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Re: Late Bloomers

At 06:06 AM 13 06 97 -0700, you wrote:
>Does anyone know why flowers in my garden would bloom at least a week
>later, than what I see elsewhere? <snip>
>L. Weiland

Frustrating isn't it!  I ask myself the same question every year.  And all I hear is my husband's voice from years ago when he tried to teach me auto-mechanics -- "If it doesn't start, it's either spark or fuel!"  For me, in gardening that translates into sun, soil & moisture.  Assuming the plant material is constant, there must be some variation in one or more of the primary elements that plants require.

For me there's a clue in the word "see".  I look at other gardens most often from my car and see rhodos, poppies, shastas etc. all in full bloom when mine are just in promise.  Folks who drive past my place see nothing but trees.  The lot is surrounded on three sides by a wide swath of densely treed bush.  The fourth side, though open to a field and less obscured by tall trees, is shaded by a 15' cedar hedge.  So if I can **see** their flowers, they're getting more sun sooner than mine.  I also have to remind myself that I use fancy fertilizers to promote blooming very sparingly.  It's a big yard with lots of plants and I try to economize and rely on homemade compost and the kindness of neighbours with excess horse manure to supplement the soil.  And once the plants are established, I'm pretty skimpy with extra watering.  That's an economy I can get away with on the wet west coast of BC.  And I mulch enthusiastically which helps retain moisture.

I know from the winter season that our entire neighbourhood is a weird little micro-climate.  We get more snow, more prolonged freezing and way more ice-storms than areas a few miles away.  And it can be pouring rain at my place and gloriously sunny at my girl friend's -- less than 2 miles east of here.  Last winter we had unusually large amounts of snow which was still on the ground in my yard for a good six weeks after it had completely disappeared elsewhere.  

As much of the joy in gardening is anticipation, I try to view my late bloomers as "season extenders" and not to worry.

Highly competitive, but learning to be patient, I remain,
Donna Wilson  ;-)
Zone 5 (with pockets of 4-9) SouthWest Coastal BC, Canada.



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