Greetings and salutations, everyone; yes, once again it is I, your popular host, Mani the purebred border collie, here today to bring you up to date on all, or at least some, of the thrilling and chilling events since my last post. You may remember me from such posts as “Mister Fabulous”, among so many, many others.
Here I am in a characteristic pose.
This picture was taken about a week ago. Since then, it rained a little, and so the cool-season grasses in the garden have turned green, and are starting to grow.
Actually, very little has happened here. The guy I live with has been doing a bunch of stuff not related to gardening, and he made an appointment for me to see my doctor next week, to get stuck with needles. He told the person on the phone that I might be sensitive about comments relating to my heavy winter coat…
Well, we had to get a new water heater. That was fun. The one we had was leaking; the guy I live with said that water heaters do that, and that the one we had was at least twenty-five years old, so now we have one that has a flashing light and all the latest stuff.
Even the warm-season grasses are starting to turn green, though they grow much more slowly at this time of year.
This is the buffalo grass:
There are a lot of plants in flower, too. Cyclamen coum is everywhere in some parts of the garden.
As is Corydalis angustifolia. This is scented of vanilla cake. I’ve never had vanilla cake, but it sounds pretty good to me.
Some of the other corydalis are flowering, too. This is Corydalis schanginii subsp. schanginii, flowering in a sea of Phlox longifolia.
This is Tulipa humilis ‘Alba Coerulea Oculata’ or some such name.
Iris aucheri.
The other thing, and I guess this is a big Other Thing, is the amount of damage we’re seeing from the drought of last summer.
The guy I live with was taken aback when he saw the trough that used to be filled with sky pilots (Polemonium viscosum). The plants had been very happy for over a quarter century, flowering in March every single year, but look at the trough now.
The guy I live with was pretty sad, but then he said “Whatever”. I guess the garden is heading in a different direction, now, and plants that need regular watering will just go by the wayside.
A lot of the plants that were growing happily in the troughs have died, so the sky pilots are just another casualty.
I guess that’s it for now. We’re struggling mightily with the new WordPress editor, which the guy I live with said is unbelievably difficult to use, like so many other things dreamed up by computer people. So if my post looks weird, that’s why.
Until next time, then.
the miserable gardener 
Does the guy you live with consider Cyclamen coum to be a bit too vigorous? I mean, is it possibly invasive? I will be getting Cyclamen hederifolium, which I believe is similar in regard to its willingness to self so and even naturalize to a minor degree. Some tell me that it can get aggressive in other climates. Hybrids of Cyclamen persicum are all that I have ever grown. I dislike them as expensive annuals, since I grew them as tough perennials when I was a kid. They did not self sow though.
Cyclamen coum does seed all over the place, but that’s fine.
So, prolific, but docile about it.
A vanilla cake scented flower? If the chocolate cosmos smell like chocolate, I’ll be dreaming of desserts all the time I garden! Too bad about the troughs.
Now that’s it’s spring, what are you going to call your “heavy winter coat”?
I think I’ll still call it my heavy winter coat, and say I just haven’t gotten my spring coat yet.
It’s okay about the troughs; they are all going to have to be moved anyway.
Incidentally we added another picture, of Iris aucheri. This new editor has been very difficult for the guy I live with to navigate.
I hated both forms of the Block Editor too. You can access the Classic Editor again if you wan to. Click on your profile picture in the upper right corner (as if you were going to log out) and then on Settings, and then on Dashboard Appearance. On that page you’ll see a toggle for Show Advanced Dashboard Pages. Turn that ON, and then click on SAVE INTERFACE SETTINGS. Now log out. When you log back in, you will be able to use the Classic Editor by clicking on ALL POSTS. You can edit existing pages by hovering over its title and choosing Classic Editor. To create a new post using Classic Editor, look for the Add New dropdown box next to the POSTS page heading in ALL POSTS. Click on the arrow next to that, and select Classic Editor. Now you can carry on as normal, without having to use any of the Block Editors. š
Thanks! The guy I live with was going crazy trying to figure out what to do. I certainly wasn’t much help.
Mee-yow Mani such purrty wee flowerss! They are all lovelee….our fave iss THE Irisess!! They are so amazin!! THE Cyclamen iss lovelee too!
Wee too have rain tonite. It iss warm inn daytime an no heet on, butt at nite iss so chilley wee have to tern heet on.
You look furabuluss Mano! Mee iss sure THE Vet will agree.
THE Chatsworth Lady iss rite ’bout getting Classick Eddytor back. Wee gotted it an iss a reeleef. Yore bloggie lookss guud. That Block Eddytor iss ruff to use!
***purrss*** BellaDharma an ((huggiess)) LadyMew
Thanks; I hope my doctor does agree.
The “classic editor” is so much easier to use.
It’s supposed to rain here every day for a week. The guy I live with said that sounds okay. Having rain in spring will be like “the old days”, according to the old person I live with. But I guess he won’t shampoo the carpet for a while yet …
Mee-yoe rain efurry day this week??? You mite need a can-ooooo to stay afloat Mani!!
Did Guy figure out how to get Classick Eddytor back?? Wee sure hope sew. LadyMew was inn teerss when they did THE switch an shee threw a few thingss too! š
Well, not rain, as it turns out. Snow every day for at least a week.
Did you meow…umm barl SNOW Mani?!?!? EEEKKKKKK!!!!!
Yep. Every day until at least next Monday.
Tripell UCKY UCKY UCKY!!!
Stay warm Mani an Guy!
Thanks; it hasn’t snowed yet, even though they keeping saying it will. The sun is out, and birds and singing.
HURRAH!! Maybee weather peepss are wrong!!! Wee can hope rite Mani???
I don’t think they’re wrong. They say 19F (-7.2C) for this weekend.
The guy I live with takes that as a personal affront. (He’s kind of funny that way; the weather doesn’t care about him at all.)
BBRRR 19 deegreess ISS supurr chilley Mani!
LadyMew takess “a front” to THE weather forecast too š
Weather does NOT care ’bout her eether!
**purrss** BellaDharma
It is indeed super chilly.
RATSS!! Iss suppurr chilley here two Mano š¦
Have never heard of Phlox longifolia. Is it tougher than Phlox divaricata, which should be hardy in my garden but becomes a dry crunchy mess every Spring? Love the Iris too. Sorry to hear of your losses but an opportunity to try something new.
Phlox longifolia is a dryland phlox from western North America. Spreads by underground runners. Really spreads. Flowers in spring, then disappears for the summer (at least in our garden). Comes back in autumn, then disappears again.
Way back in the last century, the guy I live with tried eastern woodland phloxes like divaricata and stolonifera, but they didn’t survive long. It’s too dry here, even with watering in the shade garden.
I have a feeling that the dead plants won’t be replaced.
It looks like there is still a bit of the Polemonium in that trough, right? Maybe the coming rain/snow will help? We are terribly dry here in S. Oregon. No rain for a while, and none in sight. Hey, I think I asked you this before but is that Corydalis angustifolia available anywhere? Something that smells like vanilla cake sounds good, and low calorie. I may be wearing a bit of a winter coat myself. If you never get any cake yourself Mani, shouldn’t you be slim and trim? Not enough squirrels to chase?
I would be slim and trim, but the guy I live with keeps giving me biscuits when I ask for them, which is all the time.
He also says Corydalis angustifolia isn’t available anywhere, and that it seeds everywhere. All over the place. Like feverfew. The guy I live with’s wife wanted feverfew, and so she planted some, and now it’s also everywhere. Or catmint.
You need to keep a sharp eye on that guy you live with!
I think you’re right. He is kind of a nut, after all.