First Daffodil Brightens my January Garden

My First Daffodil of 2018

Normally my bright January colors in the garden come from calendula, but this year frost killed them all. That's why I'm so glad this daffodil decided to show up and brighten my garden a bit.

First Daffodil Brightens my January Garden

As you can see, the recent rain brought the snails out, and they've got a head start on me. I was slow getting the bait out for them because I'm only now almost over the flu that had me down since mid-December. I need to get that snail bait out before they eat everything I've got.  This is what I normally use and it works well for me  when I spread it in my flowers when the ground is wet. If I'd done it right after the rain, those holes wouldn't be in my leaves now.

My Garden Is Mostly Green and Light Purple Now

The light purple flowers in bloom are rosemary, scabiosa (Pincushion Flower), and borage. Of course, two of those are herbs.

Rosemary in January

Scabiosa in January with Gazania Leaves in Background

Borage Flowers in January

I don't usually see borage in bloom this early, but it reseeded last year. I'm afraid my plants have been fending for themselves since last year because I haven't had time or strength to do much for them. They have helped immensely by their reseeding. I'm hoping I'll be seeing new kale and chard plants soon. Meanwhile, I'm seeing lots of new clary sage and mullein plants. That's a reseeded mullein, one of many, in that pot above the borage in the photo above. It will be months before it blooms.

You can see below left how the mullein plant will look when it does bloom. This plant grew about six feet tall and this praying mantis pair found a home on it.

Praying Mantis Pair on Mullein Plant CardBorage-and-Calendula, Beautiful Borage Card

The card on the above right shows how beautiful the borage can be when it keeps its head up and is next to an orange or yellow plant like the calendula in the photo.

The image on the card below comes from my Templeton garden that has no snails because it rarely gets irrigation.

Daffodil: You Brighten My Life Card

What I'm wondering now is where all those other daffodils I planted along with this the one now blooming are. This afternoon I cleared away some of the Lamb's Ears that might be obstructing them so the light can get to them, but maybe they are just taking more time than this one. I do hope more will come up and bloom by February. That's when I usually see them.

Are you growing daffodils this year? Are any of your normal January or February plants blooming earlier or later than usual this year?

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First Daffodil in 2017 Arrives on Schedule

Daffodils Can Bring Cheer to Any Winter Day

This is the gloomiest, rainiest January I can remember since moving to Paso Robles. It has rained almost every day for the past two weeks and more is coming. Today I emerged for the first time since getting the flu two weeks ago to see this daffodil smiling at me from my garden. 

I grabbed my camera, thankful that there was no rain, and walked across my very wet yard to take the photo. 

Daffodils Bloom about the Same Time Each Year

My daffodils start blooming before January 26 each year. By the time January 26 arrives, the yellow ones are usually in full bloom, with the white and yellow ones blooming a few days later. It took a lot of work to plant the bulbs in the fall of 2013. I thought I'd never finish. Now, as the daffodil flowers arrive every January to brighten my life, I'm very glad I did the work. There aren't any garden shortcuts. If we don't plant, we don't get flowers. 

Making Planting and Weeding Easier

One thing that made the planting easier on my poor arthritic knees was my garden kneeler. It was worth every cent I paid for it. My complete review of the garden kneeler I love is here. The kneeler is not only useful when I'm planting, but also when I'm pulling all the weeds the rain brings.

If you wait to pull the weeds until the ground completely dries out after the rains, you will have a forest before you know it.  These are the California weeds you need to pull as soon as the ground is dry enough. I find it easiest to pull the weeds when the ground is barely moist and the roots come out easily. 

Bring Daffodil Cheer Inside

Yellow Daffodils on White - Daffodil Flower Blank Label
Do you have daffodils blooming in your garden? Or do you need a bit of daffodil cheer to brighten your home in winter? Here are some great suggestions from Zazzle.

Daffodil Fields Square PillowMoonlight Daffodils Watercolor Poster PrintDaffodil Fields Lumbar PillowSpring daffodils print throw cushionPersonalize:William Morris Daffodil Kitchen Tea TowelDaffodils Coffee MugDaffodil With William Wordsworth Poem Ceramic Mug

If you don't have any daffodils, make a note on your calendar to start planting bulbs in October or November. There's nothing like a bright yellow daffodil to bring delight to a winter garden. 

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Daffodils are Back in Bloom

Daffodil in Bloom with Budding Carnation,
 © B. Radisavljevic

Every year I look forward to the arrival of my daffodils. The first ones for this year began to bloom about two weeks ago. The minute I saw them blooming my heart warmed up. I took this photo on January 26. 

Daffodils in Bloom in Early February
 © B. Radisavljevic

The daffodil above emerged right in front of a carnation. If you click that photo to enlarge it you will see that the carnation is budding and will also be blooming soon. Both carnation and daffodil live in the front flower bed. As I was taking the pictures I see how many weeds are starting to creep in that someone needs to deal with, and suppose I am that someone.

The daffodils to the right live near the corner in the front part of the side bed. You can see an iris behind it near the sidewalk waiting for its turn to bloom in a couple of months. In the back  corner on the left side of the picture you see the dried flower remains of my French lavender which I need to  cut down before the new growth begins.

