Feb.20, 2010 Buds & Flowers.

[Barrie]

A few pics today from my garden. Spring is definately around the corner.
Cheers, Barrie.

Rhododendron in bloom.


Loquat in bloom.


Euphorbia about to bloom.


English Laurel about to bloom.


Buds on a larged leaf Rhododendron.


Daphne in bloom.


Meyer lemon buds.

[TerdalFarm]

Oh, that arouses such jealousy! I am used to late February down here (36oN, mind you) having such early signs of Spring. Not this year. Even Forsythia, winter jasmine, Indian hawthorn, deciduous Magnolia, Callery pear, etc. are all closed up tight.
Please keep the photos coming, though, to give us southerners signs of hope.
--Erik

[lucky1]

Nice indeed, Barrie.
Is this the earliest flowering for your area?

Eye candy. Thanks!
Barb

[Barrie]

Some things are right on time and seem to be hard wired for their bloom period, others are a couple of weeks early.
We're getting a good run of sunshine right now which has helped, and I'm likely to get a 3 week jump on things down in the greenhouse / cold frame.
The fun starts tomorrow when the lawn gets cut

Cheers, Barrie.

[TerdalFarm]

Cutting the lawn?
We're scrambling for hay for our horses as everyone is buying up what is out there on the assumption pastures will be late to green this Spring. (Around here, people grow Bermuda grass, a tropical species that needs heat to grow.)

[lucky1]

Instead of cutting our lawn, I should paint it...green.
It's yellow/brown from having been exposed to winter with hardly any snow cover.

Watching the Olympics on TV, it's wonderful to see sunshine on the West Coast.
There's nothing more beautiful!

How about some more pictures Barrie...palms...
And that home you photographed...where two palms were wrapped...have you taken a drive to see if they're unwrapped...and what they are?

Erik, hay prices must be through the roof.
Is Bermuda grass native to your area, or is that what people seed their pastures to?

Barb

[hardyjim]

Barrie
Spring is around the corner,yours-it is laying all over your corner and
not leaving anytime soon!
The flowers look nice.
How will this rank as far as warm winters go?
I thought I might have hear 2nd with a chance at 1st?
Is that accurate?

[TerdalFarm]

Barb,
I'm not sure where Bermuda grass is native. Maybe Africa? (Not Bermuda.) It needs soil temps >60oF, preferably 80oF. We're at the northern part of its introduced range. It does grow great in summer and is high in nitrogen for livestock, so it has been seeded all over the world where summers are hot.
Be grateful it does not grow where you live. Gardeners hate it as it spreads underground and is essentially impossible to remove from garden beds. Think of it a running bamboo that only gets 10" tall.
Barrie, is your lawn fescue?
--Erik

[Barrie]

I can't speak on records as I don't pay much attention to statistics. Anytime El niño is dominant. winters are similar or close to what we've been experiencing.
I'll wait until spring before I do a drive by on the wrapped palms in Dophin Beach to see what they are exactly.
I look forward to the summer dry period when the lawn turns a nice golden brown and I can put the mower away.

Cheers, Barrie.

[hardyjim]

I'll take mowing the lawn over shoveling snow-ANYDAY

[lucky1]

Erik, bermuda grass is frequently used on southern golf courses for the rough area/second cut (from the fairways).
Golfers have been quoted as saying it's like trying to get a ball out of steel wool

The "other" golf course grass "creeping bentgrass" is used for greens because it can be clipped to within a hair of its life, and was discovered growing in Scotland (...kinda like the game).

Barb

[TerdalFarm]

Mowing? That's what horses are for. Just like goats are for weeding and brush control; chickens are insecticide.
(Cats are rodenticide, of course).

[BILL MA]

Wow Barrie I'm Jealous! Rhodies won't pop here for a couple months and a month or more before the mower comes out.
I wish I could mow the lawn today.

Love the picture though, keep them coming. Is that meyer lemon in the ground?

Bill

[Barrie]

Is that meyer lemon in the ground?

No ... but it might as well be. It's been outside since I got it a few years ago and I have plans for planting it this year. It will need an enclosure if the winter weather becomes nasty.

Cheers, Barrie.

[Cowtown Palm Society]

Very nice Barrie. What a winter for you guys. Like zone 10? I think YVR has been only down to -2.7C. Have you guys even had a freeze?

I bet there have been a few international visitors surprised to see mid-teens and palm trees at a winter olympics!

Duncan

[Barrie]

Have you guys even had a freeze?

Yes ... several. The coldest was in early Dec, about -6ºC (21ºF) one night. Since then no frost until just recently with the cloudless skies, and by morning a light frost had formed at +1ºC (34ºF). We're now overcast this morning and 6ºC (43ºF).

As far as visitors noticing palm trees, I doubt it. Most people rarely notice such things unless they happen to be avid gardeners. They where more likely to notice the mild weather.

Cheers, Barrie.