Daffodil Walk

I must have had 100 people at the daffodil walk and the daffodils were at their peak.  Only February Gold was done and Peeping Tom was getting tired..  Most of the pink ones weren't out yet and of course the Poeticus weren't  even showing buds yet.  Most of the rest seemed pretty good. I ended up giving people bulbs of Mon Cherie and Serola- 2 which grow very well.  It was in the 40s-- fairly cool, but sunny and beautiful.  The Forsythia still had some flowers but the Magnolias and Rhododendrons lost their flowers with the hard frosts.

Daffodil Walk

Our "Daffodil Walk" is the day after tomorrow and we're not ready.  My mower still isn't fixed so I've held off mowing but the grass is too tall to ignore- I have 2 hopefully working hand mowers but I was hoping to first mow what I could with my elderly riding mower.  Besides that, there is junk still very evident on the porch.  I still another evening of polishing serving trays and tea pots, etc.

On the bright side, the daffodils seem like they might be a the perfect stage. Peeping Tom,Februay Gold are getting a little tired but other early ones such as rapture, Jet Fire, Ice Follies are still OK. Precosious, Passionalle(sp?), Mon Cherie, Unsurpassable, Spellbinder, Serola, Tahiti, Las Vegas, Audubon, Sounds, Border Beauty, Prof. Einstein, Barrett Browning, Fortissimo. Gigantic Star,Carlton, Dutch Master, Red Devon, Juanita, Early Harvest,Monal, Mon Dragon I remember seeing.  There are quite a few that aren't out yet but it's about peak

Daffodils now in Bloom

We're having a daffodil "walk' at our house on April 29th- just under 2 weeks away. We do every year the first Sunday of May but this year, with the week of weather in the 70s about three weeks ago, we decided to have it a week and a half early which we've every one and sent out invitations. Naturally that was all it took to slow things down so that Friday my first daffodil opened and I didn't know what kind it was.  It was haot again on Sunday and got to 82 yesterday so several varieties are now out and I don't need to worry.Ice Follies is out, as is February Gold and Peeping Tom.  Unsurpassable  and Gigantic Star which look identical are blooming and Rapture is just about to start.  The only variety I bought last year, 'California' or 'Pentewan' is at its peak- I picked it beacause as the very cheapest of all in van Engelens' catalog, I knew it would be a good grower- it's like a small Kinf Alfred

Spinach up!

I planted spinach and lettuce a couple of weeks ago when we had several days of temperatures in the 80s.  After that it got cooler and I feared the seeds had rotted but they are up.  Spinach seems to be one of those plants whose bolting depends on day length more than temperature so this far north it sometimes starts flowering right away while the plants are still tiny.   Lets hope this is going to be a good spinach year.

I still have not a single Narcissus in bloom and our anual walk is going to be the 29th which is in 2 and a half weeks

Still no Daffodils

I have my invitations ready although the ones on card stock aren't printed yet which are the ones which I can mail.   However, as yet, no daffodills are blooming- I still think April 29th will be good date for our walk.   Snowdrops are still good in some spots- gone by in others.  Scilla are blooming, also crocus, Chionodoxa, lesser celandine, bloodroot is starting and I noticed Viola odorata today.  I got the rest of my fertilizer spread although, I could use a few more bags.   Hopefully I'll get the apple trees which have lived a year in the vegetable garden moved to where I want them

Asparagus

I got my Asparagus weeded today and a row of red currants and a row of gooseberries.  Now is a good time to get out witch grass if you have the time.  It was coming out in long strands, but of course, witch grass eradication is difficult.  Another weed in my asparagus patch is the vetch which has tiny rootx which break off meaning one can never truely get rid of the vetch.  At least it'd sort of pretty and fixes nitrogen