The Crocus are Coming.

when i went out to pick up the newspaper this morning i stopped to look for signs of the crocus tomasinianus that are scattered in the vicinity of the driveway end. after some serious searching, i found several sprouts just beginning to emerge.

Rain.

the last few days have been grey and rainy. according to my rain gauge we had three and a half inches. no wonder the yard is so squishy.

now it's less grey, but much colder.

Narcissus "Erlicheer".

all five of the original narcissus "erlicheer" have now sprouted, as well as three offsets. so far, three have flower scapes visible, but they're still some time from blooming.

at an average of twelve inches tall, the erlicheers are ahead of where they were last year.

Two Toads.

i've been meaning to post this for a few days but kept forgetting. after a summer vacation, the toad hole is once again occupied -- by two toads.

Back, But Busy.

we're back from spending the holidays in albuquerque with darin's family. actually, we've been back since last friday.

since there isn't much happening in the garden this time of year we've undertaken a reasonably labor intensive indoor project -- removing the carpet from the second floor (finished out attic) and restoring the hardwood floors.

darin has suggested / given permission for me to use the second bedroom as a seed starting room. however, for the time being, the room is jammed full of everything from upstairs.

March Mart 2004.

mark your 2004 calendars now -- mercer arboretum's annual march mart sale is scheduled for friday and saturday, march 26 and 27.

i went last year and bought a bucketload of new plants. most of them are even still alive.

survivors:

• coreopsis grandiflora, not only still alive, but it has multiplied. it didn't bloom last year, but i'm willing to bet it will this year.
  
• laurus nobilis, taller than it was last year and apparently happy. it's spending the winter in a pot in the garage.
  
• penstemon tenuis, bloomed lightly after being planted and i let them set seed. the plants also made a few offsets, so i am hopeful there will be more this year.
  
• phlox divaricata var. laphamii, didn't bloom, but seems to have increased slightly.
  
• salvia greggii, bloomed briefly, but didn't grow much, either due to location or just having been planted at a less than ideal time (i.e., after it started getting hot and dry and i have a bad habit of not watering new plants).
  
• salvia urtica, bloomed a few times and grew a lot.
  
• thymus serphyllum, thriving. it has grown enough that i've taken cuttings and moved them around the yard.

losses:

• stipa tenuissima, dead. i left it in the pot on the deck and never watered it.
  
• thymus x citriodorus, struggled mightily, but finally succumbed. possibly poor location, but the nearby thymus serphyllum has thrived.

jury still out:

• gladiolus byzantinus, bloomed a few weeks after i got it. after the foliage died back i dug up the corms, which seemed to have increased in number. i have since potted them and wait to see what will happen.