Heidi's Garden Blog

Bugged & Lazy

2010-06-11T10:19:00.001-04:00

Well, the mayflies have descended on our house. The stream-facing windows, doors and walls are covered with them. Thankfully, they have a short life span and they don’t hurt anything. What’s their point then? LOL

This past week I haven’t paid the attention to my garden that I should have. My bird bath needs cleaning, my flowers need spraying with insecticidal soap because of some insect damage and we haven’t put mulch down yet. The weeds are taking over. Perhaps tomorrow I can get out there and DO something. The weather has been hit and miss all week and we’ve been busy with work, life and wedding planning.

We WERE able to enjoy a nice small harvest of the romaine lettuce though for sandwiches and salads! So that was a high spot and my radishes should be ready to harvest shortly. The peonies, columbine, and iris are in full bloom. Very pretty colors right now and there are tons of buds on my rose bushes…what’s left of them.

Planted Out

2010-05-17T19:31:00.001-04:00

With warm temps predicted all week and hardly any rain, I decided it was time to plant my cold-weather vegetables outside finally.

I forget just how small my raised vegetable bed is, so I only was able to plant 4 of my 6 lettuce seedlings and 12 radish seedlings in it. I'm VERY pleased with the lettuce seedlings. I had hoped to get some kind of critter protection up, but that hasn't happened yet, so I hope I don't look out in the morning and everything is chewed away. The protection is in the works, it just hasn't developed yet.

I also planted vegetables in the big flower garden. 10 swiss chard seedlings and 10 spinach seedlings. Some look better than others, but I was pleased to see roots popping out of the bottom of the dot pots. I'll take photos once I know they're going to "take hold" and continue to grow. Right now, some of them look a little iffy.

I also moved around and transplanted some Lychnis. Some had died off over the winter and it has also reseeded itself in some odd places. I moved the plants closer together for a better "show".

I also fertilized with a granular fertilizer throughout the entire garden and watered very well. The ants are still there, but not nearly as bad as they have been. That baking soda is really doing the trick.

Strawberries, Basil & Baltimore Orioles

2010-05-17T08:37:00.001-04:00

Well, my Happiness level is mixed this morning. First off, the Baltimore Oriole’s finally appeared this morning and have really taken to the new feeder that Dave built me. I’m thrilled! Now I need to get more oranges. I have plenty of grape jelly, but I hear they go through that very quickly.

I’m also happy to report I have blossoms on all of my strawberry plants I planted last year. The bed plants and the plants I put into the container all have buds on them. Now I just hope the critters don’t eat them all off. I’m welcome to suggestions on how to prevent that.

The bad news, is that my beautiful Pistou basil seedlings, as well as my main basil seed disk really took a hit with those frosts last week. I should have moved them in from the greenhouse, or at least give them some protection. I first noticed it when I went to water the large basil and the leaves were falling off as the tip of my watering can hit the plants. Very odd. Then I noticed the Pistou basil looked pretty bad last night. I’m pretty sure it’s due to cold. No other explanation for it.

I know better than to keep basil in the cold, but I was lulled into a false sense of security when we had those really warm temps and everything was really thriving out there. I may, or may not replant. Keeping things watered while we’re away for two weeks will be an issue.

Weather, Roses, Herbs & Hummingbirds

2010-05-09T09:32:00.001-04:00

The weather has certainly taken an about-face this weekend. It feels and looks like Fall out there today.

Last Thursday after work, I finally pruned back my rose bushes. I was sad to see the majority of them have all suffered some damage over the winter. I think for one or two of them, this will be there last year in my garden. I hate pulling roses. Even if I can get one or two blooms out of them, I leave them, not matter how horribly scrawny and thin they might be. They’re still alive…just not very prolific. Kind of the like the Charlie Brown Xmas tree factor…someone has to love it. LOL

Yesterday I was a busy bee making some dishes in the kitchen using all of my fresh herbs & greens in my greenhouse. I made an arugula pizza with my fresh arugula. Then I made an oregano & onion bread with my fresh oregano. Then I mixed up an herbed vegetable dip using fresh basil and parsley. I have a recipe for a basil shrimp I’m going to try today. Dishes seem so much tastier when using fresh herbs. I also made a beer and cheese soup. It used leeks (store bought). I’ve never had leeks before. This soup was AMAZING!

This morning I saw my first hummingbird at the feeder. He must be sooo cold! I THINK I heard a Baltimore Oriole, but until I see one, I can never be sure.

Things are growing very well in the greenhouse as well as the garden. I’m going to have very few containers…at least until after the wedding. Mostly because I’m not sure how, or who, I’ll be able to water everything while we’re gone to NY for two weeks. I’ll be happy I have something growing in the garden and maybe buy oodles of impatiens when I get back and call it a day. Need to save money.

Uncovered and Bare Spots

2010-04-24T15:20:00.002-04:00

Finally, a beautiful day on the weekend when I could get out to my garden and clean it out. I discovered some good and some bad. Here's the run down for my own interest.

-strawberry plants I planted last year are doing very well.
-there is some minor new growth on the hydrangeas. It's still far too early for a lot of new growth yet.
-it appears the Aster plant I planted last Fall is a goner. When I went to move the top part of it, it snapped off in my hand. It still appears there is some growth under the soil, so I'll give it a few weeks before pulling it completely.
-I THOUGHT I had pulled the sad little 'Lucy Ball' alliums last year. I can't find any record of doing so, so I guess what's growing there is still the aliums. I WILL pull them this year.
-I lost several Lychnis plants. It appears I lost up to 4 of them in TWO different places.
-It also appears I lost two of the three Foxglove plants that were so beautiful last year. not sure what happened with those. I know they're biennials, but there should still be leave growth and I'm not even feeling a plant or root ball. :-(
-remove collars and mulch from around all of my rose bushes. There is some new growth on some of them, but it's still a little early to get excited or upset about that.
-I'm a little worried about one side of my lavender plants. Not much new growth and a LOT of dead growth. I'll have to keep an eye on it.
-the creeping thyme has taken over one side of my path, so Dave completely pulled it. We'll see if it redevelops in the same spot.
-my daffodils out by the old canoe are blooming.
-the peonies are already about a foot tall.
-the daylilies are taking over.
-the Greek Oregano plant I planted last year is doing great in the garden.
-I THINK a couple of the sage plants I planted from seed last year are coming up

As another little experiment, I tilled out the small raised bed and planted one of my lettuce seedlings. I MAY plant my swiss chard, radishes and lettuce in that bed.

Felt great to get out into the garden, get some fresh air and see the new growth. I'm tired, cranky and sore, but it was worth it.

New Baltimore Oriole Feeder

2010-04-16T15:05:00.001-04:00

Dave built me this new Baltimore Oriole feeder based on instructions from an old Birds N’ Blooms magazine. I’ve had the article in my gardening stuff for years and finally decided that it would be a great project for him and it would make the oriole’s happy!

I slapped two orange halves on it, but I think it’s still a week or so too early. Everything is early this year though, so maybe the birds will be! :-) My daffodils are about to pop and last year they didn’t bloom until May 4th or 5th.

Since this photo was taken, Dave also built two small grape jelly holders beside the top perches. I hear orioles LOVE grape jelly, but I’ve never tried it before. I know they love oranges and always seem to prefer the hummingbird feeder to the nectar oriole feeder I had, so we’ll see what they like this year.

Kitty In A Hod

2010-04-05T14:57:00.000-04:00

Well...I guess this could be considered another use for the Johnny's Garden Hod! LOL

Catching Up

2010-04-05T14:12:00.007-04:00

I seem to be keeping a better record of things on My Folia than I do here on my own garden blog, but I'll see if I can remember all that has happened.

The spinach I sowed in the greenhouse has sprouted. This was a test to see if I could get anything to grow out there this early. I think the unusually warm temps have had something to do with it though, so I probably can't use this as a good gage.

Then on the day before Easter in 70º temps, I sowed the following:

-'Bright Lights' Swiss Chard
-'Easter Egg' Radishes
-'Coastal Star' Lettuce
-'Emu' Spinach
-'Purple Majesty' Millet
-Catmint
-'Pistou' Basil

Two days later, the 'Purple Majesty' has already germinated! I'm not sure why I sowed lettuce again, but why not. I've had very little luck with it in the past. I have harvested bunches of Arugula and Lettuce mix and enjoyed a nice, early-spring salad. The seed disks have gone to town and done VERY well inside. Especially the basil. It looks amazing. You can find everything I'm growing, as well as the DOT Pots I'm planting my seeds in at Johnny Selected Seeds.

