Getting Better At It

A few years ago, I resloved to get any amaryllis to bloom again. My attempt did not work the first year. The scond year, I planted it in the garden in spring. It bloomed there in late summer, but not in winter.

Never giving up, the follow year I did the same, but tried to keep the bulb's schedule closely aligned with the season. I did eek out a small bloom then. Last year, with four bulbs now in the ground during the summer, I watered and fertilized them up the wazoo. After bringing them into the basement when frost hit, they stayed in the dark with no water from October on.

Die, damn it. Die! These little suckers continued to stay green well into January. Last month, they began to wilt and turn yellow. That was my clue. After wacking off the leaves, I planted them, gave them water and sun, and now have three of the four with buds or blooms. This double-flowered one, 'Double Delicious', was a gift last year and is doing great. The other two are coming along at different stages.

Heads Down

I needed something different for my hellebores photos this year, so I went for a different angle: cloeups.

I always wanted this shy flower with its heads hung low. A few years back, I finally got the chance when some hellebores came up at a Master Gardener plant swap. I swooped up the container and asked the owner what type or color they were. She didn't remember. I didn't care - I got one.

But, I got two. What bloomed were two colors. I kept intending to separate them, but the lazy gardener that I am, never got around to it. They really need dividing this year, so maybe this is the year. What no one told me about this shade plant - it reseeds a lot and sires a lot of offspring. I find myself ripping out seedlings are the end of summer.

I hope to get a different color some year, and one of the later cultivars where the flowers are more upward facing. But I entertain the neighbors as they watch me photograph these lying on my back.

Perfumed Unruliness

This is commonly called white forsythia. I've posted about it in the past -- about its fragrance and its early blooming at the time of the crocus. I wanted to add a few more notes to my previous posts. It's blooming now, before the daffodiles, before the common yellow forsythia, and before the cherry blossoms. Its problem lies in that the blooms can be destroyed by a hard freeze if it comes late after blooming.

Abeliophyllum distichum is a member of the fragrant olive family, and a native of Korea. It acts like forsythia in that it is a wild misbehaving child that rambles around and looks terribly unattractive for most of the year. Just like forsythia, it is difficult to control into a well-mannered form. Its branches create unplanned offspring by rooting new plants if not kept off the ground.

But for those few days in early spring, it's worth it. The neighbors love its sweet perfume. They appreciate my cuttings of its branches, telling me how it perfumes the entire house with just three sprigs. Yes, that's true; it does.

I took some into a Master Gardeners spring meeting one year since it was blooming at that time. Most gardeners had never heard of it. Many experienced gardeners requested its name or some sprouts if available. I was the most popular guy at the plant swap later that year.

Deflated But Not Defeated

This Opuntia cactus spends its winter looking very sad. When cold weather rolls around, it gets deflated, with an appearace of being dead. It keels over, resting on top of the wood deck walkway. I would guess it is dehydrating, with only a little anti-freeze left in its veins and no water to freeze. When spring comes around, it will perk up happy to see you again.

Slowly Multiplying

Spring is in the air. Daffodils don't like blooming around here at this time of year. But, these Rip Van Winkle daffodils are anxious and budding already. Located at the south side of the brick house, protected from winds and severe weather, they are way ahead of the other bulbs just starting to pop out of the ground.

History: I bought and planted a few of them maybe 10 years years ago. They disappeared after flowering. After a few years and a few tears, one bloomed. I didn't know what it was at first! Since, I have been giving them encouragement every year. Look here - five buds this year!