I decided to take a few photos for the blog this afternoon and #3 heard me and came running. I have to decide on a name for him some day. I usually call him by saying, “Hey, boy” and he comes running. Usually he hears me before I call him unless he is behind the chicken house. 

These Old English Game bantams have a personality all their own are are VERY sharp and alert. Ummm… They also seem pretty fearless. There have been several times he has tried to run off the cats. But they look at him like they are saying, “Are you kidding? You are smaller than me.”

Ajuga reptans ‘Chocolate Chips’, 3-7-17, #312-3.

The Ajuga reptans ‘Chocolate Chips’, Bugleweed, are green during the winter but I think they are still kind of dormant. Spring brings new growth and buds. Soon they will be strutting their stuff with vibrant blue flowers. They have spread nicely and in some areas not so nicely. I always liked this variety because of their smaller leaves and color.

Cydonia oblonga-flowering Quince on 3-7-17, #312-4.

I have always liked the Flowering Quince although I never knew why. They have absolutely no trait that I like in a shrub. They grow weird without form, sprout freely, have thorns. Other trees spring up inside their mass and are hard to cut out. Even if you cut them out they still keep growing making a bigger problem. There are Iris on the other side of this bush and now the Quince are sprouting up among them. But they are one of the first to flower and green up in the spring… Along with the Forsythia and Abelia, they have been here in the same spot since 1958 or the early 1960’s. 

Heuchera ‘Palace Purple’ on 3-7-17, #312-6.

My poor Heuchera ‘Palace Purple’ didn’t do so well last year. I am glad it made it through the winter and I may decide to move it somewhere else. I haven’t been the best Heuchera grower. They do well for a couple of years then start going down hill. 

Horseradish on 3-7-17, $312-7.

The Horseradish are all coming up and have spread very well. I thought about spreading them out in the fall but that didn’t happen. SO, maybe that will be something I can do in a few days. I would actually like to put them in the garden because right now they are in a flower bed. Dad used to have a HUGE patch of Horseradish when they lived in town (which was also once owned by mom’s dad). He didn’t bring any with him here and didn’t get this start until 2013… I think we started out with 4.

Hosta ‘Guacamole’ on 3-7-17, #312-8.

I am always very happy when spring gets here and the Hosta start showing signs of life. This means that Hosta ‘Guacamole’ is alive and well.

Hosta ‘Potomac Pride’ on 3-7-17, #312-9.

On the other end of the Hosta bed, ‘Potomac Pride’ is also ready for spring. I dug around for some of the others but they haven’t started coming up yet. Looks like some of the tags have blown away over the winter so…. Will just have to wait for a while to see if they come up. I would like to start cleaning the bed off for spring, BUT I am not convinced that spring is here yet. In fact, the weather forecast is calling for snow this weekend so I am not going to get in any hurry.

Lysimachia nummularia ‘Goldilocks’-Creeping Jenny on 3-7-17, #312-10.

One plant that is sure to come back every spring is the Creeping Jenny, Lysimachia nummularia. This cultivar is ‘Goldilocks’ which I like because of the chartreuse leaf color. Makes a great contrast with and under other plants. I planted ONE clump (one pot) in the bed on the north side of the house in 2014 and it has spread over the entire bed and into the yard. Well, I guess removing the grass from the Creeping Jenny is one way to make the flower bed bigger. Dad has a different thought and thinks it is best to remove the Creeping Jenny from the grass and throw it on the burn pile. 

Rhubarb on 3-7-17, #312-11.

The Rhubarb is coming up, at least this one clump. This one clump out of several we planted in 2013 has done better than the others. Dad got the Rhubarb from the same man as the Horseradish and they are in the flower bed, too. 

Salvia nemorosa ‘Mainacht’-Meadow Sage on 3-7-17, #312-12.

Always one of the first Salvia to emerge in the spring, the Salvia nemorosa ‘Mainacht’ will soon be flowering up a storm. Some refer to this cultivar as Salvia nemorosa ‘May Night’ as it was marketed under this name first when they came to the U.S.

One of two of the “un-named” species of Sedum. Photo taken on 3-7-17, #312-13.

The second of the two un-named species of Sedum. Photo taken on 3-7-17, #312-14.

I love Sedum but I don’t like it that they weren’t labeled. They came from an Amish greenhouse and I mentioned before not all her plants are labeled. Maybe when I am ready for a headache I will do some research on the International Crassulaceae Network. OH, but what a job! I will have to search both Sedum and Phedimus genera because she is in disagreement with The Plant List, GRIN and Llifle. DO you have any idea how many species, cultivars, etc. that includes? So many look so much alike!

Stachys byzantina-Lamb’s Ears on 3-7-17, #312-15.

Last but not least on the alphabet today is the Stachys byzantina or Lamb’s Ears. No mistaken this fuzzy leaved perennial. One of my clumps died out a couple of summers ago but this one is spreading very well. I could spread them out a bit but I think a clump in one area is good enough. 

I had a few more photos to take but dad came out on the porch to smoke his pipe. He was looking at me like I was nuts, so I thought I would stop for the time being.

This is my dad. I took this photo a few days ago and I was surprised he didn’t make a funny face. Oh, yeah, he enjoys having fun, laughing and making faces when you try and take his photo. 

He is 86 now and in good health and still pretty sharp. He spends his day mainly watching TV, relaxing, and walking to the porch several times a day to smoke his pipe. Hopefully when the weather warms up he will get more exercise. 

He enjoys watching old shows on TV, even though he has seen them so many times already. I get tickled at him sometimes when he says, “this is a rerun.” I will say, “Yep.”

I am experiencing a problem… I taught my computer botanical language over the past few years but last summer I had to put in a new hard drive. I was so glad that the technician was able to save all my photos BUT it’s memory of botanical names was screwed up. Now I have to teach it all over. SO, if you notice a name misspelled, please let me know! The names are correct in the photos and word documents, but when I type in the name elsewhere or copy and paste a word document sometimes the computer changes the names and I don’t always catch it. 

Well, that’s it for this post. Hope you are all doing well and do your best to GET DIRTY!