Hello Wednesday! The sun is shinning, the birds are chirping and the plants are happy. Life is good. The orchid plant we picked up at the nursery back in February is still going strong. I moved it to the front window for a bit of color and it makes me smile every time I pass by it on my way to the living room.
Speaking of living rooms, my collection of heart shaped rocks is slowly taking over the bookshelves. At this rate, I may have to start placing them on the mantel as I am running out of shelf space.
The sunroom is looking especially bright these days… I almost don’t want to make window treatments, but I know I’ll need them come winter so I suppose I better hop to it.
The tomato and eggplant seedlings I transplanted last week are growing fast. I plan to move them out to the garden at the end of May once things really start to warm up around here.
I also have 9 purple coneflower plants I started from seed in the sunroom. I still don’t know where I’ll plant those, maybe along the back fence area, but I wish I would have planted a few more as they are so easy to grow.
The artichokes are coming along nicely too. I’ll probably move those to my neighbor’s greenhouse next week to start hardening them off.
Coleus for the front porch pots.
It’s official! The HH finally moved the last of the 4 1/2 foot mess of a compost / junk pile. Next up we’ll mark off a straight line along the back and plant grass seed just as soon as the weather warms up. I was planning on doing a straight line of hostas along the front of the lasagna garden area but now I’m thinking about planting shasta daisies all along the back.
I started a flat from seed and they are doing great, plus it would be a huge savings {a $2 packet of seeds vs $200 in hosta plants} and daisies might be more in line with the overall feel and {soon to be} white picket fence look of the backyard. We’ll see.
Sugar snap peas! Doing marvelous.
The spinach, beets and lettuce are still a little sleepy though. 😉
The chives are up.
And the peonies I transplanted last fall are all coming up as well. When we moved in last fall this entire area was covered in pea gravel and firewood. Now all that’s left to do in this spot is to cover the pea gravel with some pretty dark grey stones from the beach and mulch the beds.
I’ll probably plant some petunias in front of the peonies too for some color.
The seven rhubarb crowns I transplanted two weeks ago are thriving.
I spotted this squash seed growing in the same bed and am totally curious as to how it is surviving the nightly freezing temps. I think we should keep it and see what it becomes. I mean really, if it’s that determined to grow…. it must be meant to be.
Last fall in front yard we planted {among other things} 400 tulips and 500 grape muscari bulbs. I spotted the first little muscari beginning to bloom yesterday and and now having second thoughts about having planted them.
They sort of look like weeds, don’t you think? Granted, we still haven’t mulched the area yet, but I think I might dig them all up later this fall and transplant them somewhere else in the backyard. What do you think?
And last but not least, check out my new digs…
The neighbors are letting me use their greenhouse this summer. How cool is that? So far I only have one tray of seedlings in there, but pretty soon this baby will be full and I couldn’t be more excited. I think I might even try and grow some watermelon in there this summer. Wouldn’t that be fun? 🙂
So how about you? How is your gardening coming along? Have you harvested anything yet this year? If so, what state are you in, we’d love to know.
Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone,
Keep Calm and Garden On
~Mavis
Mel says
I’m glad you asked what we were harvesting because it reminded me that I need to go out and cut another round of Purple Sprouting Broccoli. We plant it in fall, ignore it in winter (it’s very cold hardy), and harvest all through March and April. It’s a cut-and-come-again variety, so you don’t have to spend ages waiting for a single head to form, and it’s beautiful. We’re cutting a few cups every few days from just 3 plants.
Other than that, I have basil, tomatoes, and peppers under grow lights and tons of bean seeds. It will be another couple weeks before I can set them all out. In the meantime, those beds are full of bolting cabbage and kale that we leave for the bees from our hives.
Becky says
Mavis,
I love the whale on your shelf (left of the fireplace).
Love your blog,
Becky-TN
Kim says
Where do I begin???
House photos are bee-utiful.
Garden is coming along sooooooooooooo well! I fell in love with those tiny scale grape hyacinth you have planted. I wonder if you will like them better once they have bloomed. You guys have been working very hard outside and it is paying off!
Greenhouse: coveting that wonderful space. You have given me greenhouse fever!!!
Random question: does anyone know why the red-headed woodpecker in our neighborhood has been pecking on our rain guttering, instead of a tree? He is quite the noisy fellow.
Donna says
I believe they are attracting a mate with the loudest sound they can make. We always assumed that, anyway, as our northern Flickers love to rat-a-tat-tat rapidly on our metal roof in the spring.
Claudia says
You could by a big glass jar for all of your heart shaped rocks.
Tanya says
That’s what I was thinking 🙂
Erica says
We moved from Washington to the Chicago suburbs last summer and closed on our house at the end of August. We promptly began remodelling the first floor, so we werent able to do much outside. The garden is full of perennials that have gone wild plus a million and a half volunteer trees. I wish I had your energy and vision! Last week my husband made me a couple raised garden beds, so I’m excited to use those, but won’t be planting until mid May
Kari says
Everything is so beautiful!! And that greenhouse!!! So happy for you.
Brianna says
My neighbor expanded her garden 8’ in length. She mentioned last week she will not use it all and offered space to me. I am debating on it. I will not have to try and start and build my own garden if I do, plus it will be watered on a schedule. Neighbors are awesome! We are in MT and it is still cold with frost. I might plant some rainbow carrots as my kids love them and I have no idea what else to grow. She usually does tomatoes and zucchini and peas and beans. I want some things my kids will be excited about and fun and will grow easily. It is all deer fenced too, they are huge garden pests here.
DeeCee says
I’m in DE and have harvested chard, kale, spinach and a ton of arugula, all that had over wintered since I planted them last fall. I had a row cover on the chard, kale and spinach, but the arugula was on its own and thrived!
