Ally and I had a wild time this morning. It was such a bright and beautiful sunny day! We flung open the front door (and barricaded it with the Headwater's Stool, so Nika, my old golden retriever, wouldn't barrel through into the soil). We brought out paints and our clean terra cotta pots and set up a giant potting station on the front porch.
We cut open the potting mix bags, so it was easy for Ally to reach in with her little pink panda trowel and shovel dirt into containers. We used a mix of terra cotta, wood and metal planters this year in a mixture of sizes and shapes. Then we massed them together in a few spots around the front flowerbeds. Some of the larger terra cotta planters became stacked to add some height to what is mostly just bare dirt at the moment. The yellow eyes of the deep violet pansies seemed to brighten things up and pulled the cool grays and blues of the iris and lamb's ears together with the deep greens of bulbs and perennials attempting to peek through the earth. The yellow crocus and daffodills really make the purple pop!
We buried some of the daffodill bulbs that we excavated last week underneath the pansies - they may or may not bloom, but we had to put them all somewhere. We've run out of flowerbeds to layer them into. I really don't feel like taking my bulb planter to the grass near the trees to naturalize them, but it may come to that. Yuck! I'm a lazy gardener and hate back-breaking work!
Ally added some great color to the terra cotta pots and placed them all in very fun locations around the garden. She hid a few surprises for me inside as well - a tiny Smurf, little ceramic turtle, and our love bug. I had an area that sunk drastically, so I dumped some soil inside the hole and added rocks and some accents to create a bit of a cascade effect. It looks great from my art/sewing station inside.
Off to do a bit of planning for this afternoon's escapades in the veggie garden with all three munchkins. We have a big agenda, and I imagine there will be pretty short attention spans - at least where Dylan and Ally are concerned. I have a hard time getting Preston to leave the garden at all. He is such a tremendous helper, and, thankfully, loves doing all the muscle work.
Keep you posted....
Early Spring Garden
We sow peas, radishes, leaf lettuce, and chives in February and early March near the honeysuckle on my neighbor's fence. This, plus the clover, marigolds, and other beneficials (my husband calls them weeds) in our yard help us attract bees into our garden. This, of course, insures good pollination for the veggies.
About Me
- liz zubow-johnson
- I'm an artist, small-town family girl, and enviro-nut. My husband, Brent, and I have adopted one son, Dylan. We're one happy trio. I love to garden, teach children, and create art both in and outdoors every day. God has given me great gifts, and I hope to use them each day to beautify this great globe we all share.
Smiling
What I'm always wearing when I'm among my plants.
Allium
My favorite ornamental onions are planted right outside my front door - I need to order more of these as pests never bother the dirt near these beauties.
Me in my Hat
My new paper-blend garden hat is perfect for both rainy and sunny days
Figure 2
Gallon jugs do double duty in my garden. I use the tops for mini greenhouses and the lower portion as a collar for young, fragile plants. I plan to spray them red later since red mulch is all the rage around tomatoes these days.
Gramp's yellow tree rose
This rose was tall, thin and scraggly after it's first season in our garden. Now, five years later, it's a tough-stemmed "tree rose" and it's blooms inspired the color we purchased to paint the house. Now, if it would ever stop raining we could paint more than just the front porch...
Red in the rose garden
A few years ago, I decided to move two of my roses from their locales on the southeast side of the house for two reasons. First, because the pecan tree had begun to rob them of their sunshine. Second, because the bright salmon and hot pink hues didn't go with the cool blues and yellows I prefer near the porch. I split one rose into three pieces accidentally when the rootball broke in transit. This one was a surprise, as the original plant was covered in hot pink smaller blooms. It must be the parent plant and the other was grafted onto it. The biology of plants amazes me every day.
Favorite Garden Weed
I'm researching the name of this "weed" I found in our lawn today. (It may be Blue Toadflax, in the snapdragon family, but could also be many types of wild mint.) My reference is Ozark Wildflowers, A Falcon Guide, by Don Kurz. The discovery of this plant is the only reason I'm glad we have been unable to mow for nearly two weeks.
Radish Bonanza
The boys harvesting "a radish bonanza". They spit out the last radishes they tried to eat, but they had fun getting dirty digging them out. They even found a treasure radish: one deep purple gem, they called it.
My Handsome Hubby
Brent and our nephew Aidan relaxing in the front porch swing.
Nika and Jay-J Romping in the Front Garden
The last week in April finds yellow roses blooming and blue iris standing proudly among salvia and dianthus.
Planting Pumpkins & Watermelon
I spent Earth Day with my neice Ally planting hills of watermelon and pumpkins - later we'll add more radishes, butternut squash, sunflowers and cucumbers along the fence.
Newly sprouted pumpkins
Six days later sprouts are popping up everywhere - pumpkins, watermelon, bean, lettuce, spinach and carrots.
Watering in the pink
How I imagine you will usually find me or Ally in the garden - pink watering can and new retro toolbelt full of seeds.
Redneck Tomato Hothouse
We planted a one-inch tall tomato seedling six days ago in the greens bed. It is nearly popping out its gallon-jug-hothouse now.
Lettuce bed
Lettuce bed before I pulled out six heads of romaine to plant 3 cherry and 3 regular tomato plants
Pretty as a Tee-Pea
Can't wait to see these peas start producing and pull the kiddos out to the garden for picking every day :)
Rear Veggie Bed
Rear Veggie Garden viewed from the new upper kids garden
Preston's Potato Bed
The ski-pole bean teepee will be covered in no time as our beans have already sprouted (after only five days). The potatos are filling in really well - we're seeing new sprouts every day. Marigolds, pansies, and sage are keeping pests away organically.
Figure 3/13/09a
Our glass canister greenhouse
Figure 3/13/09b
Sprouted snap pea seeds
Hidden Smurfs
Ally loves to hide stuff in the garden
Attack of the Cucumbers
Preston, Dylan and Ally with a day's harvest of cucs in July 2008
Year one early summer
My lone delphinium survivor with salvia, pansies, coreopsis and our ever-present iris
Our second year in the house
Husker Red Penstemon, Coreopsis, Happy Returns Daylily, Veronica and native sedums
Year three with my newly fallen pecan tree in the background
Coreospsis, Marguerite daises, black hollyhocks, native lily buds, roses, penstemon, salvia, and pansies among ferny anemone foliage and sharp iris spikes
Grandpa's Memorial Garden
This garden gnome sat happily in my grandparent's garden for years, so when he passed, I planted it in mine surrounded by roses and rhubarb. They always had roses growing, my Gram's pride and joy for many years. Accompanying the roses are Gaillarda, Penstemon, Hollyhock, pansies and my tried and true edger Lamb's Ear
Iris under the Pink Dogwood - year four or five
These earlier lavender iris are followed by true purple iris with darker falls. When they begin to change, they truly resemble a rolling tide under the paling pink dogwood.
Nearly contrasting colors in year four
This year blues were more prevalent. Striking purple verbena and salvia complement fiery orange pansies. Lamb's Ears and white Iberis cool down the hot tempo too.
Fun in the Veggie Patch
Kids having water wars amongst the zinnias, basil, and mammoth cucumbers
No comments:
Post a Comment