Tilling

For years, I've dabbled in gardening. I enjoyed my flower beds at my old houses, and even grew flowers on the balcony of our apartment.

Our new house has 3 acres. Some of it is level. So in spite of the fact that there are at least 6 rabbits living in our yard and deer in the vicinity, just for starters.... I am attempting my first large vegetable garden. It's about 25x30 feet. My little 4x4 and 4x2 square foot beds at my old house were fun, but this is a new territory for me. OH, I remember picking tomatoes, crimes, or green beans off the plants in my parents' garden and snacking. But in all honesty, my little square foot plots yielded a few tomatoes and peppers, a few herbs, and some leaf lettuce. I even had okra one year. But this...

Our neighbor brought over 5 or 6 scoops of old manure in his tractor over the past 2 months. My husband tilled the first batch for me, and I'm hoping my improved soil will help the rest of my crops.

addictions come in many forms

Fortunately, FB is my worst time waster, I mean, there are far worse addictions to have.  With our return to having a yard and the return of Spring, my addiction to playing in the dirt and trying to grow things has also been revived.  It is fun seeing what we got in our yard when we bought the house in the bleak midwinter. :)

Our variegated hostas were HUGE until the hail flattened them, they are coming back nicely, along with some purple salvia.  Fortunately, the tiger lilies did not lose all their buds and we have 3 open with 3 more on the way.  Then there was the pink creeping phlox, spirea shrub, azaleas (salmon and white), japanese maple, and a few other shrubs.

The pansies we planted did not take off as well as I had hoped.  I am too frugal to pull them out and replace them, so I continue to water and fertilize in hopes that they will do ok.  My dear friend Anna brought me some iris from her yard- yay!  There are new leaves sprouting, so I know they will bloom next Spring.  The white candytuft must like being picked by the kiddos, because even though it is an early bloomer, more keep coming.  It is a perennial that should rebloom every year.  We'll see if the hyacinths or tulips I planted come up next spring, I plan to add daffodils to the mix in the fall.


we have just 1 big boy tomato plant and it seems to be doing well, the cucumber seeds resulted in 15 sprouts so I should probably thin those out in their pot.  I love having basil on the deck, fresh herbs add so much to my feeble attempts at cooking.  The oregano I planted is sprouting slowly, I hope it grows.

Mom brought me a wandering jew in a hanging pot along with a fern, and the swing area under the deck still screams, "landscape me!"

And then there are the lilies.  A few weeks ago I used a groupon and ended up with 4 plants.  I bought a couple to give as gifts yesterday, and one was a big enough clump that I was able to split part of it off for myself.  We have buds on the yellow "betty woods" variety, and Bear's "Bela Lugosi" which was a gift from the lily farmer. I had picked one plant out to give as a gift, and then when I saw another in bloom yesterday, I HAD to buy both.

"Singing His Praises" is the one I picked out to be a gift... reminds me of a peony! 

The farmer had the first "Northern Nocturne"of the season in bloom and I could not resist.  Gorgeous! 


I have a lot of things I would like on my mental list.... but some of them need flower beds in the back yard, and I am not quite motivated enough to dig through the thick grass.


Yes, I am addicted.  When my flowers multiply enough to split, I will be glad to share them on a first come first serve basis.  It will probably take a couple of years, though! 

I just need to remember to wear my sunscreen.

Champion Daylilies

Last weekend, a Groupon special caught my eye.  There is apparently a daylily hybridizer within 5 minutes of my house, with hundreds of beautiful varieties.

We had yellow daylilies that the builders planted the beds of our first house.  They were basic yellow, single blooms, and they multiplied like crazy.  I even dug some up and planted them for my neighbor when I was 7+ months pregnant with Buddy, and my friend, who professes to have a brown thumb, has not killed them yet.

So, I saw the Groupon ($12 for 3 plants), saw the convenient address, perused the website, and decided the offer could not be resisted.  The kids and I headed over yesterday.  The "farm" is on just an acre, but wow, the grower has maximized his space.  He has a big backyard, several rows of potted plants, and the path that leads to that area is lined with other perennials.  It was all I could do to stick to my plan.

Mr. Schumaker was friendly and helpful.  He asked if I had grown daylilies before.  And then, he totally made our day when he asked Bear her favorite color and told her she could have a plant for herself if she could pick it up.  She did. :)

So what varieties did we bring home?

Bear's Bela Lugosi

Betty Woods

Peach Magnolia

Grey Witch with creeping phlox from the front yard added in (and the little bed that the kids and I dug and put together for it.)

