Think Spring

It got colder again today.  A front came through last night and took away our warm Spring-like weather.  Nonetheless, I can't help but be encouraged by the renewal and new growth in my yard.

Little Buddy stepped on tulip #3.  Maybe it will grow and bloom next year.  I planted these a few weeks ago.

Last weeks yard project: white flowers are "candytuft",  I can't wait for the purple pansies to take off.  The carpet of creeeping phlox on the left is compliments of the previous owners.

Anyone know what this could be? I am guessing daisies or black eyed susans or something, I don't know.

These mini pansies, aka johnny jump ups, were growing in our grass, so I dug them up and put them in the flower bed. 

mystery lillies... I hope they are pretty!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

sleepless in Nashville

Yep, that's me. I slept a good solid 3-4 hours before Buddy awoke from his sleep for a 3 a.m. diaper change and bottle. I'm glad I appreciated his big sister's sleeping through the night when I had the chance, because he is not so consistent so far. After 30 minutes of tossing and turning, I came upstairs. I turned the monitor on only to hear him crying in stereo... so now he isrocking in his swing, finally asleep, while I am still sleepless. I love the swing that was a hand-me-down from his older cousins. It reclines, so his neck does not roll forward. He seems to like it, too.

Yesterday was warm enough to go outside and enjoy the beautiful sunshine. Bear helped me plant echinacea roots, shasta daisy seeds, and my butterfly bush. And some cherry tomato plants. The last 2 were gifts from Tech Mom and Dad. Thankfully, they did not die in the last week. Now to keep them alive outside.

My hill is still a far cry away from being my butterfly garden, but it's nice to have things growing on it. The forsythia and creeping phlox are doing well, and the butterfly bush is about 15 feet back, 3 feet up from the wall... just down the hill from the water spicket. It's by itself right now, but I figure since its from a fast-growing family in full sun, it won't be long before it expands. I planted some of the echinacea (coneflowers- pinkish purple-daisies) between the forsythia and the phlox, so that when the phlox blossoms fade, there might be some color popping out of the slope. 4 roots were $5 at the superstore, so I planted one up next to the patio and bay window, one by the mailbox, and two above the phlox (aka thrift, here in the South). I also planted a couple of gladiola bulbs that I had pulled up last fall and did not give away... this should extend the bloom time of my firecracker red glads a bit.

Oh, when I dropped my hostess packet/order back off at gina's, I was pleased to see that contrary to her belief that she has a brown thumb, she has not killed her day lillies, hosta, OR her calla lillies which I transplanted from my flowerbed last May. My callas are not directly under the gutter spout like hers are, so they are not poking through quite as tall yet. Anyway, it's always nice when perennials are in fact perennials.

If you have ever wondered if you should by the $20 rose bushes from the catalogs or fancy nursery, my answer is "no." Wal-mart has them for $6. They might not be as big, but give them a year or so of TLC, and nobody will know the difference. By TLC I mean pruning them back every so often to encourage bushing versus growing a few long straggly stems with leaves just at the top. If you cut some to enjoy inside during the summer, you save your hubby money at the florist or wherever he gets flowers for you (or you get them for yourself), and you naturally tend your rose bushes a bit better. I plan to swing by my local coffee shop for a fresh batch of grounds for gardeners (free used coffee grounds) soon. Last year I put the bag in the basket of our stroller and pushed it uphill... that's not gonna happen this year with both kiddos on the stroller. Buddy weighs a lot more now than he did last April in my belly.

Hubby is off today, and I am trying to convince him that it's worth attempting to take the whole family to the free Sara Groves concert at our church tonight. Well, he's sleeping at the moment. Our church has monitors in the hallway, so even if we have to leave the auditorium, we might still be able to enjoy the show. I suppose I should find a babysitter. But I don't want anyone to see my house in it's normal state, and that would mean I have to clean up for the babysitter. What a travesty. anyway, if you live near Franklin, TN and need something to do, tonight is a great chance to get out for some inspiring and worshipful music!

my "vision"

I'm not talking about some kind of mystical, philosophical goal. OR my eyesight. This is, or should be, much simpler and attainable than that. After almost 6 years in this house, 3 since we finally got the wall up, give or take a year (I've lost track), I think I know what I want to do with the cliff. I want a butterfly garden. Now, the plants I put in today are not really butterfly friendly. But we have all this slope, it's a pain and an eyesore because we can't get the grass to grow nicely on it. And while I am pleased with what I did today, in my mind it says, "just the beginning."

