Shoots of color

Although I grow a lot of bamboo by most gardeners' standards, I grow a lot less than some bamboo collectors who have 100, 150, even 200 or more different species and varieties. Still, I have enough different types that I can appreciate the allure of shooting season.

Bamboo shoots of one species are exciting and can be lovely alone, but only when you get a few different species shooting at once can you really see the comparative beauty.

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Bamboo remnants cause trouble

Spring is bamboo shooting season for most temperate bamboos, which means I'm checking my plants for new shoots every day, looking for the first signs of pointy pokings through the soil. I've been watching this one plant in particular, as it was one that I planted 18 months ago but didn't produce a single shoot last year.

It produced some tiny culms later in the year, resulting in some bushy greenery near the ground in a couple of places. At the time I thought this was strange, and was worried that voles or shrews were nibbling the rhizomes, causing the plant to put up tiny survival shoots.

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Pond gains greenery

If you've been following along for a while, you'll remember that last fall I built a pond -- if "built" is the right word. Dug. Put in. Whatever -- I now have a pond. I mentioned this several times this winter, and said more than once that I can't wait until I get the plants in.

Well, guess what happened last week?

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One-word Wednesday: Tulip!

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Bluebells and other wildflowers

Last weekend we took a drive down to Shaw Nature Reserve, specifically to see the wildflowers. We'd normally go in a couple more weeks, but I got an email from the Missouri Botanical Garden saying that our early spring meant that the blooms were in full-swing right now!

So off we went for a few hours of hiking, with a goal of getting to the bluebells field down by the river.

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Japanese maples early leaf

Like almost every tree and shrub around, the Japanese maples have leafed out already. Mild winter means I'm very nervous about late freezes. (Spring 2007 was like that, and many Japanese maples were heavily damaged that year -- a lot of them in the area got removed later that summer.)

I love watching these small trees come awake in the spring. Is it because so many of them (all seven of mine actually) are red when the leaves are new? Is it because they're the right size, letting me get an up-close look without having to do some climbing or grab a ladder?

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Bulb planting payoff

Those spring-blooming bulbs I planted late last fall are starting to become something to look at.

When I planted these I was concerned that it was too late, that critters would eat the bulbs or the blooms, and that even though I got all of these bulbs on clearance it would be a waste of money. I needn't have worried.

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Open with care

If you've been reading this blog for a while, you'll probably recognize what this photo means:

That's right: another plant trade has been made! Even though I knew to some extent what plants were in this box, I didn't know exactly so opening was quite exciting. What made it more exciting was the warning to open carefully. Hmmm... sounds dangerous. Ready to take a look?

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More spring surprises

The volunteer tree that bloomed for the first time this year was the surprise in yesterday's post -- today I bring you several more.

Starting with what has to be a holly seedling growing in one of my pots, right? I had a small potted holly for a few years until the deer ate most of it, but it never produced berries so this must have been "planted" by a bird. Based on how slowly hollies grow, it will be a tabletop plant for a few years at least.

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