Looks very pretty Kay! I love azaleas, though I don't have any. I have a Rhododendron. My redbuds are starting to bloom. My daylilies and other flowers [except the dafs] are not nearly as far along as yours. But of course my daylily season doesn't start to about June 1.

It is so cold & windy here after such nice weather, it is a shock to the system. Last night it was 24.

I'm looking forward to a better season in my main garden--my bud count has been a little lower the past 3 or so years with a bit too much shade. A friend used his pole chain saw and cut off some major branches of my terrible looking maple that was blocking so much sun. The rest will be taken down eventually; the rest will just fall in the yard, not the flowers.

Brad

Thank you Brad. I don't have any rhododendrons but I love them too. It was freezing her last night (28) but didn't bother the azaleas since it was very short lived but I admit to attempting to cover and i had a fan on overnight.

I hope it isn't as dry as it was last year. We have been having nice rains (finally) but I hope they last. I did get my March fertilization done and hope it helps with the blooming.

I have no doubt that eliminating some shade will be a great help. I took down a small tree and a bush and both of then leaving made a nice difference here.

Brad, is your wife doing okay. I fell as if we both" joined a club" we would have rather not have but that is the way life goes sometimes.

kay

Kay, thanks for asking about my wife. She is doing pretty well. The radiation is over but still some effects such as tiredness and some skin irritation. People are still bringing some meals plus many of the meals previously brought, we only ate half of and we have a lot to just warm up!

I'm going to fertilize in April. I bought what I needed already. This will be the first time in about 7 or 8 years.

I did use some cardboard for the first time ever under the mulch in some places, which I hope keeps down the weeds. I don't generally have much problems with them, but I fear the fertilizer may encourage them.

Brad

Kay the lilies are looking great. And, judging from all that mulch you have probably been overworking!! Aren’t clean beds just the best though?!! The azaleas are looking good. The hard freeze last year took out all my azaleas except for one small one. I have not replaced them and probably won’t. Your yard is looking so good.

Azaleas are such a welcome sign of spring. Rhododendrons are also pretty. I saw a large one for sale last spring at one of the box stores that was a a lovely coral melon color and you could smell it from aisles away. Wish I could grow a few but no shade and our PH is around 7......I love Snowball bushes. Mine died about 10 years ago after showing off for 20 years or so. I still miss it every spring.........Maryl

Beautiful Kay and glad to see your posting. So much green in your garden as well as seeing the Azaleas. Like Brad, we had some really warm temps and then the cold front hit. Slowly been getting back into more moderate temps. In some instances it is a good thing we got cooler as the bulb blooms will last longer. I started spraying here to keep the deer away as they got into one garden and munched down a small grouping of tulips. Take care of yourself and looking forward to seeing your bloom pics.

Julia

Brad, I am glad she is through with the radiation, and the fatigue and skin issues are supposed to be common after radiation. I am glad your friends and family have kept you in meals. Her worst times should be over.

Kate, you are not seeing this year's mulch and dirt from years of having mulched on the right side. ...I have just been weeding . I am just now beginning to put down cardboard and mulch on the right side but I managed to do before most of the left side in fall so just a few touch ups done there. I lost the azaleas next to the shed in the freeze last year, but thankfully , that is all.

Maryl, how are the shingles doing? We have two of the snowball trees so maybe if we lose one the other will still be here. I am sorry you lost yours and I know that is a heart-felt loss.You could probably amend your soil to get the PH right, and I do grow a few azaleas without shade but they d like shade, that is true. I wish I could grow a lilac, but that is a no go here

Thanks you Julia. Getting back into the garden has been such a good thing. I have always preferred to spend a lot of time there and it was not fun seeing the weds and not being allowed to do anything about it. The March fertilizing along with the stretch of warm weather pushed the lilies to grow and look pretty. Of course, we are getting a couple of frosts right now but it isn't cold enough to bother the lilies I am hoping no repeat of last year's polar freeze since that was such a killer.. Oh no! The deer are out already?! I didn't know they ate tulips.

Just think everyone<,,. Winters is all but over and spring is on the way.

kay.

Kay, your daylilies are looking great! I can't wait for yours to blooms so you can post beautiful photos.

I love the azaleas and the white daffodils. Our daffodils are just starting. The magnolias are blooming here and, like usual, they got frosted. Forsythia is also in bloom. If the wind would just die down, it would be easier to work in the garden.

Nancy

Thank you, Nancy. I had other daffodils that I didn't post. The lilies are really groeing and I am hoping for no repeats of the polar freeze last year. We had a couple of light freezes but it didn't seem to hurt the azaleas.

I agree with the wind making life harder,,,and it is not a warm wind either. I am still working to get all of the cardboard and mulch down and have got to do some work in the back yeard but the lilies come first, of course.

kay

Look at the size of those daylily clumps! What a difference hundreds of miles make. Terrible weather this week, with very strong winds and cold temps to begin with. Tonight we are supposed to go down to 22. Is this going to be a repeat of last year? Well, then, we went down to 14 for a few nights after a February slightly warmer than the one this year. December and February both averaged 7 degrees above normal. The first two weeks of March were about 12 degrees above normal. Now the payback.

Thank you Mantis. I, like you, and still worrying that we will get an arctic blast before this is over. Our Winter has been warmer than is good, and the recent freeze was worrisome tough it was not arctic. Living this far south is the reason my season begins so early and yes, the clumps show that. So far I have not found any scapes and so it is behind last year when 15 of them dies on Fernstone. It is good that they are not scaping yet as we are still at risk of cold

Our Weatherman commented on the unusual warmth in your area and that too often means the cold will return. I hope you weather improves quickly so I can see your beautiful blooms.

kay

Your azaleas and other spring blooms are so pretty! My viburnum is in bloom and smells wonderful, but one side of the blooms are browned from the frost we had with the 28 degree temps the other night. I think that got most of my azalea buds too. Your daylilies are really leafed out well and so very green. I have some that look good and some that keep getting burned back when the night temps go below 30.

Debra

We had 28 also but it didn't seem to get the buds...it browned the petals a little on one side of the azalea but it had been open a few day. I hope we don't have any more frosts.

kay