Month: April 2016

The Bare Necessities of Spring Gardening

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Ok, way too much time is going by in between blog posts– and I apologize for that. There is so much going on in life these days that I squeeze in a post as soon as I get some time. I have also been changing up my blog posts lately just to see what you, the reader, likes best.

Life has been happening, and weekends have been full. We are trying to get big house projects out of the way now so we don’t have to do them during the dog days of summer. I have a special project coming up that I am really excited about, and I can’t wait to give you details within the next few months!

For the past couple of weekends, I have been out in the yard preparing my flower beds for the upcoming growing season. It’s so nice to see so many of my spring flowers on their way. The daffodils are up, my hyacinths smell and look wonderful, and my alliums are on their way.

I was trying to weed around all this great, new growth, and I needed a few tools to help me get my garden in tip-top shape!

I like to write my posts to be as simple and direct as possible, but I also like to take the time to explain certain aspects of gardening as well. One thing in particular I like to make clear to every gardener, from novice to master, is that you do not need to have a lot of fancy tools to garden. 

Here are the bare necessities of gardening, plain and simple. In one of my first blog posts, I explained a few garden tools and how they work. 

Here are a few things that will help you through spring garden preparation:

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  1. Shovel— The shovel is one of the most versatile tools in the garden. Even if you don’t have anything else, or can’t afford to buy too many tools, the shovel could be your one and only and that would be ok. It is your trowel, edger, transplanter, and everything else in between. This will do the job regardless of anything else.
  2. Straight edge rake— This rake helps you even out mulch, turf builder, rocks, etc. on any surface you are working with. Trying to even out the holes or dips in your yard with topsoil? Make sure to use the straight edge rake to keeps things smooth.
  3. Wide Brimmed Hat — This is the barest necessity of all! Spring sunshine is the best sun shine, but it can burn you, too! (My forehead is a great example). Wear your hat while you dig in to yard work!
  4. Trowels — Need I say more? I had to include the trowels in this one. Planting seeds? Or other plants? The trowel is a hand tool that becomes your best friend!
  5. Gloves — I have mentioned many times before that I used to scoff at people who wore garden gloves — boy, was I WRONG. I love wearing them– it’s much easier to pull weeds with gloves than without! It just protects your hands in general should you come across something not so desirable in the dirt.
  6. Rake–This is your regular joe schmo rake. Whether you are raking up debris and other yard rubbish that accumulates from the winter, or raking the thick piles of grass from the first lawn cutting of the season, you won’t be sorry to have one of these!
  7. Garden stool— this handy little stool saves your back, knees, and also has several compartments that allow you to carry all of your hand tools and a knee pad. This will be your savior after hours of garden work.

Here is the list of Spring’s bare necessities for the garden. It doesn’t take much — you don’t even have to have all of these– just a couple will do. It all depends on what you like to use the best and what works with your gardening style.So, here’s to sunshine weekends and happy gardening!

 

 

Cherry Blossom Blast

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It’s finally getting warm enough for the trees to burst with cherry blossoms. Is there a better sight to see in these early spring days?

Did You Know?

-There are several different types of cherry blossoms. There are the common pink and white ones, but there are also yellow and green ones.

-They come as double blossoms and single blossoms.

-In Japan, cherry blossoms symbolize clouds, because they bloom in masses.

-Yes, some even produce cherries.

Consider This: Hellebores

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Happy April! It has been a busy last few weeks– between Easter and my daughter’s 5th birthday, there hasn’t been a dull moment.

Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to do too much outside because of this crazy weather. Easter weekend was 72 degrees, and now it’s snowing and blowing! With the weather the way it is, this is the perfect time to add to the “Consider This” series I started at the beginning of the year. I think it is important to introduce and learn a little bit about the different plants you can put in your garden.

Spring is my new favorite season. I have always said that fall was, but my thought pattern has changed. This year, especially, since my winter was not one of the easiest, and I am not talking about the weather this time. I have really been anxious for new life, growth and sunshine. Lots of time outside. While the weather goes up and down, it’s still a little too drab for me outside, though signs of life are popping up a little more now than a couple of weeks ago.

I have been loving all the different floral bouquets that have been at my local grocery store. I usually end up picking up a bunch of tulips every year, but this year, I have been picking up every different flower that has been available!

I picked up calla lilies for my mother and mother-in-law for Easter (yes, and my daughter thought we should have one ourselves), a couple of mixed spring bouquets, and my pussy willows of course.

To my surprise, there was a potted flower at the store that also was something I have been reading a lot about this year. They are called Hellebores.

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Hellebores have petal-like “sepals” that hold nectar.

It seems to be that Hellebores are the “It” plant of the 2016 growing season. Everywhere you turn around, there has been an article about them, and I can understand why. They are beautiful flowers with lovely delicate blooms.

Here are some things you need to know about Hellebores:

  • They are also referred to as “winter rose”, “Christmas rose”, “Lenten rose”.
  • They grow is zones 5a – 8b.
  • They bloom in late winter, early spring, usually around Lent.

This plant is an excellent addition to your garden because:

  • It starts blooming in late winter, early spring. An important step in the direction of having an all-season garden!
  • They are hardy. Despite their delicate look, they can handle whatever comes their way!

Did you buy one in your local grocery store like I did? You can put it in the ground!

  • Wait until the threat of frost is gone in your area of the world. You can plant them at the beginning of your growing season.

Consider Hellebores for your landscape. It’s one of the few plants that gives some life to the end of winter and that drab time in early spring before everything starts blossoming. You will be glad you did!