All the pics so far have been things that were there from last year at least. Still negotiating whether I’ll get to have a vegetable garden this year. I have lots of project that need to be completed so we’ll see. Pro tip: if you take pictures of your flowers from close enough you can’t see the weeds around them!
(As I write this I’m sitting on the front porch, Bandit is curled up on my lap, and Smokey is bounding around the yard. They’re doing well. Thanks for asking)
@Kyeh
Yeah, he’s bigger than his ‘sister’ but still such a cuddle buddy. I have been working until about 0130 over the past several nights and when I get home both of them have been getting up in my lap or lying on me while I sit or lay on the couch. They have a really rough life! catnip… nope. just the stuff in the cat toys. green thumbs… I tease my wife that our house must be built on an old nuclear dump site! Stuff that is supposed to grow 3 feet tall will reach 8 ft etc. That’s one of the reasons several plants have been moved from spot to spot as they got too big, or plants around them started to shade them too much. mosquito plant… not really convinced either way, but it is pretty so I don’t really care much I’ll let you know as the season progresses. Evidently the stuff is crazy easy to propagate. Just pinch off a branch and stick it in the ground.
Hoping that we can ‘catch up’ with the weeding in the next few weeks and then KEEP up with it as the season progresses.
@chienfou Whoa, those are dazzling!!! You’re so lucky that they get big like that. My mother’s late beau had an azalea garden in front of his house but they never got that huge.
Love seeing your early blooms. I’m in Korea checking out the cherry blossoms - they’re simply stunning. So much prettier than I imagined. Alice, my guide has shown me all the best spots. I never would’ve found that hidden peach orchard without her.
@chienfou Huh, I’ve never seen palm flowers before! I love irises. I was thrilled to see these in my front yard the other day - they haven’t bloomed for years, and I planted them so long ago that I forgot I had them. They’re miniatures!
@chienfou My (white-blossomed) apple tree has just burst out in bloom and was all radiant and fragrant, but now it’s covered with a heavy spring snow. I hope the petals survive but I’m not sure they will.
Some pink crabapples nearby look pretty with snow on them. (Swiped this photo from Nextdoor )
@chienfou Well, it’s a much nicer day today, so I hope they got to enjoy it. The apple blossoms seem to have survived, maybe a little less exuberant, but I might still have apples this fall.
@chienfou@Kyeh
We have a wild flowering dogwood tree that was here when we bought the property. We really haven’t done anything to it, other than removing some other trees/bushes to give the dogwood more room. It has bloomed out this year much more than in the past (we’ve had a wet/warm spring). Not bad for a wild tree.
Had some things sprout up from an indoor compost bin by the windows (mango? avocado?). Thought this was the perfect time to dump them in the bin outside (where they’d get more water from the rain). A sudden dip caused all the buds to brown and shrivel up.
Also these.
What’s blooming in your garden? @chienfou and @SillyHeathen, make me jealous!
Garden doggos are in bloom.
@ExtraMedium I love those pictures! Pretty flowers, lovely dogs. What are the little red blooms coming up around the white pup?
Oh, I guess they’re next to the brown pup too.
@Kyeh I don’t know how to find out, really. My wife likes to put wildflower seeds in parmesan shakers and just randomly seed grassy spaces, so a lot of our back yard is random wildflowers.
@ExtraMedium Oh, cool! Exciting discoveries to come. Can you post another picture once they get bigger?
@ExtraMedium @Kyeh
🪻
I love that style of doing wildflowers! I’m with Kyeh, I’d love to see more pics as they grow!
My first guess was the white flowers were crocus and after a Google lens search I found I was correct.
Very PRETTY white crocus!
@ExtraMedium @Lynnerizer Oh, and I bet I know what the red shoots are, come to think of it. I bet they’re peonies! Maybe.
@ExtraMedium @Kyeh
We did something similar with our crocus, daffodil, narcissus, and various allium bulbs.
We scattered them around by hand and then dug planting holes wherever they landed.
It makes for a more natural that is to say less formal garden/flower arrangement.
Here, it’s weeds. And not the kind that my neighbor grows either.
Bunch of stuff blooming right now. Will try to take pics tomorrow since I didn’t see this until just now and it is night and I am at work.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Black thumb, i can kill aloe.
Used to envy people who could grow stuff, not anymore. Save good veggies, those I still envy
@Cerridwyn I’m a pretty neglectful gardener and don’t do well with anything that needs to be fussed over. But bulbs are amazing - you put them in the ground and leave them alone, just water them when the whole yard/lawn gets watered, and they come back every year all by their bright little selves!
@Cerridwyn @Kyeh
Same, but we didn’t really water much of anything- the fall and spring rains took care of that part.
Winter, my beloved, I mourn the loss of thee…
@PooltoyWolf You’re voluntarily in Florida, and you’re mourning no winter?
Poetic, but does. not. compute.
@PooltoyWolf
Head north, young man!
@phendrick Born and raised here but cannot stand the heat and humidity. Winter is my escape!