Here are photos from the Champion Daylilies site that show what the flowers will look like when they bloom, if I don't kill them!!!  I love how each of the leaves looks distinct... for example, the peach magnolia has bushier leaves.  The downside to daylilies is that each bloom lasts only a day, but at least they have multiple blooms.  They are just best enjoyed outside.

my other addiction is returning


The last 2 days have been gorgeous here in the South.  Yesterday was slightly chilly, but turned out to be really pretty.  Today was awesome.  So, after lunch, the kids and I ventured about 4 miles away to a local nursery.  I had a $5 off coupon from the paper, a gift in mind to purchase for someone, and simple ideas to spruce up our flowerbeds.  I ended up leaving with a flowering bush, a flat of deep purple pansies, and 2 candytuft plants.  I just realized they are a ground cover, I hope it doesn't spread TOO quickly, I have other things I want to plant.  Though I bet they will look pretty next to the already present pink creeping phlox.

Bear came up to me with her hands behind her back while I was checking out.  "I have a surprise for you mama."  They were a seed packet of some other flowers, statice.  I know it's early, but I planted them too.  They were $1, I could not resist.

While I planted, the kiddos wasted a lot of water.  I mean, they tried to help me water.  And they played with their chalk, and water.  Why is it that a 5 year old girl will slime up her arms (halfway to her elbows) with pinkish red chalk paint stuff but will not touch a worm because it is slimy?

4 of the 6 packs were planted in the mailbox garden, the other two along the front of the flowerbeds on either side of our front door.

We obviously need fresh mulch, and there aren't a lot of blooms on the pansies yet.  The tag for the candytuft said it attracts butterflies.  (It is the lonely little one above the top row of pansies. The other side of the bed is kind of a mirror image.)  I hope so, for the kids' sake!

I bought and planted some tulips and hyacinths last week, or the week before.... I know Buddy has already crushed one of them so it won't be blooming, but perhaps the leaves will soak up enough sun to make a new bulb for next year.  Could he please not walk on the flowers he is trying to help water?  Especially the ones that are in limited quantity?

I also planted some acidanthera bulbs about 2 weeks ago, which I loved at my old house and vowed to plant again.  Prophecy fulfilled, I hope they grow.

We're definitely enjoying the new place, inside and out.

in case you wondered...

The mums I tried to save never bloomed.  Don't envy my brown thumb. :)

Tackle it Tuesday: Grouch Edition

I'm pretty sure the purpose of the whole "Tackle It Tuesday" meme is to encourage you in the day-to-day stuff of life and the big accomplishments.  I'm tired and crabby right now, so consider this your warning.

On Sunday night, during a heavenly trip to the grocery store without kids, I rescued two 99 cent 3 inch pots with mums in them.  Bear had been begging for more flowers, and she was so excited when I brought them home.  It did not matter to her that the yellow and pink (er, brown) flowers were shriveling up.  They were beautiful to her.  It didn't matter to me either.  You see, in a past season of life I had flower beds.  Not pots on the third floor balcony of an apartment building.  There is a difference, and the amount of enjoyment cultivated, especially with a toddler undertow and an almost five year old who are both eager to "help," yeah... you get the picture.


I didn't take before pictures.  I just didn't, but I am probably the only person who would have spent 99 cents on dead-looking flowers. (In my defense, the plants were still very green).  However, they had new buds coming, and in my aforementioned former season of life, I learned that pinching off the dead buds will encourage new growth if the plants still have life in them.  And I am cheap... I am not spending $10 on flowers that are sure to die in this Hades-like heat in September. (It's in the 90's here just south of Hotlanta.)

Anyhow, this day of tackles started out well.... freshly brewed Starbucks coffee at home, Pumpkin spice creamer and sugar to taste, and I even threw a chicken in the crock pot after smothering it in delectable seasonings.  See?  I'm ready for Fall.

Fast forward a couple of hours.  Some Mommy decided it would be fun to take her kiddos out of the balcony to do a little "gardening" in the sun before it's too hot.  News flash: at 11:30 a.m. it is too hot to enjoy being outside.  So, I lifted one pot of dead summer flowers out of their decorative urn.  Discovered the urn was full of stagnating water.  I tried to dump water into one of the other pots, dumped too fast, and created a mini mud cascade down to the neighbors railing below. Crap. How neighborly of me.  So I threw on some jeans to go apologize, writing a note of apology for the mess I shared first, figuring they were not home.  I think I wrote the wrong apartment # on the note, but they know who I and my elephants are.  I mean, if someone had dumped muddy water on my balcony, I would not have been happy.  Not that the idiots who smoke their cigars and cigarrettes two floors down care that they are poisoning my air.