If I were to admit that aloud to hubby, it would translate something like "be afraid, be very afraid." (I could go crazy buying plants.) Although I think it SHOULD mean, "less to mow."

See how the grass STILL hasn't filled in very well along the retaining wall? Hubby has worked very hard to make the grass grow every year. It already looks better this weekend than it has since last July or so. But I can't help but want to try to grow something else there. I planted what I bought yesterday in the worst patch; lots of slumping going on there. My hope is that the roots from the plants will help reduce the slumping. Eventually, the phlox should grow closer together, ast the instructions said to plant them 15-18 inches apart. The forsythia should grow to be 6-8 ft. Eventually.

My vision is still a bit cloudy, but it includes a big butterfly bush placed down the hill from the patio. And butterfly-attracting flowers, grasses, and/or ground cover of some type in between. Perhaps some cascading petunias or ivy hanging over the wall.

I haven't told hubby about my vision yet. I think I'll just suggest that he read the blog.

Spring shopping

Last week, Bear and I visited a nursery down the road. Fortunately for our bank account, they only take cash and checks, and I only had my cards on me. I loved some of their flowers, but decided it's a bit early to plant annuals. We could still have a frost.

I had some time to kill while waiting for our prescription to be filled at the grocery store's pharmacy. They had some pretty spring plants out front. I bought a forsythia bush and 3 lavender carpet phlox, much to hubby's chagrin. The forsythia was at least 30% less expensive than at the nursery. The phlox were reasonable, too... 3 for $10. I tried planting seeds last year, they never took. Hopefully we won't kill these.

back to life...

so, i made it 12 days on the wii before going away for a retreat this past weekend. i've exercised about 30 minutes since i returned. the jeans are feeling a tad tighter already. :(

i'm anxious for Spring to arrive. Flower catalogs which I ordered have come from Breck's and Spring Hill Nursery, and I am trying to decide what to order so I can get my 50% off or $25 off. I figure if we can't get the grass looking decent, I might as well strive to have pretty flowers all Spring and summer. The hyacinths are peeking up in front of the mailbox, but we are still waiting for something to bloom other than the crocus. Some of the daffodils were frost bitten and never bloomed, and the tulips are a bit behind the daffs (aka "buttercups" here in the South). I'm wondering if I transplanted some of the daffs in my friend's flowerbed along with a calla lily last year, because one area which normally has several daffodils has one lone plant sticking out, and it's very close to my calla lily patch. Or maybe I just killed them.

I just haven't been in a posting mood lately...

I did reduce the "tornado effect" in our kitchen, dining room, and living room today... it took 2 hours, and I cannot remember the last time I had dusted the piano and mantle. Apparently, neither could Bear. "What are YOU doing?" she asked. But that was better than yesterday's observation that the kitchen floor was so dirty that she could feel the grime on her bare feet... or today's later admonition to "clean the house, Mommy!" I had just spent two hours cleaning. I told her as much and that "Mommy needs a break."

My garden is coming along. I've decided planting seeds does me no good. Of the pack of lavendar I planted, I have one sprig popping up. One. Measley. Tiny. sprig.
I am not giving up on it yet, though. Thankfully, my bulbs/perennials appear to be thriving. 4 of the stargazer bulbs I bought at Wal-mart have poked through. 3 of the asiatics from last year came back, and they will have more blooms than they did last year.... one stem has 7 buds on it. Last year I had 3 on one, but only two actually bloomed. They are also twice as tall. Gramma's hostas and black-eyed susans are thriving. One of my gladiola stalks is approaching the blooming phase... the braided/woven looking stem is poking out above the spiky leaves, and I swear it will hit 4 feet tall by the time it blooms. I may have to stake it up from the weight of the flowers. The clematis has more blooms coming, the purple salvia are thriving, yellow day lillies are in bloom, AND my first calla lily bloomed today! Plus, my cherry tomato plants in the back pot appear to be growing well. I am hoping to see yellow flower on them soon, with fruit soon to follow. Or are tomatoes veggies? I can never remember their official classification. Anyway, Bear eats them like candy, so it will be nice if they produce regardless of their official classification.

