White.

In spring, white is a refreshing color in the garden. In summer, it offers a bit of a reprieve from the heat. More will arrive soon in the form of Four O'clocks, datura, and daisies. For now, small snipets can be found here and there.

Lantana.



Confederate jasmine and the chimney trellis.



The foliage of Miscanthus "Cosmopolitan".



Nandina's flowers. These will turn into the red berries that persist through the winter.



In the shade, Dusty Miller looks white instead of silver.



Nigella.



The first Shasta Daisies are starting to open. They're scattered here and there through the yard.



Blackberries.



Ligustrum. Similar to the sickening sweet smell of Chinese Privet.



Echinacea "White Swan"



It's 57 degrees. The high today should reach the mid 80s again. More sun. Rain in the forecast for the weekend.

Orange

Yesterday, I saw my first hummingbird of the season sipping from the red hot pokers near the street. Of course I didn't have my camera.



The lantana I overwintered in the basement is blooming. The original planting did not survive the winter.



The Knockouts are taking a break while the ditch lilies do their thing. I was wondering what it would be like to have orange and pink/red blooms together in this space. I guess I don't have to worry about that now.



California poppies have been flopping all over. I've yet to see a flush of blooms on upright stalks. I'll let them reseed though I have yet to find a seed pod.



Cosmos are blooming here and there.



Joseph's Coat?



Rosa chinensis.



A ladybug. I've been seeing a lot of them this year. I've not sprayed for insects this year. I see a few issues with the roses and some blackspot. We'll see how it works out when the humidity and temperatures return this summer.



It's 63 degrees. More rain passed through overnight. The high today should reach the mid 70s.

Regarding the cloner.

It's been nearly a year since I built my homemade cloner. I've learned a few things. Green, new growth from almost any plant will root in a matter of weeks. Hardwood cuttings fail. Always.

The last time I cleaned the cloner, I nearly filled it up with late fall cuttings of buddleia, knockout roses, salvias, and lantana. A few cuttings turned brown and died, probably due to lack of sterility than the method overall. Many more rooted and have been potted up into small containers destined to spend the winter under lights in the basement. The lantana previously known as Miss Huff has done the best. It's actively growing under lights. Cotoneaster and buddleia are just sitting there. If they survive til spring, they should become strong, healthy plants with a little care in hardening them off.

I've still got a few things that need to be potted, mostly lantana taken just before the hard, killing frost.



As a test for rooting roses, I took several Knockout rose cuttings. I don't plan to keep these cuttings as I don't need more of these plants. I just wanted to see if the cloner would help to root them. I seem to lose more rose cuttings than anything else using soil. Again, the sterility of the medium is my biggest obstacle. The knockouts have formed large calluses. No roots are visible yet. I'll give them another week to impress me.



Overall, I've been fairly successful with this contraption. In a few weeks, I'll trim the tender new growth from the overwintering brugmansias. It roots in only two weeks in the cloner. I'm also going to try Confederate Rose. The cuttings I rooted in water have been potted up for a few weeks. They've put out some firm growth, but are getting too large under the lights. Pruning them back will keep them in check for the next 3 months.

But before that, I'll need to sterilize everything again. I use a 1:10 bleach solution. The rollers soak overnight in the same mixture. The foam often has algae in the cells after a successful cutting is done. I wish I had a closed cell foam to use for the holders. Maybe I'll take another trip to the dollar store this weekend.

It's currently 27 degrees with a heavy frost covering the yard. The forecast calls for a high of 54. It's 66 degrees in the basement and rising slowly. When I went to bed, it was 81. Upstairs, it was 68 with no electric heat. I'm pleased.

12:02pm - 46 degrees and sunny. It doesn't feel that warm out, even in the sun. There's a definite chill in the air. I've got an hour before I leave for work. I've sorted and printed my wintersowing labels for the first round. I have 116 varieties I'm planning to sow next week. I need 20 more two-liter containers prepared by then.

The sun made a rare appearance today.

It seems that lately, as soon as I walk outside, the sun disappears behind thick clouds. I know it's just my imagination, but with all the rain and even more in the forecast, I miss my shadow's company in the yard. I got a short chance to see my shadow for a few minutes during my lunch break today. I snapped some images as I walked around the yard surveying the damage.