In photo above:
top row (l to r) (1) Vegetables sown in the green house. (2) Purple Majesty sprouts.
middle row (l to r) (1) Rudbeckia seedlings. (2) Parsley seeds disk
bottom row (l to r) (1) Oregano seeds disk. (2) Basil seed disk

OH, we also saw our first loon on Easter sunday as we were getting ready to take the pontoon boat out on the water. VERY early to both.

What's Going On

2010-03-27T09:52:00.007-04:00

After some wonderfully warm temps last week, it's a balmy 15 degrees here this morning. Ummm....at least it's sunny?

My seeds disks are doing very well inside and all of the rudbeckia seeds have germinated in the Dot Pots. My little experiment with the lettuce mix is about ready to harvest.

AND I saw my first robin the other day. There are geese on the stream...the loons can't be far behind.

Beautiful March Weekend!

2010-03-07T14:14:00.002-05:00

For the first weekend of March in Maine, this weather is amazing! Beautiful sunny skies and marginally warm temps. We put the greenhouse up yesterday. Only took us a couple of hours and really worked well. It'll be really nice to sit out there in the sun away from the wind and put my plants out there earlier.

The garden has no snow on it, but it quite soggy and I was shocked to see daffodils poking through the leaves already! I think that's VERY early.

A kayaker was on the stream yesterday and that's the earliest we've seen anyone out on the water here. I think everyone had spring fever yesterday. It doesn't mean we can't see a foot snow this month, but at least it should melt quicker and hopefully we'll avoid any flooding this year.

COME ON SPRING!

Seed Disks Sown and Lettuce Mix Testing

2010-02-28T16:32:00.002-05:00

I sowed four seed disks today in 6" pots and then sowed some Allstar Lettuce Salad Mix in two plastic containers from the supermarket as a test.

-Arugula Seed Disk
-Basil Seed Disk
-Parsley Seed Disk
-Oregano Seed Disk

All from Johnny's Selected Seeds

DOT Pots™

2010-02-09T08:57:00.002-05:00

DOT POTS™ were new last year at Johnny's, and I haven't tried them before. I think I'll pick some up and see how they fair. Using the large, plastic trays is really a pain each year and I always waste more soil than I need and mold always seems to develop.

Here is some more info regarding DOT Pots™ from the manufacturer's website.

Seeds & Disks Purchased

2010-02-08T10:43:00.000-05:00

In my attempt to keep things simple, I picked up four different varieties of seed disks at work today. These disks are terrific. I already had the containers we sell from a couple of years ago, but the disks always sell-out early, so I figured I'd better get my hands on them now while they're here.

Then I picked up a few other easy items that I may, or may not get planted, but it's nice to have a few options. :-)

I bought seeds for the following:

Vegetables:
2775 Arugula 3 seed DISKs
2958 Crunchy Royale Mix Radish
121 Emu Spinach

Herbs:
2921 CatMINT
2777 Genovese Basil 3 seed DISKs
3804 Greek Oregano 3 seed DISKs
2773 Parsley 3 seed DISKs

Flowers:
1647 Purple Majesty Ornamental Grass
1865 Cherry Brandy Rudbeckia
1644 Prairie Sun Rudbeckia
1815 Sunny Smile (2 pkts)

Garden plan? What Garden Plan?

2010-02-03T11:10:00.001-05:00

I’m so envious of everyone’s beautiful garden plans! VERY impressive. If I had a big field out in some extreme full sun, I’d probably do more, but I have my flower garden and my containers – and even some of those aren’t exactly prolific, but I try and I enjoy what I CAN accomplish each year. As I get older, I’m getting lazier, but this year my reluctance to go hog-wild with indoor seed starting is because I have something for more important to plan…our wedding! :-)

I’ll probably start some more parsley indoors in a week or so and maybe some other herbs and possibly some snapdragons, but I don’t intend to go crazy. Mostly because I need to save my money, but also because my time will be consumed with other things later this spring and watering my seedlings, probably won’t be one of them! Getting everything planted and maintaining during the month of June could prove interesting so I’m keeping things to a minimum…at least that’s my plan.

Oh, I’m not giving gardening up completely and now that we have the fantastic greenhouse, I may do more planting out there once we get that set up. I just may have to take a breather this year to concentrate on other things.

I know I won’t be doing the oodles of container plants like I did last year. Although the deck may look very naked without them, soil is damn expensive and we spent a LOT of money providing soil for plants that didn’t quite make it. I may just wait until after the wedding and then go for seedlings to plant instead of growing them myself. At least I’ll know they’ve already had a good start and that isn’t something I can always guarantee under my care.

And I may just be doing the REALLY cheap route and buying a ton of Impatiens and calling it a day. They last all summer, are easy to care for, and don’t require full sun to thrive. They’re also VERY good at letting you know when they really need water. Nothing like droopy leaves to get your attention. LOL

Thankfully, there are some beautiful perennials in the flower garden that I know will come back again this year and provide me with hours of enjoyment. I may plant more perennials in the garden this year. It sure is easier to take care of and if we can get some mulch laid down this year and it’s not such a horribly wet late spring and summer, hopefully the weeds won’t take over like they did last year.

So, my posts this season may be rather dull and lifeless, but it’s not because I don’t care! :-)

New Blog Name

2010-02-03T10:05:00.003-05:00

Instead of creating a brand new blog (yet another one!) I just changed the name of my 2009 Garden Blog to Heidi's Garden Blog and we'll call it a day. That way I can keep last year's plantings close at hand.

This year's gardens and planting will be limited. We have a wedding to pay for at the end of June. I may not be doing as much indoor seed starting this year or container plantings until AFTER the wedding as now one will be here to water my plants the week and a half we'll be in NY.

I'll still do herbs, but may end up buying seedlings after the wedding instead of growing them myself. We'll see. Once everyone start growing their seedlings, I may feel pressured to do my own.

Mums and Asters

2009-09-24T19:30:00.002-04:00

We’re selling asters and mums at the catalog store, so with my employee discount, how can I pass those up? Two beautiful burgundy mums and a ‘Peter III’ blue aster for $14.

The aster is hardy to zone 4, so I planted that in the garden. It’s FULL of buds, as are the mums. Should be very pretty in a week or so. I put the two mums into urns out on the deck. We could actually use some rain, which sounds VERY odd to say. Something I haven’t said in months.

The buds on the aster
The aster planted in the garden
One of the two mums on the deck

Fall Blooms in The Garden

2009-09-24T19:23:00.003-04:00

Even though a lot of my plants have suffered with heavy rainfalls and they aren’t the most upright of plants at this time of year, some things are still looking very pretty.

Heliopsis that just keeps going and going.
Sedum (cannot remember what the name is
A beautiful Benary’s Giant Yellow Zinnia. Stunning.
Another sedum that has pretty much been knocked down, but still beautiful.

An amazing ‘President Tyler’ morning glory that reseeded itself from LAST year. I didn’t plant anything this year around that pole, but, by God, we’ve got some flowers. LOL Too funny.

Roses Still Blooming

2009-09-24T19:19:00.002-04:00

I was thrilled to see roses still blooming in the garden. The nights are getting very chilly, but the days are still very warm.

David Austin roses sending out new buds.

‘Knockout’ roses flowering. Such a sweet, delicate fragrance they have.

"Mini" Carrots

2009-08-26T12:34:00.003-04:00

Hmmm....do you think if I DIDN'T tell anyone these were mini carrots that they'd know? Yeah....probably. I have, no doubt, planted these into a container that is not deep enough. It's a very deep window box and they started out very well, but upon harvesting them, they obviously did not develop well.

Hey, for my very first try for carrots, I'm just thrilled I got ONE carrot, much less more. Even if they are only 3-4" long.

Butterfly on Echinacea

2009-08-26T11:32:00.001-04:00

Even though I had just consumed massive amounts of black tea and had the shakes because I needed some food, I was amazed I was able to keep steady long enough to take this photo.

'Big Sky Sundown' Echinacea continues to bloom despite the horrible pounding they've taken from the wind and rain. They aren't all upright, but they're blooming. The birds and butterflies are really enjoying....as am I!

