As always seems to happen in the springtime, the days are flying by. The garden continues to pop awake, and the dogwood tree, tulips, creeping phlox, brunerra, rue anemone, virginia bluebells, and trillium are in bloom. The peonies are growing, and our clematis vines and allium have blooms, waiting to open.
Our ‘Jack Frost’ Brunerra in bloom in the shade garden
I’ve been doing some work on the new wildlife pond. I added a liner, and filled it with a bit of water. I hauled some river rock and pebbles to the backyard, which I’ve half spread out around the water. I’m looking into grabbing some larger stones to edge the pond, but I didn’t want to wait to plant the native perennials I’d picked up the other week. I have a boatload of native ferns and other shade and water-loving plants on their way to me in a couple of weeks to join the edge of the pond and to make more hidey holes for bugs and birds. Slowly but surely, I’m taking up all the sod around the pond to extend that shade garden. I’m really excited for that space to come together.
The pond is slowly coming together
We have two shade gardens in the backyard, right up next to the house. I have them both pretty packed with native flowers and sedges, and also a slew of ferns and hostas. I am a bit of a hosta fiend. I blame my dad. When we started the garden, he split one of he and my moms giant hostas, and gave it to me to help get my garden started. I love that thing. The leaves grow larger than dinner plates, in a deep blue-green, and it looks like a giant jungle plant. Since then, I’ve collected 11 more hosta plants, in various shapes and colors. They bloom every summer, with graceful little stalks of purple flowers that the bees enjoy. I saw a bumble bee sleeping inside of one of the flowers one year summer, and turned into a blubbery mess. I dare you to gaze upon a fuzzy bee, snoozing in a flower and not completely melt at the cuteness.
No bumble bees yet on these hostas
Our seedlings continue to grow like wild. I’m watching the calendar with anticipation, just waiting for the day I can pop my tomatoes and peppers into the ground. I’ve lost complete control over the tomatoes. I measured a few of them this past week, and they are now over 2′ tall. Normally, when I transplant them into the ground, they are 6, maybe 7″ high. These monsters are more than ready for the new raised beds.
Well, that’s all I have, for the moment. Don’t forget- this Thursday, April 22, is Earth Day! Because it’s spring in Central Ohio, we’re expecting highs in the low 40s at one point this week, with possible snow flurries. I try to get out to do some planting every Earth Day, but this year, it may be an indoor gardening sort of day instead. Wherever you are, and whatever your weather, I hope you can spend a little of your Earth Day enjoying and supporting nature. Plant a tree, or donate to a local conservation group. Check out a park, and help clean up any trash you may find. Unplug and enjoy!
Like Dr. Seuss said in The Lorax, “Unless someone like you care a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”
Our first asparagus harvest of the year was delicious!
I think spring must be my favorite season. Aside from my allergies, which are definitely trying to kill me through sheer irritation, watching all the trees bud and the garden coming back to life really makes this the best time of year. I love hiking through the woods and checking out the spring wildflowers. I love watching the first bees of the year bouncing wildly around from flower to flower. I love walking through the garden each day, checking out which perennials have started to break through the earth again, and which trees have sprouted leaves. I love watching all the seedlings growing and daydreaming about the first flowers and vegetable harvests. Looking outside at all the green just makes me feel like myself again.
Giant White Trillium, Brunerra, Flowering Dogwood, Creeping Phlox, Tulips, and Dandelions
I’ve been busy this past week, cleaning up the yard. Last years flowers have all been trimmed away, and I discovered a few solitary bee nurseries in some dried out sunflower stalks. The baby bees had already flown the coop, but it was really exciting to know that they had spent the winter there before hatching this spring.
I also started some more seeds, which have been sprouting up in the cold frame out on the deck. In a few weeks, I’ll finish up planting the rest of the seeds that prefer to start life in their final growing space. For now, I have an arsenal of flowers and herbs sprouting. I have a few types of thyme, parsley, oregano, basil, fennel, cilantro, and borage, as well as marigolds, bachelor button flowers, german chamomile, zinnias, prairie dropseed, and little bluestem.
