Facilities Manager: Spring Flowers!

 Howdy! Facilities Manager here. It's time for my semi-annual blog about FM Things around the farm/gardens. While I prepare for the construction of the chicken house, i.e., manufacturing walls, roof panels and nest boxes, I have been taking photos of my favorite flowers around Chickadee Gardens. I am often surprised by these little beauties as I traipse around doing my chores and projects.

 

Tamara will add the Latinese nameous to each picture and I will make a comment. And maybe we will find a surprise at the end! Let's take a walk, shall we? In chronological order from photos on my phone over the past 4 months, I give you FM's choice of favorite flowers!

Anemone 'Black and White'

One of the first flowers to surface in late winter. This little gem and its budding buddy face the sunshine, and we all know the Pacific Northwest had a little too much sunshine the last three months. However, the last four days have drenched us with more than an inch of lovely, soft and steady rain! We love it! The plants love it! The hens? Well, it makes worms surface, so! The cats? They no love rain!

Three species of daffodils rose out of the orchard grass in March. The sprinkle of bright yellows and pastel yellows really lifted our spirits as we await the annual greening of our two acres. 

Tulipa praestans 'Shogun'

Tulips mean spring is just around the corner. They also mean we remember fondly our Dutch friends and the spectacular tulip farms and gardens in Holland. Walter and Stella? This one is for you!

This stunning vision was with us far longer than usual because the lack of rain meant the delicate flowers on this ornamental cherry were not knocked away. Just lovely. 

Tulipa 'Darwin Hybrid Mix'

How could I just walk by this tulip and not ask it to pose for a pix? 

Our Spitzenberg apple tree bloomed first. As our orchard grows we look forward to perhaps someday making our own cider. We do not spray for bugs on our fruit, so we may add the word "protein" to our labels and not be accused of false advertising. Hey, now!

Cornus nuttallii

Our most visible native dogwood really is a slow bloomer. Takes about a week for the pedals to unfold and then they even more slowly turn white. Soon the center will turn red as the seeds form. We love us some dogwood.

Cornus florida, unknown cultivar

Now this dogwood is special. It was planted in memory of my father, who passed in 2006. The tree lived in a wooden tub until we moved here in 2015. It is very happy with its new place in the world. These are the petals early on. 

. . . and these are the petals after about 10 days of sunshine. I love the color change. 

Limnanthes douglasii - Douglas' meadowfoam

These little guys are so earnest in their glory. I look at them most mornings when walking Hobbes, our Bengal boycat. They bloom for several weeks as the plant spreads. I am told that they tend to fold up shop as the summer months come and you'd never know this wonderful display ever happened. I hope that is not true! (it is, FM, sorry)

Calendula 'Radio'

Tamara knows I love me some orange. She planted these little devils next to the veggie garden and I love them. They serve as orange safety cones in the garden for when I am mowing nearby. Watch out! Orange means . . . oh, heck, they just vibrate happiness.

Eriophyllum lanatum, Oregon sunshine

More colorful fun. This plant is another long-termer in the garden. It brings in the sunshine before June and July make it official. Seems to me Summer starts on June 20, in just a few days. 

Buddleia globosa

Orange again! Kind of cheese-puff orange. Not sure what they taste like but they are eye-candy, for sure.

Eriogonum heracleoides - parsnip flower buckwheat

Every once in awhile a teeny, tiny flowering plant catches my eye. This reminds me of white-blossoming fireworks. So fragile. And pretty. 

Carpenteria californica

Speaking of fragile, the petals on these flowers seem like old paper! The burst of yellow with the white, linen-like skirt is just another of the dozens of examples of delightful surprises in the garden. Thanks, Tamara. (you are welcome, FM. They are all for you!)

And we have some early fruit. The cherry trees are starting to produce. Not much and the birds will get to them before I will, probably, so I made it eternal with a picture. You go, Bing Cherries!

My two favorite flowers! Meet Sharon, mother of Facilities Manager, and, of course, Tamara, Mrs. FM! My 85-year-old mother visited from Idaho recently and enjoyed her time in our gardens. And she helped me build rafter-trusses for the new hen house. She is a trouper! Thanks, Mom!

(thanks for the sweet compliment and also for the no makeup photo, FM! - D'OH!)

That is for FM this week. Thanks for letting me share my pictures!

That's a wrap for The Husband's Favorites at Chickadee Gardens. Also, if you are a Hardy Plant Society of Oregon member, we're having an open garden this Saturday the 19th of June. Look us up! It's from 2 - 6pm. We'll have a second and final open garden on Saturday July 10 from 9am - 2pm if you miss this one or prefer mornings.

As always thank you for reading and commenting, happy gardening!