It was so nice outside yesterday, I wore a tank top while working in the garden. It was crazy warm with the sun at my back and man oh man did it ever feel good!
Yesterday the HH helped me get all those hydrangea plants that were delivered last week into the ground. We dug up all the old bark and pulled out a few things that were planted along the back of the house and transplanted them over by the big field on the side of the yard.
It will take a few years, but I think a nice long border of hydrangeas will look stunning once they fill out and gain some height.
This year I might plant a row of annuals {petunias} in the bed to fill out the space a little more, and then in the fall do a mass planting of Tête à Tête daffodils in the space so every spring they’ll be a pop of color before the color of the hydrangeas come on.
We had enough {30} hydrangea plants to finish the front and back borders, but then I decided I needed a few more to plant in front of the back deck. Hopefully the second batch will be as good as the first.
The HH used a post hole digger instead of a shovel to make the holes. He said using a post hole digger makes a better, more uniform hole than a shovel.
It got me out of digging… so I just smiled and went a long with it.
It’s still a little too cold for planting tender things like tomatoes and peppers outside yet, but so far everything is growing happily inside. My living room looks like I’ve gone a little mad with all the containers and everything…. but hopefully in another month the whole lot of it will be outside and we’ll have our living room back.
Note to self: Add more potting soil to tomato and pepper containers.
And thin the foxglove seedlings.
Check out those Shasta daisy seedlings! I plan on using those for cut flowers once they get established.
And last but not least… I finally took the English lavender out of the refrigerator {they’ve been in there since the beginning of February} and put them with the other plants in living room. Growing English lavender will test your patience, that’s for sure, but it’s totally worth it in the end.
Well, that’s what I keep telling myself as I stare at the little pods of soil waiting for the seedlings to emerge. Slow and steady wins the race. At least when it comes to gardening that is. 😉
How about YOU? How are your growing efforts going these days? Is your house full of seedlings too? Do tell.
Keep calm and garden on,
~Mavis
Julie says
Are the hydrangeas within a fenced enclosure? Deer love them. I can only grow a border of hydrangeas on the fence surrounding our llama pasture. Apparently the deer are spooked of the llamas. Everywhere else I’ve planted them they’ve been chewed to the ground.
Christie says
My sunroom is full of seedlings. Tomatoes, peppers, kale, cucumber, cabbage, squash, etc. We are going away this weekend and I’ll need to ask the cat sitter to water everything. I might need to pay her extra! 🙂
Leslie H says
LOVE that picture of Lucy!
Lana says
Our garage is stuffed with plants. They had been outside but the temps will be in the 30’s Wed and Thursday nights. It what we call the blackberry cold snap here in SC. This will be the last cold weather since the blackberries are indeed blooming.
sharon says
Please explain a bit more about this blackberry snap and how you know it will be the last of it. Right around the corner from you. And I can use all the help I can get. LOL
Emily B. says
I have been looking (unsuccessfully) for creamy white marigold seeds.
If I am lucky I can snag one or two plants at my local nursery. I love the look and ruffled petals, it’s just dang hard to find them.
Terri says
Order online maybe?
Kippy says
Maybe Botanical Interests has seed.
Katherine says
Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds looks to have Kilimanjaro White Marigold seeds in stock.
https://www.rareseeds.com/store/vegetables/marigolds/kilimanjaro-white-marigold
Suzanne says
I had fantastic germination on my lavender this year thanks to your suggestion of stratification. I didn’t have fridge room so I put the rest of an old packet in a milk jug out in January. I brought it in a month later and set it on a cheap heat pad with shop lights. I’ve got it coming out my ears. Thank you! The sprouts smell lovely.
I’ve also managed to mix up my indeterminate and determinate tomatoes while trudging them in and out for hardening them off. I need to row plant the indeterminate for trellising. Oh well.
Linda Tibbetts says
I did the same thing. Summer Surprise!