"Mini" Onions

2009-08-26T11:20:00.003-04:00

Well, technically these aren't SUPPOSED to be mini onions, but they sure are appearing to be just that. This is my first attempt at growing my own onions. So far, I haven't seen tremendous results. I'll give the other ones another week. The tops are fading and falling over and that's the sign they're reaching maturity, or so I read.

The small ones will be tasty in one small salad, but I was hoping for more. I think the main reason is the soil we used to fill the raised bed, was old top soil and once it settled into the bed and we had all of that rain, it became so compact it was like cement. I certainly don't think it ever dried out until probably the last couple of weeks. Oh, well! Grow and learn right?

I may try to incorporate some of my compost into the bed once I pull the onions and plant some swiss chard and spinach.

It's Official! I'm A Lazy Gardener.

2009-08-23T12:33:00.000-04:00

Hello, I'm Heidi and I'm a Lazy Gardener.

As I sit looking at my over-grown, under-developed, and under-fertilized plants both in my garden and in my containers, I had to finally admit, I'm a lazy gardener.

I think several factors (or excuses) have come in to play this year.

1) An unusually wet and cool late spring and early summer. Even for Maine, it was unusually damp, cool and overcast. Not only depressing, but it made it difficult to plant, tend to, and maintain any kind of normalcy with my plants.

2) I've always had issues with figuring out how much to fertilize. So this year, I just threw in some granular, time-release fertilizer into all of my containers when I was planting. Not sure that was the wisest thing to do, especially with all of this rain. But that's the only time I have fertilized, other than spreading compost in the big garden.

3) Weeds have just finally "won" in the big garden. I gave up a long time ago on the weeds. Because it was so damp, and we sold our truck, we never got the two loads of black bark mulch that we usually do. As a result, the weeds have had free-reign. From a distance it looks like a nice ground cover. Up close....umm...not so much. Just too lazy.

4) Since the season started so late, and now is the time when I'm busiest at work, by the time I get home, I'm too tired to do any gardening and it's just far too buggy at that time of day in the garden. I hate to even water because the horse flies and mosquitoes are just horrible. Again...that's just being lazy.

5) Since we built or new deck last year, I had grand plans for multiple container plantings and very lush garden surrounding me out on the deck. The tree rose I planted has been so water-logged and now bug-ridden, it hasn't even produced one flower. It suffered major damage in many of the wind and rain storms we got as well. The tomatoes have also suffered in the wind and rain and because I didn't prune the plants earlier, they are now tomato TREEs. They're producing fruit, but nothing has matured to red yet....but continue to fall off the vine in storms. The other flowers I planted are flowering, but are now looking very sad. My massive amounts of parsley are now going to flower because I haven't been out to keep them trimmed and my basil is just looking very sad. I think I just planted far too much on the deck and then down on our docks to maintain them. Next year, I'll try to keep things more in-line with my limits. Yes, I say that NOW. Come spring, who knows. LOL

6) Since my ruptured brain aneurysm almost 3 years ago, I get very tired easily still and once I get busier at work producing our annual catalog, my energy level (both physically and mentally) is so drained by the time I get home, that even on weekends, I'd prefer to just sit and look at the garden rather than working in it. I either need to hire a gardener, or just not plant to so damn much next year! LOL It's tough when you work at a company that offers free left-over seedlings in the spring from their trials though. I'll need to learn to "just say NO"! Easier said than done that's for sure.

7) I really haven't had the best of luck with vegetables. It's very hit-and-miss with me. I've had SOME success, but can never seem to replicate it the next year. I did get a whopping three cucumbers this year so far and a small batch of spinach and one squash, but other than that...my salad mixes have kind of been a bust. No swiss chard, lettuce and several other things just didn't happen. I think I need to stop and just visit the farmers' markets and stop stressing myself out. Let the experts do it and reward them by shopping at their stands.

I still love my flowers best and I haven't been the loyal killer of the Japanese beetles as I have in the past. Just no energy and since they keep coming in, what's the point? They're going to eat my buds if I knock them off into soapy water or not. I've pretty much just given up.

From a distance, as I sit on the deck, there is some fabulous color in the garden right now. Orange day lilies are almost done, white daisies still blooming, the echinaceas are flowering, peach & pink roses are blooming and the yellow heliopsis is still going strong. As long as I stay at this distance, I can't see the horrible evidence of my negligence. So, for now....I'll watch from a distance!! Sad...but true.

Hello, I'm Heidi and I'm a Lazy Gardener.

'Graham Thomas' Rose Blooming

2009-08-02T08:33:00.002-04:00

I THINK this is ‘Graham Thomas’. It could be a ‘Molineaux’ rose. I moved both types of roses into one patch and they’re both yellow, so it could be one or the other. Either way…it’s a beautiful flower. SO FAR the Japanese Beetles have left it alone, but I fear it won’t be long until they’re covering my lovely blooms. I saw one on the Echinacea yesterday.

'Montezuma' Oriental Lilies are Blooming

2009-08-02T08:28:00.002-04:00

Despite all of the rain and the bug damage, these beauties are blooming. The scent is just so amazing and powerful in the garden. Many more blooms on the way too as there are several buds on all of the plants.

Zucchini Recipe

2009-07-26T13:12:00.002-04:00

I just tried the following (Steamed Zucchini With Scallions) recipe for the first time. Dave said it was "a thrill", so I think it was hit. WICKED easy and because the zucchini was picked yesterday....VERY fresh. I had the scallions already because I had used it for my Zippy Radish Salad.

YUM!

Another Collage Test

2009-07-26T11:44:00.000-04:00

Some flower photos in collage form.

Whoo, hoo! My First Zucchini

2009-07-25T10:33:00.002-04:00

Well, I can proudly announce I’ve grown Zucchini successfully in a container! I harvest my first zucchini this morning. The two lower ones that has looked so great early on, turned to mush when they weren’t able to grow outside the container. There are many other blossoms and fruit showing up though, so I think I’ll get more than this one! I hope anyway.

Testing

2009-07-25T08:39:00.002-04:00

Trying out this new Collage feature in Picasa to create one image out of many. Click on the collage to view larger photo.

Herbal Tea Garden

2009-07-21T09:21:00.004-04:00

What a terrific idea! Hmm....let the ideas start to spin in my head!

How To Grow an Herbal Tea Garden

Gift Bouquet

2009-07-20T22:04:00.002-04:00

Dave and I invited our friends Bob and Steve over for dinner while I was on vacation and Bob picked and cut a stunning arrangement from his home at Fieldstone Gardens that he presented to me in the driveway! It was pretty damp and lousy out the night they came for dinner, but I put it outside the next day and it looked fantastic out on the deck. I couldn’t even begin to name off all of the “ingredients” but Bob said one of them was a weed, so I made sure I didn’t put it into the compost bin when it expired!

Flower Bouquet

2009-07-20T22:03:00.002-04:00

I went out early last week before work and cut some fresh flowers to put on my desk so I could enjoy. And enjoy, I did!

There are three different types of roses, some snapdragons, daisies, heliopsis, ‘Minnie Pearl’ phlox and some Italian Large Leaf parsley for filler.

Tomato Babies!

2009-07-13T12:51:00.002-04:00

Despite all of the rain, cool temps and windy conditions so far, there are actually some baby fruits on my tomato plants.

Other Perennials Blooming

2009-07-13T12:45:00.003-04:00

Some other goodies in my wet, wind-blown garden.

Heliopsis are just starting to come out. VERY tall this year.

Columbine STILL blooming. I’ve been pretty religious about deadheading.
‘Minnie Pearl’ phlox blooming although the rain has knocked down the daylily leaves onto them.

Snapdragons Starting to Flower

2009-07-13T12:44:00.001-04:00

Both containers of these got horribly wind blown over the weekend, but they’re starting to flower.

More Rose Pics

2009-07-13T11:53:00.003-04:00

Things are starting to pop on my rose bushes.

Pic 1) ‘Carefree Celebration’
Pic 2) ‘Mystic Fairy’
Pic 3) ‘Mystic Fairy’
Pic 4) David Austin ‘Crown Princess Margarett’ blooming. The scent is fantastic!
Pic 5) David Austin ‘Crown Princess Margarette’ buds.

I also noticed one Japanese Beetle already. They’re early! Darn.

