early progress report

These pictures are a bit of a bait-and-switch; I'm sorry. The actual tulips aren't out yet, but I think we're getting there. Until we do, though, these pictures from the Canada Blooms show will have to do.

(Sorry about the quality of the pictures. I was very lazy and decided to only bring my dinky little point-and-click — now dinkier than ever, especially since something is wrong with the lens and it makes this awful grinding noise whenever it opens. I don't think it's long for this world, but it's only about a year old, and I'm too stubborn and too broke to buy a new one.)

I went with the intention of being very, very good, and I succeeded for the most part — although it was a bit touch and go at the Urban Harvest booth. (I nearly bought edamame seeds, until I realised that they're vines. I don't have space for vines. Or, I do, but I'd have to root out the rhubarb.) In the end, all I bought were some basil seeds to start, and a little pot of winter heather:


I thought it would be nice to have something in early spring, when I'm just craving colour. I'll start hardening it off in a week or two, but right now it's hanging out with the African violet and the herbs.

(The African violet is doing fine. It's dormant right now, though, so not very interesting. Huge, though.)

Now, in the garden itself:


This is a really lousy picture; I took it in the bright glare of the sun, and everything looks horribly dried and washed out. It's nowhere near as bad as that, really, and the shoots are actually a lovely green. (And I just fed it some kelp tea, which should help.) This is actually the garlic I planted in October, and all six of the cloves have shoots! This is better than I was hoping for. We'll see if they manage to survive until harvest.

And these are the peonies:


Which are definitely budding; whee! They may not flower this year — apparently, often peonies don't in their first year — but as long as the shrub gets established, I am happy. I have no idea if these are the pink ones or the white ones, though — I've planted two, but I'm not sure if I got roots from both or just one of the plants.


I also found my first tulip bud this weekend. I don't think this is one of the bulbs I planted last fall — I hope not, actually, since I planted 18 and this is the only one I've found so far. I'm thinking it's probably one of the ones that was left over from the previous owner. I never bothered digging the bulbs up; I'm happy to let them propagate as they please. You really never can have too many tulips.

And in the surest sign of spring ...


The chives are back.