The Garden Thread that two people wanted

[LilyBLily]

Wow!

[Jan Hurst-Nicholson]

Went to an orchid show yesterday. Some spectacular displays and I just wanted to show you one extra spectacular orchid. It's a Dendrobium Nobile and I'm guessing it's about 4 feet long.

Spectacular specimen 

[Jan Hurst-Nicholson]

If there is ever a time to use the F word I think this is it.
About nine months I mentioned that the plumbers were replacing all the pipes in our retirement village. The roads were dug up, the pathways were dug up and the pathway to each cottage was dug up. My lovely ixora was right in the middle of where the pipes were laid. I had to dig it up and it sat in a bag for about three months. It started dying off, but I cut off the dead branches and it picked up. About six weeks ago the paving was cemented over in the pathway, but I was not happy because it had been done slightly askew, so my partner and I bought cement and made a proper job of it. The ixora was returned to its place (now half the original size) with compost and potting soil and the river stones replaced. New leaves started sprouting and it looked as if it had survived  .
We all thought the plumbers had finished and everyone was re-doing their gardens and the common ground.
But then leaks started happening. It appears that inferior polycop piping had been used to connect each cottage to the main pathway  .
Today the plumbers arrived to chop up the concrete once again in order to replace the inferior pipes. We had to dig up the poor ixora and put it back in a bag  . We are once again negotiating mounds of soil and rubble.  F*ck.

The ixora has now been replanted, but is a shadow of its former self. Just hoping it survives. 

[Jeff Tanyard]

One of the cool things about having members from different continents in this thread is that we get to see all kinds of flora and fauna we've never seen before.

Thanks for the pics, Jan.   

[Jan Hurst-Nicholson]

One of the cool things about having members from different continents in this thread is that we get to see all kinds of flora and fauna we've never seen before.

Thanks for the pics, Jan.   

Yes, it's interesting getting to know what people grow in other countries.

The plumbers were quite quick this time and the soil and cement were done this afternoon. We have returned the ixora to its home. Will take a pic once we have leveled everything and put the stones back.

[Maggie Ann]

One of the cool things about having members from different continents in this thread is that we get to see all kinds of flora and fauna we've never seen before.

Thanks for the pics, Jan.   

Yes, it's interesting getting to know what people grow in other countries.

The plumbers were quite quick this time and the soil and cement were done this afternoon. We have returned the ixora to its home. Will take a pic once we have leveled everything and put the stones back.

I have never seen an Ixora with so many flowers. I don't think I have even seen that shade of pink. Beautiful.

[Jan Hurst-Nicholson]

[/quote]

I have never seen an Ixora with so many flowers. I don't think I have even seen that shade of pink. Beautiful.
[/quote]

Thanks. It's more of an orangey colour. We have pink, red and yellow as well.  It's a miniature one. I also have a miniature one in yellow, but it doesn't get as many flowers. I have a pink one in the standard size. 

[Jeff Tanyard]

That cold snap I feared is on its way.  High temp of only 41 on Saturday.   

Luckily, most stuff hasn't bloomed yet, so spring isn't ruined.

[LilyBLily]

We were supposed to get snow today and I wondered about a few of the hyacinths poking up, but it's only rain. The daffodils and crocuses don't care about snow much. There's another threat upcoming on Saturday, but this is March and it's expected: "In like a lion, out like a lamb." Or the reverse. Ice storms are typical.

[Maggie Ann]

We were supposed to get snow today and I wondered about a few of the hyacinths poking up, but it's only rain. The daffodils and crocuses don't care about snow much. There's another threat upcoming on Saturday, but this is March and it's expected: "In like a lion, out like a lamb." Or the reverse. Ice storms are typical.

Alexa tells me "it's breezy at 7.1 mph."

[idontknowyet]

I almost put my squash plants in this week, but we're supposed to hit the forties one night soon and my plant babies wouldn't enjoy that.

[Jeff Tanyard]

Here are some pics of stuff that has started to bloom/sprout:


Azalea:





Purple-heart:





Bearded Iris:





These are just the earliest blooms, so even if this weekend's weather kills them off, it's not that big of a loss.  There's still plenty left.

We'll see what happens.   