No Vacancy
I also popped the lids off of the seeds that I started in the milk jugs in January through winter sowing. I had decent germination, and so the prairie milkweed, prairie blazing star, and purple prairie clover is coming along well. I’ve never successfully grown any of these native species from seed before, so I’m excited that this method worked out so well.
The butterflies are going to love this blazing star once it grows up!
After all that trimming, weeding, and seed starting, one would think it would be time to take off the gardening gloves and sit back on the deck with a nice cup of tea. While that does sound wonderful, I may have gone a different route…
I’ve had the idea of a wildlife pond in the back of my mind for awhile now. Water = life, and I love thinking of all the bugs, birds, and amphibians we could have traipsing around a pond. In the summer, we can hear the frogs at night, bellowing to one another from the creek behind our house. But, that’s tens of yards away. I want that in our yard. So, ignoring the fact that I already have quite a few large-ish projects planned for the next month or two, I decided a wildlife pond had to happen. Right now.
In a hole in the ground, there lived a pond.
The husband, well used to my schemes by now, raised nary an eyebrow when I asked if he’d help me dig the pond out. We discovered a huge rock while excavating, which will actually work out nicely. I plan to turn that end into a little ramp so critters can wade down into the water at their leisure.
The pond is about 2′ deep, and I picked up some lining for it yesterday. I’ll line the pond, add rocks to hold the liner down, fill it up, and then get to the fun part: planting.
I wanted as many native species as possible to live in and around the pond, which will draw in even more wildlife. I have maidenhair ferns, jack-in-the-pulpits, creek sedge, sea oats, wild geraniums, marsh marigolds, blue flag irises, sweet flags, and rue anemone. These plants are all native to our area, many being host plants for multiple species of Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths). The area gets some sun in the morning, but is mostly a fairly shady spot. These plants should thrive there, given that they don’t love full sun, but do enjoy waterfront living.
The haul from a recent trip to Scioto Gardens, an amazing nursery in the Columbus, Ohio area that sells all native plant and trees.
While I’m on the subject of native plants (and when am I not, really?!), I want to take a moment to talk about a non-native (to our area): the Bradford Pear, which is a type of callery pear tree.
Bradford Pears are originally from southeast Asia, and were introduced to the US in the early 1960s, by the US Department of Agriculture. They were first planted here because they grow quickly, stay relatively small, and have a narrow shape, making them easy to fit into the landscaping of many houses in the cities and the ‘burbs. Since the trees are sterile, it was thought that they’d just be a nice-looking flowering tree in the springtime.
Unfortunately, these trees cross-pollinate like wild, and they have spread all over the eastern and midwest regions of the US. They’ve been declared an invasive species in many states, and have caused millions of dollars in damages.
Bradford Pears are early bloomers. Their flowers kind of smell like dead fish, and they could probably blow down if you sneezed on one hard enough.
Bradford Pears only live for about 20 years, but many don’t even make it that long. The branches sort of grow up, not out, and their tall, narrow shape makes them easy targets for storm damage, from wind, snow, and ice (things we have in abundance in the east and the midwest where they grow).
The trees are one of the first in bloom in our neck of the woods, and their thick foliage blocks out the light underneath them, keeping native species from the sunlight they need to grow. They cross-pollinate with every other pear tree around, which leads to these trees taking over. Just in the field behind our house, I count twelve of them, and I know they weren’t planted there by anyone.
In 2017, the Bradford Pear was declared an invasive species in Ohio. However, nurseries and stores have until the end of 2022 before it will become illegal to propagate, sell, or distribute these trees. Many other states have followed suit, but since the tree is so popular (they live in front of about every house just in my neighborhood alone), and selling them makes growers money, some states have been hesitant to ban the sale of Bradford Pears.
I share this information because as gardeners, we have a great opportunity to make our yards beautiful havens, both for ourselves, and the wildlife with whom we share our land. I don’t imagine most people would willingly plant something that they knew would cause so much harm to the area. When you pop out to the garden center, you sort of expect everything there to be beneficial- that the plants are pleasant to look at, and nice for the yard. But a little bit of research into what you’re adding to your space can really be eye-opening. Maybe instead of that Bradford Pear, try a native serviceberry, or a something like arrowwood viburnum, a similarly sized tree, with gorgeous white blooms. Or, for some brilliant color, add in an eastern redbud with it’s purple-pink flowers.
