More Garden Photos

I am slowly cleaning out the flower beds, happy to find bits of green poking up here and there, promises of future bloom and encouragement after a couple of years of neglect.

There are always those little unexpected surprises.  The crocuses, which were planted on one side of the front walk, beneath the cotoneaster which is in desperate need of prunning, trimming, and outright ripping out, have started a new colony on the other side of the front walk where they are nestled protectively among the pachysandra.  

Are these the remnants of some squirrels cache?

I knew crocus colonies would grow but I didn't know that they emigrated as well.  These are the kind of happy accidents that make gardening such a joy.

Speaking of joys, there have been scattered appearances of species crocus in the Iris bed as I have cleaned it out and I have been very careful to preserve their delicate leaves and blossoms.  

I planted these years ago, before I rebuilt this bed and they never really bloomed much.  I think the tiny bulbs got washed away with the tons of soil that washed from the neighbors yard across our yard and driveway and down the slope toward the neighbor on the other side.  Of course when I built the new Iris bed with the french drain behind it and down the center, I did save the old soil and added it back in to the amended flower bed soil.  So I am not surprised that a few bulbs survived.  

I see occasional scattered crocus flowers on the edges of the woods, probably were bulbs have been flung with weeds and grass from previous clearings etc.  G noted today that he always thought the narrow striped leaves were a form of grass.  So I think he has been sending out little starter crocus colonies all around the property and it is a thrill to seem them blooming here and there.  

I like to think that those little bulbs will someday form their own little colonies, like the little colony I found today down the slope below the drain pipe that funnels the water that runs across the driveway down the hill.

I was on that end of the house grilling some burgers for lunch and I looked out and saw masses of purple flowers glowing on the sunshine down the slope.  It gladdened my heart to see them there in an area that is really otherwise just a patch of woods.

When I looked down the slope beyond them I also saw some tulip leaves pushing their way up through the soil and piles of leaves and twigs.  I suppose the heavier tulip bulbs fell further down the slope.  

The tulips are not a total surprise.  I usually pull the bulbs up at the end of the season as my soil is not deep enough to produce strong perennial blooms, so there are always a few odd tulip bulbs around the edge of the woods, another example of nature soldiering on.  

You can't really tell these are on a slope.  I had to practically lie on the ground to get them and use a zoom as well, another things that alters the perception of distance, slope, and space.  In reality the tulips are about 10 feet below the crocuses you see in the lower right of the photo. Lots of leaves and junk.  This is a part of the yard that basically slopes down to the neighbors.  It is my property but it is primarily steep woodland and best left alone.  It makes me very happy this morning to see these little outcroppings.

I will look forward to seeing the resulting flowers, whatever variety they may be.

And last of all the early daffodils are finally showing the colors.   The daffodils on the hill, left by the previous owners are always the first to bloom, right around April 1.  They are right on time.

These are on one side of a large rock outcropping marking the base of the small ledge on which the house is built.  I have long meant to rip out most of that area, which was once planted with various flowers but is now mostly weeds except for these few daffodils.  I would save the daffodils of course, perhaps adding some more.  Some day I will get to this as well.  But this area is fine by itself right now, and I have lots of landscaping that needs to be done around the new deck which also requires lots of digging and leveling and terracing and amending of the soil before I can even begin planting.  But I like to look around while I am in the garden and think about what it might be "someday".  It is fun to dream and plan, and it is fun to work to turn dreams into reality.  I just have to remember not to become a slave to some dreams at the expense of others.