It looked so pretty here yesterday, temp mid 50. I cleaned some on my veggie garden, and planted some onions in the morning. Supposed to get warmer as the day went on, but wind picked up and was cold, so that was it. Back gloomy today and rain to start tonight again. Seems like we have had rain almost every day this month, and rain predicted for 6 of the 7 days forecasted the last time I saw. I'm ready to get outside

not much happening here garden wise although I am waiting for a warm up to shove some daylilies back into the ground . This happens every year when the frost comes out of the ground . Makes me wonder why they survive but they do.

We have cut down some dead trees , one very close to the house that was about 65 to 70 feet tall. It got hit by lightning a couple of years ago and finally gasped its last breath last year .So now it is down ( on one of my daylily gardens ugh! ) so it had to be cut up asap . Gonna be a big job to clean up as branches and twigs are everywhere . The other tree was right beside the gate to the chickens . It came down in my veggie garden which is just fine as nothing going on in there yet . We will spend the weekend trying to clean that up . I have cleaned all around the garden so it is just what is in the veggie garden to do now . That garden is surrounded by daylilies so I was quite surprised and completely happy that it only affected two daylilies . That tree too was an old 60 foot ash that succumbed to Emerald Ash borer . A good bottom 5 feet was left standing as it supports the gate . Snow is all gone and I have my first two crocus blooming , snowdrops are all in bloom and it is bitter out there . so for the foreseeable future, my hubby and I will be cleaning and cutting up trees and debris .

Azaleas are opening...Snow ball trees are opening up. Bridal wreath Spirea is blooming. Daylilies are up but look a bit bedraggles from repeat freezes. Had a funny, but accurate posting on face book last week. Something to the effect that so far this week caner should hit, we win weather bingo! Alabama had nine tornadoes, snow flurries, 89 degree temps, Hail the size of snowballs,, and drenching rains...if a hurricane should hit, we win Weather Bingo! The hail did not hit this far south, but it was amazingly destructive.

I am ready for spring.

kay

Sunny but cold outside here. Went into town for supplies instead of trying to work in the cold. Hopefully, we'll start seeing a serious warm-up in the next few weeks. Most of the snow is gone anyway, but the ground's still frozen.

Also very ready for spring!

Alex

Lots of snow on the ground on Long Island so i'm staying inside but the crocus and iris's i planted last year are blooming. Daffidols are on the way up with some tulips. Now if all the lillies come up i'm in good shape. I'm worried about the clematis, planted last year, grew very little and look dead.

Glad you were able to get out and do some prepping :) Massachusetts keeps getting hammered with noreasters and I still have about six inches of snow on the ground so I’m going stir crazy. A couple weeks ago the weather fooled me and I indulged in some body bag roses from Costco and put them in pots outside, but the temps changed so quick I’m afraid they’ve been killed. Never got below about 25 though, who knows. I’ll be happy to be gardening in a few weeks and getting lots of my online orders coming in, and finally planting some spring tubers :)

About the clematis, give it some time. I have one that has leaves, one just started, and 2 with no sign of life yet. Different varieties, so I guess different wake up times.My earlier daffodils are up and blooming. I am confident my clematis are alive, had them for years through much worse winters.

Well.... Curt Hanson just updated his website with the new 2018 intros.

We just went through some of our worst weather all winter--freezing rain, snow, and sleet on Saturday. It's all gone now, but it is supposed to be overcast and rain all week. I am so ready for some good weather. The only thing blooming here today is this cactus.

And it's lovely! :)

Boy , Curt Hanson has some lovely plants and I usually love what he names his plants (a lot of originality ) but what is with his need to name some gorgeous plants with the "panties'" moniker all the time . He has 10 daylilies with "panties" in the name. !!???????

I can't know for sure, about the panties thing, but my guess would be he likes to get the goat of people who are bothered by that sort of thing. I do personally know at least one person who enjoys doing that. I just wouldn't read anything into it because how can one know why he does it?

Re: the "panties thing", the grandkids have a way of asking "What's the name of that one?" and then there is too much 'splainin' to do. Still about 10 inches of snow on the ground. Have started to see a few early hawks roaming about, the odd house finch singing. Still a number of weeks till plants start to show. If it weren't for the seedlings under lights in the basement...

I guess it's what goes with the word panties that may affect how you feel about the name. I think frilly pink panties (for example) wouldn't be too offensive.

Most of my daylilies are looking good, but no scrapes yet. I'm moving some of them around so may not get blooms from those this year.