Katie says
On a whim I bought a blueberry plant at Lowes. No clue what it will do down in central Texas, apparently our soil is not acidic enough, so I will have to monitor that. But it appears to be growing more leaves, so that’s a win for me! The winter storm we had a couple months ago killed off my early blooming tulips 🙁 And we cut back our baby gardenia bush. But it’s coming back to life! We will be digging it up and moving it to our new house this summer. Now I need to plant something else in the front garden bed of our current house, which we have rented out. I’m not sure what I want, but I know I want an perennial that is low maintenance and can handle a lot of sun.
Donna Jantzer says
Thanks for the tip about the Tete a Tete Narcissus. I’ve never heard of a multi-stem daffodil! I’ll have to remember that in the fall!
Debi says
My little greenhouse is full of veggies and flowers that are beginning to sprout. I planted lettuce, bunching onions, spinach and peas outside. So far only the lettuce has made an appearance, but that’s okay because we’re supposed to get “up to” six inches of snow tomorrow… gotta love spring in the Northeast!
HollyG says
We’ve had unseasonably warm/dry weather in the PNW this year (85 degrees) so we’re planting the vegetable garden early. We’ve put in celery, lettuce, onions, arugula, parsley, corn mache, spinach, carrots and beets. We’ve also been spreading the 20 yards of chipped debris from the February ice storm along the garden path.
Lissa says
Cincinnati is getting snow tonight. Just saying 🙂
Pat from Buffalo, NY says
So is Buffalo, NY! Mother Nature is playing tricks on us all.
Linda Sand says
I think using the post hole digger is clever. Please tell HH I said so. 🙂
Kitty Sondern Snyder says
I’m thrilled to report that the seeds I planted in plastic lidded boxes from Arugula, Cherry Toms and Blueberries have SPROUTED!
I have baby CUKES and ZUCCHINI GROWING in my house!
We’ll see if the CHIVES, POPPIES, ZINNIAS and SUNFLOWERS come up, too.
Thx, Mavis, for the Plastic Box Mini Greenhouse method!
Kim says
We will be covering our tomato and pepper plants tonight since we should be sinking to the mid 30’s, here in a suburb of Dallas, TX. Seems like this is our late Easter snap? Our potato plants are about 10 inches tall. I hope they do okay; too many to cover.
Mavis, knowing you were outside doing something extremely fun after the 18 days of yuck diet and time in “jail” makes me smile. Enjoy!!!
Linda T says
My potatoes got heavily frosted last year (I always plant March 17) but they came up again from other eyes I guess. We got potatoes, anyway.
Pam says
My spare room has lots of seedlings. I am moving some seedlings to bigger containers this week and starting more plants. We are getting a hard freeze here in Michigan over the next couple days so I’ve put off planting things outside and have covered some plants. Hoping for the best!
Lori says
I am way behind the gardening side of things. When I would normally start my seedlings I came down with covid and had to be hospitalized. Finally discharged and have no energy to plant anything. Can’t go out have to quarantine. Was going to send the hubs to pick up seeds and soil but he has now tested positive. So he has to quarantine. He has no symptoms though. Looks like I will be buying plants this year. I’m going to check with family, friends and neighbors to see if anybody has extra or it’s the farmers market I go. Happy growing everyone.
Ann Burgess says
Any idea on how long it takes potatoes to sprout? I am about to declare them a non starter. It’s been at least a month.
Melissa says
I have 12 heirloom tomatoes in the ground, mortgage lifter, black krim and purple cherokee, a pimento pepper, butter lettuce, green onions, dill, cilantro, and arugula. My sweet pea flowers are Gorgeous!!! I live in SoCal so we garden year-round.
Melissa says
I have 12 heirloom tomatoes in the ground, mortgage lifter, black krim and purple cherokee, a pimento pepper, butter lettuce, beets, green onions, dill, cilantro, and arugula. My sweet pea flowers are Gorgeous!!! I live in SoCal so we garden year-round.
Sherry in Sumner says
That photo of Lucy is priceless! She looks like she’s got a sleepy smile on her face.
Look forward to seeing your hydrangea border, your veggie garden, and more photos of the outside of your house.