Garden Friday

 

 

 

 

Welcome to Garden Friday

on this beautiful Earth Day!

It seems that winter is on its way out,

at least here in the Piedmont.

We are warming up to temps in the 80's in the next few days.

 

Our mailbox irises are bustin' out all over. 

I love that I can see these from the front window.

Not sure if you can see this,

but I noticed the two varieties of carrots

have very different germination rates.

Danvers 126 (top row) has about three times the seedlings

than the Tendersweet variety.

 Duly noted for next season.

 

The strawberries are coming on strong!

Soon it will be time for some serious sampling!

 

 

Some of our containers were seeded with an herb and flower combination.

Can't wait to see these getting filled up with goodies!

(The wire on top discourages squirrels from digging.)

We had another frost just the other night,

and I didn't want the potatoes to have to struggle to stay warm.

I used some cloches made from 2-liter bottles

and these bins to cover the crops.

 

The next day, they were just fine.

Hopefully, this is the last of the cold weather 

until autumn.

 The potatoes in the buckets were simply covered with a lid to keep out the cold.

Even though I know they would recover from the frost,

the fear of stunting their growth was enough for me to act this time.

 

A soil sample was taken from the blueberry patch.

These were planted last year and I wanted to compare the numbers

from the initial sampling to see if I've done enough to acidify the soil.

In a matter of weeks, I'll have my answer.

Want to know how to take a soil sample?

Read this.

 

  Our woodland garden is coming along.

I keep adding shade loving plants to our backyard,

as it is wooded.

It was a thrill to see these hosta plants pop up,

for I had all but lost hope that they would return.

Along with Soloman's Seal and Toad Lily,

it's beginning to fill in slowly but surely.

 

 This particular yarrow plant is taking up too much space

in the front flower bed.

It's making it difficult to see the gorgeous poppies,

so maybe I'll just swap them out.

After it finishes blooming, I will relocate it elsewhere,

or simply divide it.

The flower beds are enjoying the newly installed irrigation!

 A trip to the IGA was made earlier in the week,

and I may have gone a bit crazy.

There were so many perennials for sale,

and at $2 a pop, it was more than I could do to resist.

I've never grown stevia before,

but look forward to learning more about this natural sweetener.

A couple of different thyme plants were picked up,

as well as coneflowers, Gerbera daisies, alyssum,

and a few other odds and ends.

About the only type of shopping I enjoy is nursery shopping.
 

 

One of our neighbors gifted us with two different azaleas.

This one is called Florida Flame.

I can't wait to see them both in full bloom!

 Would you look at the sweet lil' flowers on this chive plant?

I think I see some potato salad in my future!

 There are always more pots to fill,

and I look forward to making a few more trips to the nursery

before the spring is over.

Spring has sprung, baby!