Well, personally I think it is unfortunate , does it get my goat ? ....I dont know , maybe. Is it demeaning to women . Maybe . I do know that I wouldn't buy any plants with the Panties names. That includes a Canadian hybridizer's plant called Crotchless Panties. Talk about tasteless and I cant believe the AHS approved of these names. So classy ..... NOT !

I did get one of Hanson's "panties" plants in a trade ( beautiful plant) but it would be so much more appreciated if it had a decent name. No way I would pay good money for a plant with a name like that not even 8 dollars..

Continuing with this name thing, I added a great daylily here called Here Lies Butch. I was educated about this hydrdizers names, but, my son had an English bulldog named Butch, he passed about two years ago. This daylily has no name tag here, just couldn’t stand the thought of my adult son seeing that tag.

Sherry

Okay - more about the name thing. We had a wonderful local hybridizer, Pat Cochenour, who is no longer with us. She named a high percentage poly Octomom and someone was offended by that. I also used to trade with a lovely girl whose husband made her stop trading and collecting daylilies because there were too many "unChristian" names - Scapes From Hell being the one I can think of right now.

I'm registering things for the last few years. I wonder if I have any names that are bothersome to anyone. I wonder if anyone has called a daylily Politically Correct.

Daylily99, I am familiar with Pat Cochenour's daylilies . Not sure what is offensive to the person you speak about in regards to the daylily Octomom but I do think that some of the daylily " christian" names are a little over the top too. Talk about from one end of the spectrum to the other . I like your suggestion of the name of Politically Correct. I am not a prude but think that as in all things perhaps moderation is a good thing. One plant called Panty whatever .....would/could be funny , 10 makes me think there is a problem. I wonder if I decided to register daylilies with names that were profanities if they would pass muster with the AHS too. I guess in the end it is to each his own and I will speak my protest by not purchasing daylilies whose names I can't stomach.

Agreed. If you really need that daylily, you can buy it in the secondary market and just not label it.

I've been watching this about the names and not commenting, but after the last two, I just can't help myself! Politically Correct daylily names - ha ha! I remember making the comment about a daylily named Arrogant Bastard, and why would anyone name a daylily that?! So, I went to check out Hanson's offerings because I was curious. I didn't see the plethora of "panties" names, only two right off - but I did see a definite "sexual overtones" theme going on there. And, yes - it did sort of bother me. But I will also add, that I have reacted to all the "over the top" Christian names as well. Not everyone in the Daylily World is Christian, or at least I hope not; I would think daylilies had a more universal appeal than that. I was imagining if I ever was fortunate about starting a line of DLs that I might lean towards Buddhism or Hinduism - Shiva's Dancing sort of strikes my fancy - whatcha think?

Alex

I hadn't thought of that but will keep it in mind if I " have to have that daylily"!!!!

As long as it's not something over the top or pushing your agenda on others (Won't name a daylily BELIEVE IN JESUS OR YOU'RE GOING TO HELL - for example).

Remember the hybridizer Lee Gates? I remember thinking - here's another man who resorted too often to sexual connotations. I've seen it in the works of some science fiction authors I used to enjoy reading too (ages ago) and other hybridizers. - perhaps after they passed a certain stage in their lives.

I'm not saying (dirty old man), but there's something there. On the other hand, I believe Crotchless Panties (perhaps one of the most tasteless names) was by Pam Erikson. LOL

I am curious too about growers that " take " song names and tv names, etc. I would think that there is some sort of copyright infringement .

I think we're in agreement about that last name - LOL. What would lead someone to go through the process of registering it? But they might have found it simply funny. I'm sure I have ideas that others would consider in the tasteless light; I often get in trouble for my humor. That's OK, as long as I'm not being thought of as being intentionally hurtful. I try to avoid that.

Alex

As far as I am concerned, if I would be bothered by a daylily name, I wouldn't buy it, but that doesn't mean it isn't the hybridizer's right to name it whatever he or she likes. There are so many out there that surely you can find enough you like to fill your space ten times over without denting any sensibilities.

kay

It is not really a case of finding other plants to fill the space in my garden or someone denting my sensibilities . Unfortunately for me Kay, I started to collect Hanson daylilies years ago. I was hoping to have a complete collection. It will never happen now.

And I suppose, push comes to shove, to some extent I guess I agree with you that it is the hybridizer's priviledge , not right , to name a daylily anything they want . It is the AHS who's responsible to uphold the caliber of its society and how it presents itself to the world. I guess I just incorrectly expected a bit more class from a group of people who are hoping to promote a wonderful plant , but then it all comes down to money doesn't it ? It always does. The more plants registered with whatever name the more money the society makes.

