Things are starting to bloom!

So! My rose bush is blooming! The blooms are small but they smell delicious. I am taking the advice I got from a friend’s copy of “All About Roses” and cutting off just the roses as the blooms start to fade, to encourage growth throughout the season.

Here’s my first mini-bouquet:

Unfortunately, the Duchesse seems to be under attack from slugs. So, I went to the book & the internet, and deduced that she needs some Sevin dust, stat! I will stop by and get some tonight before supper. Its still a minor skirmish, not a war, so I think she will survive. Here she is, in the fading afternoon light:

Also out front, the Knockout rose seems to be establishing itself well:

And the gardenia, which was worrying me greatly, seems to be recovering from whatever affliction was causing the yellowing of the old leaves, and is forming new green leaves that seem healthy:

The bulbs– the gladioluses, I think– are popping up like crazy now. They have long, slender, sword-shaped leaves, and I think (from pictures) they are pretty distinct from the Dutch Windflowers, which I have not seen come up yet:

You may notice that one of the bulbs is coming up OUTSIDE the little fence I erected. Since I planted the bulbs and then installed the fencing, its likely I made a calculation error and turned the fence too quickly. I can’t decide whether to move the fence or the bulb. Oh, well, its not the worst thing in the world if it lives on the outside. The fence is mostly decorative, and to warn the mailman not to crunch on my flowers!

My lillies of the valley seem to be enjoying their shady basket, but something is nomming on them, which makes me very angry.

Out on the back deck, my cilantro is positively thriving. I see a lot of delicious homemade salsa, guacamole, Thai peanut sauce and other things in my future!

The mesclun salad greens I planted are popping up fast! They went in their pot weeks after the other goodies.

The oregano is still being stubborn:

But wow, check out these sweet peas! These are the viney sweet peas that I want to twirl around my rustic, homemade arbor. They seem to be cooperating nicely::

and

The basil is being a little shy, compared to the cilantro and mesclun, but I’m seeing promising little shoots:

and

The chives popped up pretty quickly after planting but haven’t come along much. Perhaps they need warmer temperatures or more sun. In any case, they are definitely there and seem healthy, so I’m pleased:

Finally, the parsley is coming up. Its only in a few places, so maybe the weather isn’t pleasant enough for the parsley yet, either.

The windowbox sweet peas are really looking nice, too. I am excited to see them doing so well.

I think, next to the Duchesse, the calla lillies are the real champs. They have really shot up, and are growing these gorgeous green, spotty leaves that are starting to unfurl. No sign of their roommates, the begonias, yet. I am trying to be patient:

Unfortunately, I think my black-eyed susans are not going to join the party. I planted them a month ago, now, and I have only seem one wee tiny sprout, and it doesn’t look particularly robust:

Then, there are my nasturtiums and morning glories, which are coming along nicely:

Last, but certainly not least, is my strawberry planter, which is hanging on but not doing anything particularly impressive yet:

I also have some tomato seeds I’m trying to sprout in seed-starting mix. I’m going to Pike Family Nursery tonight to pick up the slug-killer, and I might look for something to put in the black-eyed susan basket, since I’ll be really sad if that basket stays empty all season. I also need to get a hose and a hose reel, and work on my plan for the pathways.