Definitely feels like Spring in my garden!

[miguynmkoi]

Blooms are up, colors are bursting all over, but it's still so cold out there! 

I love when the fruit trees are blooming and sprinkling petals down with the breeze.

[miguynmkoi]

So much life is happening around the garden.  It is such a pleasure spending time in the garden after all the prep work to help it get to this.

[miguynmkoi]

When LeeAnne explained how to do it right, she was right!  My clematis is sending up more than one vine at a time.  I'm sooo happy about that first cut!

[LeeAnne151]

Annette, you can cut it down again after it finishes blooming. Fertilize it and it will do it again.

[tinkster]

beuatiful!  its so good to see some flowers after a long cold winter.

tink

[miguynmkoi]

LeeAnne, really?  Wow that would be extra nice.  A second wave of flowers!!! 

Tink, it's been colder (imo) here than usual and there have been blooms that came later in the year.  But at least they showed up.

[miguynmkoi]

My roses popped up later than normal but have caught up to the fruit trees blossoming. 

The wisteria started real slow and then it seemed like over night the flowers all opened at once.

Peonies are wimpy this year.  When they almost opened up there is already a good size seed pod tucked inside.  I'm sure this caused the flower to open so small.

[Kat]

Beautiful!!!  I love the smell of citrus blooms 

[MikeW]

Is your clematis growing into the sun? Doing OK? I have alwas wanted to try one, but have so little shade to play with.
I was walking around the other evening, and noticed all the scents wafting by - loving this time of year!

Cheers,

Mike

[miguynmkoi]

Hi Mike, my clematis is growing well in the sun and it gets watered everyday.  Not counting yesterday and today, when the weather gets warmer I have anemones growing around the base.  I think you have to have the base of the vine planted on a mound.  I keep the top half (cut a ring) of a plastic planter around the base so I don't spray the dirt away when I water.

My Clematis Florida Pistachio is blooming well in our little heat wave.  When the blooms die down I will chop it back so hopefully another vine full of blooms will pop up!

Give it a try.  I have a few other clematis I purchased from Trader Joe's from last years sale planted around the yard but so far they are short and leafy.

[landey1230]

Very pretty.  I love spring. 

[miguynmkoi]

Thanks Landey.

IT"S SOOOOOO HOT!  The past few days we have been experiencing a 100+* heat wave.  Just early enough in the season to shock many plants and newly planted in my garden.  Also needed to set new and more watering time on the sprinkler/drips.     Luckily, the plants that have been around for a couple plus years are doing very well through this heatwave, including drought tolerant plants and tomatoes. 

Need a cool down soon!

[Kittyzee]

Whoa Annette, that's hot!  Today here it was 44 degrees and raining....not unusual but even 60 would be nice...

Your garden is beautiful.  I love the look of a secluded garden.  I have only wide open spaces and lots of WIND.  Gardens around here won't be looking like that until July! 

[miguynmkoi]

Thanks LuAnn.  44* is COLD!  BRRRR!  We need the rain, badly.

Thankfully it has cooled waaay down here!    It's about 68* now, a bit cooler than normal but I can handle that.  I wish I had some open space.  I love different kinds of plants and they get stuffed into my little "suburb" garden as I collect them.

We had some strong winds the past week and it seems they blew all the heat stroked blossoms off everything    But I guess the same winds took the heat away and brought back the ocean breezes.

[LeeAnne151]

Clematis don't need any kind of a mound, you just need to plant them deeper in the ground then they are in the nursery pot. There are plenty of varieties that will grow in Southern California. They want sun not shade though some Type II's will fade in full sun. For So CA I'd plant type IIIs as Clematis forum members in Texas and Georgia report they take their heat better. It is a myth that they need their roots shaded. They just need even moisture. They don't take drought well at all but must have good drainage too.

'Pistachio' is a C. florida cultivar. Good articles and lists below:

http://www.clematis.com.pl/wms/1397877.html

http://www.clematis.com.pl/wms/1397877.html

[maryvonne]

Nice garden. I love the Wisteria! Mine is going to bloom well this year finally. It's been in the garden for 5-6 years with only a couple blooms but there are lots of them this year.

Maryvonne

[miguynmkoi]

Hi Maryvonne, don't you love wisteria floating overhead?  With the breeze and a few petals flying I feel like I'm very far life in general.  Good luck with your wisteria!