A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2007 Spring has sprung... but what's in my garden?

We bought a house with a lot of perrenials last summer. Now I'm looking to clean up the gardens, and add our own plants. But before I dig up too much, I'm hoping you can identify some of these early risers. I managed to identify some on my own (purple and yellow crocuses and snowdrops). There are more I'll ask about later when they're more than fresh shoots.
(These are thumbnails to larger pictures)

A
I'm thinking this is Siberian Squill buds - but my leaves look broader than the photos I found.

B

These are yellow flower heads (with rubbery center parts) on the end of spreading growth from the bushes someone planted everywhere. These bushes really want to spread! Until I have better pics of the bush, perhaps the flower will identify it. These bushes are also along where my vegetable garden will be and I want to know how invasive they are and whether I should be uprooting all of them.

C

This is an interesting bud. No idea what it is to be.

D

I'm not sure what these are, but from the cut marks it looks like we chopped down dead stuff at the end of the year.

E

As I recall, this leafy growth gives rise to tall reedy somethings (as demonstrated by the reed sticking up.)

Any help you can offer is appreciated.

I found some pictures the realtor took for us when we first looked at the house last June. These may help. Sorry about the quality, they are cropped from larger photos focused on the house itself. They are also thumbnails, so click to see larger photos.

A

The blue on the right would be the current blue buds in A above.

B

This is the bush I speak of on the left.

C

The strange looking bud turns into one of these bright flowers I assume.
Item D is (presumably) the blue on the left at the base of the tree.

E

And I think E above the the yellow flowers here.

Also don't know what the mass of green on the left is, though I think it had flowered by end of summer.

In your first post "C" is a Hyacinth. They are lovey and smell awesome!

patches

A. Siberian Squill (Scilla siberica)
*I believe, but need to see more, for me, whether it turns
completely blue or goes to a
blue hue with white and a light blue.*

B. Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara)

C. Hyacynth

D. Is some kind of Jack~in~the~Pulpit or Drancunulous type
**need to see it up further for me to totally identify**

E. Is the clump to your Lepord's Bane...
*before it flowers..*
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A.
B.
C. Hyacynths and Tulips
D.
E. Lepord's Bane...
~~~~>The mass of green to the left are a lily,
I would like to say, "Roadside or Ditch lily"
Where they orange?/????

I also would like to say, the yellow one in this picture is
DIFFERENT from the yellow in the first grouping..

I ammended my list above....
Check again.

Hi Mandyz
I agree with Weezie on A-squill, B-coltsfoot, C-hyacinth, and D-I'd like to see a picture when it's bigger!
Looks like you got a great yard!

Thanks, I will definitely share once bigger.

Fascinating though. So the colts foot is 'like' what I thought - a rhizome - only it's not coming from the bush. (Plus this morning I spotted it far from the bushes). Sounds like I'll just have to live with it and not let children eat it... Still, I will try to get out at least the stuff in my garden directly.

I will add photos of D when it flowers.

And it is a pretty great yard. We've ordered a bunch more bulbs to add to it too.

The Coltsfoot, is actually just a weed..
Not sure if they are selling that out on the
market yet...*they sell just about everything else though*.... Do watch it, and I would deadhead it before it makes seeds.. just to be safe.. I think it's pretty, I do let some grow, but I am mad for weeds with pretty flowers, but remember it is still a weed.

Oh yes, keep up posted mysteries, it's so much fun!!!

If you like it, it's not a weed. Coltsfoot is a medicinal herb used for coughs, but I don't remember how. It has nothing to do with the bush, except it likes partial shade and to be a bit moist. The plant itself is not invasive at all, it just self seeds a lot if the conditions are right. It should be easy to keep it where you want it by dead-heading, like Weezie said.

Number D looks like "Tulipa Greigii" and were nipped by something as they came up. If they were in Vermont, I'd say the deer had been nibbling on the tender shoots.

I'd like to see newer pictures, as
it's growing/getting bigger/filling out!!!!

a of the second groups has a daffodil in it

The hyacinths, siberian squill, and lepard's bane flowered a few weeks ago. I also now know what the bush is (that I thought was sending out shoots - the colts foot).






Japanese Quince bush

D looks like a tulip I used to have too. A fosteriana variety, stayed short with branched blooms with multiple flowers.