Daffodil dilemma

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I'm not very good at fertilizing. Add it to the list of things I can't do but keep trying (hello, growing the-world's-easiest-herb chives!). Last year after the big yellow daffodils bloomed, but before the foliage died, I side-dressed each one with a tablespoon of this bulb food. This year, they all grew foliage, but none of them bloomed. Where did I go wrong?!

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day - March 2009

Wild violets:

This flower grows prolifically in the yard. I am unsure of its identity, but it resembles a white violet, if such a thing exists. The first strawberry flower!
Spiderwort: The bradford pears are almost done with this year's flowers...

...as evidenced by our driveway:

I grew up calling these "onion flowers." Is it weird that I love the smell?

A few muscari are still in bloom.

Lorapetalum and daffodils (please excuse the foundation work!):

I just bought this Joey at the garden show this weekend. It's supposed to be very heat and drought tolerant. I'm waiting a few more weeks to plant it in the front, in case we have a late freeze.

Carolina jessamine:

Katherine's overwintered gerbera daisy is on the verge of opening its first (red!) bloom.

White crocus and daffodil:

Clover in the yard:

Camellia still going strong!

Blueberry:

The gift that keeps on giving

I had a really stressful day at work, and left the office around six in an icky mood, dreading the work to be done both tonight and tomorrow.

Then I drove up to the house, and saw that three of these HUGE daffodils opened while I was at work today! I could see them from down the street! My eyes lit up and my nose could hardly stand the few-second wait.

They smell amazing. And I have my friend Lesley to thank, since she gave the bulbs to me for my birthday last year. My friend Lynn also gave me many of the blooming perennials in my yard. What an awesome gift for a gardener - a bulb or plant that will bring joy to the recipient every year, potentially for decades! I feel much better now. Thanks, friends!

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day - February 2009

Yellow and purple crocuses. I planted these last fall and was so pleased that the squirrels ignored them!

Yellow pansies and a periwinkle blue hyacinth - the only one I have ever planted that the squirrels didn't eat! This is possibly because I planted it after forcing it last year, so it always had some foliage and roots.

Muscari aka Grape Hyacinths - they smell amazing but you have to get on the ground to smell them! I enjoy the green foliage after the flowers fade away.

The first daffodil to bloom this year.

This huge camellia has been blooming for about a month now.

I bought four blueberry bushes at Hutto's last week, and they are all in bloom. They aren't planted in a very sunny spot, so I may have to move them next year. I'll report back on that.

Lorapetalum - love the hot pink fringy flowers on this shrub.