@Kyeh Wish I could, can’t afford to -shrug emoticon-
@phendrick @PooltoyWolf
Same in reverse- I hate the cold and for some decades, we bailed out for 2-3 weeks of the later part of winter to Florida [mostly the middle Keys], Arizona, or Nevada- that was when I used to have some better benefits, including getting paid to go to medical conferences to learn, and could manage a vacation on the way or while there.
How does your garden grow?
With silver bells and cockleshells
And pretty maids all in a row.
??
No, wait…
Actually, I spent a good part of today mowing lawn weeds that have been neglected so far this year.
At the highest setting, because I never know what kind of bottles or other trash have accumulated below the surface (I live on a corner lot along a popular walking area for students of many persuasions who don’t understand what “litter” is).
Just before we get another day or two of rain, to grow more weeds.
When that is past, I will mow again, at a little lower setting, and continue that process until I’ve got it at proper level.
But the sorry excuse for a city park across the street actually is sprouting some pretty flowers on the ground and on bushes. Might post some pictures of that when the sun shines again.
@phendrick
Go to the National Wildlife Federation and register as a pollinator refuge, then mowing is at worst optional. Local zoning and HOA regulations may supersede.
We have the official designation posted at the front of our [decidedly wild or maybe just rustic] rural property to forestall complaints by neighbors/zoning enforcement.
Of course, it might not be necessary given the hay and corn fields across and down the street from us.
It will be weeds but it’s also 24 degrees and falling. Congrats though
@unksol You’re up there in the frozen north, I guess; although not that far up. We’re supposed to get more cold weather next week, so there’ll be tulips and hyacinths coming up through the snow.
@Kyeh not too far, you had the actual snow.
I probably won’t get the top bar hives built intime to order the bees again, but that wood had been in the garage for a few years so. Nothing new lol. And that’s a whole new project anyway.
I probably just need to build them this summer and order hives next spring. Doing it last minute is dumb
@unksol That’s a neat project - I hope you get them built!
@Kyeh well the boards have been in the garage for 4 years. I never get to it. Idk if bees like vetch. Or why I’m bothering
@unksol Bees do like vetch!
Daffodils are finished for the year here.
They’re the only spring bulbs the deer didn’t eat.
Even things that are supposedly deer-proof the deer will consume.
(To be fair it could be other woodland critters that arnt deer doing some of the damage too… But deer get the blame.)
I’ve got wild irises growing in the woods though that they don’t eat… But they do eat mine that I planted. And the crocus, the muscari, tulips, those tiny blue flowers that grow like weeds up north but struggle here whose name escapes me but begins with an s. Lol.
All the above are deer food here.
@OnionSoup I’ve had tulip plants with buds just about to bloom and suddenly they’re just bare stalks with no bud on them.
Oddly enough it’s been a while since I’ve seen any deer around here. They used to camp out in my yard and act affronted when I walked out my door.
@OnionSoup Not intending to defend the deer (deer are jerks!), but shouldn’t [the] goat get the blame?
@OnionSoup
spiderwort?
Mine’s going nuts right now…
@chienfou squill. Squill is what I was thinking of.
/image squill flower
@chienfou @OnionSoup I love those!
The white ones with the blue lines like notebook paper that I posted above are also squill.
@chienfou @Kyeh my deer love them too! Got one solitary flower this year. Deer (or something) ate the rest despite the fact I think they’re actually slightly toxic.
@chienfou @Kyeh @OnionSoup
Those are pretty but I can’t say I remember seeing them here. I was thinking the little blue flowers that sprout up here was phlox, it’s kinda like a ground cover. My guy, the ex landscaper HATES it and I just LOVE it. Needless to say it’s never been part of our landscape.
Here’s a picture from Reddit. This is what I had growing up and I LOVE IT!!
Got pics taken but short of time to post them… I will though… Promise!
So here it is the second day of spring and 4 inches of snow fell last night. And another 4 of so is expected Sunday night. Might be a while for my weeds to pop up
Ok, here you go…
@chienfou YAY!
What’s the red one in the third photo?
@Kyeh
Oxalis
Wild violets
Carolina Allspice (aka spice bush has very aromatic leaves)
Native Azelea
purple Iris
More…!
@chienfou Gorgeous!
@Kyeh
Spiderwort
Bridal Veil
Snowball Bush. (Not a hydrangea)
White Iris
Still more…
@chienfou Okay, you’ve definitely made me jealous!
Are the big bushes honeysuckle?
@Kyeh
Lorapetalum (aka witch hazel)
We have one that’s about 30 ft tall! They’re also called Chinese Fringe Flowers and have a really unique long, confetti-looking bloom. I’ll try and find a better close up to post.
@Kyeh
Daffodil
Narcissus
Loropetalum (correct spelling)
Flowering Almond
Wisteria
Tulip
@Kyeh
I think that’s pretty much it for now! I’ll try to remember to update this as more stuff starts blooming.
@chienfou @Kyeh
I now understand why my guy insists on calling hydrangeas snowballs. I actually thought snowball was just another name for hydrangeas, thanks for the clarification. 