Getting ready in the next week or so to harvest breakfast radishes we planted mid-March.
Can’t wait for it to warm up so I can plant the peppers, tomatoes herbs & flowers languishing in my basement under lights!
Linda says
It’s snowing again today in upstate NY with a high temperature of 38 degrees forecasted for my area. Disappointing to say the least.
I have parsley, tomatoes, allysum, chamomile and 24 Echinacea plants of several different colors under grow lights.
Jamie says
I love the grape (I always called them hyacinth) I think they would just look better planted close together in clumps or a tight row. I’m pretty sure if you leave them they will spread out.
Katherine says
They do look better in a fairly tight random groupings.
Jen in CA says
Grape hyacinth isn’t the same as muscari. I LOVE muscari, but I’ll admit the ones in the photo look like weeds in this planting area.
Lissa says
I bought the mascari on your rec and it’s a lovely spot of color for our Covid times :). I planted it in between the lily of the valley plants along our stone fence.
Dianne says
Mavis – I would not move the muscari this year. Let them grow another 2 or more seasons. I think they add beautiful color to your flowerbed. Yes, they look a little spindley, but that is what adds character to the flower and the bed.
Leslie Moss says
Move the grape hyacinth! We moved here to Utah from Washington and that’s pretty much what the previous owner had all over their flowers beds. Plus they spread like crazy into the grass. I pulled all mine out, gave them to neighbors and planted what I wanted in big containers to ‘contain’ them.
Tanya says
I second that! I planted some when we moved into our house 16 yrs ago and they have spread like wildfire. They not only develop new bulbs underground but they also self seed and end up everywhere. If you don’t mind them spreading then you are good. We are pulling them out by the fistful several times a year. I gave away about 20 POUNDS of them last year alone!
Ruth says
Use muscari to “mark” the location of where you planted daffodils and/or tulips. Plant the larger bulbs in a cluster and then, as you fill in the hole, place the little bulbs in the top layer. They come up early and stay late, keeping you from accidentally digging into your hidden bulbs. If both should happen to bloom simultaneously, it’s a pretty look.
Dianne says
Great idea, Ruth!
Mavis Butterfield says
Excellent idea!!
Wendi says
For me, the value of the 500 grape muscari bulbs is when they bloom. Their bloom is the first hint of spring here in PA and they bring with them hope!
Ann says
Perhaps the HH could rim your painted coffee table with trim of sufficient height to elevate a glass pane above your rock collection. So happy for your greenhouse good fortune!
Virginia says
I see what you mean about the muscari looking like weeds. They’ll look better once they bloom, but you’ll be left with yellowing spiky leaves when they’re done flowering. This may not be the neat-and-tidy look you’re going for, particularly in your front yard. I agree with a previous commenter that they would have looked better planted in clumps. (Most flowering bulbs look better planted in groupings instead of spread out.) I might suggest pulling them out after they’re done flowering and either replant some or all of them into pots (that way you can move them wherever you want for effect), or pick a tree in your backyard that doesn’t have grass underneath it and dedicate that space for naturalized muscari. Whether in pots or under a backyard tree, you avoid the issue of spreading taking over your other garden plants, and also avoid having the yellowing leaves after bloom time detract from the tidiness of your front yard. (Google grape hyacinth in pots and you’ll see how lovely they are.) Whatever you decide to do with them, plant the bulbs very close together, no farther than 1″ in a pot or no farther than 2″ if in the ground. Please post another picture once they’re blooming!
Linda Practical Parsimony says
I don’t like lines of flowers, so I would plant them in clumps.
I am in Birmingham, AL and have a small garden. I was contacted by an Auburn University research group to determine how gardening affects all aspects of lives. I was given four containers on wheels with reservoir of water. Plus, I was given seeds, furnished with plants, and $500 worth of gardening equipment (including the raised beds) . I have been eating from the kale, red lettuce, Romaine and waiting for the cabbage. I have carrot seeds I need to plant. They furnished seeds for summer and some for fall planting.
A Master Gardener has been assigned to help me when I have a question. I was chosen for this project because I have had cancer and am now out of treatment. They are looking for more people to participate in this project.
On the front porch I am growing carrots, wave petunias, basil, oregano, and tarragon. I will expand the front porch flowers and herbs.
Margo says
I love your living room decor. And covet your greenhouse!
Your garden is so far ahead of mine (and I am in Vermont). Maybe it’s the moderating sea air?
We had a bit of snow here this morning.
Frances F Lengenfelder says
Made your granola this morning, yum!
Gail says
If you know someone who has hostas, ask if they’re ready to divide them, and offer to do it for them. It’ll take a couple years, but you’ll soon have an abundance of hostas. I got six plants from my aunt (couldn’t even tell they were gone), and I had a multitude of hostas to give away in a couple years.
Cheryl says
When you mentioned that you planted 500 grape muscari bulbs last fall, I thought “uh oh”. They spread like wildfire and when you dig them up, they seem to spread even more. I have them in the front and I cannot get rid of them. I like a tidy look and even when I mulch the heck out of them, they still look messy. Grape muscari, you either love ’em or hate ’em. But whatever you do, I am sure it will look beautiful.
Kim says
I second this. I planted grape muscari about 10 years ago, and 3 or 4 years ago I decided I was tired of them and I’d dig them all up. Ha ha ha no. I have even more now after attempting to dig them up.
tc says
I planted dark blue muscari in a fake stream bed last year and this, I am hoping they multiply galore, I have other areas to put them to where they can go crazy I could do with a thousand or more bulbs but they are tedious to plant.