Oregon Tree Hugger

As part of getting to know my new house, I like to walk around the yard at different times in the season to see what is blooming or coming up. This time, I’m exploring the many Rhododendrons current living on this property.

Take a tour of my front yard as I watch the passing of the season through the timing of different bulbs. In this edition, we look at 2 Iris varieties (one nearing the end of the blooming season and one just starting), and a Grape Hyacinth (going to seed).

Of course I worry about frost. Will my tender veggies and new blossoms survive a night of cold temps? Will their growth be stunted? Will their flowers not set? Will their fruit production be reduced?

Why start from seeds? First of all, it is cheaper to start from a seed than it is to buy pre-started vegetables. Secondly, I can get a greater variety of plants, because mail-order seeds are very easy to obtain. Third, it is just kind of fun to grow your own and let your kids participate in the process. (And if it doesn’t work out, don’t put too much pressure on yourself—you can always buy vegetable starts from a store, a plant sale, or the farmer’s market later in the season! Want to know more? Read on for the rest of this handy guide.

We stopped by the 5th Street Market in Eugene the other day, where a lot of the bulbs are in bloom. The diversity of the flower shapes and colors is just fantastic. This is definitely a spring treat! Enjoy the pictures, and I am sorry about the quality—I forgot my camera and had to use my Sidekick to take the pictures.

Our mystery bulbs are finally sprouting! Read on for the pictures, and leave a note in the comments if you care to take a guess as to the identity of this midseason-blooming bulb!

What amazes me about this area is the diversity—just check out these pictures of trees I took while walking. (They were all in a row along one stretch of sidewalk. Every tree way different!)

Now that spring is on the way, I love just walking around my town and seeing what is growing. What is this pretty groundcover that I have found, and how did it get on the side of the road?