Where abouts do you live that everything is already in bloom? I’d love to see your entire yard at once, I’m just imagining how beautiful it must be and all the wonderful smells…
🪷🪻
You’ve got a fantastic variety of flowers and flowering bushes, they’re gorgeous!
OMG!
@chienfou @Lynnerizer
SO glorious!
Did you plant all of it yourselves? I agree that the fragrances must be intoxicating! Thanks for posting these and I’m looking forward to seeing what else comes along.
How are those kittens?
@Kyeh @Lynnerizer
Thanks… We are in central AL, a little bit under an acre. The wisteria is awesome right now but a lot of the others are just showy. We have been on this property over 35 years so we’ve had plenty of time to work on it. Some of the plants were existent when we got here but many have been moved from spot to spot at SWMBO’s will. We have a second nursery trip for this season planned next weekend. All the pics so far have been things that were there from last year at least. Still negotiating whether I’ll get to have a vegetable garden this year. I have lots of project that need to be completed so we’ll see.
Pro tip: if you take pictures of your flowers from close enough you can’t see the weeds around them!
(As I write this I’m sitting on the front porch, Bandit is curled up on my lap, and Smokey is bounding around the yard. They’re doing well. Thanks for asking)
POKER! JOKER! NOT MEDIOCRE! AWESOME!
Here’s a close-up of the Loropetalum flowers. And a few things that I forgot to shoot day before yesterday.
@chienfou
more tulips
Straw plant
Christmas cactus (must think it’s an Easter cactus)
Mosquito plant
@chienfou
Here’s Bandit just now doing the catnap thing. Guess he got bored on my lap.
@chienfou He’s a big boy now!
So do you have catNIP?
And boy, you two must have deep green thumbs, for sure!
Does the mosquito plant repel mosquitoes?
@Kyeh
I’ll let you know as the season progresses. Evidently the stuff is crazy easy to propagate. Just pinch off a branch and stick it in the ground.
Yeah, he’s bigger than his ‘sister’ but still such a cuddle buddy. I have been working until about 0130 over the past several nights and when I get home both of them have been getting up in my lap or lying on me while I sit or lay on the couch. They have a really rough life!
catnip… nope. just the stuff in the cat toys.
green thumbs… I tease my wife that our house must be built on an old nuclear dump site! Stuff that is supposed to grow 3 feet tall will reach 8 ft etc. That’s one of the reasons several plants have been moved from spot to spot as they got too big, or plants around them started to shade them too much.
mosquito plant… not really convinced either way, but it is pretty so I don’t really care much
Hoping that we can ‘catch up’ with the weeding in the next few weeks and then KEEP up with it as the season progresses.
@chienfou Did his leg heal ok?
@Kidsandliz
yep… Doesn’t seem any the worse for wear…
he does tend to keep it extended though (as you can see in the pic)
BTW the azaleas are REALLY coming in to their own right now!
@chienfou Whoa, those are dazzling!!! You’re so lucky that they get big like that. My mother’s late beau had an azalea garden in front of his house but they never got that huge.
Love seeing your early blooms. I’m in Korea checking out the cherry blossoms - they’re simply stunning. So much prettier than I imagined. Alice, my guide has shown me all the best spots. I never would’ve found that hidden peach orchard without her.
@mx3cofee
That’s really cool. Great pic over the water!
There is a cherry blossom festival in Macon GA that has a really interesting history.
Here’s a few more that have popped up over the past couple of weeks.
bunch of different colored irises
Flag irises
an Ice plant
and windmill palm flowers
@chienfou Huh, I’ve never seen palm flowers before! I love irises. I was thrilled to see these in my front yard the other day - they haven’t bloomed for years, and I planted them so long ago that I forgot I had them. They’re miniatures!
@Kyeh
I love the ‘fuzzy caterpillar’ looking parts on those.
@chienfou Me too!
plus some roses
@chienfou My (white-blossomed) apple tree has just burst out in bloom and was all radiant and fragrant, but now it’s covered with a heavy spring snow. I hope the petals survive but I’m not sure they will.
)
Some pink crabapples nearby look pretty with snow on them. (Swiped this photo from Nextdoor
@Kyeh
oh… that’s a bummer!
BTW my daughter, SIL and grandson are up in your neck of the woods doing a campus visit!
@chienfou Well, it’s a much nicer day today, so I hope they got to enjoy it. The apple blossoms seem to have survived, maybe a little less exuberant, but I might still have apples this fall.
@chienfou @Kyeh
We have a wild flowering dogwood tree that was here when we bought the property. We really haven’t done anything to it, other than removing some other trees/bushes to give the dogwood more room. It has bloomed out this year much more than in the past (we’ve had a wet/warm spring). Not bad for a wild tree.
@Kyeh @macromeh
Nice! We had a dogwood we had moved out of the woods across the street for about 30 years… It finally bit the dust last year.
@chienfou @macromeh Wow, it’s so tall! Really beautiful - we don’t have tall dogwoods here.
Had some things sprout up from an indoor compost bin by the windows (mango? avocado?). Thought this was the perfect time to dump them in the bin outside (where they’d get more water from the rain). A sudden dip caused all the buds to brown and shrivel up.
@pakopako
/image sad face