We we returned upstairs, and I vowed not to be defeated.  Buddy fell of sissy's bike and got back on at least 5 times.  At least he was mostly occupied.  Bear did a good job fetching water from the well, I mean bathroom faucet.  (I hope she turned it off all the way).  I asked her to pinch off the old buds, she did about 5 of the 40 and decided to go back inside.  Helping a crabby mommy is no fun.  By this time I was not enjoying being around myself, either.

Ok, so I cut off old dead flower stems from the remains of our summer flowers, and pulled others out of the pots I planned to re-use immediately.  I transplanted the mums and pinched off the dead blooms that Bear left and the plants don't look half bad.  But then I still had to sweep up the mess, because when you live on the third floor it's not good manners to sweep your dirt onto your neighbors' railings/balcony below....  Did I mention it is hot here?

So, pardon my grumpiness, but what would have been a fun project to share with the kids in my old yard was a frustrating chore here.  My flowers do look like they will be happier in their new home than they were in the grocery store's reject cart, in a week or maybe even less, I should have some fresh blooms to enjoy.  The kiddos will be able to pick them to their hearts' content because mums rebloom. (As long as little Buddy does not yank the whole plants out of the pots.)  Next year I'm just going to spend $50 on big beautiful flowers that don't require work other than watering them. (Um, not really.  It's against my frugal genes.) Next year I plan to be in a new season of life, including living in a house with a yard where gardening is much more fun, even in the heat.  (I think the heat bounces off the building and makes it feelworse than it really is.)

to post or not to post?

I think I've posted pictures of my glads, asiatic lilies, and callas for the past 2 years. Well, they are back, taller than ever, or in the case of the callas, thicker than ever. My stargazers that I bought really cheap at wal-mart last year are also on their way.

I love bulbs and all plants similar. Especially summer-blooming ones so far, because just when it's getting hot enough that I don't really feel like planting new things to withstand the heat, they come back and tell me that past years' efforts were worth the investment of time. One of my asiatic lily stalks has over TEN buds on it!!!!! I have a feeling I'll be staking that one back!

My camera is downstairs, so I'm not posting the pics right now, but I am wide awake after falling asleep with my little girl at bedtime... and waking up right at 11:30.

Should I post pics of the same types of flowers you've seen on here in years past?

What rose are you today?

a sunny, yellow gold glow with a double bloom

a romantic, mysterious lavender hued "blue girl" with a sweet fragrance

bouquet of gold glows who had a little too much drink

My favorite of the 3 is the blue girl today.
But I feel more like the last pic, though I am probably closer to dehydration than water-log.
What color rose are you today? One of these or a different variety?

Playing in the dirt.....


I might make a flower bed around the whole bay window before summer comes.
"blue girl" rose bush and spot where I planted an echinacea root.

same bush, last year:

.... and then there's the begininning of my butterfly slope... look carefully to find the butterfly bush in the distance.

gold-glow rose bush surrounded by glads and daffodils
same bush, last year:

mystery irises from Katrin, planted last Spring, waiting on first blooms

pink columbine & irises

GARDENING LINKS TO PERUSE
(reposted from last year...in case anyone is interested!)

General Gardening Tips:

• Univ. of Arkansas: Planning, Preparing & Planting a Vegetable Garden
• The Helpful Gardener
• Doug Green's Beginner Gardening
• USA Gardener
  

Coffee Grounds as natural fertilizer (add nitrogen to the soil)
Coffee Grounds as a planting medium


Non-Toxic Weed Killers:

• 7 Deadly homemade weed killers
• Weed killer recipes from a country life
  I was toying with the idea of using vinegar to kill the grass and weeds in my garden patch... but another sources says it will sterilize the soil... so that doesn't sound like a great plan...

Veggies & Fruits:

• Strawberries
• Tomatoes
• Green Beans
• Cucumbers
• Squash
• Cantaloupe

Flowers:

• Roses: what to plant near them
• Roses: how to care for them
• Roses: how to prune
• Maiden Pink (dianthus)
• Bulbs
• Calla Lilies
• Calla Lilies-link
  
• Columbine
• Clematis
• Acidanthera
  
• Gladiola
• Lilies
• Mums
• Stargazer lilies
  

Pest Control:

• Insect-Deterrent Herbs
• Garden Pest Management Info from Garden-guides
• Moles & Birds
• Deer & Rabbits

Raised-Bed Gardens
(disclaimer: I am not sure we're motivated enough to build one of these, but I'm including the links because the idea fascinates me.)