Wine & Roses wigela with the found canna lily. Surrounding it, the purple lantana is still blooming.



Nicotiana



A red knockout is still blooming. More to come.



Sedum and sedum passed.



Next spring's red clover with Bunny Larkspur donated by Janie, the Obsessive/Compulsive Plant Collector.



I spread the love of althea all over the back edge of the perennial bed.



Alstroemeria from the Gaudy Garden's Jim with grape hyacinths



The butterfly weed finally died down. I got no seeds from these plants, but Cameron at Defining Your Home Garden sent me a few and other varieties.



Kris from The Gardens at Melissa Majora will appreciate these perennial aster seeds. I'll collect them in the morning to add to her growing pile.



Nell, the Seedscatterer, had butterfly ginger that bloomed, but mine didn't. Next year, they'll be moved in the spring to a sunnier spot.



Catherine from A Gardener in Progress grows these too. Veronica speedwell. Still blooming. Slowly spreading.



The lantana formerly known as Miss Huff.





That's about it for what's still going in the yard. It's 34 degrees and clear according to AccuWeather. My thermometer reads 42 degrees. It's been saying that for nearly a week. So much for digital accuracy. Tomorrow, I have plans.

Butterfly bushes, cotoneaster, and lantana

Now that I think about it, that would make a nice combination on the slope next to the front walkway. I potted 10 plants from the cloner this morning.





Not all of them had nice long roots, but they'll be fine. The butterfly bushes have surprised me. The new green growth, sure to be damaged by the coming frost (Friday?), roots quickly. I'll be taking more cuttings on Wednesday before I head to work.

Speaking of work, I've got to be in at 12 today. Before that, I plan to test the new vac/mulch blade I installed on the leaf blower last night. Since I had it apart, I tightened the bolts holding the motor together. They wriggle loose too often.

It's cloudy, dreary, and still soggy at 50 degrees. The high today should be in the 60s with a chance of sun around 3pm for about 2 hours. The clouds will finally move out on Thursday ushering in cooler nighttime temperatures. Weather.com forecasts a low Friday night of 33.

I'm not dead yet.

Two posts in one day. I just wanted to make note of these things in the yard.

Redtwig dogwood.



Nandinas.



Oakleaf hydrangea. This plant is finally shaping up. I hope it really takes off next year. I moved it again this spring.



Cotoneaster in the orchard waiting for spring. It'll be planted on the former snake pit.



Still not ripe.



Gerbera.



White hyacinth bean and moonvine.



Korean lilac and alternanthera.



Crape myrtle.



Burford holly.



Purple queen.



Rudbeckia fulgida and purple lantana.



Nasturtium.

Potting up, planting out, and things that bloom.

It's Sunday. Another month and I can create the full year of pictures. The circle bed feels very empty without the Thundercloud Plum.



Oh, what to plant here?



Some pictures were taken yesterday. Like the dianthus pinks maiden that are blooming again.



The "orange" rose.



Mountain bluet



And a camellia. I thought this was C. japonica, but it's got to be sasanqua, right? Where's Nell?



I planted a few plugs of Little Bluestem in the meadow garden. I hope it does take over.



7 lantana cuttings got potted this morning.



Two white, 5 Miss Huff. I'm starting to think the seeds I got were mislabeled. Miss Huff is supposed to be sterile. So maybe this isn't Miss Huff after all, but another lantana. That's fine. I like the flowers.



I've spread some broken bags of mulch on the rear bed where I pulled out ivy yesterday, half price and all. I'll spend most of the day today raking leaves in Larry's yard and shredding them. I'll be mulching the north beds where hosta, ferns, and cherry laurels live. I'll scatter a little here and there around the house too. I think I may just use the lawnmower to collect them into rows. There's a LOT of leaves out there in his yard.

It's 48 degrees with a high of 78 in the forecast. A bagel and coffee before heading out.

1:13pm - I've collected and bagged 3 sacks of leaves from Larry's yard. The sack is a queen sized bed sheet folded in half and sewn together. I put one against the stone wall on the north side of the house. The other two were spread in the back yard behind the upper potager and over the mulch I spread this morning. I just think it's more consistent looking.



While cutting the grass (mulching leaves), I noticed that I have defined edges. I like edges.





The high has been raised to 84 degrees. It's 72 and sunny.