Panic! + Spring flower photos

One of my daffodil borders.

As I woke up this morning, I immediately realized that I forgot to bring my seedlings in last night. Panic! I was sure I'd find them matted to the soil, as it rained all night. But upon initial inspection, they seem to be okay, for the most part.  And now that we had our top soil delivered, I guess I should be able to transplant them this week. That's big news.

On another note, here are some shots of some of my spring flowers. I am really enjoying them, for the most part, as the rest of the landscape is still so blah! Why "for the most part?" The crocuses were a disappointment so far. First, they barely grew above the grass line. Second, I bought a box of mixed crocuses from Home Depot, which were supposed to be a blend of white, purple, and yellow. As you can see in the photo, 95% were white. I only had three, yes, three out of 120, that turned out to be purple and maybe only 10 yellows. White flowers, except for roses, are a bit of a waste unless you are trying to brighten up a shady spot, which these crocuses certainly are not doing.

Crocus border.

Hyacinth patch next to mediterranean pink bush.

I can't believe it, but my violets are already blooming
and have spread significantly over the fall and winter!

Time warp

Apparently my house resides in some sort of time warp where vegetation grows incongruous to every other property in our area. My garden experiences at least a two-week delay in bloom time, which is frustrating when you are anxiously awaiting the dead winter to be replaced by a palatte of color. (I know gardening is an exercise in patience, but seeing daffodils in every yard other than your own is a bit torturous).

So speaking of daffodils, two blooms finally appeared yesterday (I probably have 70 bulbs planted in a border along one of our rock walls). Hurry up already! I completely don't understand it either, because my property has excellent loamy soil and full sun, compared to my neighbor's properties. And I water meticulously (when it is not raining every other day like it currently is). What's the hold-up?

This bloom delay wouldn't be so bad if it my flower season was two weeks longer than everyone else's, but alas, I get screwed by the fall frosts, which end everyone's gardening at the same time. So while my daffodils will technically last beyond those that I've been envying for the last several weeks, I might as well not even bother with autumn plantings. By the time they finally show their colors, winter will hit. Boo.