Sping is SPRINGING!

You know Spring is on its way in New England when the crocuses make their appearance - and here are the first of mine to show their happy faces


The ground is nasty, tons of old mulch and fallen twigs but still they have arrived! Now keep in mind, I didn't plant these and they were not in this location last year! The nearest crocuses are in the front yard some 50 or so feet away, so I really have no idea how they got there, but whatever, they will be gone by the time what I did plant there shows up.
The kaleidescope and jimmy tulips I planted are coming up as well - we'll just have to wait to see if they really bloom though. My tulips are notorious for being sterile - lots o' green, no blooms. Hopefully the bulbs alive I sprinkled in the holes will help the blooming process!

Ah-Hah - so that's what that is!

So I went to the New England flower show today - the theme was Rhapsody in Green and it was all about organic gardening - right up my alley. I had quite the ah-hah moment while I was there when I saw this:
I have two of these in my yard and I had no idea what they were! I cut the heck out of one last year because it was way too overgrown and the other one sits next to my front porch steps. When I Googled it every site said it was a slow grower so I am assuming the ones I have growing have been around for a while. And it also says 'slight fragrance' HA! I think not those little white flowers smell like cat urine. I hate both of them! I would love to do away with them but I have so much going on right now they will receive a pardon for this year!
Oh - and before I headed off to the flower show I pruned my blueberry and rose bushes. They have both been here for years and never pruned! There was so much dead wood it's no wonder I never get berries or flowers! I am hoping that this was a good time to do it. Typically I have read late winer early spring so I am pretty much banking on this is that time!

Move in ready

How cute are these?



I figure I am making a friendly garden for my fine, feathered, friends I might as well give them a safe place to rest and digest. The purple one on the left is actually a feeder. Behind/under the orange part is a screen where you can add the seed of choice. I am actually going to go for mealworms or grub, something a little different that what I have in the other feeders. I really don’t think anyone will be setting up home in the yellow one, but it still really cure and although you can’t see it, the sides are painted magenta which will blend in nicely with the new flowers.
I also got a butterfly house – MUCH bigger than I imagined. I have only gotten around to painting the stake, but will definitely post the finished product – whenever that may be.
And before anyone starts posting about toxic paints I used a water-based, non-toxic acrylic from Folk Art meant to withstand the outdoor elements. Right on the label (and also on the cap) is a picture of a birdhouse – so I am taking a chance and believing their marketing techniques that it is safe for my little friends.

Lots of planting in my future

Holy Cow - have I ordered a lot to plant in the spring! I am always so overzealous when it comes to ordering stuff – I think I have an online ordering addiction. I have 42, yup forty two, plants coming in the spring to plant!!!! I am going to be a busy little bee for sure. To add to my butterfly/hummingbird extravaganza in the back I added both white and pink dragonflowers, Nora and Christa Barlow Columbine, sedum emperor’s wave, more coneflowers, pentesemon, some salvia and oh how I hope it grows edelweiss! Someone please stop the catalogues from coming – they are without a doubt my downfall!
Today I just order my bags of corn gluten to keep on top of that nasty weed grown on the lawn. Four 20lb bags from Garden’s Alive will do the trick I am sure.
I am interested in this new zyosia grass plug craze that seems to be inserted into every catalogue and magazine lately. It seems to good to be true. I am going to look into it and most likely try it out – hopefully with good results to report!

Spring planning continued

So now that I have gone through all of my gardening catalogues I have ordered a number of perennials to add around the yard and have made the decision to make the back portion of my yard a butterfly/hummingbird friendly area. I am going for annuals and perennials that will attract both of them as well as some beneficial insects to assist with the rest of the yard. Typically I have laid out the section of my yard in the same color scheme, just adding foliage and texture for interest but the backyard is going to be a cacophony of colors and species.
Already established back there is a butterfly bush and some black eyed susans but I am adding in some coneflowers – green envy which is a stunning green species that fades to crimson in the interior as well as a “grab bag” of other colors. I also added in dragon flower. Everything I have thus far is at its lowest height 18” so I definitely need some friendly lower growing plants so that it doesn’t look so top heavy.
I am really interested in buying the seed kit that is stated to attract butterfly and hummingbirds, but as seeds I have no idea what they are or what size they will become, so the whole area could become one big mess if I am not careful.
I planted an astantia mix in a separate area of the yard just because I thought they were very interesting looking and found out later that they are butterfly magents so I have been looking at the “Moulin Rouge” version which is BEAUTIFUL! Being the penny pincher gardener that I am I have earmarked all the catalogues that offer it and am now just comparing prices to get the best deal.
My last news to note here is that I have joined the National Home Gardening Club as a member and am receiving a new pair of pruners for my efforts. If you are interested in becoming a member please visit gardeningclub.com to join!
My indoor seed in my newly receive electric greenhouse will be planted shortly so stay tuned for the results!

New Year - and can't wait till Spring!

Welcome 2008!
I have been pouring through all the gardening catalogs that I have been receiving and just can't wait till Spring. I laid out my newly enlarged garden and this year I am going for edamame, sugar snap peas, tomatoes, cucumbers, okra, scallions, garlic, romaine and buttercrunch lettuces, yellow and green summer squash (maybe some patty pan too) and thrown throughout the garden some nasturtium and marigolds as critter deterant. Outside of the garden I am going to plant mini pumpkins to see how they do. Last year the watermelons were a bust. 20 feet of vines and I got three extremely watery, low tasting melons. Just not worth the effort for me.
I have earmarked a number of flowers, both annual and perennial, in the Park Seed, Burpee and Gurney catalogs. I am even looking into a seed starting electric greenhouse because I only have one small, 4 tiered outdoor greenhouse and last year it was jam packed with seedlings and with my over reaching vision this year I am going to need much more growing power!
Here in Boston we had a very close to record breaking snowfall (1" short of beating it) and loads more than last year - 24" versus 7" so I am hoping all my newly planted perennials will make it through the season. Just the other day the snow started to melt along the edges of the lawn and much to my dismay I saw weeds!!!! What is that all about?!?! It is much too cold for weeds and I did put down the corn gluten so things should be under control. Wait till I get my hands on those little suckers come Spring.
There are 5 long more months until I can really start to plant and start seeds but as I said earlier I have a list of must haves for the garden so stay tuned for the next installment of what I ordered.
Enjoy your New Year!

Bringing it indoors

Yup, it is that time of year in the Northeast where all the activities are done indoors. The first frost has hit and settled in. I have drained the rain barrel, dug up the garden, ditched the annuals out of their containers and boxes and raked more leaved than I can even begin to count.
I tried bringing in my basil and sweet potato blackies but that didn’t work so well. I think the blackies had a pest or disease that dropped onto the basil plants because the leaves looked like they were chewed off. Needless to day both basil plants and the blackies have since gone from the house. I even took a hose to the blackies after repotting them to get rid of any miniscule, microscopic bugs before bringing them into the house but alas, Mother Nature got me again.
The garlic I planted in September, which grew pretty fast is now back into the ground where it will remain for the rest of the winter in hopes that it will re-grow in the spring.
Because November till March is pretty dormant up here for the gardening scene my posts will be few and far between. Unless I find a great new site or purchase some new seeds don’t expect to hear much from me over the next few months. As I mentioned in my opening – the activities have moved indoors and I have some major reconstruction to take care of!