Some Herbs & Such

2009-07-06T21:14:00.002-04:00

Today I picked up some herbs at Longfellows Greenhouses. Considering I only went there for ant guards to keep ants out of my hummingbird and oriole feeders, I can out with a large load of things.

I bought:
-2 Greek Oregano plants (planted one in a container one in the big garden behind my roses)
-3 Mint plants (all planted in one container)
-1 Sage plants (planted in container
-8 Lemon Licorice plants for ornamental uses in two containers on the deck.

Then, as I was wandering aimlessly through the retail store, I happened to spot this stunning tea cup and saucer planter. It called my name….I resisted…..I walked near for a closer look…..it was calling me….I reached for it and pulled it from the lowest shelf of the counter display…..it was 25% off!! You had me at “hello”!

Yep, I bought it on the spot, then needed to supply it with something just as stunning and I found the 8" pot of coleus that just fit perfectly into it. It makes a very pretty centerpiece on the table on the deck. What can I say….I’m on vacation this week, the sun was out and my sale resistance was low. LOL I LOVE it! I’m a big loose-leaf tea drinker with many tea pots and I’m one of those people who actually USES them and doesn’t let them sit in a cabinet collecting dust.

Oh, and I DID buy the ant guards. LOL

Zucchini Blossoms

2009-07-01T19:01:00.001-04:00

Well, this is a first for me. Zucchini blossoms. More than just one as well. I’m shocked at how well this one plant is doing and hope it continues.

Cuke Is Looking Good

2009-07-01T18:58:00.001-04:00

So far, so good. This baby cucumber has grown several inches since my last post, so I'm very pleased with that.

Carrots Still Growing

2009-07-01T18:56:00.002-04:00

Well, despite all of the rain we’ve had the carrots seem to still be growing, however, I fear the actual carrot roots will take the same route my radishes did in the wet weather and just go to flower and not produce much. We’ll see.

Strawberry Plants, but no Berries

2009-07-01T18:53:00.002-04:00

Well, the batch of strawberry plants that I put into the black tub down on the dock are looking very healthy and they HAVE had blossoms on them, but critters have taken the blossoms, so no berries. I’ll try to overwinter these and see if I can bring them back next year and take some precautions to prevent critter damage.

Rosemary

2009-07-01T18:49:00.001-04:00

Well, they’re still alive, but haven’t grown a great deal. Again…some sun would be nice I’m sure! I'm pleased they DO have new growth, it’s just a slow process.

End of June - What's Going On

2009-06-28T09:33:00.003-04:00

Since I don't think anyone reads my garden blog anyway, I won't load it up with photos but you can view them all here. I just wanted to document what's currently growing, budding, flowering or already dead. I did a walk through of my garden, the containers down on the docks, and the containers on the new deck and this is what I observed.

The Dwarf Sunflowers I planted did not germinate. I think conditions were just too wet and those darn chipmunks and birdies had their way with the containers.

Same thing with the Swiss Chard, although I think it was more the weather than the critters since these were planted in a much taller container. I'll try these again later in the season though as I still have some seeds.

My poor Radishes bolted before I even got any kind of harvest from them. They just did not develop and got sooo soggy from all of the rain. I'll try another planting though.

We have buds on the following:
-Snapdragons
-Petunia
-Zucchini (which I'm thrilled about because I've never grown this before)
-Tree rose (only 2)
-Heliopsis
-Lychnis
-David Austin Rose bushes
-Other rose bushes
-Daisies
-Echinacea
-Lavender
-Nikko blue hydrangea in container
-Montezuma oriental lilies
-Zinnia

Things that are currently flowering are:
-Foxglove (both the perennials I bought last year and the old ones I grew from seed)
-peonies
-columbine
-perennial Salvia
-chives
-Marble Arch mix salvia
-Tall Blue Planet ageratum

I continue to harvest and use my Basil and Parsley in cooking and bouquets. There is constant growth, so harvesting some periodically is important to maintain the plants and keeping them from going to flower.

With everything that currently has buds on them, it should be a very colorful July! Let's hope it's warmer and dryer, but not TOO dry! I haven't had to water my garden in weeks.

Rooftop Garden Link

2009-06-25T13:16:00.001-04:00

Just read a nice article in the New York Times about rooftop gardens. I’ll bet lugging soil and containers up to the roof can be a hassle, but how nice to have fresh produce at your disposal if you live in the city and want to grow your own.

Rooftop Gardens

The Lone Cucumber

2009-06-25T13:15:00.002-04:00

Despite all of the rain, wind and cool weather, I discovered tiny baby cucumber last night. It’s about an 1" in length. The one plant it looking better and taller. The one in the back corner is still pretty short for some reason, but doing well.

The Sun Is OUT!!

2009-06-25T13:15:00.001-04:00

At first that strange light in the sky frightened me. I shaded my eyes and squinted, then realized it truly was the sun. The wonderfully, bright, golden orb that warms the earth. I heard a report on the news this morning that here in Maine, we’ve only had 3 days in the month of June that didn’t have measurable rain fall! Now THAT is just wrong.

Of course the sun is warming things up nicely. It’s very muggy and warm, which we are SO not used to and it will generate rain storms this afternoon, but it’s really great to see it when I’m able to get up from my desk and look through OTHER people’s windows to the outside world.

YEEE HAAAAAW!

My Garden Videos

2009-06-21T08:45:00.004-04:00

I posted a few very short videos from my garden on my YouTube page. Next time I won't use the wide-screen feature in iMovie to create these as I think it decreased the image quality.

Small Iris

Columbine Flower

Bearded Iris

Foxglove

Now THAT'S A Bouquet!

2009-06-20T14:24:00.000-04:00

It’s cloudy, but not raining today (yet), so I snuck out to the garden to see what damage the storms had done this week. The peonies were simply water-logged and so laden with water the blooms were ready to touch the ground, if they weren’t already. So, I figured if I was going to enjoy them before the next deluge, I needed to cut them and bring them inside. They were also ready to flop over on my rose bushes and oriental lilies.

This bouquet is probably one of those most beautiful I’ve ever had from my own garden. Lush. There are still many white peonies ready to pop and the two red peony bushes are a little later than the white ones.

Not alone.

2009-06-20T14:23:00.001-04:00

Even the cats are tired of the rain and long to see sunshine beaming through the windows again.

That would be Smokey on the left and Lexie on the right. Our two “children” we adopted/saved from a shelter a few years ago.

'Pistou' Basil Disappointment

2009-06-20T07:12:00.001-04:00

Well, this has been a disappointing venture so far. I planted about 8 terra cotta pots with these little gems and something has gotten into almost all of the pots and either knocked them over, or create massive holes in the soil….of course right where the seeds were! I say “were” because there’s nothing there now. Dare squirrels, or birds or chipmunks. I don’t know which. Could be all three! LOL I’m not sure I’ll try again or not.

Tomato Blossoms

2009-06-20T07:10:00.002-04:00

Considering how this was looking a week or so ago, I’m thrilled there are some blossoms popping up on my 'Sweet Olive' tomato plants. Come on sunshine and warmth!

Finally! New growth.

2009-06-20T07:08:00.001-04:00

The 'Angel Face' tree rose is finally showing some significant leaves and growth, although it’s a tad lopsided, so I’m not sure how this will look if it ever blooms. We’ve just had too much rain, clouds and cool temps.

'Red Gem' Marigold Flowering

2009-06-20T07:07:00.001-04:00

These are very pretty little flowers. There are a ton of buds throughout box window boxes but they aren’t blooming at the same time, so it’s a little spotty. I don’t think the massive amounts of rain has helped the cause. I DO like the citrus scent though. Much better than regular marigolds.

Peony, Foxglove & Columbine

2009-06-20T07:01:00.002-04:00

Before we got our next downpour of rain the other day, I snuck out to the garden before work and snapped a few photos before everything got drenched again. They all enjoyed a whopping two days of rain-free, partly-sunny days…and some warmth to boot. The water level on the stream has risen about a foot.

I know it's needed....BUT

2009-06-20T07:00:00.002-04:00

…the rain can stop already! I’m so tired of it. Of course we had two spectacular days during the middle of the week but we’re expecting another rainy weekend. June has just been a total wash. Yes, I haven’t had to water the garden AT ALL and it’s keeping my plants alive, but it’s also drowning them.

