An unapologetic plant geek shares advice and opinions on gardening, the contrived and the natural landscape, as well as occasional topics from the other side of the gate.

March 15, 2008

Bloom Day - Ides of March

It was sunny and very pleasant here with temperatures in the mid to upper 60's. Today was also the day of the local St. Patrick's Day parade in Ocean View. We rode out to the bay front for an after parade party, and even though the parade was over, there was still much to be seen. Several houses had front yard parties still going on, lots of green trash on the streets, people wearing green hats, shirts and big jewelery, and many staggering pedestrians. On the beach it felt about 10 degrees colder as the wind was coming straight off the bay where the water is still barely 50, yet that did not stop a few fools from swimming.

It is definitely spring here as the Pears, Saucer and Star Magnolias, Plums, Carolina Jessamine and some Crabapples are all in bloom. The Daffodils are just past peak, but the first Azaleas are starting to show color. In my own yard I discovered the Asarum splendens is blooming and I had to enter the dog dropping zone to get these pictures.
I have had this several years and it has slowly spread to a clump about 2' wide. The blooms are buried in the leaf litter and I wonder what it must be pollinated by. They are hidden by what I think is the plants best asset -- its mottled silvery foliage.
In the side garden next to the street the Zhu Zhou Fuchsia Lorapetalum (Lorapetalum chinense 'Zhu Zhou Fuchsia') was ablaze. I hope Lorapetalums do not become over-planted here; I certainly sell my fair share of them at work. I was told that this Quince was a long blooming variety, and it has been going about a month now. I believe this variety is Hime.Have already posted pictures of my Lilac Daphne, but when I saw it mixed with the O'Spring Holly and the new Poet's Laurel foliage -- it just said Fine Gardening Moment.
Finally, I am not a huge Forsythia fan, but this is a variegated variety with bright yellow and green foliage, and it is sandwiched between the above Lorapetalum and a purple Smokebush.
There are other things going on, but this is all I had time for today. Please visit May Dreams Gardens for more of Bloom Day.

7 comments:

  1. Thanks for joining us for bloom day. Your forsythia makes me long for mine to bloom. A few more weeks, and I think it will.

    And that first flower is very unusual.

    Carol, May Dreams Gardens

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  2. Oh, I have asarum flowers I forgot to get. Mine's not as freaky-deaky as this one tho'.

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  3. Glad to find your blog - I'm across the river in Newport News; my brother and his wife live in Ocean View. Coolest bloom today (in addition to hundreds of hellebores, daffodils, and camellias, along with a few leftover cyclamen and some early frits and trillium) is Arisarum proboscidium ("mouse plant") - have to post a pic of that sometime soon. It really does look like a mouse diving underground!

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  4. Yes, that lilac shot definitely is a Fine Gardening moment! I like your quince. I'm going to have to try them again. It's a bit too hot for them here in summer, but maybe if they get partial shade...

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  5. O.K. so rub it in ...... The crocus (croci?) aren't even up yet up here in the Northern Climes of Kintnersville, PA. I do miss all the color at Easter. I think I will go take a cutting and force some Quince to bloom.

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  6. Simple,
    I find it strangely cosmic that you are in Kintnersville, as that is where my one and only sibling lives. It is very small place perhaps you know him. Contact me if you are interested at

    morehiways@cox.net

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  7. so much for being subtle .... this is your one and only sibling. Do you not now see my initials cleverly embedded in my 'screen' name? BTW - you should know better than to put your proper e-mail on the blog. Spiders will pick that up and you will get tons of spam. And no, the forsythia and daffy's have not yet bloomed.

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