Submitted PhotoPapillion amaryllis flowers for spring.

Spring has officially arrived as of last Thursday the 19th, this past week has felt like summer instead of spring.

We have had what seems like a long warm winter up until now, the earliest flowering trees and shrubs were blooming out in February and by the first of March many of the flowers had bloomed through.

I had my knee surgery near the first of March and it was not as bad as I was expecting, but I am still limping around at times. I had microscopic surgery and not a knee replacement. Now there are many chores to be done outside and my knee will not hold up to do anything for very long.

I have so many plants sitting under my carport waiting to be planted, every time I walk by them they call out, “please plant me before I die.” There are also shrubs and trees waiting to be planted and it has gotten too warm to plant them now because many of them are starting to leaf out and there they sit, still in pots.

My neighbor volunteered to dig the holes and even brought over little red flags to be placed where I want the holes dug. So far, I have not had the stamina to get outside and choose where to put them nor to plant them after he digs the holes. Maybe we will get a week or two that is not in the 80s and I can get a few things done around here.

Town & Country Garden Club has caladiums for sale this spring. Karen Lyons Pierce, the daughter of Helen Lyons, is selling the bulbs this year. She has them at her house so you will not be around anyone except Karen if you go to buy them from her. Karen’s cell number is (229) 300 0345. The bulbs are available in pink, red, red and green and two or three cultivars of white. I have ordered some and plan to put them in planters so I can move them around where I would like to have color.

Amaryllis bulbs are sending up scapes and many are already starting to bloom. This is rather early for amaryllis, they usually bloom in April along about the time of the spring flower show. I stayed in town for a week after my knee surgery and when I came home I was amazed to see how many things had started to bloom that were not even showing any prospects when I left.

I have a Papillion Amaryllis bulb that is very beautiful and unusual, even the shape of the pedals is unusual. Last year, one bloomed in a pot and I thought it was my original bulb it looks so much like it. This year the first x hybrid bloomed very early and I thought it was the original bulb, when I returned home I discovered the original bulb which looks slightly different than the hybrid, was in full bloom and I was so amazed that it had managed to bloom this year. It did not bloom last year at all and is in a pot filled with agapanthus, Nile Lily. 

The true Papillion bulb is more vivid and in years past I crossed it up with other amaryllis colors, most did not come out looking as good as I had hoped, but apparently one came out looking so much like the mother that I could not tell the difference unless they were side-by-side. 

Now, I have hopes of breeding several more first-x hybrids but the only thing I can breed it to is other amaryllis that are flowering now. I like to use mostly white flowers for cross breeding and all I have now are big bright red ones. I did pollinate two flowers but since Papillion is a very different type I don’t know if it will take with the big red flared back flowers.

Shrubs that have finished blooming or ones that will be finished blooming soon, can be pruned back after they have bloomed. Early spring blooming flowers, shrubs and trees are ones that bloom on old wood that was grown last year.

Plants that bloom in the summer usually bloom on new wood, wood that was grown this year and the buds come out of the new wood. Flowers that come on new wood can usually be pruned from the time they have completed blooming and up until fall, as they will bloom next year on new wood.

Spring-flowering bulbs need to be fertilized if you haven’t already done so. 

Iris foliage is up and growing fast, I have one old fashioned white bearded iris blooming now. They are always the first to bloom and I only have a few of them. I have dozens and dozens of other Iris, most of them Louisiana iris, a few walking iris and some pseudocormus, water iris or sweet flag. Most of the iris except for the bearded ones were grown from seed. I am hoping to find some little ones sprouting up this year from seed that were planted last year.

Do not prune back hydrangeas at this time unless you know exactly what type you have and when they should be trimmed back. Some hydrangeas bloom on old wood and if trimmed back now you will be cutting off all of the potential flower buds. Some other hydrangeas only bloom on new wood and that type can be cut back now but you must be totally sure that is the type that you have.

The same is true of clematis vines, there are ones that bloom on old wood and cannot be pruned until after they finish blooming, some other types bloom on new wood and can be cut back hard this time of year, to produce more blooms but again you must know which type you have, to be trimming on them at all.

The Garden Center will not be holding a flower show this spring. I know many people are disappointed, but we just held a holiday flower show at Christmas and it takes a while to recover from putting on a flower show. Also, The Crescent is having a new roof put on it, the house and gardens will be closed until the end of March.

The Majestic old home is in need of many repairs and roofing The Crescent is just the first one we are about to tackle. The endowment trust of the Garden Center, Inc. is the fundraising arm of the center; we are about to launch a campaign to raise money to complete more of the needed repairs. 

Members are donating money now for “seed money” and we will ask the public for donations in the near future. The Crescent is a treasure and upkeep of it is very expensive, but it must be kept up or it will begin to deteriorate and will no longer be the “Showplace of Valdosta.”

The Crescent attracts visitors from all across the country and from many foreign countries. It is an asset to Valdosta and a premier venue for weddings, anniversaries and the reception hall is often used for family reunions, parties and wedding receptions.

This is a beautiful time of year, although we are not supposed to go out into stores or gatherings, we can ride around in our cars and see the beauty of spring as it blooms across the countryside. 

Bemiss Road has large fields of yellow mustard flowers. Peppergrass has faded from its red color and is now a rust color but there are also large fields of it blooming alongside the yellow fields of mustard. It looks like a large patchwork quilt when viewed from the road. 

Small white native Zephyr lilies, called Easter lilies locally, are blooming in ditches, roadsides and in the edges of fields where they have multiplied and crept into woods and fields. There are many growing along the Lakeland Highway and also along the Quitman Highway. The flowers are only about 5 or 6 inches tall but they grow in great abundance and make large patches of pretty white flowers.

Redbuds are flowering along with big leafed magnolias, quince bushes, some Bradford pears and wild plum thickets. Cherokee roses drape from tall bushes and trees with hundreds of large white flowers with centers full of yellow stamens. Cherokee roses are our state flower and due to their rambling, caning habit, they cover large areas when they have have been growing undisturbed for years.

I am out of space, hope to see you next week.

Susan Grooms lives and gardens in Lowndes County.