Peek-A-Boo, I See You!

Here's a little sampling of what's coming up in the garden right now. I love this time of year, it's both exciting and nerve-wracking waiting for things to come up! I go out every morning and look to see if anything new has come up, and check the progress of things that have previously emerged. Of course, even though it's not even March, I've already convinced myself that some things aren't coming back...oh, the joy of neuroses!


Sedum 'Autumn Joy'
I love the little buds of the sedum, they look so plump and happy! I always look forward to the Sedum, and they are now big enough that I'll probably take some cuttings to propagate them in other places in the garden.


Daffodil, unknown name
Although I am very appreciative of their bloom time (before anything else in the garden) their awful, floppy foliage is such an eyesore for such a long time that I'm going to move these further back in the garden after they bloom this spring, where taller plants should cover them up.


Persicaria 'Red Dragon'
I always think of these are very tender, but they are one of the first plants to pop up in the spring. This is the little piece that I propagated from a broken stem last summer...gotta love free plants!


Lupine, unknown name
Depsite succumbing to some pretty spectacular powdery mildew last season, the Lupine are back and ready for round 2!


Aquilegia 'Tequila Sunrise'
I admit, it's been a long time since I grew Aquilegia, I didn't realize they put out basal foliage in the fall and hold onto it all winter. The little crown of leaves and stems are slowly expanding. Love the purple tinge of these new shoots.


Geranium 'Ann Folkard'
I didn't even realize these were growing until I pulled back the thick layer of Oak leaves from them this weekend...love that toxic green/yellow coloring...and that pinkish border along the edge of the leaves is stunning.


Leucanthemum, unknown name
The basal foliage that lasted through the winter looks pretty ratty, but they are sending up new growth now. I know many people are down on the common daisy, but they are unbeatable for a sure-fire burst of pristine white in the summer border.


Geranium 'Katherine Adele'
This is the most advanced growth of any of the Geraniums so far...surprising as it's also the most well-behaved and smallest at it's mature size. I bought it solely for the zonal coloring of its leaves...so gorgeous all season.


Centranthus ruber
I finally cut back the scraggly stems this weekend, and can't wait for these puppies to get going...they are outstanding plants and have an amazingly long bloom period. Their cool blue-green foliage is also lovely.


Geranium macrorrhizum
Evergreen throughout the entire winter, these are also now sending up new stems, can't wait for them to really colonize the area around the Joe Pye Weed. Their foliar texture is just wonderful, with the benefit of a wonderful (depending on who you ask) scent!


Helenium 'Mardi Gras'
Another plant that maintains a basal mound of foliage all winter...once warmer weather arrives, they will explode upward.


Agastache 'Desert Sunrise'
I've been really pleased at how well these have overwintered, I've heard they can croak if they are too wet during the winter...and well, I DO live in Portland!


Persicaria 'Lance Corporal'
This hardy little Persicaria is really putting out the growth...love how the leaves are already showing their characteristic pattern, only in miniature.


Rumex (Bloody Dock)
I wasn't sure this would even come back...I never really knew for sure if it was hardy, but it looks like they are.


Echinops bannaticus
Another plant that maintains a small amount of basal foliage (although it's a favorite of slugs) throughout the winter. I do need to put some Sluggo down here...last spring they decimated the whole clump overnight. And yes...that little gray/brown blob on the foremost leaf is a slug.


Astrantia major
The first (and hopefully not the last) of the Astrantias finally popped up...I'm checking constantly for others :-)


Amsonia hubrichtii
It looks like the Amsonia should be much larger (which granted, isn't saying much) this year! I know it's a slow grower, but I'm hopeful it will at least be VISIBLE this year...last year that part of the garden looked pretty bare, due to it only being about 10 wispy stems.