Next month I’ll probably be wishing for rain and complaining about the heat. LOL

Carrots Thinned Out

2009-06-20T07:00:00.001-04:00

I finally thinned out my carrot seedlings. Instead of a mass planting, there are now 20 seedlings about 2" apart in two rows that are about 2" apart. The seedling height is about 1.5" tall. BUT we’re now expecting MORE after two very nice days out. Goody.

First Real Bouquet of 2009

2009-06-13T19:14:00.003-04:00

I trimmed up and harvested a lot of my Parsley this morning helping to maintain the plantings and produce new growth. I had quite the harvest. Then I noticed some red popping out in my garden and I realized one of the peony bushes that's pretty much on its last legs was starting to bloom and I cut two peony flowers then a bunch of the iris in the corner of the garden and added them all to my Italian Parsley bouquet. I also cut the Dwarf Parsley and made a little bouquet of those and encourage new growth on all of my plants.

I thought it was a pretty combo of things.

Columbine in Bloom

2009-06-13T19:00:00.003-04:00

I grew from seed, and planted, about 12 'McKana's Giant Columbine plants in 2002. I bought the seeds from Johnny's Selected Seeds and they don't even sell Columbine anymore. I didn't know ANYTHING about gardening then.

BUT, I've had great success with these beautiful plants and they've continued to thrive in the same spot in my garden the last 7 years. Everything around them has changed since then, but they're very tall and prolific this year. I'm always amazed at how something so delicate can come back year after year...and in more abundance. Just wanted to share some of the photos I took this morning.

Oops! Not quite yet!

2009-06-13T18:43:00.002-04:00

I thought my radishes were ready to harvest. Of course the first two I pulled up were FAR too tiny for harvesting just yet. So I’ll leave them for another week. I only pulled four and realized I shouldn’t be. Only one of the four was worth eating…which I promptly did. Hard to tell when they’re ready with root crops sometimes.

PS: Oh, and that’s my engagement ring on the photo on the hand. :-)

Surprise Bearded Iris

2009-06-13T18:37:00.001-04:00

I wrote about this in another entry (I think), but these bearded iris were given to me probably about 7 years ago by a co-worker. The leaves have popped up every spring, but they have never flowered until this year! There are four buds all ready to pop, but the first one I snapped a photo of this morning. Soooo pretty. Better late than never? LOL

First REAL Salad Harvest

2009-06-13T15:04:00.002-04:00

Even though we've had rain for four days and things were pretty weighted down from the dampness, I was able to harvest my All-Star Lettuce Mix as well as one of the 'Space' spinach containers down on the dock.

I rinsed them well, left them in the colander for an hour or so, then wrapped them loosely in paper towels and put them in a plastic bag in the crisper.

Dave and I had pasta and meatballs for dinner and a giant salad between us with our fresh greens from the garden! YUMMY!!!

I know this is old hat for most people, but as a flower person, I was quite proud I finally got some fresh produce this year.

Sunday Morning Transplanting

2009-06-07T10:08:00.002-04:00

It's another cloudy, overcast, slightly-cool day out. The perfect day to do some transplanting. I suppose one of the other advantages of having perennials is that you can successfully transplant them into another part of the garden if they're not doing well where you originally planted them.

(Pic #1) The two 'Orange Perfection' Phlox plants I bought and planted last year never flowered. I wasn't sure they'd even come back this spring. One of the plants is HUGE though and already showing buds which is really confusing me because I thought they were supposed to flower in August. The other plant is being over-grown by the first one. So, today I moved the smaller one to a bare spot between my Sage and Peonies. I'm hoping it'll perk up and show some more growth there as it gets more sun...whenever it comes out again.

(Pic #2) I planted three 'Sherbert Cocktail' Phlox plants last year a little too close to my Iris. The iris pretty much over-powered the phlox, even thought they did flower last year, I think it was a struggle for them. Only two of the plants have really done well this spring. The third one was barely showing new growth. I transplanted all three of them to the spot now left empty from the death of my creeping thyme behind my lavender and roses and beside the chives. I think something taller will do nicely there. I kind of planted them all in one clump, so hopefully it'll look like one, big healthy plant. LOL We'll see.

Pic #3 is of a lovely white columbine in bloom this morning and Pic #4 is of a new Celtic cross I picked up at Home Depot for $14 several weeks ago. I've been looking for one for years and rarely have I found one of decent quality that's less than $100. I couldn't pass this one up. It's not huge and isn't an ugly, fake looking color. I'm still not sure I like the location I placed it in, but since I'm not going to put a planter in the center of my roses this year, I thought it would work well there.

First Arugula Salad

2009-06-06T19:54:00.003-04:00

Well, even if I haven’t had much luck with my lettuce, I DID enjoy a nice salad today with from my 2nd arugula disk harvest.

I enjoyed a small harvest (it’s a 6" container) of arugula and topped it off with some feta cheese, strawberries, walnuts and an olive oil salad dressing. YUM!!!

I’ll probably plant the 3rd disk shortly.

Compost, Buds and Sprouts

2009-06-06T19:48:00.001-04:00

The re-sowing I did of Swiss Chard down on the dock are germinating.

Better late than never…I finally spread some of our compost around all of my roses bushes as well as the hydrangeas. I plunked some of the leftover compost into some of my containers with the tomatoes, cukes and squash.

I noticed a LOT of things are budding:

All Peonies
‘Orange Perfection’ Phlox, which is surprising me because I thought they bloomed in August!
‘Apricot’:Foxgloves are looking fabulous!
Some of my rose bushes
‘Red Gem’: marigold

One MAJOR surprise was apparent buds on some Bearded Iris that I received for free from a co-worker probably 7 year ago. They’ve never done anything. They come up every year, but that’s it. There are several buds on them. I’m shocked, but excited!

Greenhouse Dismantled

2009-06-06T19:46:00.002-04:00

Well, the day had come to take down the greenhouse so we could have more room to enjoy the new deck and I'd be able to set my container plants in better spots. Dave did an amazing job with the construction of the greenhouse, so it only took us about an hour to dismantle it. The greenhouse is being stored in one of the sheds in about 5 main pieces that have been clearly marked so putting it all back together next March will be easy as well. The greenhouse was terrific and I think I'll use it even more next year after seeing what it can do this year.

Once the greenhouse was gone, I forgot just how big the deck was! But I filled it up quickly. The two dark red adirondack chairs on the left are new resin chairs I bought at Home Depot for $13 a few weeks back. All the dark green ones were gone and the table set with 4 chairs and the chaise lounge are from Kim's house. I think she would be pleased we're using them. Dave picked up the dark red cushion for the chaise yesterday and it's a pretty close match to the red chairs. Would anyone like to come out for a drink?

I'm still in the process of rearranging all of my containers to find out where the best sun for them will be and it's kind of obvious from the second photo that I think we need something on those big bare outside walls!! LOL They look kind of empty.

After being sick for 2 1/2 days and doing nothing but lay in bed or sit on the couch, it felt great to FEEL good again and be outside today. I sat outside on the deck most of the day today and enjoyed being able to lounge AND see my garden, see the stream, AND be in the sun all at the same time. Something I haven't been able to do on the back deck facing the stream. I do miss listening to my little fountain though and I could hear the Baltimore Orioles at the feeder on the back deck, but obviously couldn't see them. LOL The back deck gets good morning sun and the grill is out there, so we'll still use it.

Oh, and notice the fantastic fence that Dave built on the left side (street side) of the house. It's really a beautiful fence and it blocks off a lot of the street noise and visuals. He did a great job...as usual.

The only bad thing is that a little bird has built a nest on top of the light that's way up in the peak of the house right over the deck. It's above the black, square vent. The Mama is NOT happy we're out there and just sits there and peeps at us. The babies haven't hatched yet because I'm sure we'd hear them. I hope none of them fall out or that the mama or papa doesn't decide to do its "dooty" on me while I'm sitting out there! And you know what good luck I have with bird doo-doo right Mom?

Buggies

2009-06-04T07:42:00.001-04:00

Last night I noticed a new crop of aphids on my roses, so I doused them with rose pharm. If they’re still there, I’ll douse them with organic insecticidal soap. I know that did the trick last year.

I’ve also been picking off and killing more leaf lily beetles from my lilies. At least last night there was only one. The day before I got three. No signs of the larvae on the backs though, so hopefully I’m getting them.

