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The Promise of Spring

Well, clearly someone has been skulking around under the veil of seasonal depression.  Apologies for not posting anything of worth in the last few months.  I'd like to say it was such a busy fall and winter that I really didn't have time to post, which is not far from the truth actually, BUT  my absence is mostly due to a general lack of interest in things.  SO, now that there is hope for us yet, with the popping up of green things here and there, I've decided to get my sorry ass out of the February doldrums and focus on what's ahead of us.  After all, it's MARCH!  Happy to be venturing outside and digging in the dirt instead of burying my head in seed catalogs.

Though it has been a long winter, there were some beautiful moments...

Hercules.

A snowy path back to the house.

The vegetable garden is buried under 10 inches of snow,  up on the hill in front of the chicken shack.

I decided this year to lay a black tarp over the vegetable garden to kill the grass underneath.  Hopefully it will be block out sunlight, air and water enough to keep down the weeds and wild grass.  Not quite sure if this will work, but it's worth a try.

I was so desperate for some greenery out front, that I pruned some of our Junipers and stuck them in the pots.  I may have appeared to have LOST IT to my husband and neighbors, but it worked.  It's so much nicer to come home to something that at least looks alive out there.

 

 

And now for some things that are alive.  It sounds so ridiculous, but I'm always in disbelief when I see the bulbs coming up each Spring.  And here they are...

Daffodils and Irises!

Daffodils and Tulips!

Crocuses!

Autumn Sedum!

 

 

So get to work, and start planning your gardens if you haven't already!  Send me your questions, suggestions and any pictures you have of projects you're working on... I would love to post them!

Gratuitous picture of Quiche rolling around on the rocks.

 

 

 

Winter Sunset

And next winter, I'll be investing in one of these.  Just look at how happy she is. 

SHAMELESS PLUGs

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GONE NATIVE*

First, let me apologize for such a long hiatus from the blog!  In addition to novice-gardening, I'm also an artist.  I've got a show coming up in October, so I've been pretty consumed with working in the studio.  I'm also a teacher, so with the commencement of a new school year, things around here have been... NUTS!

With that said I'm going to cover some posts I've been meaning to publish for awhile.  This post is dedicated to Kitsy and David's gardens and property in Maryland, just outside of Washington D.C. (Zone 6B). 

We had a lovely dinner there one evening in mid-August, which seems like AGES ago!  Their property is a beautiful balance between tame and wild.  On their 10 acres is a pond, a small orchard, a seedling house and large fields that seem to transport you into another world... which seems like a long, long way from our nation's capital.

We walked around a bit before dinner just to take it all in and to see what was in bloom.  I absolutely love the purposeful inclusion of native plants here that have been left to grow wild.  They are not only sweet little surprises that jump out amidst the tall unruly grasses, but they also serve the health of the local wildlife.  Let's take a look...

(above) This is the view from the back of the house.  There are perennial beds in front of the pond, but Kitsy even allows some indigenous species, like Nodding Thistle, to pop up through the Russian Sage and Peonies. 

An old tree that fell years ago is left to become a beautiful sculptural element along the pond's edge.

Paths are mowed through the native grasses and plants and around trees like this Princess Tree or Empress Tree (non-native).

We stop to smell the flowers.  These Butterfly Bushes are about 14 years old and are HUGE!  When we were admiring them, they were covered with... BUTTERFLIES!  Go figure.  It was lovely.

A couple of Swallowtail Butterflies stopped to have their picture taken.

The blueberry bushes were so healthy and full of berries.  I can't wait for ours to be this plentiful! YUUUUUMMM.

We stopped to admire the showy Cardinal Flower, an indigenous plant.  Unfortunately the deer love it, so Kitsy has caged a few of the others (below).  Interestingly, it is pollinated mainly by Hummingbirds because the shape of the flower makes it easier for them to pollinate.  They were given the name Cardinal's Cap/Flower because they resemble a Roman Catholic Cardinal's robe.  These precious things are quite scarce from picking and from deer feasting... which explains why I've never seen this kind of Lobelia before.

(above and below) At the edge of the pond are Cattails and a tall native flowering plant called Spotted Joe-Pye Weed (pink flower).  Its natural habitat includes damp meadows, thickets and shores, and apparently smells like vanilla when its foliage is crushed.

Spotted Joe-Pye Weed at the pond's edge.

The lovely Pokeweed is pictured above.  This native plant is poisonous, but its emerging shoots can be eaten as greens before the pink appears.  Apparently the colonists used it as a dye to improve cheap wine... HA!  Move over, Franzia.

The field to the right is full of wild native grasses, Queen Anne's Lace and Milkweed.

(above) Common Milkweed is extremely beneficial to the Monarch butterfly.  This plant contains cardiac glycosides, which are similar to digitalins used in treating some heart disease.  When these glycosides are ingested by Monarch butterfly larvae, the larvae and adult butterflies become toxic to birds and other predators.  The Monarch butterfly's sole source of food is the Milkweed plant.

Unfortunately, it got too dark to be able to take a good picture of the Crown Vetch that Kitsy let take over the beds out in front of the house, but here is a picture of this sweet native plant.

And last but not least....DINNER!  There was a seedling house on the property used by the previous owners to start young seedling plants, under the protection of a slatted canopy of lath.... the most wonderful place to eat a meal!  Thank you to Kitsy and David for such a nice visit!

If you are interested in learning more about indigenous plants or visiting a beautifully "maintained" garden full of native species, take a day trip to Wilimngton, DE to visit Mt. Cuba Center.  To find out more click on http://www.mtcubacenter.org/


* resource sited: National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers

Garden Blogger's BLOOM DAY!

Well, I've entered into a whole new weird world.  Apparently in the garden blogosphere, there is this thing called Bloom Day.  Every 15th day of every month is dedicated to what is in bloom in your garden.  Of course, I love this idea!  Unfortunately, a lot of things just went to seed, so here's what bloomin' around these zone 6 parts...

I can't tell you how thrilled we are that our Crepe Myrtle finally bloomed!  Well worth the wait, approximately 2 years.

I bought my husband this Crepe Myrtle a few summers ago on the Eastern Shore.

This is our garden on the hill in back of our house that is ever-changing.  Blueberry bush in front of the Cleome.

Senorita Rosalita Cleome, given to me by my Aunt Susan.

That Black-Eyed Susan sure put out this year!

Our last Gladiola is really making a show... is there really any room for anyone else up there?!

What a SEXPOT!!!!  This color is so vibrant, my camera flips out and doesn't know how to capture it.  So, this photo does no justice, and please ignore the dead grass in the background.

I have grown to love this Nasturtium that overtakes EVERYTHING!  That's our Oakleaf Hyrdangea on the right.

I'm gonna eat you, just you wait!

The Jasmine plant is finally blooming...it just loves this spot!

Can you smell that Jasmine?!

The Creeping Verbena is still blooming!  Apparently it adores arid climates like parts of California and does much better than it does in Central PA.  I really like it paired here with our lemon Thyme and Licorice plant.

Tall, happy Zinnia!  I'm a born-again fan of this one.  Great for filling in between the perennials, as is the Cleome. 

 

I feel compelled to include the veggie garden in this Bloom Day report.  It's looking great!  Our first squash is almost ready for picking, the tomatoes have been doing great, the peppers are about ready to start producing, the cucumbers are starting to come out, and even the swiss chard and beets are coming up from seeds I recently planted.