Another Bee!

Home from work on Friday, I was surprised to find a bumblebee in the day-lily shoots. The garden really is coming to life. I even got some gardening tasks done this weekend, including the layout of some new vegetable beds.

I don't know if this was the bee from the other day...but it looked very comfortable inside this crocus bed...


It really did not seem to have plans to vacate anytime soon.


The bulbs are starting to put on some nice shows...


There is still a lot of bulb potential to keep me happy until the spring plants pop up.



If the temperatures cooperate next week I should get a bit of planting done...yey!

Crocus and Bee

(bee and crocus)

I am so happy! We have crocuses blooming and the first bee of the season....Time to get the bee house out/made. I decided to take a tour of the yard now that all the snow is gone and found this surprise. The first crocus bloom was actually on April 9th, which seems fairly average here. But the pictures with the bee are so much better!


(bee and crocus)

Finally we have a few days in the 60s F. Many shoots can be spotted like this hyacinth.

(hyacinth)

Chives are starting to shoot up as well.

(chives)

We added rhubarb to our garden last year...here is a shoot just starting to rise above the leaves.

(rhubarb sprouting)

Our only flowers right now are the crocuses. This is a new addition last fall. I like the effect of the purple striping.

(purple painted crocus)

Here are more purple with some pure white as well...

(purple and white crocus)

Here's the first group that started to bloom - on the west side of the house. I think next year the new additions (above) on the south side might take over the honor.

(light yellow crocus)

I have been reading up on that resources we might have right in our yard. I already knew a few things like dandelions are available, but here is the first prize for a "wild edible" this year: day-lily shoots.

(garden bed with common day-lily shoots)

[Please note aka disclaimer, eating things - especially wild plants is at your own risk. Be sure to correctly identify the plants. Also, individuals can have reactions to plants others can safely eat, so go easy at first.]

I have read in many sources that day-lilies are edible. After checking the blooms from last year (4th of July) it looks like ours are the common day-lily Hemerocallis fulva. I guess a typical urban yard fits the profile of a waste ground or disturbed land. According to my Peterson Field Guild there are many stages at which this plant can be used:

Early Spring: Small, tender shoots in salads
Early Spring: Small shoots cooked like asparagus
Early Spring: Young tubers in salad or cooked like corn
Summer: Buds as green beans or fritters
Summer: Flowers as fritters and seasoning
Fall: Older tubers can be cooked like corn


(harvested day-lily shoot and tuber part)

I have to say, the raw tubers and shoots were not bad at all and quite mild. I prefer the salad option to the cooked. I can't wait to try out the flowers...for now the next edible may be dandelion greens...

Bugs and Blooms April 15

Hi. I decided that I should post some of the things "blooming" in my garden this month. It is funny because I didn't have a blog last year, but I did take photos on the 15th. For other blooms and blogs from April you should go to May Dreams Gardens: Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - April 2008. As I was getting my photos I spotted the little guy above.

The first is my favorite of the moment, a purple colored crocus. I think the yellow pollen is a nice contrast, especially in the full-sized version.



Next, more crocus -- hey it is North Dakota in April. Two different yellow varieties and a white. I noticed the first bloom of the back yard is also forming (the rest are in the front). I think that the crocus are behind some this year. Last year there were more blooming on this day.




Here are some tulips still growing up. They look ahead of last year. I like the color of the red one.



Hyacinth buds are just coming up.



Also some Allium in the back.



A representative of the rest of the garden is this fern from last season. Give the garden a week or two and it should waken more.

First Crocus Bloom 2008

Hey, I got my first crocus bloom of the year! I spotted this one in the front just beginning to peak out April 3 and got a shot of it open April 4. My photos from last year show a full set of blooms on the 15th. So, this year has a chance to be similar in timing. But, that's the only bloom so far and the last photo is from today (April 5). It's closed, I hope that isn't an agreement with the weather forecast...More on that maybe tomorrow.

So, is there some gardening signal that says I can plant very early spring crops when the crocus are in bloom? Well the timing will be close -- if you go by soil temperature it's pretty close. At least I can make sure some things are ready to go. Below is a photo of my makeshift pea lattice. I will see if it works. I also have some varieties of peas that only get a couple of feet tall, so those shouldn't need support.

50 to 50 in 5

That's last 50°F high to first 50°F high in 5 months. Spring seems to be really getting a start now. We have some more days in the 50's in the forecast. I think some beds will be ready for early vegetables in the next week or so. They need time to warm up just a little and to dry out some. I got outside late today and cleared some of the winter debris and found things growing!

[Above:] (1) Some chives - they're tough plants. (2) Some flower bulbs that are orange red. Not sure what they are, but they look pretty.

[Below:] (1) Crocus coming out. (2) Hyacinth I believe. (3) Uh, something.