Misc. Annuals Planting

2009-06-02T19:30:00.003-04:00

It was FINALLY warm and dry enough to plant these outside in the garden.

Tonight I planted:
-6 Zinnia plants
-4 Ageratum plants
-7 to 8 Salvia plants

All grown from seeds, but that's not saying much considering how many I actually sowed! LOL

Dwarf Parsley Bouquet

2009-05-31T09:36:00.001-04:00

All of my parsley is doing very well. I’m using it both for a culinary herb, but as an ornamental, but when I’m not cutting it for cooking, I still need to maintain it so it doesn’t flop over or get out of control.

This morning I trimmed up the dwarf curly parsley and made a pretty bouquet.

I see buds!

2009-05-31T09:34:00.004-04:00

The 'Red Gem' marigolds are doing very well and I'm seeing a LOT of buds. Once we get more than one day of sun and some warm temps, they’ll probably pop right out.

Germinated - FINALLY!

2009-05-31T09:34:00.001-04:00

I was certain my carrots seeds wouldn’t do anything. Right after I planted them we had four straight days of rain a little bit of sun yesterday, then another horrible downpour later in the day.

BUT, there are a ton of little sprouts poking through the soil. I won’t say I’m happy yet until they actual develop…something that has failed to happen the last time I tried carrots. Next year I think I’ll try pelleted seeds.

Sad Little Alliums

2009-05-31T09:32:00.001-04:00

I cannot believe these alliums are still alive, much less sending up buds!! I planted these bulbs probably 4 years ago maybe and they SHOULD be about 3" in diameter. They’ll be lucky to get to a full 1" in diameter this year I think. LOL

I thought I had pulled them last Fall…obviously not! They’re named after my favorite actress/comedian, Lucille Ball. ‘Lucy Ball’ alliums.

Lily Leaf Beetles!

2009-05-31T09:29:00.002-04:00

I discovered a striking red bug on my 'Montezuma' Oriental Lily and asked the kind folks on MyFolia.com if anyone recognized it. Unfortunately, it's a Lily Leaf Beetle and they can do some serious damage.

Since I didn't have anything stronger on-hand, I went out and crushed the adults and will need to go back and get the larvae if I can find it. I sprayed with organic insecticidal soap, but it's not sounding like that will do much. Darn!! I was just hoping the Japanese Beetles were going to continue to be my ONLY bad bug. :-(

Apparent Lettuce Success!

2009-05-31T09:28:00.001-04:00

I kind of forgot about this Lettuce Mix. I’ve done a good job of keeping it out of the driving rain this week and it appears to have survived. Still too tiny to harvest I think, but I’ll give it another week. Obviously, I didn’t thing it AT ALL!! LOL

Flowering Strawberries

2009-05-31T09:27:00.001-04:00

I’ve heard, for the first year, you’re supposed to pinch off the flowers so they’ll be more prolific NEXT year. I’m just not sure I can do that! LOL

'Apricot' Foxglove Budding

2009-05-31T09:26:00.000-04:00

I purchases these three plants last year and only one of them flowered. This year, however, there are tons of buds on every single plant. Should be a beautiful show in a few weeks!

Nikko "Not-so-Blue" Hydrangea Flowering

2009-05-31T09:25:00.002-04:00

Okay, so I forgot to add the element to actually MAKE these blue, but I’m just thrilled it’s flowering regardless of the color!! So far it has more flowers than the 7 Blushing Bride plants so I cut two of them and brought them inside out from the cold rainy conditions today to enjoy at my desk while I work at home.

Very Pleased

2009-05-25T18:41:00.002-04:00

I haven't inspected the three new rose bushes I planted last year real closely since I pruned them back in early spring until tonight. I'm VERY pleased with all of the new growth and development and the lack of dead wood. 'Carefree Celebration' survived the winter in terrific shape and I'm expecting a bumper crop of flowers.

Pruned Hydrangea

2009-05-25T18:39:00.001-04:00

Even though it was very chilly out today and we're under a freeze advisory for tonight, I took advantage of a bug-free evening and pruned back my hydrangea per the instructions on the Endless Summer website. We'll see if that will make a different in any blooms on my 7 plants this year. I hope so.

Memorial Day Weekend

2009-05-23T15:20:00.002-04:00

Memorial Day weekend is usually the weekend you can safely plant things outside in this part of Maine. Today was rather chilly, but I proceeded to plant some things.

I planted three containers full of Dwarf Sunflowers. I got the packets mixed up, so I don't know if I planted two different varieties, or all three will be the same variety. I won't be able to tell until they flower probably.

Then planted up one of the two very healthy looking Zucchini squash seedlings into a larger self-watering container down on the dock. I then place a tomato cage into the pot. Not sure how that will work, but we'll give it a shot.

I also sowed a ton of Swiss Chard seeds into a larger container down on the dock. I hope this 2nd try at Swiss Chard this year works better than the ones I tried indoors.

Then I planted 8 terra cotta pots with 'Pistou' basil. I'll weed them down to one plant per pot once they sprout....if they sprout. I hope so. I'm looking forward to these.

Then I weeded in the garden and pulled out my Dianthus and Creeping Thyme that didn't survive the winter. Two big bare spots now, but the weeds weren't bad, surprisingly. I also mulched my strawberry bed as well as the onion bed. Then I placed a bunch of garlic clips throughout the garden and down by out hosta.

Everybody Out!

2009-05-20T22:47:00.000-04:00

With temps forecast for 87 to 90 tomorrow (inland), I couldn't leave my plants in the greenhouse. Just not enough ventilation, so I moved EVERYTHING outside this morning. Hopefully the deer will stay away as I haven't put out my garlic clips yet.

My greenhouse has done a great job this spring and I love it. Hopefully next year we can get things a little more air tight.

I moved my carrots down to the docks and my hydrangea and deck planter out to the back deck. Until we move the greenhouse off the deck, things are just kind of placed in a mish mash out there. I'll need to keep rotating them to get good sun for a bit.

But the, of course, it's only going to be in the 60's over the weekend, so I'll need to keep an eye on night-time temps, but things are looking good so far and I'm sure they'll enjoy the heat of the sun and air the next couple of days...I know I will!!

Carrot Seeds Sown

2009-05-17T11:34:00.002-04:00

Seeing how my lettuce failed to do much in this window box, I just threw a ton of older carrot seeds into the window box to reuse the soil and we’ll see what happens! I haven’t had any luck with carrots either. LOL

Tomatoes In Final Home

2009-05-17T11:34:00.001-04:00

I couldn’t wait any longer and planted my two ‘Sweet Olive’ tomato plants into their final containers. The root system was odd. At least there WAS one, but it was just….strange. I can’t explain it better than that. The plants themselves look very healthy, so I hope that trend continues now they’re in more space. Although some sun and warm temps would be nice!

I also planted the rest of my curly dwarf parsley around the base of both tomato plants. The entire container will remain in the greenhouse until temps warm up.

Lettuce of No Return (on my investment)

2009-05-17T11:33:00.002-04:00

Boy, I just give up with lettuce. Lettuce and I just do not have a good relationship when it comes to growing it from seed. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. I got the seed to germinate just fine in the window box I set out in the greenhouse, but the seedlings didn’t amount to much. i set them outside today for some warmth. I got home and they were completely toppled over and I realized they barely had any kind of a root system. I pulled them all out. Pretty pathetic. I guess I’ll stick to farmers’ market lettuce.

Maybe I’ll try some again in late summer…or maybe I won’t. This is the 3rd year I’ve tried and no luck. Not going to waste my money and time anymore. Frustrating when I KNOW it’s an easy crop to grow…I guess it’s just easy for everyone else but me. LOL

Apparent Goners

2009-05-17T11:33:00.001-04:00

After giving them some time, it appears the five Desmond Dianthus plants I bought and planted last year did not make it through the winter. There isn’t a spec of new growth on any of them, but the biggest surprise and disappointment is the Creeping Thyme that I grew from seed many years ago.

The Thyme has always provided a nice backdrop around my chives and lavender and I love how it looks when it flowers, not to mention the scent. This year, only one little (very little) patch of new growth and it’s so far on the edge of the garden that Dave will no doubt catch it with one sweep of the lawn mower. The ironic thing about the creeping thyme is that it reseeded itself way over on the other side of the garden. Normally, I wouldn’t be upset about that, but it reseeded right in the middle of my stone path. I know it’s a good ground cover, but it’s covering up my path and starting to take over. So, I’m not sure what to do about my thyme.

