march bloom day 2013

Hey everybody!  It's the 15th of the month, which mean's it Garden Blogger's Bloom Day at May Dreams Gardens.  This is the only 'link party' I tend to do on a regular basis, and it's because I think it's cool to see what's blooming all over the world.  It's open to everyone, so you don't have to be a garden-only blogger to participate.  Even if you're not a blogger, its neat just to check out the links and read some cool blogs.  For me it's been a great way to meet new bloggers.  When you're done here, check it out.

So here's a little bit about me & my yard before I start showing you pictures.   First off I'm in Chattanooga, TN which is now Zone 7a. (map & how to find your zone) A little over a year ago I moved into my great grandmother's cottage house.  To make a long story short the yard had been neglected for the past 20 or so years.  When I moved in my strategy was to document what survived the neglect & when it bloomed, figure out what my growing conditions were, and come up with a plan for this year.  Other than some general maintenance, and I stuck to the plan and I'm looking forward to working outside this spring!

And here's what's blooming in my yard today!

The best surprise last year were the spring bulbs.  They're back again, but not quite with the same gusto since it's been so cold. I have Daffodiles and hyacinths blooming right now.

My grandmother calls these little plants "Blue-Its."  They carpeted my yard last spring, and the first ones just showed up this week!

The vinca minor is in full bloom right now, and I LOVE having the purple flowers in my yard and beside my driveway.  It looks so cool at the base of the trees, and mixed in with the monkey grass.   I was worried that when I cleared the ivy from my side yard that I took too much of the vinca with it, but enough survived that there is a pretty cool effect with the moss & the purple vinca.

All of this is pretty, but what is really thriving right now are the Christmas Roses (hellebore).
The first planting I did this fall when I hit my year mark were hellebore in my rock garden.  These came from my parent's house, and they are happier than I have ever seen them.  Apparently a little mushroom compost goes a long way!

I had to use my phone's front facing camera for this shot.

I had hellbores scattered around the yard last year that never bloomed.  I fertilized some of them, and lo & behold, they're blooming this year.

This Rhodadendron only had one flower last year.  It's been fertalized and mulched, and had some new growth last fall.  I'm not sure yet if this is a bud forming, or more new growth.  But either way it's pretty and means I've been doing something right!

The weather is still cold here, so there is not much else blooming.  I looked at my post from last year, and we're definitely behind.  The trees are only just starting to bud, the tulips are weeks away from blooming, and the spider warts & hostas haven't shown up yet. Oh well, it gives me something to look forward too.

Thanks for stopping by and taking a walk through my yard!  I know these garden posts may not interest a lot of you, but they're helpful to me, and I hope it gives you an idea of the kinds of things you can grow in your yard if you so desire.