And to think the society gave John Lambert the business for trying to name some daylilies That's That and What's What .......boy how it has progressed .

Everything seems to have become much less refined in this world. in this world. I remember when television had some things worth watching.

Sherry - you got what you wished for - it's not quiet now, hee hee! And Kay, we never watch TV these days. Though we have a wide DVD/VHS selection that includes many of the older TV series. Love the old BBC mystery series stuff - those were all mostly well done, we feel. :)

Cloudy today, but it's starting to warm up. Though Saturday is predicted to have rain, snow and high winds. Sigh.

Alex

Alex , hush!!!!!!!! If you get rain and snow and high winds , so will I most likely . I dont want 'em thanks !

Well, they could be wrong. :)

We had a bit of rain the past few days, just enough to keep me out of the front beds, too muddy for clean up. The wind here seems relentless most of the time, could stand a break from it. Just thinking, we lost two patio umbrellas the past two seasons. Both times due to unexpected weather, sometimes you just can’t move quick enough. Chicagoland is called the Windy City for the politicians over the years, but I still wonder sometimes if the nickname isn’t really weather related.

Sherry

Ha Sherry , I never knew that , I always thought it was weather related. Glad you cleared that up for me . I learned something new today . It's a good day!

The wind is one of the things of which I really am not fond. We live on a slightly higher rise in the surrounding countryside, and the wind whips through here sometimes with a gale force. Easy 40 mph, I'd say, maybe more. I've been through hurricanes, so I have a sense of what high winds feel like.

I hope nobody is going to shoot me for opening this up again, but it's raining and due to get freezing over the weekend and I'm so frustrated ...

I just looked on Paul Owen's website and he has one called Leprechaun Panties. What do you imagine those would look like? LOL

Pat - 3 more inches of snow last night here and more to come. Sigh. Think I'll go look at my green babies under the lights to make me feel better. :)

Alex

Well, still raining here, although today and tomorrow are supposed to be dry before it starts up again for 5 days. Well, no rain Saturday, snow possibilities. Why is it that when you need rain in July and the weatherman predicts 100%, you don't get a drop. When you don't need rain, they can predict 2%, and it rains all day. Heavy storms last night before the cold front, but even worse, freeze warning tonight, which they just predicted today. Saturday had been expecting maybe scattered frost, now we may get down to the low 20's. I have peonies ready to bloom, and many lilies-regular, not day lilies-are up. Day ilies had just recovered from an earlier freeze. Sorry for the long rant, I am just so ready to get out in the garden, and afraid I am going to lose plants this year. Three peonies are not up, i assume the are goners. Generally the weather has been warmer than normal, just soggy. My fruit trees have already set fruit too. Better shut up before I get started all over again.

Where are you in 6b, Nancy? They've just announced it may go to the low 30s around here too which we were not expecting until the weekend. My husband helped me carry most of the trays of seedlings back onto the porch instead of having me cover them with Remay. I'm thankful he offered.

The magnolias (star and the pink one) are looking just lovely as they always seem to do just before they get frosted. I've just completed inventory for all the daylilies in my raised bed area and hope I don't have to add any more to the "death list".

We live quite near DC in an McLean/Tysons Corner. During our time here (38 years for me), it has grown from a nice suburb to a city so the plus side to that is that all the concrete may give us a bit more warmth.

Frustation indeed! I heard the weather report on my way home from the dentist and it was 69 (highest it would get before dropping in the pm) so I wanted to dash out and do SOMETHING since the morning rain had also stopped.

Off course, it started to come down pretty good again while John was helping me move in the seedlings. I guess maybe April is the cruelest month. Just have to bide my time. Meanwhile, I've ordered alfalfa pellets from the Tractor Supply Store and may be able to go get them tomorrow.

If you order 3 or more 40 pound bags online for in store pickup you get $5 off per bag, making them $10 a bag now. I suggest you all jump on it if you have one of those stores near you. I think it's a good price.

Lunch over now - so maybe I can try outside again to dig and separate Ice Follies from Pink Charm daffodils. Keep busy, keep busy......

Well I am in 8a and it is supposed to freeze again this weekend...in fact tomorrow morning we have a freeze warning...and another for next week. Hope that will be the last one. In the meantime, azaleas, creeping thrift, snowball bushes and Bridal wreath ans well as the beginnind clematis are all blooming.

kay

Pat, I am in South central Kentucky, not too far from Bowling Green Ky. Our last frost day is April 15, but most years I put out tomato plant well before then. Not this year though.