Belly is getting tighter. Heartburn is kicking in, especially at night. I could sleep all day. But I am determined to start nesting, whether the instinct kicks in our not. (Knowing me, it won't, so I just have to push myself to get things done.)

There you have it... my blog update. Not much is new.

We came home from Memphis today, and of course the addict had to see what's new in my flowerbed. Yes, almost immediately.....

"Gold Glow" rose bush

(5/9)

...not bad for $5 at Wal-mart. There are at least 3 more buds in addition to the bloom. In the first photo, I believe the blanketflower (gaillardia) seeds I planted have resulted in what I hope will be one plant (the thing growing to the left). The Blue Girl Rose is running behind this one. It doesn't get the sun quite as early in the day. No buds on that one yet, but the leaves are coming in. I read that it doesn't tolerate the extreme heat quite as much, but hopefully the spot I chose for it is not too shady!

I baked tilapia and sauteed yellow squash for dinner tonight. I love sales on fresh seafood at Publix! If my dishes would just do themselves, I would be a very happy girl. We went for a walk with Bear, who asked for the stroller, but around the halfway point decided she wanted to run free. She only wiped out on the sidewalk a couple of times.

Guess what these are?

(I am not referring to the pieces of mulch. Look closely.)

hint: a couple of weeks ago, I stated I did not think they were coming back this year.
I watered their location anyway, since I read that they like to be kept moist and not dry out.

And now I do the happy dance! Perhaps I should wait until they actually bloom.

the little purple tulip that could

As I've mentioned previously, most of the tulips which actually came up this Spring were the ivory ones from the batch. I'm guessing purple is a more difficult color to grow, because I haven't seen many out... lots of red, pink, and yellows, but no purple.

Well, I think I've had a total of 3 or 4 purple tulips actually bloom the Spring...
here is the most recent. I love how the ivory "siblings" tower over it.

Hidden danger of parking close to the garden department

I initially began parking close to the garden center at the superstore last fall or winter, because there were always closer spots available. I would rather walk through the store than across the parking lot, a target for whomever might be looking for a victim.

Well, in addition to a few groceries/household items, tonight I left with 1 white/mauve centered clematis plant for my mailbox, a 6-pack of purple salvia, and 2 pretty pink columbines. Bear played with her bubbles and chased a neighbor's cat (which is going to get picked up by animal control some day if they continue to let it roam. or worse.) A couple of neighbor girls stopped to play with her, and one wanted to help me plant my flowers. I <3 purple flowers, by the way. Who am I kidding? I <3 flowers period. I justify it by convincing myself the flowers would have cost more at a fancy garden center, and that you have to pick the best colors before they get picked over. Anyway, I think it's time for a trip to starbucks to pick up a load of natural fertilizer (coffee grounds). (Some of my previous loads mildewed in their bags the garage, so the garbage can is REALLY heavy this week.)

Still hoping my calla lily plants come back... So far, there is no sign of them. It might be too early. I hope.

Progressive Tackle: Flowerbed around the mailbox

This tackle began over 3 weeks ago, when hubby sprayed grass and weed killer around the base of my mailbox per my request. Ok, nagging.

The weed/grass killer did not quite do the trick, so I sprayed straight white vinegar on it about a week ago. This past Saturday, after yet more begging, hubby tilled the patch using his Mom & Dad's Mantis:


So this morning, as the sun peeked out, y'all know I became rather stir crazy. I had to give Bear a bath to get her finger paint off of both of her forearms and hands. I did not wash her hair, knowing full well that we would be headed outside and another bath would be inevitable.

First I donned my trusty garden gloves which were a stocking stuffer from my parents at Christmas. Next, I dumped a previously purchased bag of compost over the area and roughed it up with a hand cultivator (rake-looking hand tool, for the non-gardeners). I pulled out clumps of grass/roots as I could, using the weed poker tool thingy (long pointy tool with two short fork-like prongs on the ends). I also chucked rocks onto the sidewalk as I encountered them.

Yesterday, a dear woman at our church who had taken us young Moms under her wing decorated our Mom's fellowship with flowers (along with the decorating coordinator for next year, I believe). I was able to take 11 impatien plants home, and they were the first flowers to be put into the flowerbed. I lined the street and driveway with them. Next, I dug up 3 of the acidanthera bulbs that I planted a few weeks ago. I had decided I did not like where they were placed. So I transplanted them to a new home around the mailbox, and planted the remaining 5 bulbs nearby. I also transplanted 4 or 5 daffodil bulbs, with greenery still attached to feed the bulbs with sunlight. I hope they take well. They were at LEAST 2 inches in diameter!!!! After the daffodils, I planted the iris rhizomes which a neighbor had dug up from her flowerbed well over a week ago.

