What's looking good in April 2017

[Beverly]

It is so nice to log in to such a lovely display of flowers When people identify the flowers (if they can) it is doubly appreciated. What a blue, blue sky @granjera

 

[JBtheExplorer]

I finally have some blooms in the native garden!

Common Blue Violet. This has been in my yard longer than I've lived here. Violets are known for that. They spread. I personally wouldn't want a lawn without them. Last year, I added some to the native garden, and this year, I added even more. It's a food source for Spangled Fritillary caterpillars, so I'm hoping in a year or two, I'll see an increase in them visiting my garden.

Wild Strawberry. I added this as a ground cover to fill in any gaps. As expected, it's taking over quite nicely. Early-blooming plants are important, because there isn't a lot of them out there when native insects become active. Having some strawberries to eat is also a nice bonus.

Wild Ginger is just starting to open. It's a weird little flower that typically stays hidden under the foliage. I'm using Wild Ginger as a ground cover under my spruce tree. It's slowly spreading. Maybe it'll take off a little more next year. I would highly recommend it in place of hostas.

In my bog filter for my pond, I have Marsh Marigold blooming. Six flowers today. It's a great plant for wetlands. Looks really great in my bog.

 

[JBtheExplorer]

Wild Ginger is blooming.

 

[Dinu]

Eight more lilies burst up following more rains. I showed the 4 lilies that came up early.
Bottom left photo is a back-lit photo taken from below the flower. The first set is making fruit already [bottom corner right]. Little bees are having a 'ball'!!

head.

 

[roadrunner]

Here are some miscellaneous garden pics, but if you notice I don't grow much in the way of traditional crops, but I do have and harvest some tomatoes, since I like them, but I allow the broccoli to flower and go to seed to feed the bees and birds.

Also a lot of my plants were given to me by neighbors, for some reason people like giving me plants and I can't say no, even though I really don't want them

Like these, Firestick and Yucca plants, they were given to me in a container and I planted them in the ground, now they are much bigger and healthier looking:







And I don't remember where I got this Hibiscus from, but it was also in a container




And these are my sunflowers, the tallest in at least 11ft, I plan to grow some more in another area using the seeds from that very large one







Here's some tomatoes, which I almost stepped on...I lose a lot of "produce" in my garden, but probably why I get so many volunteers:




Here's my zucchini/squash (I don't know the difference, but I actually developed a taste for them, so I've started planting more, one of the few things I grow to eat



Just a few more miscellaneous shots, if you notice my broccoli is still blooming, which is kind of incredible, since I don't do anything for them, I don't even waste water them and we are currently in a drought.

 

[Beverly]

@Dinu your football lilies are spectacular and there are so many happy, happy bees

@roadrunner your garden is an absolute riot of wonderfulness. Super photos

 

[Dinu]

@roadrunner Beautiful greens and colours!! 11-ft. tall sunflower!! Very tall! Have you staked it? Banana too, nice. Mirabilis plants... there must be hundreds of volunteer plants! They seed so profusely.

@Beverly ... thanks... happy bees indeed. They are in the peak of colour, brightest. From tomorrow, they will show signs of fading.

 

[zigs]

 

[Beverly]

@zigs do you know the name of the plant tumbling over that beautiful wall in the first photo? Maybe clematis gone wild? It is a stunner. Really nice photo too.

 

[Daren]

@zigs do you know the name of the plant tumbling over that beautiful wall in the first photo? Maybe clematis gone wild? It is a stunner. Really nice photo too.

Clematis Montana Rubans maybe?.........So many great pictures this month its a feast I spotted a sheep

 

[Beverly]

@Daren Clematis is close enough, i will have to admire it from afar...they don't do well in my location, but i can grow Neem, Cassia fistula, Ixora coccinea, so that gives me some consolation.

Say, do i see dandelions growing amongst the blue bells? In the fall you can harvest the roots, roast them, and make a yummy coffee substitute, and of course there is dandelion wine, and a nifty salad green (i don't think i can grow dandelions here either).

Is that sheep wearing a tie? What kind of sheep wears a tie? Oh i know a Darin' Sheep.

 

[Daren]

@Daren Clematis is close enough, i will have to admire it from afar...they don't do well in my location, but i can grow Neem, Cassia fistula, Ixora coccinea, so that gives me some consolation.

Say, do i see dandelions growing amongst the blue bells? In the fall you can harvest the roots, roast them, and make a yummy coffee substitute, and of course there is dandelion wine, and a nifty salad green (i don't think i can grow dandelions here either).

Is that sheep wearing a tie? What kind of sheep wears a tie? Oh i know a Darin' Sheep.

Glade you like the sheep only cool sheep where ties lol......well spotted dandelion I did once roast dandelions roots and found it quite nice ...well done like a crisp & often pinch a few leaves as greens with lunch but its just a weed here in England to most people. Sorry to here Clematis is a no ..no for you

 

[zigs]

@zigs do you know the name of the plant tumbling over that beautiful wall in the first photo? Maybe clematis gone wild? It is a stunner. Really nice photo too.

Daren's probably right, i'm just veg and wildflowers department

54 years and i've never really noticed it before, but I keep seeing it everywhere at the moment, i'll stop and get some more pics

 

[Bootsy]

Yes, that was Clematis Montana

We're still getting morning frost but the daytime is quite mild. So the flowers are coming out to play.

 

[Bootsy]