Window Box

Last year Jake built me a window box for Mother's Day. I planted it with a ton of beautiful flowers. This year my feelings are "keep it simple". I love the way it looks and the new Pretty Much Picasso petunia looks fabulous in it with red cabbage. Great job Linda!

Its Gardentown!

Oh my goodness! Its finally back, EXTREME Gardening. I woke up to sunshine, coffee and a walk to water a few plants and the hanging baskets in my yard. Next I filled two truckloads of plants to take to a Garden Festival. I got to talk with other gardeners and back to the nursery. I was talking to a client about getting trees and shrubs installed and I noticed a pound of dirt under my nails. I have funny tan lines on my feet from my Crocks. I love summer!

Feels like summer

Today I helped plant a large garden. We planted 30 different varieties of Tomato plants,15 types of peppers, eggplant, basil, cabbage, lemon grass, melons, cucumbers, squash and onions. I had a good time and learned how to plant a large garden in uniform rows. It looks really good and it will be fun to watch it grow. I got a little sunburned, I think that was meant to be.

Bill Shores in Rick Bayless' Garden

I am very excited because I got tickets to a tour of gardens designed and tended by Bill Shores of Shores Garden Consulting. The tickets for the tour sell out within days. Last year a waited to long to decide and I missed the boat. This year however I acted quickly and got 4 tickets. Myself and a few garden buddies are going to spend the night downtown and make a few days out of it. The following day I volunteer in the Lurie Garden. I love my life!
We are very fortunate to have Bill Speaking at Spring Bluff Nursery on June 5th. His talk will be on Urban Agriculture and Small Space Food Production.

The BEST gifts

Last spring I was working with a new client who has a wooded back yard. She has no turf only the forest floor and many woodland plants. We decided to make an exchange of woodland plants I had at my farm for Trillium which grows abundantly in her woods. Spring went by so quickly I did not get a chance to return for the plants.

Would you believe that wonderful gardener called me this week to remind me to stop over and collect the plants. I of course was not going to let this opportunity pass me by again. I found a small window of time on my next day off and I have adopted a small group of beautiful Trillium.

MINT mint MiNT

The early warm snap has given the plants a jump start and it is time to start my spring clean up. I enjoy weeding the mint bed because it smells divine the entire time your in it. The harder I work the more fragrant it is.

Just when I thought no one knew what I was doing, my daughter popped her head out the back door with excitement "your in the mint"! She then proceeded to open all the windows.

Spring Cleaning

On Saturday, we spent the entire day on the farm. I was able to spend a great deal of time cleaning out my flower garden. What a beautiful transformation. This has been such a warm spring so far, everything is growing wonderfully. Weeds? Oh, the weeds are staying ahead of the game too. It is a game! Maybe I should say challenge. Every year I stride forward to stay ahead of the weeds. When fall is around the corner I rather loose the battle. I am sure this year will not be any different, but until then, I am going to keep on picking those weeds. The flower garden is into its 3rd year. Last year it was very beautiful and I know this year it is going to be outstanding. I added Amsonia and Ornamental Oregano in the fall. I am looking forward to taking many pictures.
On the farm there is an old Lilac bush. I have been trimming away a little each year to rejuvenate it. I see new grow on it already. I hope this year we get a few more blooms. It would feel good to know I helped it bounce back to life.

Itching to plant

I was at JoAnn Fabrics the other day and came across the most adorable ceramic pots. They are shaped like a large cup and saucer. I purchased three of them. I really want to purchase more. I am going to plant one for my mother in-law for Mothers Day. I will plant the others for the new garden in the woods at the farm. These will be adorable. The fun part has just started. "In search of great plants" is next! I already have a dozen ideas of the direction I want to go. I will go back to JoAnn Fabrics for some type of moss. At least one of these should be a miniature garden. I adore spring.

Pansy where are you?

The weather has finally broken and I need my Pansy fix. I have pride in myself to be the first in my neighborhood to plant pansies. If the plant is "hardened off", it is hardy to 15 degrees. The sooner you get them planted, the sooner they will grow!

It is also time to cut back my perennial grasses. I find it is easier to tie them up first. This makes for less mess and easier to haul off the bundled grasses.
If you look up into your Maple trees, you can see them in bud. Some of these buds are beautiful colors of crimson and reds.

I will be cutting Forsythia branches to force indoors. I hope the rabbits did not eat all of them this winter. I am really into color from nature, and forsythias are a beautiful yellow.

I am really toying with the idea of getting a few chicks. I want a few chickens in my yard. If I give free eggs to the neighbors, I might just get away with it. Our yard is filled with trees and shrubs. During the growing season, you really can't see inside the fence. I don't believe a few chickens will be of any bother to the neighborhood.
Happy Spring!

Change is in the Wind

Change is in the wind, has always been my favorite part of spring. Renewal, rejoice, rebirth.... My career is blowing in a new direction. I am giving up my design table for Managing the sales yard. I have a previous Management background, but I gave it all up for greener grass? My nature is to see what can be improved and as they say "don't complain unless you want to take over the job".
Its going to be fun. Spring here I come 1,2,3 and leap!