By this point, Bear had grown tired of being outside and was not listening to anything I said. She picked off all the pansy flowers (thankfully they'll rebloom).

She kept playing hide and seek by running to the back patio. She refused to obey when I asked her to clean up her chalk that she had dumped all over the sidewalk. I tried a time out on the front porch, where her reflection occupied her for a bit. She finally helped me pick up the chalk, but then she refused to carry the box back to the garage where it belonged. So I stuck her inside the house, cleaned up as much of my mess as I could, and went inside to deal with a hungry little Bear. I put some Dora chicken noodle soup to simmer on the stove, then convinced Bear to help me water the newly planted flowers. I'm not sure if any of the water from her watering can made it to the flowerbed, but she was happy to "help", and stayed out of my way.

After lunch, Bear took another bath and got ready for nap time. I turned on her piano music CD (Jim Brickman), and she settled right down.

So back outside I went. I had one last little task. Well, three tasks, I guess. First, I planted some cosmos seeds in between the irises. I marked the seed locations with wooden toothpicks. Next, I planted a row of shasta daisy seeds along the sidewalk. I marked those with toothpicks as well. FINALLY, I sprinkled the remaining top soil (which I had mixed in with every plant, bulb, and rhizome I planted) over the flowerbed, mixed a final batch of fertilizer into my watering can, and watered my newly planted bed. The only thing left to do is mulch. If the HOA complains that it's not mulched yet, I'll ask them when they plan to have the landscapers mulch the front entrance to our neighborhood.

I really hope the irises are not planted too deep, and all the vinegar is out of the soil by now. It would be a shame to kill my plants after all this hard work. Hopefully the almost 80 lbs I added of compost and top soil will make up for any bad dirt.

The highlight of my day? While I was outside with Bear, a neighbor stopped by and asked if I wanted anything from her husband's deli across town. She gave me a few options, and I chose.
As I was planting the seeds after lunch (if Dora chicken noodle soup counts as a valid lunch, anyway), enjoying not having a toddler under foot, she returned with my order.... a chicken caesar wrap in a Spinach tortilla and a mango smoothie. I asked how much I owed her. "Nothing. You're our best neighbor." Now that's a way to make a pregnant woman cry. And I did not even have to share my smoothie with Bear!!!

Here comes Spring!

Tulips... either the purple ones are harder to grow, or tastier to the rodents,
because only 2 bloomed. (Unless I gave most of them to my sis-the bag was mixed.)

L-R: Black eyed susans & sedum from Gramma's yard, tulips from costco last fall
& shrubs planted by builder

chrysanthemum, ? (maybe calla lily or asiatic lily?), acidanthera spikes, hosta

sedum planted by my mom shortly after bear was born

another hosta, more tulips (and daffodils that never bloomed), and if you look closely you can see a couple of asiatic lily plants sprouting up in the background... they are only about 1 inch tall, but they look like really tight clusters of grass, or kind of like the "hen & chick" plants you see in rock gardens.

gladiola spikes hiding behind the boxwood

Daffodil fronds ( I will probably cut them back a little bit to trim them up, but I want the bulbs to get fed so they will bloom again next year, so I'm in no rush.), gold glow rose bush, more gladiola spikes.

I can't believe some of you are expecting SNOW this weekend! It's supposed to cool off some here, but hopefully we'll be able to get the bed around the mailbox & the veggie patch tilled. (Naughty me, not waiting on an answer from the management. I already killed the grass. Besides, a friend gave me some iris from her yard that need to get into the ground.)

April showers bring May flowers

Does anyone else remember that saying? Well, it's April and we already have some flowers. The daffodils are almost gone already, but the pansies and tulips are blooming. Plus, my late-spring/summer plants(gladioli, asiatic lilies, day lilies, sedum, hostas, black-eyed susans, acidantherea (peacock orchid, but it's really related to the glads) are popping through, except for the Calla lillies. I really hope they come back. They bloomed last year, but considering they are one of the flowers that aren't guaranteed to last the winter, I supposed I should be grateful for what I got. Some of the blanketflower seeds appear to have taken well, too. Thankfully, the HOA rules don't say anything about flowerbeds from what I could tell (and the president told me that I didn't need permission to extend my bed like I did last fall when I asked him about it a couple of days ago), though the rules do mention shrubs, bushes and trees. I did e-mail the management company to double check to make sure it's ok to put a flower bed around my mailbox, and that I don't have to remove the rose bushes I planted. That sounds extreme, but the verbiage in the rules makes it sound like that's what necessary, so I'm just covering my bases.