That’s all from the soap box (for now… mwahaha). Hope your week is filled with sunshine and relaxing. Happy gardening!
Flowering Dogwood- another tree that is native to much of the eastern US
It’s barely been spring for a week here in Ohio, but it feels like the season is really in full swing. We’ve been having 70 degree days, followed by 40 degree days, and wild wind storms. I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve chased down the grill cover and reattached it (which reminds me, where the heck are the bungee cords that I ordered?!) and it seems like every night, I’m awoken to the dulcet tones of something on the deck banging into the railing in an attempt to scoot away. The pots of tulips and strawberries are now permanently relegated to the corner behind the cold frame. It doesn’t make for good viewing, but at least I’m not wading out onto the deck each morning in my bathrobe to repot them. You’re welcome, neighbors.
Aside from our traditionally unpredictable spring weather, I’ve been doing a bit of weeding in the flower beds. I’m waiting to trim back all the perennials for another week or two, in case any flower stalks are housing wildlife like solitary bees. Once it’s consistently above about 55 degrees F during the daytime, they will have flown the coop and it will be safe to tackle the garden clean up.
I had the company drop the compost in the middle of the driveway, so I’d be forced to deal with it or I couldn’t leave the house.
This past weekend, we had two cubic yards of leaf compost delivered. Someone ordered about twice as much as she needed, so in addition to filling the raised beds, a few of the flower beds around the yard were topped off. I’m sure that will make the plants very happy. I know I’m certainly happy that I won’t have to mulch those beds, since the leaf compost will serve the same purpose as mulch would have. In fact, it will do a far better job and add plenty of good nutrients into the soil.
The raised beds are currently exploding with compost… hopefully the veggies will enjoy it!
I spent some time in the afternoon Saturday sowing some seeds in the freshly-made beds: carrots, leeks, and parsley. Not much else can get started outside quite yet, but these cool season crops will grow nicely even with the frosts we’ll have for another month or so. I’ve never grown carrots or leeks, so I’m excited to see how things turn out.
Jersey Giant Asparagus
Another crop that loves the cold, asparagus, is already popping up in our first raised bed. We planted a few rows of it three years ago. Asparagus is an exercise in patience, and requires a lot of space to grow. It doesn’t like being crowded, and pitches a fit if you try to move it around. Also, it takes about three years to be established, so it’s not a great crop for everyone’s garden. But, we are Asparagus People. Sprinkle a little olive oil and salt on those spears, and pop them on the charcoal grill for a good time. Anyway, our asparagus is starting to emerge and I cannot wait for the first harvest!
The lettuce is loving Cold Frame Life
The bibb and baby lettuces and the sorrel I started in the cold frame are also cruising along. We should be able to enjoy some fresh salads here in a few more weeks.
Indoors, the seedlings are coming along. The passion flowers seeds I started last week haven’t germinated quite yet, but the oregano and borage are sprouting, the basil had to be transplanted it grew so happily, and the italian sweet peppers and the druzba and san marzano tomatoes are coming along very nicely. The druzba’s sprouted a bit before the san marzano’s, and many of the plants are already over 6″ tall. It’s entirely possible that I’ll have waist-high tomatoes by the time I can plop them into the garden after the last frost date.
The basil already smells incredible!
I’m excited to see all the changes in the garden over the next few weeks. It seems like things look so different from day to day at this time of year. It always feels like stumbling onto treasure when you spot something new sprouting.
Wishing you a fantastic week, with lots of sunshine. Happy gardening!
It’s officially springtime now, which means I spent the weekend bouncing around outside looking for gardening projects and giving any newly-awakened perennials Bambi Eyes.
The first of the daffodils
There’s quite a lot popping up now, from my beloved peonies to the columbines and daisies. Our daffodils are beginning to bloom, and a few of the trees, like the cottonwoods, are beginning to bud. The grass is starting to grow again, too, getting its green color back.
