Nice that you're on to planting already, @fantasia! Like @grandmama (good to see you here again!), we won't be planting outdoors for a couple of months yet (May 22nd weekend is the safest time to start here). Lovely that you have some containers started, grandmama, as well as your peppers.  

And, wow, @wolfloversk, you are on a roll! That's wonderful. Do keep us posted as to how things grow.  

Three of my six over-summered amaryllis bulbs were a success; the other three were ... half a success. I'll explain more. Three bulbs produced beautiful stalks and blooms. The final bulb is finishing blooming now, so we have had these beautiful flowers for weeks. The other three bulbs only grew green leaves, which look very healthy. But no stalks that held buds. I want to research to find out what this determining factor is. Obviously there is good life in each bulb, but then, why only leaves (albeit very healthy) for some? I'm sure there is an answer out there.  

I start saving for gardening season right after Christmas, and begin thinking about plant planning when the snow is mostly gone, so I can clearly see the gardens. We had a few warmer days last week (well above freezing), so our Stonecrop/Sedum are showing a bit of their green. They must be puzzled now, though, as deep night freezes have set in again. Poor plants.  

This is the first year we have over-wintered our geranium plants, so I am excited to see how (or if!) they come back to life. fantasia, it was your mom who encouraged me to do this.  

There is a fair bit of winter detritus, so the next couple of months will be spent cleaning that all up in preparation for planting in later May. As many of you know, I am not at all a warm weather person, so am thankful for something fulfilling like gardening that is one of the few things that help pull me through the hot summer months. Although, because of the heat, I ensure I garden in the very early morning hours when the air tends to be fresher, or sometimes in the evening, if it even cools down then.  

Edit 1: Oh, I forgot something! @Courtenay : Brandywine tomatoes are my absolute favourite. For some reason ours did not grow properly last summer   and we think it is because the soil was depleted in calcium, so we have added lots of eggshells to help build that nutrient up again. We sure hope for a much better crop this year!

Edit 2: So, this is what I found in regards to my amaryllises leafing but not blooming:

"When an amaryllis has only leaves and no flowers, it is typically a sign that the bulb wasn't given the right care and growing conditions after its first bloom."

Thing is, I treated all the bulbs the same, so ... who knows?  

@jo, I can relate to the "fair amount of winter detritus"! Lots of branches and twigs in the front yard. And some late falling leaves from last fall. I'm waiting for the ground to thaw a bit more and then need to get out there and rake!
There's snow in the air as I write, so I don't think that will be this week. 

I haven't posted in here in a LONG time, but I do have some exciting gardening news.

Last spring, I purchased a Lemon Tree. . . Definitely not something that can survive the frigid Ohio winters, but it was a beautiful potted tree that lived on our back patio all summer, and fall.  

I brought in the tree to overwinter indoors, and was initially quite saddened to see the leaves falling one by one.  The last leaf fell off about two weeks ago, but I hadn't given up hope that it was still alive under the topsoil. 

Well. . . now, not only does it have a new branch with new leaves coming in. . . but it is also covered in flowers that smell like lemonade!  I'm actually going to get some lemons I think, and that is so exciting to me!  

I plan on taking the tree back outside in May for it to continue to grow and thrive in the warm summer air.  Will definitely post any updates on the lemon progress.

Posted by: @grandmama

There's snow in the air as I write, so I don't think that will be this week. 

Ditto here. We awoke to a bit of snow this morning. But the experts say we shouldn't clear the detritus too early, as bees, etc, nest there in the cold weather, and disturbing them prematurely could affect their natural annual cycle.

@digorykirke / DiGs, how wonderful about your lemon tree! I love when something one has tried to over-winter surprises us with new growth in the spring. Enjoy! Yes, do keep us posted as to any lemons.  

@digorykirke , I was just talking to a friend this morning who has overwintered a lemon tree in her house (in Minnesota) for about 3 years now. She puts it on her deck in the summer and in a sunny place inside in the winter. She said that she has had to move the tree to larger pots each year. Last year they had several lemons from the tree. She mentioned the same thing that leaves drop off, but it comes back. So cool that it smells like lemonade. 🙂 Too bad I don't have a sunny place to set one over the winter. 