Now I have two bare patches in the garden….well, they’re not bare yet, they’re just dead and ugly. LOL

Full-House!

2009-05-13T19:05:00.003-04:00

I think it's safe to say my greenhouse is starting to fill up!! Al of those containers and planters. I sure wish it would warm up! I set a lot of them outside today for the first time since it was in the 70's, but it's only supposed to be around 55 tomorrow, so I'll keep them inside. I haven't planted my tomatoes in their container yet. I barely have room for the chair in there now, but I'm making ti work! I enjoyed my dinner in the greenhouse tonight with a howling wind outside, I was nice and warm.

The 1st Pic:
Top (1st) shelf: Individual rosemary plants in terra cotta pots
2nd shelf: Basil and parsley in larger containers and arugula in the small tan container.
3rd shelf: two terra cotta containers with spinach, three individual basil plants in terra cotta pots and a mixed bag of seedlings waiting to be planted in the garden when it's warm.
4th (bottom) shelf: Snapdragons in light blue container, lettuce in window box in the back, morning glories in the front window box and petunias in white container.
On floor: Snapdragons, radishes, salad mix and my two cucumbers in the larger container on the right.

The 2nd Pic:
The planter below in the back has Thunbergia (or black-eyed-susan vine) in the back with coleus planted in the front although they're hard to see in this pic. The 32 marigold seedlings are planted in the two windows in front of it on the floor and there is a tray of sweet peas on the right that I'm not sure where I"m going to plant yet...if I do at all.

Hummers

2009-05-13T12:45:00.001-04:00

I set out the hummingbird and oriole feeders yesterday and saw two different hummingbirds already at the feeder this morning! Yey! Now I'm waiting to see my beloved orioles.

Tree Rose Planted

2009-05-12T08:21:00.004-04:00

My tree rose arrived yesterday, so Dave helped me load up the container with soil and some small rocks for drainage and we planted it out on the deck after work. The container seems horribly huge for it, so I'm glad I only got a 20" one instead of the 32" one recommended by the distributer.

The rose tree was in pretty good condition other than one broken branch which is a shame because it was one of the larger ones, so I fear there won't be anything on that side. I placed the stake to keep the tree stable until it's established on that side and secured it to the tree "trunk" with flexible rubber ties.

There is a lot of new growth on it already, so I'm hoping it'll start to fill in quickly once we get some warmer temps and more sun!

My big garden is looking more and more lush, although I'm fearing none of my Dianthus survived the winter as there is no new growth on them yet.

Containers Planted

2009-05-09T19:31:00.003-04:00

Today was a busy morning. The forecast looked pretty dreary with rain and thunderstorms forecast, but it ended up holding off until 7:00 tonight and staying relatively warm. Not need to rush to get it all done, but I'm glad I did. They're almost all in the greenhouse anyway.

So, today I transplanted/planted:
-all of my Snapdragons in two different containers.
-basil in one white container, then three in some terra cotta pots
-coleus in the deck planter around the thunbergia I planted a few weeks ago.
-morning glories in an old window box to use as hanging plants...we'll see how that works.
-all of my Marigold seedlings into two window boxes
-both varieties of my floppy Parsley seedlings.
-my two cucumbers seedlings into their large container
-some more thunbergia into a window box with a trellis in it on the deck
-20 onion plants!

The onion plants are something new for me. Dave built me a terrific little raised bed where they fit perfectly. Everyone at Johnny's says growing onions from plants are "wicked easy", so I hope that's the case.

'Smokey Bear' Daffodils Blooming!

2009-05-04T22:27:00.003-04:00

The 64 daffodil bulbs I planted last fall are all starting to bloom. They're not done yet, so I hope I can get some cut tomorrow morning to enjoy at work during the day. The small sea of yellow and orange out by the edge of the property is sure a pretty sight.

Potted up Rosemary & Planting Sage

2009-05-04T22:24:00.004-04:00

My three lonely, little rosemary seedlings were starting to do odd things in their six-packs, as were the sage seedlings, so I potted up the Rosemary seedlings into their own terra cotta pot, then I planted the sage seedlings into the big garden behind my lavender, thyme and chives. Keep all my herbs together.

REALLY enjoyed the scent of the rosemary as I was transplanting them. I can't wait to use fresh rosemary in some recipes I have and I know of two recipes that are screaming for fresh-from-the-garden sage.

A Little After-Work Planting

2009-05-04T22:16:00.003-04:00

I got out of work on time today, so after my 30 mile drive back home I got to work doing some planting after changing into my "gardening clothes".

I finished up planting my other 9 'Jewel' strawberry plants. Dave tilled out a circle around the rock table at the edge of the garden for me yesterday and they fit in perfectly there.

Then I planted the other two 'Montezuma' Oriental lily plants beside the other three I bought last year, although I fear one isn't going to make it. Looking pretty sad. Glad I picked these other two up then.

There were Petunia's up-for-grabs at work today, so I can't pass up free flower seedlings and brought six of them home. I planted them in a white container. They're the 'Explorer Blue' variety.

Disappointed, but Productive

2009-05-03T19:57:00.005-04:00

My "plan" was to go to Longfellow's Greenhouse on Saturday morning, buy the 'Angel Face' tree rose, get a container for it, buy two more 'Montezuma' lilies, some Osmocote Pot Shots, some slow-release granular fertilizer that doesn't burn, some low plant supports, garlic clips, ThermaCell Patio Lanterns for bugs and some potting soil. I walked away with the lilies, one plant support and some potting soil. It was a disappointing trip, mainly because they aren't carrying 'Angel Face' tree rose, but only one variety that's pink and I just didn't wan it. I was able to use one of my two gifts cards and a $10 gift coupon, so that helped cut the cost of what I did buy in half. It was a wasted trip, other than the lilies.

So, we went to Lowe's to pick up some birdseed and I decided to check out things in their garden center. I had never been there before...and ended up walking away with a 'Nikka blue' Hydrangea and a nice, light-weight container to put it in. I didn't realized until I got home that this is a HUGE plant, so it may not stay in the container long, but not sure where I'll put it. Not luck on the other items I was looking for at this store either. Oh, well! We did take a nice, cool cruise on the boat Saturday afternoon, so that was nice.

Then I basically took stock of things I had growing out in the greenhouse and inside still and decided I had better get a plan going on where and how I was going to plant all of these items. I was kind of shocked at the quantity of plants!!

From 2009 Garden Blog

I have growing:
10 ‘President Tyler’ Morning Glory seedlings
2 ‘Marketmore’ Cucumber seedlings
2 ‘Sweet Olive’ Tomato seedlings
20 ’Benary’s Giant’ Zinnia seedlings
29 ‘Dwarf Curly’ Parsley seedlings
20 ‘Italian Leaf’ Parsley seedlings
32 ‘Red Gem’ Marigold seedlings
3 Rosemary seedlings
4 ‘Tall Blue Planet’ Ageratum seedlings
9 Sage seedlings
7 ‘Marble Arch Mix II’ Salvia seedlings
17 ‘Costa Mix’ Snapdragons seedlings
15ish Sweet Pea seedlings
15ish ‘Superstar Orange’ Thunbergia seedlings
10 ‘Sonatina Scarlet Yellow’ Coleus seedlings

I planted the hydrangea in the container today and finally got the garden all cleared out today, so we're ready to go for planting once the weather warms up. Dave tilled up the soil where I want to plant the rest of my strawberry plants as well. I still need to plant my onion plants.

I'm still wanting that tree rose and the hydrangea only cost me $6.99 so I DO have some money left over. Guess I'll look online now.

Lunch-Break Thinning

2009-05-01T11:53:00.004-04:00

I'm working from home today, so during my lunch break, I thinned out my lettuce in the window box and radish seedlings in their container out in the greenhouse.

I thinned the lettuce down to just four seedlings in the window box and the radishes down to 12 seedlings. Trying to keep a better handle on spacing this year.

I'll do some succession planting of lettuce and possibly radishes in a couple of weeks. It'll depend on how these babies continue to do. So far, so good.

