Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day: February 2015

Valentine's Day Carnations

They’re in bloom, so the Valentine’s Day carnations count!

Apart from the cut flowers my husband bought me for Valentine’s Day (above) and the poinsettia that is still mightily hanging on (and looking pretty good, I must say), the only blooms in this wintry house are forced branches from the Dwarf Flowering Almond.

Forcing Dwarf Flowering Almond

Dwarf Flowering Almond

I’ve been changing their water daily for weeks, and recently moved them to a sunnier and slightly warmer location where I could enjoy their new, tiny blooms — but I’m doubtful that I’ll get even a single branch full of the pink blossoms that I’ll see outside this May. I’ll take what I can get, though!

My first attempt at forcing muscari and pink hyacinths isn’t going so well — bulb rot all around for the muscari, and lots of leaves but no blooms on the hyacinths. Maybe I’ll fare better next year.

I’m making a valiant attempt to fill my life with flowers, thanks to Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day! We can have flowers every month of the year!

The Garage Flower Bed

I have the opportunity to put together pretty much a whole new flower bed.

There are still a few plants in the front of the bed — gooseneck loosestrife, hydrangeas, a shrub rose, some spring bulbs and alliums, some lilies, jumpseed, geraniums, and my poor Andromeda that got hacked to the ground and is coming back. That’s maybe the front third of the bed.

The Garage Bed in May, before the Maypop took over.

The Garage Bed in May, before the Maypop took over.

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