How Does Your Garden Grow?

From the UMN Extension Yard and Garden News:

... There is still time to start seeds of fast growing warm season flower and vegetable species indoors for outdoor transplanting after danger of frost. These plants include: cosmos, marigolds, tomatoes, and zinnias. Cold hardy annuals can be direct seeded in the garden during April and include: calendula, sweet peas, peas, and larkspur. Cold hardy annual transplants we have started ourselves or purchased from the garden center can also be planted and include vegetables like cole crops (broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, etc.) and flowers like pansies, snapdragons, and stocks. ...

Always filled with interesting garden info, this month's Yard and Garden News also contains a story on Early Spring Lawn Care Tips, which seems to say it is still too early to be out cleaning up the lawn!

I took a little walk around the yard today and while most everything is still covered with leaf mulch, a couple of spots are clear and showing signs of Spring! (Updated with better pictures.)

Pasque Flowers coming up. They've been in flower as early as April 15th, but usually around mid-May.




Crocus and a couple of daffodils just starting to emerge.



In addition to these, I noticed one Peony with eyes showing!

I love the couple of alpine plants I have, but apparently not enough to have saved their tags. I think this might be a Dionysia tapetodes. This is its second spring. It blooms well before anything else. It's right outside my back door.

I bought this plant at a whim. It was on sale in late summer and I felt flush with money. It had probably been 2-3 weeks since I had made my last plant purchase, so I was due.

The tulips planted by the former homeowner are coming up in front. This first photo shows the plants next to the skull of Kip, my niece's horse. (He died at their farm, was thrown into the compost, and after a couple of years I got his skull.

The next photo shows tulips coming up next to a random goat skull. My sister has dairy goats and composts their remains when they die. I really like bones and since I don't have access to interesting large rocks, I've used them in the garden.