[Maggie Ann]

Lovely.

When I used to visit my father in NJ, I would always take the time to walk around the neighborhood and admire the flowers that don't grow in our "humid sub-tropical" climate. I particularly liked the irises, all colors and types. Seemed like everyone had large bed of them.

[Jeff Tanyard]

I particularly liked the irises, all colors and types. Seemed like everyone had large bed of them.

They spread.  Even if you just start with a single bulb, it's only a matter of years before you have a large bed.

[LilyBLily]

Tiny early iris of an unusual color.

[Vijaya]

Loving all the pretty pictures. I'm enjoying all the blooms on my walks with my dog. The scent too.

[LilyBLily]

Extremely unusual conflation of spring and winter.

[Maggie Ann]

I see snow so clean and so white from a thousand miles away.

[Jeff Tanyard]

And... they're gone.   

Okay, not really gone.  But the cold definitely hurt them.  Azalea flowers are browned, purple-heart is gray-greened, and irises are hanging their heads.

Azalea:





Purple-heart:





Bearded Iris:

[Jan Hurst-Nicholson]

And... they're gone.   

Okay, not really gone.  But the cold definitely hurt them.  Azalea flowers are browned, purple-heart is gray-greened, and irises are hanging their heads.

 

[Maggie Ann]

And... they're gone.   

Okay, not really gone.  But the cold definitely hurt them.  Azalea flowers are browned, purple-heart is gray-greened, and irises are hanging their heads.

awwww!

[Vijaya]

Jeff, thank you for sharing them when they were still pretty. Reminds me to: Carpe diem.

[Jeff Tanyard]

I dug up a stump today.  At my age and considering the shape I'm in, it's a notable achievement.  I can still swing a mattock, and that feels pretty darn good.   

In other news, I mentioned earlier that the blooms that were killed by the cold were just the earliest ones, and now the next round is starting to come in.  I took the following photos today.

Bearded Iris:





Azalea:







Purple-heart:





Dogwoods have started to bloom, too, but I didn't get a pic.  I'll try to do that tomorrow or the next day, depending on weather.  (Storms are coming.)

The Holly tree has black tips where the new leaf growth had started and then got killed by the cold, but I don't think that will affect its flowers.  At least, I hope it won't.  Holly flowers aren't much to look at, but they smell fantastic.  I'll know for sure some time within the next few weeks, I guess.

Pollinating insects love those holly flowers, too, by the way, so if you're looking for a bee-attracting thing to plant, there you go.

[Jan Hurst-Nicholson]

I dug up a stump today.  At my age and considering the shape I'm in, it's a notable achievement.  I can still swing a mattock, and that feels pretty darn good.   

In other news, I mentioned earlier that the blooms that were killed by the cold were just the earliest ones, and now the next round is starting to come in.  I took the following photos today.

Glad the new blooms are coming out and you can still swing a mattock (wtmb)  . They do say gardening is the best exercise 

[Jan Hurst-Nicholson]

My first attempts at penjing moss gardens.  Need a lot more work  . Had them outside but the hadedah ibis were destroying them, so had to put them on the veranda. We'll see how they get on.

[Vijaya]

Beautiful flowers, Jeff. And Jan, so cute! My daughter and I used to make little fairy gardens/houses. So fun.

[djmills]

Jan, I love the moss gardens. Thanks for the photos. 

[Jeff Tanyard]

Dogwoods have opened but aren't fully bloomed yet.

[LilyBLily]

First violets.

[Jan Hurst-Nicholson]

Dogwoods have opened but aren't fully bloomed yet.

Don't think I've seen a dogwood bloom 

[Jeff Tanyard]

Don't think I've seen a dogwood bloom 

The Dogwood is one of my favorite trees.  It's native to this region, so it's hardy enough to withstand the turbulent climate (unlike non-native plants which have a tougher time).  Here's the Wikipedia page for the species that grows around here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornus_florida

There's a legend of the Dogwood, too, for those Tolkien-esque folks (like me) who like to wax romantic about trees:

https://www.bowerandbranch.com/the-legend-of-the-dogwood/

[Vijaya]

I love dogwoods too, Jeff, but never seen a flower at this stage. Neat legend--never knew it until now. Our azaleas are in bloom too.

