There is nothing like a clump of bright yellow daffodils to herald the arrival of spring. I have had this group for several years and I think they are classified as miniature daffodils. Daffodils are one of the easiest features to add to your garden. The deer and the squirrels don't seem to eat them. Daffodils perform best in full sun; a spot under deciduous trees works really well for them. I rarely fertilize mine; I do pinch off the spent blooms to prevent them from going to seed. Do not mow down the green foliage or braid it or fold down with rubber bands. As the foliage yellows the bulbs absorb food for the following year's blooms. The best time to plant is after the first frost and when the warm fall weather is over so they do not begin to sprout. They do need to be planted deeply so a special bulb planter can really come in handy. That is about it and for just a little effort you will have the gift that keeps on giving, because a happy clump of daffodils will bloom for years and years and years.

My home in East Central Alabama had a beautiful snow. Everything is covered with a layer of fluffy white snowflakes that remind me of frosting. My 11 month old Golden Retriever is experiencing her first real snowfall. She loved it; she dug and danced and jumped. Hopefully, all of the plants under the snow are nice and warm and won't suffer too much damage from the continued cold temperatures we are having.

Scenes of Summer

It has been a really long time since I posted on my blog. The site where I uploaded my photos disappeared and I am trying to learn how to use another one. I am a pretty fair gardener but my computer skills probably need some fine tuning! Frankly, the winter cold has taken a lot of the inquisitive out of this gardener. For weeks everything has looked frozen, sad, and forlorn. The 300 plus pansies I planted last fall are just now trying to recover – their blooms melted in the days and days of icy cold weather. An entire bed of aztec grass, planted last spring, looks like it has bid me farewell. Lawns are full of winter weeds. But on the bright side, the bird feeders are full of finches and cardinals gorging themselves on seeds. The camellias, between bouts of freezing temperatures, are trying to bloom and the lenten roses are beginning to unfurl. On the days when the temperature does break, there are garden chores that can be done in February. It is time to prune the crepe myrtles; some winter dormant oil sprayed on the gardenias now will help keep down the white fly population next summer. A fresh coat of pine straw and pine bark will enliven the most tired looking landscape. If the ground is not frozen, in East Central Alabama it is still a great time to add woody ornamentals to your landscape. We don’t have to water because we have had so much rain. I am beginning to feel better already. I am sharing a photo of my garden in summer. I urge each of you to post a photo of your flowers in their summer’s finest to remind you that the lush green days of summer are not far away.