Newgardenelf,

Happy Earth Day! Nothing growing in my garden right now. The snow has melted off and the soil is temptingly unfrozen.

Our friendly neighborhood groundhog has been foraging around looking for greens to eat. The pickings in the garden are pretty slim for him right now, but out in the surrounding woods there are some greens. And if he likes mushrooms and can tell the difference between the edible ones and the inedible ones, he should do OK. I wouldn't be surprised to see a groundhog family emerge this Spring.

Some fresh deer tracks appeared in the garden. At least no moose or bears.

A recent hobby of mine is growing and hybridizing zinnias. Since our growing season here in Maine is rather short and zinnias don't like cold weather, last Fall I moved my zinnia breeding hobby indoors under fluorescent lights for the Winter. Several new hybrids bloomed this Winter. This one has a flower form that I like. It reminds me a little of a Dandelion. One of my breeding goals is to get "un-zinnia-like" flower forms. I lavish the same care on my zinnias that some people do on their roses or orchids. The bright lights and cheerful colors make for a pleasant Winter. This Spring and Summer I hope to make some real progress with my zinnias outside in the garden, where I can grow them in greater numbers.

MM

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Beautiful! You captured the essence not just the flower- thanks for sharing.

Awesome flower.

yes it has a form much like a dandelion. very pretty!

Perhaps I am too anxious and in a hurry, but I started to plant herbs in my just completed herb spiral. I only planted a few wintersown herbs (chamomile, dill and thyme, and two herbs I started indoors...feverfew and lemon balm, but it's a nice start, and I have room for a couple allia...onions and leeks, perhaps, and I may actually plant a garlic or two just for the fun of it, seeing as it's too late to get any good bulbs from garlic now.

Daffodils, muscari and iris reticulata have or are blooming. My Dutch Iris look a little unhappy, though. I guess I'll just have to see what happens with those. The dwarf and bearded irises are greening up slowly, as are the several varieties of Louisiana Irises.

I have plenty of bare spots in the *bulb* garden, to add plenty of my wintersown flowers, so the garden should offer some interest from early Spring through Fall, next year.

That's it for me!

BTW...I have to say..I really enjoy Winter Sowing. If you haven't tried it....do so this next Winter! It's simple to do and fun!!

Gorgeous zinnia, MM!

There's actually a lot going on here, it's hard to keep up. Daffodils are blooming and some of the tulips have buds. All perennials seem to have made it through the winter and are growing fast with new leafy growth. Last weekend I divided a lot of daylilies and some helenium for our upcoming plant sale. Also moved some primrose. I even got some containers planted, one with a boxwood overwintered in the garage, and some pots and a windowbox with pansies. I usually don't do pansies because they don't last very long before it gets too hot, but we seem to be having an early season this year so I'll give them a try until it's geranium time.

My onion seedlings have been transplanted outside. I have lettuce seedlings in the greenhouse, plus have seeded a bed with lettuce mix. Also sowed carrots and parsnips a while ago.

Have a bed of spinach that overwintered and is growing gangbusters in this warm weather as long as I water it.

Have pruned all 50+ of my roses, plus planted a new bed with a bareroot shipment.

Other veg. seedlings are indoors under lights.

We need some rain. No rain for 2 weeks. Was supposed to get a shower last night but didn't happen.

well my tiny flower bed is doing wonderful, I am enjoying seeing all the colors. lol even though I can't remember what I planted and have no idea what the names are of the flowers I am seeing. My garden grid went missing this winter. Kids? lol I have veggies sowed and can't wait to put them in the ground. Tomatoes, green peppers, watermelon and onions. but onions and some of the peppers aren't doing so well. but tomatoes are all getting stronger everyday. my sister said she could never grow them from seed, wow I actually can do something better than her. lol.
We are building our raised beds this coming weekend if weather permits and having loam brought in so I can start preparing them for planting. still researching on what exactly needs to be added to the loam, but have a month to get it done.

Maineman, Beautiful flower.......... so sunny and summer like.

The strawberry plants are thriving as are the babies I removed from their moms a couple of weeks ago and planted, the garlic is up and the onions I planted from seed that I set out are surviving, some of last years collard greens have sprouted and are growing nicely.. I thought I had tilled them under and killed them but up they have popped.. the two blueberry bushes (twigs actually) are alive and leafing out as are the blackberries and the red and yellow raspberries.. I had quite a bit of deer damage on my small orchard this past winter sadly.. however I did have a nice surprise before the snow completely melted off the garden, it seems one of the deer shed an antler and the tips were poking up through the snow..lol.. my husband thought it was an asparagus plant (he's not a gardener)..lol..I pulled it out and it's a nice 5 point and is resting on our mantel.. the grape vines are beginning to bud up nicely and soon I will begin planting the radishes, onions, lettuce and probably place row covers over them.. the vegetable plants growing in the greenhouse in the basement are doing well and will be just right to set out the end of the month hopefully.. we have been having some hard frosts the past week so I am reluctant to set out the weeping cherry tree just yet.. it's beginning to blossom and I am quite certain the frosts will kill them.. according to the weather report we will begin to get temps in the 60's tomorrow for a quite a few days so I will plant it then.

My bulb garden is growing gang busters. I have muscari and daffs blooming all over, a few tulips are also blooming now. The Chionadoxa and Scilla are also sending out flowers. v My Crown Imperials...2 of 3 survived the winter..are sending out flower buds and will likely flower in the next few days.

I have stellas trying to bloom also.

I am a bit behind in the veggie garden, ...ok a LOT behind, but planted out the WS'd lettuce, the dill and the chamomile and also DI mostly complete my herb spiral. Planted WS'd thyme and several plants grown under lights there.

My sheet mulching is going VERY slowly...not enough materials to do it right.

Here is a link that might be useful: Winter Sown plants

My tulips are coming into bloom now.....purple, red, peach, multicolored....they look so nice mixed with the daffodils in bloom.

The Muscari are still blooming, with more coming into bloom, and several other bulbs are blooming. I have some viola in full bloom right now and another perennial....don't know what it is, but dark purple flowers, low growing ground cover.