Garden Tour - May 1, 2012

My ultimate gardening goal is to always have something blooming and/or edible in the garden. Last year, I sacrificed annual color in my garden budget to invest in some perennials and this spring we are all enjoying the fruits of that decision! The gardens are full of color and life and lots of little shoots poking up into the world in search of the sun.

Bearded Iris

Jacob's Ladder

The Jacob's Ladder will flower later, but the new spring leaves are tinged with pink. Beautiful!

Asiatic Lily

Hyacinths poking their heads out.
The hyacinths are not blooming, but they have grown fast! I only planted them last month.

Bunte Forellenschluss Lettuce

Winter Density Lettuce and some Dill

Major Wheeler Honeysuckle

Chives

Amaryllis (Full House or Clown)

Bok Choy
I saw some bok choy starts and thought I'd try them, but it was unseasonably warm (80s in February), so they bolted almost immediately and I decided to just enjoy the flowers!

Hydrangea, with beautiful yellow Creeping Jenny behind.

Mexican Sage/Salvia Leucathna
Can you spot the happy bee? He was hard to catch.

Spiderwort
If you look closely, you'll see several unopened buds near each bloom. Here at Sunnybrook South they bloom for several months, from March-June.

Baby Begonia -- these have come up on their own the last two years!

Purple Queen -- also has perennialized in my beds

Moss Rose/Portulaca -- tiny seedlings sprouting

Geranium cuttings taking root. Two whole new plants here!

Grow ginger root yourself

Several years ago, I found out you can grow whole new green onions from the bit of root that would otherwise be compost. I stick them into pots on my back porch all winter long and then move them to the garden in the spring. Whilst googling a link to share since I don't seem to have a picture, I see that I could also stick the roots in water and leave them in my kitchen window. I will give this a try!

At any rate, there is little that gives me such pleasure as finding a beautiful use for something that I once discarded. I said as much to my Aunt Terri who told me I could do the same thing with ginger root. She said to just stick it in a pot and it would grow and the root would also grow and I could just cut some off if I was in need of ginger. Terrific!

1" of ginger root, freshly cut

So I tried this and it really does work! I put about two inches of ginger root into one of my pots and promptly forgot about it until I noticed some plant I didn't recognize growing in with my petunias. Lo and behold: Ginger! The root had grown about an inch over the summer, so I suppose it would take a while to get enough to count on this plant to be our sole supply of ginger, but it sure saved the day when the kids requested noodles with Peanut Butter Sauce and I had no ginger in the house.

The green part of the plant died back when I brought the pot in for the winter, but my aunt assures me it will spring back to life in the spring. Try growing your own next time you buy ginger root!

Planting yet?

Assembly Line for fully upcycled seed pots.

Have you started your planting yet? Are you planning? Starting seeds? I'm starting earlier this year than ever before.  Especially after living in the Florida panhandle for four years, I appreciate the long, slow Spring we enjoy here in Middle Tennessee. We've got a few cold snaps in us yet, of course, but things are growing, trees are budding and life is poking forth again. 

First Crocus - Feb 20

I have a little microclimate going on in my front beds, keeping them warm enough that strawberry plants can overwinter there. Based on this observation, I began planting early spring seeds outdoors at the end of January: broccoli, peas, carrots. I've been planting new seeds weekly to see what sprouts when. I also added some greens into consecutive plantings. I've determined that this year, I want to learn more about complimentary plantings. I'm already sold on mixing flowers and veggies and really dig the beauty of the Kitchen Garden in my flowerbeds.

Daffodils - Feb 23

Coming up so far are lots of peas, carrot tops, spinach plants, broccoli seedlings and a few lettuces. Inside, I've started more broccoli, leeks, snapdragons and eggplant. I'm gradually starting more new things weekly, with help from the kids. I got the tomatoes going a little too early last year, so made notes in my planner this year to keep things a little more orderly. 

Forsythia - brought inside late Jan

My new favorite early Spring activity is forcing woody branches. Thus far I've only done forsythia, but I have some baby redbuds that should be mature enough to trim back in another couple of years. Here, you can see the view above my computer (yes, that's a still-red poinsettia in the background).

You put a seed in the ground...

You put the seeds in the ground

And you spread the dirt around

Sprinkle water till it's coming up rosey

Then you give a happy shout

When you see a little sprout

And you smell it with your little round nosey

That's how you grow a little red ro-ro-rose

The Little Red Rose by Ellis Paul

Rosemary, mostly dormant

It's 66 here today. Four days ago it was 10 degrees and snow covered the ground. Such is the first breath of Spring in Tennessee. Two weeks ago it was about 60 for the first time in quite a while, so I went outside to prune the crape myrtle and plant a few seeds. I have noticed several spots where green plants seem to be overwintering...including some strawberry plants! This seems to me like reason enough try to go ahead and plant a few things in those areas just to see if I can get a headstart on the growing season. I started with some carrots, peas and broccoli and will add more of those, plus lettuces this week.

Here is a good example: this is oregano tucked down under the protective roots of a sage bush. There is also a bit of parsley in the garden that I have selectively harvested and I can only think it is well-protected by mulch. These areas get full sun all day and are near the house, so perhaps it creates a bit of a microclimate. Whatever the reason, it is apparent that some areas of my beds/garden seem protected from single-degree temperatures. Of the seeds I planted, I've seen some carrots coming up. I also can see some bulbs peeping through the mulch and I am very much looking forward to some flowers.

Gorgeous, isn't it? This is how an apple core turns into dirt turns into lettuce. Just the rich, earthy smell is amazing to me. I really thought compost would stink and in the summer it sometimes can smell badly...until it's turned. Even in August once I flip it with a pitchfork it just smells like, well, Earth. A beautiful bit of Earth.