What's blooming in your yard?

Today is the first spring-like day of the year. Temperatures should hit 55 and the low will be 40. There should also be a good rain tonight.

For most gardeners, it's way too early to do anything outside. The dirt is too wet. You aren't supposed to work your soil yet because it will compact and lose all of its air, which is bad for roots.

For me, though, this time of year is always the most involved. I have limited greenhouse space to plant seeds. I also have some subtropical plants that like a bit of cold so that they can flower (chill but not frost.)

So this morning I started picking through things that can move to the driveway (a triple-wide space. They can all be pulled into the garage if we dip down towards freezing again.) I made several wheel barrow moves from the back yard to the front. Out went the brugmansias, the bamboo, feijoa, and the hibiscus (of which I have a huge collection). The hibiscuses don't really like the cold, but they drop their leaves when you even slightly move them (like turning the put around to make the back face the sun.) That means whether I move them now or later they will drop all of their leaves and start again. At least the new leaves will be adapted to the lower humidity outside and they should start flowering again by late May, early June.

So now it really looks like spring in my yard. Already, one neighbor came over to take a look and thanked me for sharing the plants with the neighborhood.

I hope he doesn't mean that he is coming over to help himself while I am at work.