The fairies are ahead of themselves

[madgardener]

The fairies are ahead of themselves. Yesterday during the surge of energy I had when I started feeling like I had the flu, I went out to see if there were any flowers. Well, yes, there were. The little daffodil fairy has a sense of humor. She teased open one fat one out front on the western end of the front bed. If we get the snow they're predicting, it'll be clipped and brought in rather than let the snow burn it. And I have my first Helebore!!! It was quietly sitting open, all cute and freckled faced in the Salix garden on the west side of the house. More crocuses open and more long green tongues poking up indicating that the rest of the narcissus are not too far behind the early one. No sign yet of the hoops narcissus in the pot, but lots of varigated tulip tongues poking up where I remember the Pinochio's, Toronto's, and Waterlily tulips live. And the pot of sedums with the 'Marilyn' tulip has returned, wheather or not it blooms is up to it this year. I sprinkled bulb food to make sure................

Spring is close!!

madgardener up on the windy and cold ridge, back in Fairy Holler, overlooking a cloudy English Mountain in EAstern Tennessee, zone 7, Sunset zone 36

[paghat]

Yesterday the first "Rip Van Winkle" daffodil bud burst open, a small lonely bloom. Lots & lots of this dwarf's gooseneck buds should follow suit in a day or two.

I've a small drift of pure wild kaufmanniana waterlily tulip which I yesterday noticed already have fat buds showing color, but the several hybrid waterlily tulips & greigiis aren't showing their buds quite yet, though the fat pointy leaves are everywhere.

The earliest rhododendrons are starting, which seems more surprising than the bulbs. Evergreen R. pachytrichum has one truss opening wide, &amp two others have brightly colored buds preparing to burst, "Milestone" & "Crater's Edge." In past years I think it was "PJM Elite" bloomed first, but it's going to be fourth in line this year.

-paggers

[madgardener]

I bet your gardens are wonderous places for your fairies.......... maddie

Yesterday the first "Rip Van Winkle" daffodil bud burst open, a small lonely bloom. Lots & lots of this dwarf's gooseneck buds should follow suit in a day or two.

I love those little dudes. I always tell myself that I will order some from Dutch Gardens. You've convinced me sugar!!

I've a small drift of pure wild kaufmanniana waterlily tulip which I yesterday noticed already have fat buds showing color, but the several hybrid waterlily tulips & greigiis aren't showing their buds quite yet, though the fat pointy leaves are everywhere.

Where did you locate the bulbs of wild kaufmanniana waterlilies? I see that McClure & Zimmerman offer interesting whacky looking species tulips........

The earliest rhododendrons are starting, which seems more surprising than the bulbs. Evergreen R. pachytrichum has one truss opening wide, &amp two others have brightly colored buds preparing to burst, "Milestone" & "Crater's Edge." In past years I think it was "PJM Elite" bloomed first, but it's going to be fourth in line this year.

Until I have my woods cleaned out, I'm not going to waste the life of a good rhodie. I have awesome potential of woods for azaela's and rhodies and all sorts of wonderous things, but I can't do justice until I get down there adn clean that mess out. After wasting 8 years, I have resigned myself to the fact that it will be me or no one because Squire is back on the road and I don't get yard help from sons too often despite that I have oldest one here. It's whip cracking time when I want that kind of assistance. So I have made a pact with the fairies and my back and have decided that a little at a time and I will notify everyone when it's ready to do. I always want to plant cleaned spot, but that's not logical. I should clean it up first and then plant it, I just love the plants is all and have no self control when it comes to this.

I think a lot of gardeners suffer from the gratification button. We buy a lot of pots because we want an instant flower garden. I'm learning that smaller means better adapted to my little micro climate up here in fairy holler. Something you have already attained, Paggers, but better late than never, eh?

Where my fairy gardens sound neat to a lot of people, I also have never said they were more than what they were. Disorderly and chaotic but I love them never the less. Give me a bit more time and now what I feel is better motivation, and my gardens will truely be the wonder that I see them as already. (I find the wonder in one crocus honey, you know that lol)

maddie

-paggers

[paghat]

I've had them a while, but pretty certain I got them from Bulb Odyssey, a place with a small stock but always things different from the big catalogs. I also got from him the pure wild Tulipa vvedenskyi which he insisted was such a good tulip it should never have been displaced by named cultivars, & it has certainly been a favorite of mine. The wild kaufmanniana has not been a favorite because they sometimes tip over with the first hard rain, but I do like that it produces the big & pretty seedheads which the ones hybridized with T. greigii lack.

If you select varieties of rhodies that get fairly large, you can just clear out a smallish area for each one, then let it take over the spot. As long as it's not competing with something really nasty like blackberry canes, rhodies hold their own pretty darned well & aren't that threatened by measily underbrush.

Disorderly gardens rule. I have never so much liked gardens that were neatly hedged with concentric circles of bright annuals, & shrubs trimmed to look like unicorns & toads. Well, the unicorns & toads thing can be fun to see, the way it's fun to see some marginally employable fool in a Goofy the Dog costume at Disneyland, but it's not the same thing as nature, & I like a garden that makes me feel I'm in the woods or in a meadow, even if its only a garden.

-paggers