[Jan Hurst-Nicholson]

Don't think I've seen a dogwood bloom 

The Dogwood is one of my favorite trees.  It's native to this region, so it's hardy enough to withstand the turbulent climate (unlike non-native plants which have a tougher time).  Here's the Wikipedia page for the species that grows around here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornus_florida

There's a legend of the Dogwood, too, for those Tolkien-esque folks (like me) who like to wax romantic about trees:

https://www.bowerandbranch.com/the-legend-of-the-dogwood/

Pretty flowers for a plant with a name that sounds like a weed   

[Jan Hurst-Nicholson]

Most of these flowers have been pink, but this one is yellow.

[Jeff Tanyard]

Well, it seems the cold snap did more damage to the dogwood flowers than I thought.  Most of the trees are performing poorly.   

One is well-protected from the wind, though, and it's doing okay.  Not great, but okay.  Here's a pic taken skyward through its branches:





Azalea of a different variety:





Bumblebees were out and working today.

[Maggie Ann]

I love azaleas.

I have four oak trees and a few years ago, a windstorm blew off at least half the leaves. Three of the trees never recovered. They're still alive but looking sparse. The fourth tree had problems before the storm and there are branches growing from the bottom of the trunk. I know I've got to get a tree company out here to look at it, but I dread what they are going to say and how much it's going to cost me.

[Jeff Tanyard]

Here are some of the dogwood flowers that fully bloomed and didn't get truncated by the cold:





Bumblebees still doing their thing.  (The bee is a little hard to see; it's slightly left of the center of the pic.  Look for the color yellow.)





Here's another azalea, one I haven't posted yet.  It's outperforming the others.

[LilyBLily]

Quite envious. Deer nibble my azalea buds. Also, you're six weeks ahead of us. Our azaleas won't bloom until mid-May. I just sprayed them all today so I have hopes that the remaining buds will be left alone to bloom.

[Jeff Tanyard]

More Bearded Iris.  Lavender-colored this time.





Holly flowers are on the way.   

[LilyBLily]

Species tulip:

[Jeff Tanyard]

Bearded Iris again.  Yellow this time.

[Maggie Ann]

Bearded Iris again.  Yellow this time.

I love yellow and that's a particularly beautiful yellow flower.

[Gerri Attrick]

Stunning photos of Azalea and Iris flowers. Two of my favourites, so thanks for posting them.

[Jan Hurst-Nicholson]

I didn't think the paw paws/papaya were ripe enough to pick. The monkeys thought differently 
The tree has some really large fruit, each weighing about 1.5 kgs  Have picked some and will let them ripen with the bananas.

[Maggie Ann]

The first is a Dendrobium Nobile

The second is a Cattleya

The third is another Dedrobium

[Jeff Tanyard]

Holly and Tulip Poplar trees are in bloom.

Holly flowers:





This tree is a male.  The female has slightly different flowers.  And, of course, the female produces bright red berries just in time for Christmas whereas the male does not.

Holly trees have very smooth bark, and their trunks are quite handsome.  I wouldn't advise walking barefoot beneath a Holly tree, though, due to the spines on the leaves.

The trunk:





The Tulip Poplar's flowers are too high up on the tree for me to get a good picture of them.  Recent winds, though, ripped some small branches off, so I took a photo of a flower that was lying on the ground.

[Maggie Ann]

I didn't know there was such a thing as a tulip poplar. Beautiful flowers.

[LilyBLily]

I didn't know there was such a thing as a tulip poplar. Beautiful flowers.

They're wonderful big sturdy trees and their blooms are beautiful. Alas, on our current property the only ones are by the road and each year the road crew attacks them with a chopper. 

[Jeff Tanyard]

I didn't know there was such a thing as a tulip poplar. Beautiful flowers.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liriodendron_tulipifera


They're also called "whitewood," and you'll find them as lumber at Home Depot.  As the Wikipedia page says, the trees grow straight and fast without being weak, and that makes them ideal for construction lumber.

[Vijaya]

Carolina jasmine is starting to bloom, filling the air with its fragrance, and the magnolias are budding. The smaller variety is starting to bloom. Also fragrant so I picked one on my walk with my dog.