Update on everything

Things change and progress in a garden -- that's what they tend to do, whether or not you do anything. Here's an update on pretty much everything going on in my garden right now. Starting with the catcus seedlings:

I started these seeds in early February, which amazingly is less than two months ago -- time flies!

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As you can see, they've come a long way in that relatively short time:

12 Feb 2011, so small and smooth. Compare to previous photo.

I still can't tell if this next one is one of the big seeds or not. Something else has just germinated in this pot too (blurry in foreground). I supposedly only planted the big seeds here, so maybe that plant in front is a weed seed?

The sempervivum are doing well, many of them producing their "chicks":

Some of them are also starting to flower:

This isn't necessarily a good thing, as I believe they die after flowering. At least the ones that are flowering aren't single rosettes -- there are others of the same kind that haven't bloomed yet. (I need it to warm up a little so I can get these outside... I really need the room on the seed starting table!)

Outside the veggie beds are doing fine, despite two recent snowfalls:

None of my seeds have germinated yet out here, but should soon. I hope. My neighbor's beets have sprouted already, but there's no sign of mine. Hmmm...

The bamboos I mowed down recently are starting to shoot, exposing their beautiful fresh foliage:

Pleioblastus fortunei

The early-shooting bamboos are doing their thing:

Fargesia 'Rufa'

The moss is flowering -- is that the right term?

It's certainly still thriving in the cold and wet. Personally I'm hoping for a little more warm weather, even if it means the moss won't be as happy.

Excitingly, my all-of-its-leaves-are-dead-but-is-it-topkilled? bamboo, seen here a month ago:

...has started to produce new leaves!

Every branch that I can reach has swelling leaf buds, all the way to the tips of the almost barren branches. Very exciting! This means that when this plant starts shooting it should produce some really nice-sized shoots. If the existing culms had been killed by our winter, the new shoots and culms would have been much smaller.

The bamboo rhizomes I received at the end of January have started shooting:

Phyllostachys iridescens

Since this is a species I didn't have before, it' always fun to see the new shoots. Well, it's fun to see the new shoots on any bamboos, but it's even more fun and exciting on new ones.


Speaking of exciting, how about this?

The Gunnera manicata divisions I received recently are starting to wake up, although I'm not sure that's a good thing. This plant will eventually get huge spiky leaves, and already has sort of a dangerous look to it. I like the red tips on the spikes -- nice touch! Even though it's barely unrolled even a tiny leaf, it already says to me "don't even think about eating me... in fact, don't even come too close!"

I think this plant is going to be awesome!

And that's everything, a quick look at every single interesting thing in my garden.

Well, except for the dozens of different perennials that are emerging now. And the grasses that are starting to wake up. And the other bamboos. And...  I guess I'll have to look the rest of them sometime soon.

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