• OK State Article
• HGTV info (thanks to Sara W. for this link!)

Butterfly & Hummingbird Gardening

• New Jersey Audobon Society
  

• Birds-n-garden

Original post 3/22/08

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.

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.

another gardening tip

• Buy summer bulbs as the stores are running out and chopping their prices. I did this last year, and grew beautiful asiatic lilies. I found a pack of 5 stargazer bulbs for 2.50 at Wal-mart yesterday. That's half off. ONE stem of stargazer lilies at a florist can go for $6. That's without any roots or chance for return on investment! They were starting to sprout in their bag, but I planted them today by the mailbox and we'll see what happens.Some people say bulbs are a lot of work, and they don't like waiting for them to come up. To me, they are worth it because they save money in the long run (especially if they are perennials), and I don't mind waiting to watch them grow. (Though I am kind of jealous of all the pretty annuals my neighbor planted in her bed and am thinking I still have a long way to go to catch up to the cost of hubby's bike. j/k. sort of.) By planting all 5 bulbs, maybe I'll have some to spare to bring inside.
• Try to plant immediately before rain showers. Then you don't HAVE to water right away (though it doesn't hurt).
  

Things I've learned about "gardening" (flowerbeds)

• Starting flowers from seeds is low-cost but also low return on investment. If you want instant gratification, spend a little extra on plants. If you do start from seed, opt for bigger plants and be sure to use better potting soil to increase your odds that the seedlings won't shrivel up and die. Once they get to be a couple of inches tall, transplant them where you want them. Also, check seed-depth instructions on your packets. Don't smother them in too much dirt and mulch.
  
• Bulbs/rhizomes/tubers do not fall under the previous generalization about return on investment... even though they do cost more than seed packets. But don't just stick bulbs into poor soil, and plant them at the appropriate depths. Buy a cheap bag of potting soil and/or compost and mix a couple of cups in with the existing dirt. This year my daffodils planted in previous years returned. It looks like my gladioli, calla lilies, and asiatic lilies are well on their way to coming back. (Hopefully they will bloom), I did plant some acidanthera bulbs because I couldn't help myself. Day lilies are also pretty fool proof... the builder planted some 5 years ago, and they are still thriving. I did thin them out last fall.
  
• Don't try to tackle it all in one day. You'll end up tired, sore, and frustrated or bitter. Do a little at a time.
• Plant a base bed of perennials and add extra color with annuals. Otherwise, you may have to spend all day tackling the planting of annuals. Or, if you just absolutely prefer annuals, do a little at a time.... the mailbox bed, a row or two in main flowerbed, etc.. Some bulbs are technically annuals and need to be lifted out of the ground before it gets too cold, but in some areas you can get away with leaving bulbs in the ground. Ask around or check online to see if the bulbs you like can be grown as perennials where you live. If you want to save trouble, don't mess with the bulbs that HAVE to be lifted in your growing zone.
  
• Also try to plant things that bloom at different times of the growing season. I'm still working on this one.
  
• When/If hubby complains about the cost of mulch, nicely tell him to get over it. It's protecting the investment you've put into your plants. Plants need good soil and protection. You wouldn't refuse to feed your children if they were whithering away, and though plants don't have souls, they need water and nutrition, too. Though if you have to choose between tending to your kids or your flowers, please let the flowers die. At the same time, too much mulch CAN smother the roots of trees and plants... so don't go overboard.
  
• Follow watering, sunlight and feeding guidelines for plants. A plethora of info is available online.... that's where I get most of my info. I also pick my parents' and in-laws brains from time to time, but not everyone will get the info they need by doing that.
  
