Spring!, Photo by Joel Dinda
View Joel’s photo background bigtacular and then just lay back and watch his massive Flowers slideshow until you too believe in SPRING!
There’s lots more spring wallpaper on Michigan in Pictures.
Lilacs on Mackinac … and lilacs in your garden
Lilacs on Mackinac Island, photo by Steven Blair
While lilacs are starting to wind down around the state, they’re just getting going on Mackinac Island. The annual Mackinac Island Lilac Festival started last weekend and continues through Sunday, June 15th. Here’s a few tips courtesy the Lilac Festival and Jeff Young, Lilac Curator at the University of Vermont Horticultural Research Center, Master Gardener and presenter of the “Walk and Talk with Lilacs” program during the Lilac Festival.
- Common Lilacs need to have 9-12 canes for each 6 feet
- Leave at least 2 feet between mature Lilacs.
- Plant new shrubs 16 feet apart (circular shape)
- Allow for a few more canes if you are planting as a hedge with less depth.
- If you have too many canes, consider the oldest canes for removal first, leaving good spacing between canes.
- If not enough canes, pick one or two of the best suckers each year until there are enough.
- Once the Lilac is established, consider adding one new cane and removing the oldest cane each year to create a vigorous, healthy full flowering plant.
More at the Lilac Festival website.
View Steven’s photo background bigilicious on Facebook and see more at the Artistic Mackinac Gallery & Studio.
More lilacs and more summer wallpaper on Michigan in Pictures!
Spring Showers on Spring Flowers
Spring Showers on Spring Flowers, photo by David Marvin
View David’s photo background big and see more rainy, tulipy, irisy goodness in his slideshow.
More Spring wallpaper on Michigan in Pictures.
Lilac Season
lilacs in spring, photo by Laila L
It’s lilac time across most of Michigan, one of my favorite seasons!
Laila took this photo last May – view it bigger and see more in her Flowers slideshow.
Roses are red, violets are tough
Roses are red, violets are tough, photo by Bill Dolak
View Bill’s photo background bigilicious and see more in his Flowers slideshow.
More Spring wallpaper on Michigan in Pictures.
Spring, Back in the Good Old Days
Untitled, photo by Donald Anson
By “Good Old Days” I mean April 2011.
View Donald’s photo background big and see more in his awesome Flowers slideshow.
For the flower-deprived, there’s lots more flowers and more spring wallpaper on Michigan in Pictures too!
Pink Daffodils
Pink Daffodils, photo by Alissa Holland
We can dream, right?
View Alissa’s photo bigger and see more in her How My Garden Grows slideshow.
Set your background for Spring!
First Flowers of Spring, photo by Bill Dolak
Although this photo is from a year and two days ago, reports are starting to roll in of crocus sightings. That’s good enough for me – set a course for Spring, Warp 6!
Check it out background bigtacular and see more in Bill’s Flowers slideshow.
There’s more spring wallpaper on Michigan in Pictures and in case you were feeling wimpy after March, UpNorth Live reports that March 2014 was indeed a lion!
In the Month of March the average temperature for these cities were well below normal. March was 10 degrees below normal in Houghton Lake and 11 degrees below normal in Gaylord. This past March was the 3rd coldest on record in Alpena, and in both Gaylord and Houghton Lake it was the coldest on record!
Drink deep of milk of spring: Snowdrops
Push Up, photo by Michael in A2
Michigan Gardener’s plant focus on Snowdrops begins:
The very first bulb to cheerfully announce spring is the snowdrop. As the last winter snow melts, carpets of delicate white flowers emerge through last year’s fallen leaves. Snowdrops will reliably return year after year despite Mother Nature’s most challenging winters. The botanical name, Galanthus, comes from the Greek words Gala meaning “milk” and anthos meaning “flower.” They will thrive in the rich, moist soil usually found in the shade provided by deciduous trees. Few bulbs can tolerate shade, but snowdrops develop in the winter sun well before the leaves of trees and shrubs have expanded. Their flowers last for several weeks beginning in early March and persisting through the cool days of spring in early April. Once planted, Galanthus require no maintenance.
Read on at Michigan Gardener and bring on the spring!
View Michael’s photo background big and see more in his 2014: Flowers slideshow.
More flowers and more spring wallpaper on Michigan in Pictures.
Moonflower
Moonflower, photo by bill.d
WiseGeek’s page on growing moonflowers explains:
For a gardener who doesn’t keep a normal nine-to-five schedule, growing moonflowers may be the perfect hobby. Ipomoea alba, or the common moonflower, is a night-blooming vine from the same family as the morning glory. Growing moonflowers requires very little effort, and the gardener is rewarded with a climbing vine that can reach a height of 10 to 20 feet (3.05 to 6.1 meters) in one season. In its natural habitat of tropical and sub-tropical climates, this vine is considered a perennial, but in colder climates it must be replanted every year.
…As with their daytime cousins, the morning glories, growing moonflowers requires full or partial sun. The plant will begin to bloom in late afternoon and into the early evening hours, and continue to remain open until sunrise. The vines are voracious climbers, and should be planted in a spot where they may spread as needed, such as near a trellis or patio support beam.
Moonflowers produce large white flowers. Some gardeners like to grow them alongside various colors of morning glories, especially the “heavenly blue” strain. This commingling results in an abundance of flowers both day and night in one garden spot, blue in daylight and white by moonlight. The fragrant moonflowers are often considered ornamental, and each flower remains open no longer than one night.
Also see Everything You Wanted to Know About Moonflowers from Local Harvest check out this video of a moonflower opening.
Bill took this shot in his garden and suggests you check out “moon flower moth” on Flickr. See his photo bigger and see more great shots of these ephemeral beauties in his Flowers slideshow!
Many (many) more Michigan flowers on Michigan in Pictures!
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