OK. Officially its not quite Spring but hey, I’m sick of Winter! I’ve been ready to bid it adieu for quite some time now. If I could give it a good kick to its hindquarters on its way out, I would!
My thoughts have been increasingly turning to green, growing things and purty flowers and warm weather. Oh, how I want warm weather! Not hot Summer weather, just warm enough where I can go out in my shirtsleeves and feel comfy. And I’ve been wanting to plant things and see them grow.
For all of you who feel the same (And who doesn’t feel this way by now unless they live in at least the subtropics?) I thought we could discuss what our early spring gardening plans here.
Last Sunday I went to ye olde Fred Meyer (like a Target) and bought a planting tray with 72 peat pots and some seeds. That night, I planted sugar peas (mmmmm, drool), blanket flowers and batchelor’s buttons. I set them on my table indoors since we’re still having some pesky freezing weather. I was surprised to see that on Wednesday, a scant four days later, the batchelor’s buttons had already all sprouted! Complete with little leaves! Wow! I didn’t know anything germinated that fast except the kind of sprouts you see on a salad.
A few stray blanket flower seeds show they’re off to a healthy, if slower, start and even a few of the peas have poked tender shoots up out of the soil. Wow! Ain’t Mother Nature something?
I moved into this place a year ago. Most of what I have outside is cement patio. There are two areas of dirt about 4x8 feet that I can dig in. I also have a bunch of pots for more planting room.
Some plants wintered over well and others, not so much. The four roses I got last year made it through with flying colors. They’re all pretty well leafed out now. My fuschias bit the dust while still attempting to bloom in mid-December,much to local hummingbirds’ disappointment. But I did see a hummer a week ago so I know they’re still around. I think my neighbor has a feeder.
My citronella, ornamental chrysanthemum, and purple daisy-like plant all were doing great until a hard freeze in late January. I’m hoping there are buds on the lower stalks waiting for warmer weather but I suspect not. I especially liked the chrysanthemum. It’s not a fancy flowering one but has striking silvery green-gray leaves with white edges. I hope I can find another one.
The wallflowers bloomed all though the winter and the little azalea I bought at Trader Joe’s last year bloomed in January. My big azalea that was here when I moved in, I don’t have high hopes for. The squirrels raided it pretty big this winter. I think they ate all the buds. Still, I’ll give it another month to see what happens. The two big camillia bushes are on the brink of putting on a big show. Huge buds everywhere, even though the squirrels had eaten some of those too. The bushes have been sporting some great advance-scout flowers for several weeks already.
So how does your garden grow? What do you want to plant this year? And, please, reassure me that it will warm up soon! Please!