• Before you put a layer of fresh mulch down, sprinkle some fresh compost or potting soil on top of the old mulch. If you are really ambitious, grab a hand cultivator (rake) and mix the old mulch and the new soil together to help stimulate breakdown of the old mulch.
• Use a wooden toothpick to mark where you have planted seeds in your yard or flowerbed, if applicable.
• Fertilize using miracle grow or the generic equivalent according to package recommendations or what the plant tag recommends.
• If you have toddlers, you might want to check to see if plants are poisonous before planting them. For example, lantana is a pretty and drought resistent flowering shrub thing, but its berries are poisonous. And berries ARE tempting.
• If someone offers you plants from their yard, take them. Odds are they will just throw them out if you don't take them, as many plants need to be thinned out at least every couple of years. Even if you don't LOVE them, they will grow on you as you think about the money saved by not spending it at the store (and hopefully knowing who gave them to you will also be a good thing). My Mom planted one variety of sedum about 2 weeks after Bear was born. When we went to Gramma's farm last Memorial Day, she gave me some hastas, black-eyed susans, and another variety of sedum. A neighbor gave me some iris rhizomes that she dug up this spring; I'm hoping at least some of then take to their new home.
• Let your kids help. Bear calls bulbs "onions", and I let her drop them into holes. I also let her scoop dirt into the holes. Yes, it's messy, but that's clean-up is what hoses and bathtubs are for. Teach them how to water plants. Odds are, they will water everything but what you want them to, like rain gutter trays and rocks, but at least they will be occupied while YOU water. (Give them their own small watering can that they can hold/carry.) Teach them what flowers they can pick and what ones they cannot, and tell them why. This Spring, I had tulips and pansies in bloom. Pansies rebloom shortly after being picked. Tulips do not. While we did have some casualities of toddler curiousity, we also had a toddler who identified tulip leaves in the garden center because she listened to Mommy tell her the names of the green things that were poking through the ground. Praise them for what they do right- for not stepping on the flowers, for being nice to the flowers that don't want to be picked, etc... And I still have a few tulips that have not whithered away or been picked yet.
  
• Don't try to tackle everything in one day. Pull old weeds and plants on one day, add dirt/soil on another day, plant new plants shortly after (within a couple of weeks), and mulch within a week or so after that. If you are building a new bed from scratch, after you have killed the grass and weeds and given the weed killer (whether organic or not) time to "fade" so you don't poison the plants you want to keep, it's actually better to till up the old dirt and add in some new dirt, then let them sit and "stew" before planting so the soil pH levels out.
• Be generous with mulch... it keeps weeds down and water in. As your bed is established, you won't have to add so much. The finer to medium mulches compost themselves, adding to the soil over time, but the thicker chipped mulches get ugly and don't break down as well. We prefer a medium colored mulch to the blackest mulch... fading is less noticeable.
  
• To spruce up the look of your beds after the mulch fades, try raking lightly with a hand cultivator/rake so the faded mulch gets turned over. Be careful not to rake out your flowers in the process.
• If a plant doesn't sem to be thriving where you put it, move it before it starts to struggle. I planted 2 columbine flowers a couple of weeks ago. One took well and has lalready doubled in size, the other has stayed about the same size as it was when I bought it. I noticed it was getting less sun, so I moved it to a bare spot that needs color.
  

A good friend spent ALL day yesterday doing yard improvement. Her flowerbed is going to look great (I saw it after sunset, but I am sure it will look great). But I hate that she was sooo exhausted and ready to swear off gardening when I saw her last night. I often tend my garden while Bear naps.... because though there are times I want her to "help", there are times she does get on my nerves being underfoot. I do think if I tried to do everything in one day, it would drive me to need Prozac again. By spreading things out, I enjoy the process more. Especially when things start to bloom.

I should be doing dishes, but I don't want to wake up the rest of my family, so hopefully someone will find this post helpful. Really, I should be sleeping... now maybe I will be able to get some sleep... after I pee again.

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.

No veggie garden for me
See that dead patch? It was a great idea in theory. The Mantis did ok breaking up the grass and root system around the mail box, but when it came time to do the veggie patch... it didn't happen. Hubby tried, God bless him, but it's just too hard and clay-like back there. So it looks like it'll just be me and my pots for cherry tomatoes, herbs, and cantaloupe, if the seeds even sprout after the cold spell that's supposed to hit this weekend. And if the HOA Board doesn't tell me I have to get rid of the pots. If they do... I'll politely ask them them to come dump the dirt out for me, because they weigh at least 100 pounds a piece. Giving up on the whole veggie patch dream is probably not a bad idea since I will be very pregnant during the hottest part of the summer. And right now we are not willing to invest the money, time or effort into building a good raised bed. Hubby has already reseeded, since he had some extra seed and there were spots that were roughed up enough for the seed to get below the grass and weeds.

I'm not actually putting good dirt into the flowerbed until after this forecast cold snap. I am hoping the cold goes away quickly, so I can plant the iris corms which my neighbor Katrin gave me from her yard. I really hope they don't die on me. So far it looks like I'll plant the iris & my remaining acidanthera bulbs around the mailbox for height... I'm not sure what else, yet.