Spring is officially several days away, and some of my plants are waking up early to greet it. The pictures above are of two of my three hydrangea bushes (Endless Summer in the ground and Brestenburg in a pot). If this year is anything like last year, I expect these guys to be in full bloom by May. I mentioned that these pictures are of 2 of my plants. The third hydrangea, also Endless Summer, looks quite dead; there are no buds on any of the stems. It never really grew as well as its brother--it was always small and puny looking-- and I wonder if something got to it or the soil quality on that side of the yard just wasn't enough to keep it strong. I need to do a little more research on this one to determine what to do with it, if it is in fact dead.
What else is blooming--my jalapeno pepper plant! This plant was started from seed and is now in its third year. It's in a container and has done very well. Right now we have it inside by an east-facing window to get as much sunlight as possible. It has two flowers plus one that looks like it's about to open. You can see it in the picture above. I'm excited to see if it produces as much fruit as it did the previous two years and what the taste will be lik (they've been fairly mild).
Two weeks ago I started some bell peppers (top) and and tomatoes (bottom) indoors. I think they're progressing nicely. The bell pepper seeds are leftover from last year's crop and they're a mixed variety of colors. I'm hoping to get a purple one out of these since there were no purple peppers last year. The bottom picture is of patio princess tomato seedlings, a nice and easy-to-grow determinate plant (also grown last year). I haven't yet had time to plant the Tiny Tim or Oregon Spring tomatoes sent to me by Emily, but that's on my list of to-dos for the upcoming week. My to-do list also includes finding some different varieities of tomatoes, pepper, or squash to plant this year. I thought I had a lot of leftover seeds from last year, but I actually don't. We have also planted broccoli and yellow onion bulbs in a tiny plot in the backyard, and I'll get pictures up of those too.
i'm fascinated by your jalapeno plant! i didn't even know it was possible to keep them around for three years. how do you care for it over the winter? was the yield any better or worse the second year? i can't wait to see what it does this year. that's so awesome.
ReplyDeletei bought one of those bell pepper mixes too, also hoping to get purple! last year the only ones that completely matured were orange. so this year i gave up and bought a packet of purple bell peppers. i have way more than i need so if you want i'll send you some.
Hey Emily! I didn't know it was possible for them to last more than a year either, but this guy is amazing. It has survived spider mites, my cat ripping off a stem, and caterpillars. Over winter we keep it in the spare bedroom which gets all morning sun and just water it when the soil gets dry. The door is kept closed so the cat doesn't get in. We have another one too, but this will be its second year, and it has new leaves also. The yield last year was pretty good considering the spider mites. I'm curious to see how it does this year too. And yeah, I think I'm just going to buy a few packets of purple peppers only too.
ReplyDeleteDid not realize that jalapeno pepper plants produced such nice flowers.
ReplyDeleteAngela I can't wait to see what lovely veggies you have in store this year. Last year they were so pretty. Especially those unique purple pole beans.
ReplyDeleteSince the hydrangea is budding already, you could try incrementally cutting back a couple of the stems of the one which appears dead, to find out whether it is truly dead, or still dormant (you'll see if it is green inside, or just brown). It is often surprising how resilient plants are, so I'd leave it in the ground until you're really sure.
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to stop by and thank you for paying me a visit on Bloom Day. My hydrangeas are beyond the bud stage and some even have developed small leaves. This makes me somewhat nervous as I am sure we are likely to have another freeze, nothing forecasted on the 7 day though. Fingers are crossed.
ReplyDeleteThanks for coming over to peek around and for your comment - it's not too late to link a garden post~ i keep the link up till this evening! xoox, tracie
ReplyDelete"In bloom pre-spring" heralds nature's resilience and the early signs of renewal. Single Best Strategy It's a reminder that life and beauty persist even before the full arrival of spring.
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