More of what's blooming now
The Johnny jump ups are so common in our yard, we tend to overlook them - my fault not the violas'. But they are a nice cheery face to brighten the day if I'm aware enough to notice them. The former owner planted some and we've added more through the years so they just self seed and seem to come up everywhere. Funny though that they haven't come up in our neighbors' yards on either side of us.
Chionodoxa forbesii or Chionodoxa luciliae I don't know what the difference is. The multi flowered one must be some sort of mutant as I haven't seen one with so many flowers on a stalk. I love the blue vein on the white flower. Most I've seen are evenly light blue.
P.S. Thanks to Annie in Austin for identifying this flower. It's the Puschkinia libanotica (what a mouthful)or striped squill and not a Chionodoxa.
The cold weather has nicely extended the crocus bloom time and many are in their prime now.
A tiny grape hyacinth. The flowers are about the size of baby peas and the plant can't be more than 3-4" tall.
The blueberries are swelling and are about to flower.
And the Magnolia 'Butterflies' managed to stay in bud form, thankfully enduring the freezing temperatures in this form and are starting to open.
posted by Ki at
6:49 PM
8 Comments:
Ki, google Puschkinia libanotica, the striped squill, and see if it might be your Chionodoxa with all the buds. It used to be one of my favorite little bulbs.
Yay for the Butterfly Magnolia! When we lived in IL my husband was so strongly opposed to planting magnolias that I gave in... they were whacked at least half the time by late freezes so he was being logical, but I've always loved them, and still think about trying down here.
How big will this magnolia get in say, five years?
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
Hi Annie, I should always send a photo of a plant I don't know the name of and save myself some guessing. You're absolutely right it is Puschkinia libanotica, thanks for the ID. Funny thing though - I don't remember ordering any of the striped squill bulbs. We only ordered the Scilla siberica. Someone must have mixed the batches of bulbs. Or maybe this was a freebie as I remember receiving two or three free packets of bulbs but if I remember correctly they were of the Anemone de caen.
About the Magnolia "Butterflies" - I planted it about 5 years ago as a 2' tall plant. It grew very slowly for the first 2 years only reaching about 3'-4' tall. The 3rd year it had a growth spurt and doubled its size. Last year it grew relatively slowly again to about the height of the gutters maybe about 9 feet from the ground. But that's the very tip of the long lead shoot it sends upward. and it's about 2 feet below that where the lateral branches begin.
I can understand Philo's reluctance to grow Magnolias in Illinois because of the late frosts but you could have probably planted one of the late blooming ones and would have had a better than 50-50 chance of seeing it bloom. Or you could have planted the native M. virginiana which blooms very late in Spring, almost early summer. The flowers are not much to brag about but the frangrance is superior to all others imo.
Your flowers are all so spring-y. I love the violas especially. I bet your neighbors have a lawn service that is putting down a weed killer which is why they are missing out!
Here in Indiana, I planted a Magnolia stellata, and I've not been disappointed in 9 years. Even this year, it had mostly bloomed before the cold hit and I got to enjoy it for a week or so.
And that Annie sure does know her plants!
Hi Carol, I didn't think of weed killer but you're absolutely right the neighbors do use a lawn service and they spray all kinds of stuff on the lawn, trees and shrubs. I'm always worried about the overspray but it doesn't seem to bother the Johnnys or other plants in our yard so far. Prior to hiring a lawn service, the neighbor would liberally apply Preen saying 'this is the best stuff in the world for keeping weeds out'. One of his first utterances to me when we first moved into our home. :(
I'm glad you have had good luck with your stellatas. We have had very good luck with them too with the exception of this year. Quite sad to see them all droopy when they were just coming into full bloom.
Annie is amazing. She should have been a botanist or maybe she is?
Thanks for the compliment, Ki, but I've just been interested in plants for a long time - and you happened to choose plants that I like! Nine feet, hmmm - that doesn't sound like a runaway tree.
I'm with you on liking little flowers in the lawn. I read somewhere that 'lawn' originally meant a meadow sprigged with little flowers, but that look isn't popular in my subdivision.
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
Sorry for such a delay in replying...I was wrestling with the taxes. Actually I looked out the window and the Magnolia 'Butterflies' looks to be only about 8' tall so it's not very big. The older specimen about 1/2 mile away isn't very tall either but it spread quite a bit so it may occupy a big space unless pruned.
I would love to have an original lawn with tiny flowers. I have a feeling that the neighbors wouldn't be too happy with a meadow next door.
You have Magnolia 'Butterflies'!! You will have to post photos when the buds open! Your flowers are really coming along now!
I must tell my sad Johnny-Jump-Up story. For three years, I planted them in this one area of my yard, hoping they would reseed. They never have, although (I take it slightly back) there is occasionally one in a crack or some other place I can't move it from so it gets stepped on or whatever..but anyway, my neighbor (diagonal from me), who has never planted them...has scores of them!
This year, my nextdoor neighbor has purple crocus in the middle of their green lawn...and they have never planted crocus...hmmmm?
Oh, and the neighbor with all of "my" JJUs?? Uses Preen...
Hi Gotta Garden, the 'Butterflies' are about to open. I think with the warm weather finally forecasted for this weekend they will definitely be open. Will take pics and post.
Funny about wandering plants, especially bulbs! We have stuff I don't remember planting too but it could be my bad memory.
So we can't blame Preen. Our Johnnys reseed prolifically. There are Johnnys everywhere in the yard but not on the neighbors' property on either side of us. Very strange indeed. The neighbors aren't plant lovers or gardeners so I like to think the plants know that.
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