Daffodil and Hyssop in Bloom
 © B. Radisavljevic

Back in the front flower bed, I was surprised to see a bit of hyssop blooming next to this daffodil. Usually I don't see any of the purple hyssop flowers until June. You will probably have to click to enlarge the photo to see it, since the hyssop flowers are small. The daffodil sprang up between the extended hyssop branches. You can still see the dried flowers from last year forming a backdrop for its brilliant yellow.

One thing I love about daffodils is that they can push their way through almost anything. They are one flower I can plant that the gophers will leave alone. They brighten the world for a few weeks, and then they are gone and the tulips and irises take over. A few small tulips are beginning to push through the soil now, but they don't usually do very well here.

I think it's about time to feed these bulb plants some fish emulsion. I like to garden organically, and I use fish emulsion for many of my plants. I don't like to use chemical fertilizers. Since we can't depend on rain here in Paso Robles to water in granular fertilizers or powders, I like using the liquid fish emulsion because I can dilute it for application before applying it and it can go straight for the root zone. I have pretty well neglected these daffodils since I planted them in the fall of 2013, so maybe it's time to feed them. The ones pictured below in the front flower bed are in the poorest soil of all of them . You can see they are a bit shorter than the ones in the front flower bed.

Contrast between Budding and Blooming Daffodils , © B. Radisavljevic

I see it's also time to put out the organic snail bait. I have successfully used Sluggo and Garden Safe brands because they are made with iron phosphate. These baits won't hurts pets, wildlife or beneficial insects. I was sceptical at first as to  whether they would really kill snails, but I found out first hand that they do. You can even use this  around vegetables and herbs you plan to eat. The photo below will show you why I need to get the snail bait applied.

Snails Attacked Both Buds and Blooms of These Daffodils, © B. Radisavljevic

Notice that as the flowers were opening they began to be attacked. They live beside a jasmine vine and the snails hide out under it. Now that the rains have come, the snails are active again. You can still see the damage when the flowers were in full bloom, and in the bottom right photo you can see there's almost nothing left of them.

I have many more daffodil buds still to open, so I'm hoping these bright beauties will be around for a few more weeks. I always hate to see the last one die down.

Are you growing any daffodils this year?

Daffodils Fading, Irises Starting to Bloom

Emerging from Winter

It seems February went by in the garden so fast I didn't get around to posting about it. But most of what was blooming in February is still blooming in March. Since my two garden properties have limited space and I have limited time, when reporting on blooming, I will also report on what I see while out walking. Everything you see here was blooming during some part of February and /or  the first two weeks of March in either Paso Robles or Templeton, California.

Blooming Trees

In February, I always start looking for blooming almond trees. This blossom is on my own tree. It doesn't give me any almonds because it's old and we haven't known how to care for it properly. In the twenty years since we bought the property, it's never borne enough almonds to feed any but the squirrels. We inherited the orchard from the previous owner, but he did not care for the trees that were on the property when we bought it. 

I was surprised and delighted to see today that my apricot tree was blooming in Templeton. It did not bloom last year. Must have been the rain. Three of our newer peach and nectarine trees are also in bloom, but I don't have room to picture all of them, and they are very small. 

Ornamental flowering trees can be seen all over town. The pink ones seem destined to produce small

cherry-like plums, and the white ones are usually Bradford ornamental pears. You will see them all in a wall of blossoms at Barney Schwartz Park in Paso Robles. They are on the streets and in the parking lots. It seems all of Paso Robles is blooming. But the photo I want to show you of the blooming trees is this one I took on Union Road yesterday. I think they look good with horses under them. 

Flowers in Bloom

Many of my own flowers are in bloom, or have been at this time of year in past years. I will show them to you below. 

Daffodils with Black Sage in February, 2015

Carnation in March, 2015

Iris in March, 2014.

Borage in February and March

Cecile Brunner Climbing Rose, March, 2015

California Poppies at Barney Schwartz Park, March, 2015

Shrubs Blooming in March

Left to Right: Rosemary, Watermelon Sage, Holly, March 13

Rosemary blooms almost all year, and the bees love it. It's at its best now after the rain. The watermelon sage also started blooming this month. The holly still has berries from last year, but it is also flowering and budding for next year's berries. There were so many bees on the holly flowers I could hear them buzzing. That holly plant was like a bee airport. 

Holly with Flowers and Berries

                                                                                             




This is a close-up of the holly plant. You can click it or any other photo for an enlarged view to see the details.

I'm not sure what this is. It was blooming at the Caliza Winery on March 8. It is very fragrant, but the leaves didn't look quite like lilacs. If anyone knows what it is, I'd love to know. I'd like to get some.

This is another mystery plant I found at Caliza. It has leaves like a rosemary, but it doesn't smell like rosemary. Please leave a comment if you know what it is.








Also blooming in the weed family are wild mustard, vetch, filaree, and henbit. The first and the last two are edible. We will discuss them next time.

What is blooming where you are in March? Be sure and let us know where that is in your comment so we'll know what blooms where, when.

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