First Day of Spring Update: Patriot and Japanese Forest Grass

It's the first day of Spring, and we're in the middle of a 2 day cold snap with lows down to 27°F, no thanks! Anyway, here is an update on a few things I'm obsessively watching in my yard:

Hosta 'Patriot' is waking up already, about 15 days earlier than last year! I'm calling these the Eyes of March, get it? (Beware the Ides of March).

Below, I've never been more excited to see 3 teeny tiny sprouts of Japanese Forest Grass. It's alive! After being transplanted twice and eaten by rabbits down to the ground, it came back! On a side note, my forest grass (left) is about the same progress, albeit smaller, than my parents' in Dayton (right).

Below, here is a good sign, I've got new growth on my Pieris 'Passion' - my Japanese Andromeda shrub. I hope it grows 5 feet tall, it will look great next to my Japanese forest grass if they both live and reach full size. My side yards are looking particularly Asian with these and my Japanese painted fern and bamboo on the other side.

Pieris japonica 'Passion' new growth on Japanese Andromeda shrub

Here's hoping that the cold mornings don't kill off all this great progress. I think it will be fine since the hostas haven't opened up yet and especially my hydrangea haven't leafed out since those are the ones that experienced some frost damage last year. Who knows, still plenty of time for a cold front or even some April snow wouldn't be out of the question.

First day of Spring 2016

Hosta la vista, June!

My hostas have been just loving this rainy June weather. Swampy side yards? No problem! Standing water? They love it! In fact, my Hosta 'Patriot' are blooming and my Hosta 'Sum and Substance' are sending up stalks. 

Hosta 'Patriot' flowers

Hosta 'Patriot'

Hosta 'Sum and Substance'

Hosta 'Sum and Substance'

I also noticed that my 'Patriot' look-alikes are not blooming yet, another distinction between the two. These 3 are ever so slightly beige around the edges where the Patriot is much brighter white. I tried to look online to see what they could be, but with hostas it's hopeless. I remember seeing another type of white variegated hosta at Lowe's that was similar to Patriot but not quite - I'm guessing that's what it must be because I doubt they are some fancy special order variety. Update: Similar hosta at the store is Hosta 'Libby' with slightly darker slightly twisted leaves.

These look similar to Hosta 'Patriot' but there are some notable differences - probably Hosta 'Libby'

This hosta has slightly beige edges that aren't pure white like the 'Patriot' and a slightly darker leaf color

Hosta 'Patriot' leaf detail, lighter green with pure white variegated edges

Pretty sure this is Hosta 'Patriot' on the left, and Hosta 'Libby' on the right. Libby doesn't bloom until August and has slightly darker leaves.

Hello there garden toad! I looked him up online and it seems to be an American Toad, very similar to a Fowler's Toad except this only has 1-2 warts per dark spot whereas the Fowler's Toad will have 3+ small warts in each dark spot.

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - April 2015

It's been a big month for my yard and since my Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day post in March. It's time for a monthly check-in! A month ago I was still awaiting my first crocus blooms. Now in April, they've come and gone, and other much bigger perennials are waking up and taking off quickly. I only have a couple plants blooming - and they are both new additions that were already in bloom at the store, so that's kinda cheating.

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, April 2015 - Phlox subulata 'Drummond's Pink'

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, April 2015 - Armeria maritima 'Dusseldorf Pride'

Other than blooms, I have a lot of progress with other plants emerging. Not just a tiny sprout here and there, but actual growth and some real movement! My much anticipated Hosta 'Sum and Substance' are finally waking up too - I guess the bigger varieties sleep a little longer because 'Patriot' has been emerging for a while now.

Now emerging - Hosta 'Patriot'

A little slow to start - Hosta 'Sum and Substance'

Moving on up - Siberian Iris

Finally awake - Echinacea prpureua 'PowWow Wild Berry'

Really accelerating now, woohoo! -  Hydrangea arborescens 'Annabelle'

Signs of Life: More Early Spring Awakenings

The morning of the lunar eclipse on April 4 should be the last 30°F below freezing night for the next week (and hopefully for the rest of the season). I gave my side yard a closer look and noticed signs of life - I think I'm most excited for my shade plants to come in because I got them all as divisions or on sale in the fall and I can't wait to see what they grow into!

First up, Brunnera macrophylla 'Silver Heart' with its little fuzzy ears poking through the mulch. Its new growth doesn't look like a hosta eye, it doesn't look as hard and already has little fuzzy hairs on it.

Brunnera macrophylla 'Silver Heart' first signs of life April 4, 2015

Next, the Heuchera 'Sugar Plum' Coral Bells, which stayed maroon the longest into winter, but then promptly dried up and looked pretty dead. I was pulling some leaves off and noticed a set of smaller more supple-looking baby leaves - it looks like it's very much alive! These leaves don't come out in shoots like the Silver Heart does, it looks like they are already unfolded but just tiny at first.

 Heuchera 'Sugar Plum' Coral Bells emerging April 4, 2015 in Indiana

Let's see what we have next, I took a look around by the air conditioner and I couldn't believe what I saw staring back at me - little purple hosta "eyes" in the mulch. New hosta shoots are sometimes called eyes, and apparently in hosta lingo people discuss their hosta size based on the number of eyes. These are the plants I got from division, and I'm 95% sure it's Hosta 'Patriot' based on the color and the popularity/availability in town.

Hosta 'Patriot' eyes in April. Looks like this one has 3 eyes emerging so far.