LIfe is happening

So the snow is melting and the water is rising. No problems with flooding yet as far as we hear but it's only just begun!
It is amazing, that even under the snow, new life was struggling to see the sun. Tulips are pushing up at the southern end of our house and the hollyhocks are green on the east side.

Our hollyhocks are the old fashioned dark maroon red to pink seedlings from years of growing here beside the house. They put on a good display every summer. The tulips are some which my mother in law planted many years ago. I have been trying to dig them all and move them to fresh ground.There always seem to be a couple of escapees. So far I think I have moved about 15 to 20 bulbs. Those which survive are producing very strong, healthy flowers.

And this fellow was crawling around out on the snow. Not a really healthy thing to do and hiding your face wont help! There is beginning to be open water so the water bugs are on the move.

In the basement there is growth happening too! I am always intrigued by the idea of having my own Mandarin Orange tree so this winter I have saved seeds from 3 different types of Mandarin. One set of 2 plants are the mini mandarin and my seed came from 2 different sources. The next set are Ponkan Orange which you can read about here.
The last group are from a sugar or Zugar Mandarin. They seem to germinate well and there is an albino which I doubt will survive. These oranges had a ton of seeds which is strike against them I think.

 Also growing in the basement are several lilies and here is African Queen getting started.

For those who have seen the posts about starting Clematis seeds in cotton face cleaning pads, I have decided to abandon that project as there just seems to be so much mold on the seeds. I still have a ton of seed and will try again in vermiculite in a ziplock baggy.