Can you say "Kalanchoe"

Can you say "Kalanchoe" !! LOL.... 

I picked these up during out Easter visit at the local nursery that I have to always visit when we go home to Rochester.

 I was smitten with them the minute I saw them at the nursery.  I just transplanted them into the cute pottery pieces I got there too.

 They are a type of succulent and popular because of their long lasting flowers.  These look the same as they did when I got them a few weeks ago.

 The Christmas Cactus is still blooming and I need to transplant it too.  I gave the Baby Tears plant a severe haircut recently.  I plan to split it up into several plants when I take it outside for the summer.  I'll take the Cyclamen outside too and see how it does!

 My daffodils along the path to the back patio are blooming.  We had rain all night which will perk everything up!

 These Jack Frost Brunnera are blooming now and I love them because they bloom for a very long time and the plant continues to grow so you get a great display!  Mine lasted a month last year!  

I swear I got all the oak leaves out and yet I see more that I missed! You can see some of the Hosta coming up in the background.  

This Sweet Woodruff has flowers and should be making a nice display soon.  It's been bitten a bit from the frosts too.

These violas are so sweet. They pop up every so often in a new place like this one did!  I just looked at some photo's from last year and I was at this point with plants in the middle of May!  We are definitely ahead of our normal growing season!

We haven't started the fountain yet or even uncovered the garden benches.  I spent yesterday cleaning up some of the beds and bringing out some of my pottery and garden ornamentation.

It's a bit chilly today so I think I'll stay indoors!  

Hope you are having a great day!

I'm joining Tootsie Time for
Fertilizer Friday
 Thanks for stopping by!

Spring has sprung!

Living in northern Michigan which is a naturally beautiful area, but it sure has it's ups and downs!

As you saw in last post we got slammed with what ended up to be 22" of snow in about 16 hrs.  Not two weeks later we were all melted down and enjoying 70 degree weather and have been breaking records for many days.  Today is anticipated to reach 84... as much as I love this warm up I know it's too soon and I fear for our plants.  Next week we resume more normal temps in the 50's for a while and then we'll graduate upward.  That should slow things down, but my magnolia may not like it at all!  I saw forsythias blooming in town yesterday.  It's about 3 weeks early for even them!

If you stare through my window at the edge of the woods you will notice the greening going on with the trees...this is way too early!

I am delighted that my Christmas Cactus has started to bloom again! I'm going to transplant it to a larger pot.  I've know women that have grown these for 20 years....

I think that's pretty impressive!  I hope I can keep mine going for a long time too!  The cyclamen started blooming a few weeks ago...I am enjoying how long the flowers have been lasting on it!

Old "Hairy" here...has had 3 hair cuts since last fall (a baby tears plant).  I saved it from last years outside garden plants.  I think I'll split it up when I'm ready to put it outdoors and see how it does.

At Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania they had Cyclamen plants around the base of Christmas Trees...they said it used to be the favored plant before the Poinsettia took off in popularity.   

 I nearly lost this plant after Christmas. It really got sickly looking, so I cut off all the sick looking parts of the plant and hoped for the best!  Eventually it started coming back and I am grateful to see it blooming again!

 I've enjoyed having these plants through the winter.  It gives me something to look after and I feel a great reward when they continue to grow and flower!

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope your spring has been going along as nicely as ours!

I'm going to venture out with the camera and see what I can catch growing already! I know there are some crocuses blooming!

Liz

It's all about the Hydrangeas!

 Well summer is winding down, and I hate to
admit that! 

I strolled around the yard and snapped
a few pictures.  

This time of year around here it's all about
the hydrangeas! 

 These Limelights on the left were planted a year ago in the spring and the Endless Summer hydrangeas were planted at least 5 years ago.    I cut a bunch of these and gave them to my mother and daughter this past weekend. 

 The flowering has slowed down on the Endless Summer's and some of the flowers are turning color.

I'm real happy with this new one too called Vienna (Out of the Cityline series)

It's cheerful pink flowers are great and it's low growth habit makes it perfect on the corner like I have it planted.

I also planted a new one last year called Pinky Winky and it's coming along very nicely!  As each flower matures they will continue to grow larger and the pink that's at the bottom of the panicle will deepen with color.  I'm just tickled that it's doing so well and it keeps it's shape nicely too!

 Out front on my little island my 6 year old
Limelight hydrangea has developed really
well.  I can't get enough of how pretty they
are.  These a very reliable, and you can
trim them back or leave them alone, either
way they do great! None of mine get what
you would call all day sun, but these do get a
fair amount- probably 3 to 4 hours minimum.
The stand of woods by us is on the south side
so we are protected from the hottest part
of the sun.

My Russian Sage and Black Eyed Susans are about the last perennials blooming...however I am pleased that my delphinium is making a second showing! I think in a few days the flowers will be opening up!

This Rudbeckia-Hortensia or Golden Glow has been in my possession since I was in my late teens.  A neighbor gave me a clump and I've moved it to every place I've lived.  It can get as tall as 6 ft.  It always seems to get this powdery mildew about the same time it flowers.  It's always disappointing to see the mildew but for the most part the plant seems to handle it.

 I'll leave you with a few random shots of some annuals that are still hanging in there!

 Baby Tears...such a sweet plant...I'm definitely going to bring it in and keep it going through the winter!

My flying pig statue has all but disappeared behind these cosmos...I thought it would be cute with them circled around it, but they got much larger than I anticipated!  A few of these are 5 ft. tall now!

And finally my arbor- these morning glories and Sweet Autumn Clematis (neither of which has bloomed yet) have surrounded my little fairy and garden sign...

I'm still enjoying what's left of summer and I hope you are too!

I'm so sorry to see all the peril the East coast has been in after
Hurricane Irene left her mark last weekend.
I hate to admit how darn nice it's been here, but I guess that's how it goes.

I'm linking up with
Fishtail Cottage-Floral Thursdays
Rose Vignettes- Fresh-Cut Fridays