Daffodils sprouting

The tree stump in the yard will look prettier with friends. I thought the squirrels had eaten all of these!

South side of the house

Front of the house

Surprise! I didn't plant these!

The warm weather continues - I think it has only snowed twice in Matunuck and neither time lasted more than a day or so. Today it's 53 degrees and beautifully sunny. I came out to plant the poppy seeds an dnoticed a lot of the bulbs are sprouting! A few of the daffodils by the porch steps, the south side of the house, out by the tree trunk near the cow pasture, and the patches on both sides in front of the house. The crocuses are also poking up, and the irises in the pot on the front step. It also looks like the anemones are going to give it another go - hopefully this time they'll have flowers instead of just greenery. The real surprise is that in the fall I only planted the eastern half of the garden on the south side of my house but it appears my homeowner Lisa must have also done some planting before we moved in because there are definitely some daffodils poking through the grass on the other half too! This is great because it means more flowers for spring but I'm getting nervous about where I can plant my dahlias and zinnias! And the poppies! Yikes! Where will they go? My fears about whether the bulbs would be strong enough to grow through the grass have been calmed, at least with the daffodils, it doesn't seem like they are having any trouble. I hope the tulips will have the same luck.

Red Corn Poppy (Eden Brothers Photo)

Peony Poppy (Eden Brothers Photo)

Shirley Poppy (Eden Brothers Photo)

Sometimes I plan well and sometimes I wing it. Today was a wing it sort of day. I had 4 packets of poppy seeds to plant from Eden Brothers - Shirley Poppy, Red Corn Poppy, and 2 packets of Peony Poppy (the ones I'm most excited about). I started with the Shirley Poppy because they were a free surprise when Eden Brothers mixed up my order (love their customer service!). I put them on the east side of the porch steps, next to and behind the bush that I think is lilac. I hope that these will get enough sun in the early spring before the lilac's leaves fill in, and then they'll be covered by the lilac when they're dead and ugly. Not sure how that is really going to pan out. Next I dug up a patch of grass in the center of the south side of the house, about 2' wide by 3'deep. My size was limited by the edge of my known fall plantings on one side and Lisa's sprouting bulbs on th eother side. In this area I sprinkled a combination of the Red Corn Poppies and the Peony Poppies. I'm sure I put too many seeds but I don't know what the germination rate is and I have more seeds that I know what to do with. I had a packet and a half left over so I sprinkeled them around the bases of the stumps and trees in the yard - hopefully this will keep them safe from mowing. I really hope these grow! non of last year's poppies got more than an inch tall (all in pots on the windowsill, probably overcrowded), and the ones I started under the grow lights at home haven't done anything. Hooties says they need to get cold from the winter so I've wrapped that pot in plastic and put it in the fridge last weekend. I'm not sure if that will work but I will keep you posted!

The poppy patch (I hope).

The house plants enjoying some real sun.