May 25, 2013

I worked in the big flower garden today.  I did about 3 sq. ft., and about died of exhaustion.  So, I went in and made dinner, and went out again, and did about as much again.  After eating a huge dinner, I didn't get so very tired the rest of the day.  

I also planted some blanket flowers in the lower terrace garden, snap dragons in the upper, and the deck planters.  

I also made this succulent garden in an old copper bottom pan.  

Pinky-red superbells, my favorite for the deck planters.

Blanket flower among the mint and hostas

I went out to look at the vegetable garden, the potatoes and corn are up.  Some spinach is up, I don't see any parsnips or swiss chard, and only one beet plant. The onions are doing well, too.

May 18, 2013

A new gardening season has begun, and as usual it is a unique one.  This year is more unique than usual as we had our last snow and freezing weather May 1st.  We got enough slushy snow to cover the garden and nearly cover the grass.  

So, planting has been late this year.  For that reason as well as the obvious one that I am not getting out to garden or help garden as I used to.  

We did plant a few things before the snow, April 27th, Mom and I planted pansies north of the shop, and potatoes, yukon gold and red.  Jim planted one row of sweet corn, spinach, peas, and swiss chard.  

A couple of weeks later I planted 12 beets seeds, and a couple days after that some parsnips.   I figure I can use all these veggies in soups, and it won't matter because I can't taste them anyway.  Jim has planted two rows of sweet corn every week following with the last four rows last week.

I bought him a large tomato plant for his birthday, April 17, but we didn't plant it until a week ago, when it was rather the worse for wear having been on a wind blown patio, carried in and out depending on the weather, and cared for by an indifferent waterer.  

He also planted four Rutgers tomato plants, and  5 mixed color sweet pepper plants. 

I bought some annuals that weekend in April, and put some of them in pots today, dark blue lobelia, snap dragons and white alyssum. I've been working on a mini garden, too, and it is pretty ugly right now, it's a work in progress.  I bought some new little plants, replanted some of the old, and tucked in some Irish moss today.  

I planted pinks by the flag pole, here's one. 

I also planted some old seed, columbine, Indian paintbrush, and mixed Alaskan wildflowers there, too.  I put moss rose in the bed by the sidewalk.  I did NOT look very closely at the main flower bed south of the house, it is covered with grass and weeds.  I hope to get it all gone over this summer, but I'm not supposed to be out in the sun, a big hat is hot and hard to keep on, and my energy is quickly depleted.  I forget that when I am going strong, but by nightfall, I am tired out.  

Irish moss, dark blue lobelia, and some sort of succulent that I bought just because it was cute.