@jo  I'm happy to have an excuse not to rake yet.  

@grandmama It's great to hear that somebody else has had a similar experience!  I love my little tree!  It's already in a pot that I suppose one could call an "amphora."  This is the pot:

It's a 20 inch pot, and with the tree and soil in it, it probably weighs 200 pounds.  We have to move it around with a dolly.

That is a beautiful pot, DiGs! Nice that your friend's lemon tree has turned out well, Grandmama.  

This is the first chunk of time this season I have spent outdoors in the garden, cleaning up much of the winter detritus. An enjoyable task in the coolness of the early morning, and after my refreshing walk. Everything is now piled up, ready to take to the yard waste depot. I see some green pokings from spring bulbs: snowdrops and crocuses, specifically. Pretty! Also, those cute round bursts of sedum/stonecrop are showing in the sheltered base part of those plants. The birds are out in plenty, very busy as they prepare their nests for eggs. What a chorus around the house. We have twelve large maples around our property's perimeter, so you can imagine the abundant life we enjoy here.

I overwintered my geraniums for the first time, so we shall see how they fare when I am able to get them in the ground ... not for another two months.

But I see some snow is forecast for Monday , as the temperature drops from 19C / 66F today! We have had a very unusually warm past week for March, so the birds and plants may be quite confused when freezing temps arrive again for a while.  

I'd love to see some pictures of your snowdrops, Jo!  They're such a favorite plant of mine, but I cannot find the plants anywhere.  Would love to get some and just put them all through our woods.

They are so delicately pretty, aren't they, DiGs? @digorykirke They have grown up on their own in our back lawn, and I hope to transplant some to a couple of gardens. Here is a photo. (If there is an option to load the full resolution, do this, as it's clearer.)

Such cheerful little flowers, and such a vibrant pop of green there amidst the dead yellow grass.

Yes, aren't they so lovely?

That dormant yellow grass will be greening up fully in another month or so, especially if another warm spell comes around soon.  

It took me a couple weeks but I finally got my potatoes planted on this lovely afternoon. I had my almost 4 year old helping out. I was peppered with questions on the difference between potatoes and tomatoes and why we're planting one now and one later and so on and so forth. She also kept putting the eyes on the potatoes pointed down instead of up. LOL 

I was also proud of my husband because actually managed to spray my cherry tree for borers at the correct time of year. It's been looking pretty sick the past two years so I'm hoping this helps. When we get cherries off of it, they're amazing. 

Something got into my plants :/  Tomatoes, peppers and sweet potatoes are gone alone with one parsley plant.  My other parsley and my irises got heavily chewed up as well.  I'm not sure what it was... either a chicken or a rodent.  I had them all in some old chicken coops so it'd have to be something small.  My strawberries and other flowers look well though.

@wolfloversk, it's so annoying when critters get into the garden! Something has been chewing the tops off of my tulips as they pop thru the ground. Yesterday I put a fence all around them, so I hope that helps.

What fun planting the potatoes, @fantasia! I loved teaching our kiddos about gardening when they were young and as they grew up. I hope you get cherries off the tree this year! Is it as sweet or sour cherry tree?

Argh, @wolfloversk, that is so frustrating!  

@grandmama, has the fence helped protect the tulips? We can't even plant tulips here, because even with protection, something always attacks them.  

Our crocuses are now in bloom and any day now rabbits will be chomping those lovely flowers off, so I must get out there and sprinkle Irish Spring green soap pieces around them, which helps. Or Blood Meal.  The one larger annual plant we have to fence up is the Dusty Miller. Bunnies love those far too much.  

I hope to transplant my snowdrops soon from the lawn to gardens, as they are not blooming anymore.

Seeing many green shoots around to various places, which is fun, and I always find exciting in a garden-y sort of way.