I let Bear pick one tulip today, and she helped herself to a second.

Wordless Wednesday

"blue girl" rose bush

soon-to-be-purple tulip

soon-to-be-white tulip

daffodils, day lily peeking through, and "gold glow" rose bush

sunflower sprout, wildflowers or maiden pinks, another sunflower sprout

no self control here....

of course, that should not come as a surprise to anybody. i went to pick up bread, lunch meat and a hot wheels car for baby bear, who has been doing really well telling us when she needs to use the potty lately. i parked where the best spaces are available... at the entrance to the garden center. i should have known better. here's what i came home with (in addition to the things i went in for):


baby bear helped me plant the "blue girl" rose bush next to our back patio. i fell in love with it the last time i fell prey to temptation in the garden department. as for the "gold glow", yellow roses are my all-time favorite color rose. i'm still trying to decide where to plant it (by the mail box or on the side of the house, near the current daffodil bed.) but the price was right for both of these and i just couldn't resist...

by the way, i want my rose bush to do well so badly that i used the whole 40 lb bag of potting soil plus at 5 lbs of coffee grounds to improve the rocky, clay-like soil we were stuck with by the builders. (they were oh so generous to add extra gravel for us).

3:52 p.m. I decided to plant the yellow rose bush in the side bed while Bear napped (she went down late, around 3 p.m.) I spent a lot of effort digging it up and improving the soil last fall, so I hoped that would make it easier for me dig a hole deep enough. The ground by the mailbox really needs to be tilled; hubby has agreed to do that part for me, and it hasn't been long enough since we used round up there to mess with it just yet.

I broke through the mulch to find at least 3 HUGE earthworms within a square foot area. Who knew that earthworms would ever make me smile? Two of them burrowed away quickly, and I picked up the third (I was wearing gardening gloves)and moved it to another part of the bed.

Of course, I observed the mess as I entered the interior of our home and realized I am going to have to ground myself from adding to the garden for a couple of weeks until it's time to plant the veggie patch and mailbox bed. I do intend to water the seeds and new plants, but the interior needs as much TLC as I've been giving to my plants, if not more. I'll just have to open the windows to let the fresh air in more often!

1st seedlings....

The seedlings I planted over a week ago have begun to sprout. So far it looks like some of the maiden pinks, wildflower mix, and a couple of tomato seeds have peeked out. I'm hoping to plant the maiden pinks on the part of our hill where the grass refuses to grow. The tomatoes will eventually be planted in a veggie pot if they make it... right now they look a little bit weak, but they are still young. ;)

In addition, some of my tulips are budding. I can't wait to see some more color, and what blend of purple and white will bloom from the bulbs I planted!

It's not really Spring yet.
We might get snow tonight,
so I rescued these daffodils from the garden.

They smell as pretty as they look.

Ok, yankees... do you want a laugh?

The biggest snowfall of the season has been forecast... 2-4" in our area, 6" just north of here. It should start tomorrow, but it's been so warm, if it accumulates at all, it will not be until tomorrow night.

I will confess, I cut my daffodil blossoms because I planted flowers to be able to enjoy them, and if they get too cold, they will wilt. I don't get dirt under my fingernails just because it's fun. They look pretty on my mantle, and smell pretty, too. I wonder how long it will take Bear to notice them in the morning and ask to smell them.

I'm trying not to get too excited. It's not like meteorology is an exact science, and it's not like the weather people have always been right. But it sure would be nice to use bear's snow boots and snow pants... maybe show her how to make an actual snow man. Of course, there was that big snowfall about 7 years ago, the one where the forecast was not all that big and we ended up with 7 inches and complete chaos on the roads.

signs of spring....

more daffodils

tulips

slug
(baby bear saw it and immediately asked to go get salt to dump on it... we did move it onto the mulch first. hope slugs don't deserve sanctity of life treatment, because they aren't getting it from us.)