It's March, April and May All At Once!

Mrs. Moon-March 2012

Roy Davidson-March 2012

Our crazy spring weather has got my garden all confuzzled.  May and April bloomers flowering alongside the March bloomers.  Only my oaks, hickories and japanese maples seem to be on their regular schedule.  One of the currently confused is Pulmonaria (Lungwort).

Pulmonaria isn't a plant I'd call pretty but it is distinctive.  I grow three cultivars: Mrs. Moon, Roy Davidson and Diane Claire.  Mrs. Moon has white-spotted foliage, pink buds and blue flowers.  Roy Davidson also has white-spotted foliage, pink buds and blue flowers but the flowers are paler in color.  Diane Claire has mottled silver foliage with bigger, brighter-colored flowers than the first two.  The flowers are magenta and purple. 

Diane Claire-March 2012

Diane Claire-June 2011

For spring, I like Roy Davidson the best of my pulmonarias; its small, pale blooms look at home in a naturalized setting.  Diane Claire is my least favorite in spring; I find its intense colors jarring next to more delicate natives.  However, once summer rolls around, Diane Claire really shines in the shade garden and looks wonderful with blue hostas.  I just need to find something to pair it with in the spring that looks good so I can enjoy this plant completely.

I find it strange but our native Virginia Bluebells bloom in similar colors as most Pulmonarias: pink buds and blue flowers. Quite unexpected since most other native Winsconsin spring ephemerals bloom white.

The nice thing about Pulmonarias is that they aren't ephemerals; they stick around throughout the growing season.  Once they are done blooming, their beautiful leaves elongate and the plants get a bit of size to them. They usually look pretty good through late fall.

Virginia Bluebells-a native ephemeral

Another nice thing about Pulmonarias is that they are supposed to be deer/rabbit resistant.  That was true for me until last fall when something seriously chowed on them, multiple times.  I'm probably the only gardener in the state who gets their Lungworts eaten by critters.

Dainty Beauty Makes a Surprise Appearance

Pretty sure this is a corydalis...what strange little flowers!

One of my favorite events in gardening happened today...a new plant showed up in my yard.  Not sure where it came from, but I walked out my front door this morning to find a dainty little plant with delicate foliage and pretty white snap-dragonish flowers blooming under the big cedar.

At first I was really pumped because I thought it was perhaps a native but after digging through my wildflower books, I realized it was a non-native corydalis.  But that's ok because even though it would have been cool if it was maybe a dutchman's breeches or a toothwort, at least it wasn't an invasive weed, right?

I spent the afternoon working in the front yard and I found 2 other plants about the same size in the vicinity of the first one.  Maybe they were always there but were hidden by all the weeds I worked so hard to get rid of last year?  Or maybe they are a present left after a bird took its potty break?  However it got here, it was an exciting start to my day.

The more I see these 'Ivory Prince' hellebore, the more I like them!

Where the heck did this guy get a walnut?  I don't have any walnut trees...

Mrs. Moon pulmonaria...more funky little flowers

Spring has sprung-Snowdrops in bloom

I wasn’t ready for the change of seasons but spring couldn’t wait. Cheery little snowdrops are leading the way and the hellebores aren’t far behind.  Their bright white flowers really stand out in the post-winter garden.  I was extra happy because last year I had to move a clump while the foliage was still green, and the shock looked like it was too much for the little cutie, yet it showed up this spring looking strong and healthy.

That was the good news that greeted me yesterday.  The bad news was that there are still patches of garlic mustard in the yard, which was terribly disappointing.  I was sure I had finally slain that beast.  So, I spent a couple of hours weeding it out of the “hidden garden,” a spot in the yard that you can’t really see from the street or house.  Today I will work on the second driveway-there’s a thick patch there too.  Did you know I’ve been weeding out garlic mustard since the summer of 2009?  Ugh.

Another bit of bad news was that our neighborhood deer gang stopped by again and must have been very hungry.  I found that they chewed down one of my kerrias and ate some pulmonaria and epimedium, all things they aren’t supposed to eat.  Now the only plants in my yard that have remained completely untouched this winter are my hellebores. 

Amaryllis blooms again 2 years later

Nice waking up to this!

What a fab start to the day!  Woke up to find that my Amaryllis bloomed today. Yay!

It last bloomed in either January of 2009 or 2010, when I bought it on clearance at Target.   Instead of throwing it out when it was done blooming, I kept it, putting it outside in the summer and bringing it in for the winter.  It's been mostly neglected except for repotting it when it grew a bulblet. 


It wanted to bloom last winter but my youngest child and the cat did a number on it, breaking its stalk and damaging the leaves.  I figured that would kill it but it survived.

This was a photo from the first year it bloomed for us

Several weeks ago it sent up a large 2-foot stalk.  (It's not supposed to be that tall but there's not much light in the winter here, even with a grow light.)

Today it bloomed, just as pretty as the first time.  Surprisingly, it seems like it's just as big too.  I guess that year or two off gave it time to build up some energy.

The kids and I (and even my husband) enjoyed watching the bud over the last few days as it swelled and colored.  The bulblet I removed has two healthy leaves this year but no stalk.  I guess Amaryllis put up their flowering stalk first before their leaves.  Wouldn't that be wonderful if next year I have two that flower?

Bud three days ago

Bud two days ago

The bud yesterday-I noticed my youngest pointing it out to her friend and explaining about how it changed each day.  The excitement it brings my kids-that's a big reason I like gardening!