Twelfth Annual.....And Last One--for me.

This coming Saturday, May 1st is our York County Master Gardener Learning Garden plant sale.



It is amazing to think I have been at most all but one of these plant sales. For most of them I have been the "Plant Doctor". I hand out information about moles and voles, salt tolerant plants, pruning publications, and many other Virginia Cooperative Extension publications. This will be my last plant sale as a York County Master Gardener. This makes me rather sad. I am certainly going to miss many many people from this area. Starting anew will be fun and exciting, but I am leaving behind many friends and family.

Through this blog I have shared many photos of gorgeous parts of the Learning Garden. If you are in the area (York County Virginia) on Saturday, come to the plant sale. We will be there from 9 am to noon. Be sure to stop by the Plant Doctor table and say hi. If you are unsure where I might be-- just ask any of the Master Gardeners where the Queen of Seaford is and they can point you in the right direction.



I will leave you with a taste of what you might see on Saturday--
Walk with me through the garden to the azalea area





Some of the flowering trees are blooming- Halesia diptera and Chionanthus virginicus


Near the shed is an ever increasing collection of deciduous azaleas... many are fragrant.




Here is one azalea I may have to find for myself-- R. 'Janet Rhea'


Hope to see you on Saturday!

words and photos by Janet,The Queen of Seaford.

Color Emerges from the Green World

This month's photo contest theme at Gardening Gone Wild is 'Green World'. Choosing a photo was hard....really hard. I had a bunch that I shared with some friends and family to get some help. The choices were mixed. I also was arguing with myself between this one and one other. In order to keep this post short and sweet I leave you with the photo.... Amsonia hubrechtii, almost ready to bloom.



Be sure to check out everyone else's entries! There are some really great ones.



words and photos by Janet,The Queen of Seaford.

Stuck Between A Rock and A Hard Place and GBBD

Well, this isn't really a rock, but it is a hard place. This poor little Columbine grew from a deposited seed a few years ago. I have tried to pull many times. Look at it....it looks like it is looking at me saying---help me



When it was small I thought I could easily slide it out, thinking the root structure was not too large. Well, it couldn't be pulled and I haven't had the heart to kill it. So every year, I have a very pretty Aquilegia growing in the crack of the sidewalk and the house.




Miss Bateman, my bargain Clematis is starting to bloom. I have her behind the mailbox and she seems to be very happy.
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More blooms opening every day



For those who didn't know what we in the South have been talking in reference to the pollen....here are a few examples. This is in front of my garage door....after it rained.


The yellow is the pine pollen from the Loblolly Pine primarily.  The fuzzy 'stuff' is the catkins from the oaks.   It is mostly the oak pollen that people have trouble with, though the pine pollen is more visible.




After a rain is puddles and settles in many places.  With hope another rain will finish off the high volume of pollen that is lingering.


And so for this April Garden Bloggers Bloom Day I welcome the first of the Tradescantia that is already blooming in my garden.  Please visit Carol  at May Dreams Gardens for more GBBD postings.







words and photos by Janet,The Queen of Seaford.

What a Difference a Week Makes

I know some of you think I fell in a hole, I haven't really fallen, just buried under home on the market stuff. Should be back to coasting for a while but I wanted to share a few pictures from the beginning of April and some from this past Thursday.
Here is The Learning Garden Wisteria floribunda 'Texas Purple' on April 1st (not an April Fool's Day joke).



And here it is ONE WEEK LATER!!


Many of you have seen the native Redbud, here is a Chinese Redbud from the Learning Garden. Cercis reniformis 'Oklahoma'.




Most everything in our area (to include North Carolina and South Carolina) is covered with yellow pollen from our Loblolly Pines and Oak pollen from many of the Red Oak family. It looks like White Oak flower later.
Native Aquilegia canadensis Columbine--- covered in pollen--

And Veronica 'Waterperry'


and Red Buckeye, Aesculus pavia, picture will be added to my new page (see tabs at the top)


Native fern, Osmunda regalis, Royal Fern is starting to unfurl-


and a dainty little daffodils---Narcissus - bulbocodium conspicuus--


Solomon' Seal, Polygonatum odoratum var. thunbergii 'Variegatum', just emerging-


Leucojum, Snowflake-


A variegated Azalea 'The Robe'



And last but not least, my heavily pollen covered Forget-me-not, Myosotis Sylvatica.


I have been trying to get caught up with everyone's blogs. It seems as though I am trying to hold sand.....please don't feel slighted if I have not been to visit. I will get there eventually.
As for the tree postings-- "...tomorrow is another day" Scarlet O'Hara.





words and photos by Janet,The Queen of Seaford.