1st Garden Clean-Up

2009-05-01T07:01:00.005-04:00

I spent two hours after work last night starting the task of cleaning out my garden finally. We put a layer of dried leaves and pine needles over the garden for the winter. And since I had so many new perennials planted, I wanted to make sure I gave them extra special protection. As a result....there was a lot of "extra special" debris in the garden! LOL

I'd say I got 1/2, if not more, cleared out. There was also a great number of pine cones, tree branches and sprouting acorns. If I wanted to start my own forest, I'd have tons of little acorn seedlings to do it right there.

I also pruned back my rose bushes. As is the case every year, I think some didn't make it, but some did. We'll just have to wait and see what develops now that they've all been cut back. My 'Mystic Fairy' and 'Fiesta' roses don't look very good, but they didn't last year either and I got some lovely flowers. I was pleased to see lots of new growth on the 'Carefree Celebration' roses I bought last year.

It appears, at this point, the only things I planted last year that may not have made it are one of my Echinacea plants my Bleeding Hearts. Still a little early, but everything else is showing some good, new growth so I was very pleased to see that.

I have the rest of the garden to do and need to clean out my hydrangea bed. No new growth on those yet, but it's very early. They said by June there should be new growth. I hope they flower this year.

Visit To Eliot Coleman's Farm

2009-04-29T17:56:00.003-04:00

Today a group of us from Johnny's Selected Seeds took a field trip of sorts to Four Season Farm in Harborside, Maine. Eliot has designed many of our exclusive tools at Johnny's and two of our folks were already there working on some new ideas for the next catalog. His wife, Barbara Damrosch, gave us warm welcome and a guided tour of the farm.

Even at this early stage of the season, the fields and greenhouses were very impressive and some of their tomatoes in the greenhouses were already producing fruit. We took advantage of this picturesque setting to shoot a few photos. Barbara, however, is an accomplished photographer as well as an author and gardener and we were lucky enough to be privy to her massive archive of photos, some of which may appear in our next catalog. She has access to the farm on a daily basis and is able to take photos at the most opportune times when planting comes to fruition and everything is at their peak, so we'd be silly not to take advantage of her already extensive photography collection. What a joy it must be to live there in such a beautiful spot.

They use seaweed, that's gathered just down the road at the shore, as a mulch and in their compost bins providing excellent nutrients to the soil and plants. They have several greenhouses that are movable which allows them to be shifted sideways to roll over top of crops already growing on an adjacent site when those crops need protection. They're also going to bring in chickens, cows and sheep. A truly sustainable landscape.

It's a bit of a tricky drive out there, but well worth it once you arrive. Not only are their fields in beautiful shape, but the gardens surrounding their home, including a grape vine trellis over their back patio which supplied them with their own wine last year, were stunning....even in this early stage of growth.

They do have a Farmers' Market at the farm selling their own fresh produce from July through September, Monday-Friday from 1-5 pm and Saturdays 10 am-5 pm. They don't normally give tours, so we felt wonderful to be able to not only tour their greenhouse and fields, but to step inside their home and share some insite into their lives and how they live it. And they have the best antique stove! :-)

Bumped Up Cucumbers & Tomatoes

2009-04-29T17:52:00.002-04:00

Tonight after work I bumped up my cucumbers and tomatoes to larger containers. Despite the lankiness of the stems, they had a very good root ball, so I was pleased about that. I think now that they're in rich, more nutrient soil, they'll do much better. And I've given them a shot of fertilizer.

It's supposed to be below freezing tonight, so I'm moving everything but what's in the larger pots inside from the greenhouse. After being 88 yesterday! Wacky weather and I know people have already planted their peppers and tomatoes in the ground here in Maine, which is very early, so I hope they give them protection the next couple of nights.

Beautiful Weekend

2009-04-27T08:26:00.002-04:00

Wow, what a shock to feel 70 and 80 degree weather on my old, tired, lazy winter bones! It was a beautiful weekend, although a tad windy. I SHOULD have been working in my main garden getting it cleaned out, but instead we spent most of Saturday getting the pontoon boat out of her winter home. It was a struggle, but she slid into the water around 1:00. Dave gave her a quick clean-up and we set out upstream for our first cruise of 2009. NICE!

From 2009 Garden Blog

I also did some work on preparing my seedlings for planting out in probably three to four weeks. My Thunbergia seedlings were starting to wind themselves around each other so I needed to get some of those into a planter. I clean out my self-watering deck planter and planted six seedlings into it, then placed it in the greenhouse until it gets warmer out at night. We're expecting some pretty cool night-time temps mid-week so I don't want to have to move it in and out of the greenhouse...although it does have wheels. I also planted three seedlings into a hanging basket. I still have several seedlings left though. Need to decide where to put those!

I planted three of the my twelve 'Jewel' strawberry plants into a larger tub and place it down on the docks for some good sun. Dave hooked up all of the water system outside yesterday, so I'll be able to water down there much easier now.

My 'President Tyler' Morning Glory seedlings have all germinated and I need to get more soil to bump up my cucumber and tomato seedlings into bigger pots, but things are progressing nicely on the flower front.

Vegetables? Well....I THINK there are signs of life from the radish and lettuce seeds I sowed, but I'm disappointed with the salad mix. I think it's an old packet, so that might be part of the problem. I'll give it a few more days.

My herbs are all doing well. I'm loving my parsley, but it's getting quite large so I might need to start thinking about planting it in a larger pot. I'm loving using my own fresh parsley and basil for cooking. My rosemary plants are still quite tiny and my sage is doing well, but needs to be planted into pots now.

My 'Mars' onion plants arrived on Friday and I need to pin down where I want to put a raised bed now. 65-75 plants! Thankfully, I'm splitting them with a co-worker. I've never grown onions before, so we'll see how I do.

Strawberries!

2009-04-24T16:14:00.003-04:00

Well, who can pass up strawberries? I can't apparently! LOL Some plants were returned to the store for whatever reason and the call went out that they were available, so a small herd of folks went out to the store. They were in bunches of 25. I certainly didn't need that many, so a co-worker split the bunch with me. Now I have 12 'Jewel' strawberry plants to plant. Where? Not sure! But it sure would be fun to have my own, sweet, fresh strawberries. I'm thinking I'll need to put them into a strawberry container of some sort and over-winter them in the garage as they're supposed to be winter-hardy.

Stay tuned!

Just for my Reference

2009-04-22T15:04:00.002-04:00

I gave my babies some food today with Miracle Grow. 1/2 tsp. per 1/2 gallon in the watering can.

Progress

2009-04-22T10:47:00.004-04:00

Instead of posting reports and photos of every single stage of growth of everything, I'll just make a post of what's proceeding along nicely at this point...or what isn't!

From 2009 Garden Blog

I'm VERY pleased with:

'Superstar Orange" Thunbergia. Healthy, upright, and vining stems ready to go into a final container.

'Marketmore 76' Cucumber. Need to be bumped up into larger pots.

'Red Gem' Marigold. So far, I still have 32 of these beauties still growing!!

'Marble Arch Mix II' Salvia Only 7 seedlings survived, but they're really doing great.

Sage Approx 6 seedlings.

Italian Parsley. I've already used this in some cooking...YUM!

Dwarf Curly Parsley I'm planning on planting these under my tomato plants once they're transplanted into their larger containers. It's very low growing and still very tasty!

'Sonatina' Coleus I'm just thrilled I got these to germinate from seed this year and I may try to take cuttings from them this fall if they survive. 10 seedlings in all right now.

'Genovese' Basil. Mmmm...fresh basil.

Snapdragons I have pinched these back to promote more branching and blooms later on.

Sweet Peas

Rosemary (all three of them, LOL)

I'm still up-in-the air on:

Cosmos

Tomatoes (certainly it's something I've done and not the fault of the seeds)

the whopping FOUR 'Tall Blue' Ageratum plants. They're actually doing well, I just didn't get the bumper crop this year like I did last year for some reason.

We're expecting VERY warm temperatures this weekend, especially for Maine in April with near 80 degrees predicted. I'l move my seedlings out into the greenhouse, or outside, during the day and keep the door open to let more air in. I think they'll enjoy it...I know I will!

Happy Earth Day!

Uncovered Roses

2009-04-19T22:32:00.001-04:00

Today I removed the plastic collars around all of my rose bushes and then proceeded to remove all of the dead leaves I had place in the collars. Lots of new growth, but it appears I did lose some branches. It's still very early.