Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Thursday Thirteen Third Edition

My Thursday Thirteen is all about the flowers I’m waiting to see. Actually, the Crocus has made its appearance for the season. These are pictures from previous seasons. It seems that I could only find the beginning of the season on a few of them instead of the full bloom later in the season.

Last year we redid the landscaping in the backyard after we put in the pole barn. Some of the plants I bought from the nursery and have all the information on them, others are gifts from friends’ gardens. I really find a lot of peace and joy working in the garden in the early morning hours. The cooler temperatures with the sun just beginning its’ warming for the day. I find gardening a peaceful, solitary time to spend with my maker, surrounded by His creation.

1. Always a first sign of Spring. I love to see the Crocus pop up in the snow.

2. I received this Wave Petunia last year for Mother's Day and it thrived. It started as a regular hanging basket and in a couple of months it was touching the deck!

3. I think this is a Peony Rachel Ruby Red Double. It grows 30-36" high and spreads 30-36". It blooms for 2-4 weeks starting in late May.

4. Pansies always do well in our zone 5 weather.

5. Last year was the first year I tried a Morning Glory. It was just a little seedling and I waited and waited.. and when it finally got going in July it just took off.

6. I always try to plant Marigolds someplace. They don't require a lot of attention.

7. This picture was taken when we got home from Louisiana last Spring and the Irises were just about spent. I started with a bag full of tubers from my Mom about 20 years ago and every year I give away about a bushel of them! They just love my sandy soil.

8. Still waiting for this Hibiscus, Sweet Caroline to take off. It's supposed to get 4-5' high and spread 36-48". The Hibiscus is a sun loving plant. This variety has pink buds resembling rosebuds and open to light pink. It blooms 8-12 weeks starting July.

9. The Hosta Ultramarine grows 16-20" high and spreads 36-48". It is more of a shade partial shade plant. For about 2-4 weeks in July it has a lavender flower. These do really well if you want to plant them around the base of a tree.

10. This Foxglove, Camelot Lavender only looked this good when I brought it home from the nursery. It can reach 36-42" high and spreads 18-24". It likes sun to partial shade and blooms 2-4 weeks in late June. The lavender flowers have purple spots.

11. This beautiful Peony Gay Paree surprised me last year with a second full blooming! It gets 30-36" high and spreads 30-36". It's creamy white with pink petals and blooms for 2-4 weeks starting May. I love that the peony looks good as a green bush when not in bloom.

12. DayLily, Stella DeOro is another flowering plant that does well in our area. It reaches 16-20" and spreads 18-24". To get the most of the flowers it should get sun to partial shade. It blooms 8-12 weeks starting in July. I have some in a shady area too and get lots of leaves and a few flowers.

13. For the past several years I've done container gardening on my back deck. The idea when I started was that you can have the beauty with the simplicity. No dragging a hose and when I get home from work it was a quick 5 minutes to water everything. I've expanded my gardening, but still enjoy my annuals on the deck.


My list could go way beyond 13! Last year I went crazy in the after season sale. Coral Bells, Bee Balm, Hens & Chicks, Shasta Daisy and Coneflower, oh yeah, some ground cover called Blue Star Creeper. Can't wait to get out there and get some dirt under my fingernails. Just not the sort of girl that wears gloves.

So what flowers do your just love? I know different parts of the country and world have a lot of different varieties.

Be sure to check out other Thursday Thirteen participants.

28 comments:

SandyCarlson said...

Marigolds and pansies are among the most forgiving flowers to ever endure me! I plant them a lot for that reason. Thanks for this informative post.

Anonymous said...

It's dumping snow right this moment. I'd love to see ANY flower right now! ;)

Happy TT!

The Gal Herself said...

Marigolds and snapdragons are my favorite flowers to find in gardens. Marigolds were my Grandpa's favorites and snapdragons were my Grandma's. My mom is BIG fan of pansies. Me? I live on the fourth floor of a condo building, so the only flowers I have are cut and from the florist. ):

Susan Demeter said...

These are all so pretty :) Flowers are quite uplifting! Happy TT and thanks so much for stopping by :)

Chelle Y. said...

Spring is my favorite time of year too! I love, love, LOVE it! :)

Anonymous said...

Those are gorgeous flowers.

Jane said...

Oh yeah - I'm waiting for my bleeding hearts and lily of the valley, oh and my columbines. Happy waiting!

Janet said...

I don't see any pictures...but morning glories are one of my favorites!

pjazzypar said...

What beautiful flowers! I especially love the morning glory. Happy TT.

pussreboots said...

I have nasturtiums in bloom right now and am looking forward to my rose blooming and my the California poppies.

SJ Reidhead said...

I'm waiting for my bougainvillea to bloom.

I know how you feel!

SJR
The Pink Flamingo
http://thepinkflamingo.blogharbor.com/blog

shaunesay said...

Crocus always strike me as the eager puppies of spring around here, "is it time, is it? IS IT?! *BLOOM* Oh, oops, is that snow?"

I think we've lost half of our hostas from a late freeze last year, I'm kind of waiting to see what all managed to make it back this year. I usually do a few pots on the front porch with geraniums, rose moss and petunias.

Forgetfulone said...

I love pansies, marigolds, and begonias.

Anonymous said...

Hi Siteseer,

I'm having trouble seeing the pictures. Maybe it's just my PC or connection. I sure would love to drop by again and check the flowers.

anthonynorth said...

I try to be such a good gardener, but my health often fails me, and when many flowers come up, they're in the wrong place.
Weeds, I think they call them :-)

Becki said...

Too cool!! I love all the pictures - and you know so much about what is out there!

Tammy said...

your plants are beautiful!!!

Bethany said...

I hope you get to see all of your flowers! I love spring...happy TT!

Ivanhoe said...

I have #6, 7, 9, 11 & 12. Right now the daffodils & tulips are blooming. I'm so glad that spring is here! happy TT!

threesidesofcrazy said...

I'd love some of these in my garden, they just don't do well in my zone 3 area. Great list.

Sarai said...

I happen to love Iris in fact they were the only flowers I requested for my wedding and I got them too! Even though it was in August ;0)
I also love morning glories so pretty.
Great list and thanks for stopping by.

She Became a Butterfly said...

i wish i could see your pics

she
http://www.shebecameabutterfly.net

Mia Celeste said...

You have beautiful flowers! My crocuses are up too.

Michelle said...

Beautiful. I love them all. If it's a flower it's my favorite. LOL. Just went shopping today and bought a bunch. I also find much peace working in my gardens.

Anonymous said...

BEAUTIFUL!!! We still have some snow on the ground and no green grass yet, so this post is refreshing! My favorite flowers that I have are my peonies (they get so big and beautiful) and my bleeding hearts (so delicate and perfect). Loved the post! Happy TT! :)

Anonymous said...

Oooh! You're RVers? How neat :)

Thanks for visiting my taxing TT. I have another over at http://www.ravensroads.com but I think you'd particularly like http://www.ravensrv.com *grin*

I love spring flowers. Here, I look forward to the California poppies.

Linda

Anonymous said...

I was going to pick my favorite from you list, but I like so many of them! I had a fox glove at my old house and really liked it!

PamelaMKramer said...

Great list for TT! I love to see flowers. I would try to grow them myself but I've got those old black thumbs. LOL