mears garden: Week 7- February 1, 2015- I am ready for something else.

Welcome to week 7. It will be a slightly abbreviated post, as we are off to Chicago for the weekend.
Update from Sunday morning: It is snowing in Chicago and Iowa. We will be driving home to Iowa City later today. Those warm days from a week ago are a dim memory.

Ever since that taste of warmer weather I find myself mired in that other winter condition. I am not talking about snow. I am not talking about cold. I am talking about impatience. I am ready to be done with all this cold. I want it to get to be 60 and sunny. Right now.

In the contest last week we had a spirited competition, start to finish. between the Iceland poppy and the winky columbine. The winner was the poppy by a nose.

Here is your winner.
Inspired by this picture I planted a package of Iceland poppy seeds last week. I have grown them from seed before. They are not like those seeds where the instructions say to put the planted seeds in a plastic bag for 2 months. I should see germination in 2 weeks.
I can just imagine getting several dozen plants to a decent size by April. This is something you cannot do at the $3-5/plant charge at the greenhouse.

Here was the full voting
Poppy 20
Columbine 19
Pasque flower 7
Coneflower 6

Since we are all a little tired of looking out at the color white, I thought I would just give you some better thoughts about the color white. This week's competition features:

The White Group

Hoya

The first picture is the hoya. The variety goes by the name of Indian rope plant. In Iowa this plant grows in a pot. It gets hung in a tree over the summer. In the past I had an occasional flower. This past summer at one time I had about 6 blooming on one of the two plants I have. There is something to be said for getting a plant to a certain size.This picture shows a giant cluster of stars within stars.
Check out this link to hoya pictures
hoya pictures
It makes you want to go find many more varities. But they would all have to come inside for the winter.

Lupine

Here is the classic lupine. Lupines are so wonderful. They come in various colors from red to blue, and of course, white.
You just have to find the location where they are comfortable, with just the right amount of sun. The individual plants do not seem to last more than 2 years. But then they grow from seed each year. The lupine in my garden grow in full sun to half day sun.
I have also been able to grow lupine from seed. I should just go get some seed this weekend.

This is a Siberian iris. I do not know the name of the variety. It really is bigger than any other Siberian iris we have. A clump that produced 3-4 flowers now produces almost a dozen.
If I had a little more energy in the fall I should divide this clump. Of course that then requires me to find 4-5 places to put it.

Here is the double bloodroot. This is certainly in the top five flowers in the garden. I should divide my clump probably at any time after the flower fades in June.
This blooms later than the single variety and the flowers last longer.
The single variety was featured in week 2 and in Iowa is found in the woods. The double is not found in any woods I have found. This picture of the double was taken on April 20.
The entire clump is really grand. See the bonus pictures for more of this gem.

There you have it. Vote away.

Now for the bonus pictures.

This is a little rue anemone.

This is the double daffodil maybe called acropolis.

This is the star magnolia. It is an early flowering tree/shrub. This picture was taken on April 20.

This is a primrose. I find them quite hardy here in Iowa. They do not spread. They stay in their clumps. They do come back.
I love primroses, almost as much as I love lupine or poppies or iris. I think you get the picture.