I tackled quite a few projects over the weekend. The rogue strawberries that somehow charged through winter unscathed were transplanted into a pot on the deck. I cleaned up the garlic pots. The rock garden bed out front was weeded. I planted some bibb lettuce and sorrel in the cold frame, joining the baby lettuce blend that just sprouted there last week. And, I started some passion flower seeds indoors.
The row of raised beds
The husband built two more raised beds for the back yard, and we moved them into place. I’ll set some sheets down inside them this week to kill the grass off, then I need to order a bunch of dirt. We have a compost pile that I’ll empty into the beds, too, so the veggies will have lots of great food in the soil.
Finally, I transplanted the tomatoes and peppers into some larger containers. When you’re growing seedlings, and you start seeing roots peeking out of the bottom of your containers, it’s time to move your plants into larger homes.
It’s a pretty self-explanatory process to transplant your growing seedlings. Just be gentle, taking care not to touch the stems too much. They are very brittle when the plants are tiny, and you can easily damage them. Pot the seedlings up in a larger container, water, and set them back under your grow lights.
The peppers outgrew their first houses just a few weeks after germinating.
Once your plants hit this stage, it’s a great time to start fertilizing them. I use a 10-10-10 fertilizer for all of my seedlings. In fertilizers, you’ll see three numbers listed, which lets you know the percentages of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in the mix. These are the three nutrients that plants need to survive. Things can get complicated pretty quickly in the fertilizer world, and there’s an overwhelming amount of information out there, but choosing a fertilizer with these three nutrients in balance is a safe bet for most of your vegetables as they first start growing.
The weather this weekend was ridiculously nice. We usually start springtime with cold days, and snow is certainly not unheard of in March. It’s been really sunny and warm here lately. The spring wildflowers should be here for us soon, and I’m very excited to see the Virginia Bluebells, Dutchman’s Breeches, Jack-in-the-Pulpits, and Great White Trillium that I planted last year. I’m trying to be patient and not start the rest of my seeds too early, but I am itching to start digging around outside again. Soon!
Not all gardening projects take place outdoors. (Wow. Look at me, being all philosophical).
This weekend, the husband and I built a potting bench for the garage. I’ve needed something like this for awhile. My collection of pots and containers has grown out of control after a few years of buying plants for the yard, and they were living in several un-architecturally- sound piles that spilled all over the garage. I’ve also needed a better space for all of the various types of soil I have, as well as my seeds and tools for potting up seedlings.
I used to haul everything into the kitchen, or onto the back deck every time I needed to plant something up in a pot, which was often. It was always a pain to juggle everything, and I typically managed to spill more than I planted. Also, most significantly, lugging everything around hurts. I have ankylosing spondylitis, which is fancy chronic illness speak for “my body and I don’t often see eye to eye.” I sometimes have issues walking and using my hands, so having to cart around pots, bags of dirt, plants, tools, etc. is always an adventure.
Anyway, I’d wanted to solve all the aforementioned problems by setting up a potting bench with some storage for awhile, and we finally took the plunge:
Oh, mama
We plan to add some shelving at some point, but I am well pleased with the way this project turned out, and the space will come in handy in a couple weeks when I need to plant up the next of the seeds.
I have the name of this species of Hellebore written down in a notebook someplace…
Outside, the garden continues to wake up. Spring begins this Saturday in our hemisphere, for which, I am overjoyed. All the bulbs have sprouted now, and we should see some daffodils flowering before too long. Right now, the Blue Moon Crocus bulbs that I planted last fall (and then promptly forgot about) have been blooming in a gorgeous mix of white and purples, which has been a nice surprise. The hellebores are also in full bloom.
The name of this one is written down someplace, too…
The basil, oregano, and bergamot seeds that I planted a few days ago are already starting to sprout. The whole seedling operation seems to be going pretty well so far this year. I’m excited to get the next raised beds built here in a few weeks so I can start the outdoor planting. Some seeds just grow better outdoors, in their final location, and so once it warms up just a bit more, I’ll get the next round of seeds going.
All I have planned for the week is to whine about the time change, obsess over the early-blooming flowers in the garden, and maybe, if I am feeling adventurous, I’ll put together a few bird houses with the wood scraps from the potting bench.
