DARE I SAY, SPRING IS HERE AT LAST?

Just a few of the spring bulbs in my garden.

The red and orange tones of this tulip, are so lovely.

Ruffles, ruffles and more ruffles. I love these daffodils.

I do not know the name of this little gem. I thought it was a primrose, but I think I am mistaken.

Anemones look as though their petals are made out of velvet.

I am looking forward to seeing this beauty open her petals.

Such beautiful shades of pink.

A gorgeous shade of purple/blue.

A new tulip to my garden, which is teasing with a hint of beauty to come.

HERE , HERE and HERE is what was happening around this time last year.

A LITTLE MORE PROGRESS

has been made towards creating my new garden spot. The rain let up long enough this afternoon for me to get outside and start working on this project.

On March 14th I talked about clearing a place for the garden and the different materials I plan on using in the construction of the raised beds.

Today, I dragged these pieces of cut logs from the pile of wood left for us by a friend, to use for three or four raised beds. The half logs were originally to be cut into firewood but some of it is now going to be used in my garden.

I am still in the planning stage and will probably move these around until I am satisfied in the layout. MrC is going to help cut the timber down to size using a chainsaw, not a piece of equipment I am comfortable using, then he will make the boxes for the raised beds.
There will be a fence all the way around the garden to deter any deer from snacking on the vegetables when they are finally planted. We really do not have trouble with deer close to the house, but you can guarantee the minute I have a lovely garden the deer will find it. There are quite a few rabbits around here so they will also have to be on the outside looking in. There is plenty of nice juicy grass in the pasture for them to nibble on.

Tomorrow after we have done shooting at the range, we plan on driving on up to Oak Harbor to visit home Depot to look into buying fence posts and fencing materials, and perhaps a few plants from the garden center for the flower garden.
Keep checking back to see "how the garden grows"

WEATHER RECORD

I am going to record the weather conditions for future reference.

APRIL 3rd........ light frost. (dang it's April, it is rather late for frost. Where is all the global warming they are talking about?) *chuckle*

APRIL4th........Rain in the forecast for today. Dang, I wanted to get out and start on my new vegetable garden.

APRIL21st.....Sat 19th we had snow, just big wet flakes which did not stick. Yesterday and today the sun is shining, although the temps are cooler.

NOW IF ONLY.

On March 14th I told you about the new vegetable garden I was planning. With the help of my honey, MrC and a friend's backhoe we have made a start on making my dream come true.

MrC scraping away the sod to expose the lovely rich soil underneath.

Even though the soil is rich, I plan on having some raised beds as well creating a few beds directly in the cleared area. The white box you see in the foreground is made from two large commercial file drawers we were given. The two drawers have been securely bolted together and should last a few years before they rust out.

There is still quite a lot of work to be done before the garden is as I want it. It has to be leveled some more, the loose sod raked up and discarded, fenced to keep the critters out, landscape cloth put around the garden beds as they are installed and probably either bark or straw over the cloth between the rows to keep the weeds down and my feet from getting muddy.
We have quite a few old car tires which will make nice planters for herbs, flowers, or whatever else takes my fancy. These need to have the top rims cut out, placed in the garden area and filled with the wonderful compost/topsoil mix our landscaper friend brought over for us to use. (a whole dump truck full)

Here is a closeup of the first of two, about 18 inches tall, boxes to be constructed, then there are two more about 15 inches tall to be bolted together. With the high cost of cedar or other products which we could use for the raised beds, the choice to utilize what we have on hand makes sense. The more expensive materials can come later on. I am kind of a "waste not want not" kinda person, so using what we have on hand will leave me more money for plants, seeds and fencing material. I also want a couple of trellises for beans and cucumbers to grow on.

Now if only, the rain would let up,I could get out there to start on my project.

Worth waiting for!

I had been waiting to see what THESE buds were going to produce, and here is the result. In my opinion, these are some of the most beautiful daffodils I have ever seen.

MARCH 21st 2008

Cineraria

Daffodils



















Euphorbia (above)
Hellebore (left)

These daffodils have very interesting pointed buds, which start out pointing straight up, then, as the buds start to unfold they start to bend over.

This morning I planted four new shade loving plants in my favorite pot by the front door.

Plectranthus, Nemesia, Fuchsia, Lamium.

Lots of Tulips in bud.

Many of these tulips were planted last fall, so I am anxious to see the blooms.

SPRING FEVER HAS A HOLD OF ME!

Somewhere in this mess, lies my future vegetable garden. I am having one of our friends come over with his bulldozer to level a site about 12x12 feet, or larger, for a series of raised beds. That is, when we get rid of the junk, and split and stack the pile of firewood. I am still at the planning stage, so I am not entirely sure what shape, size and how many beds there will be.

I just has to swing by the garden center on my way home from the grocery store, to see what new plants are arriving. Yes, I sure do have "spring fever" I could have come home with a car full of new plants, but settled on this Lily Of The Valley which I have in a put in a pot by the front door. This little plant has the sweetest fragrance which brings back a memory, of a garden full Lily Of The Valley growing at my Grandmother's home.

Every day there are daffodils opening their petals showing off the lovely orange and yellow trumpets, and red anemones making a splash of color on the dull days.

Last year, a friend gave me many large Hellebore, and beside some of them were baby plants, which I put into pots until they are large enough to be transplanted into the garden. I am pleasantly surprised to find many more small plants than I anticipated. I enjoy seeing the flowers of the Hellebore during the gloomy winter days when not much else, except a few primroses are blooming.

This is the second season for the Hyacinths and they sure are large and fragrant. I think I will be finding room for more of these beauties in different colors. I may plant some by the front door so visitors can enjoy the fragrance and colors.

These primroses seem to hardly ever stop blooming. Right now they are a little tatty looking due to the slugs having feasted on them. Time to get the slug bait out and get rid of some of the destructive pests. However, I do like to use a bait which will not harm other wildlife.

This is a good sign. The roses are leafing out and looking very healthy. I did cut them way back last fall as they were starting to get too large, and I am not as interested in Roses as I used to be so I was not too concerned if my drastic pruning harmed them. Apparently they did not seem to mind the pruning.

The weather is still not warm enough to spend too much time in the garden, but that time will be here soon and I can implement all my plans for some landscaping and my new vegetable garden. Well, at least I will do as much as I can. The one drawback of aging is, I have to rest more often. It does not seem that many years ago, that I would spend from sunup to dusk in the garden with just a break for a spot of lunch or a cool drink. I still get the same thrill out of planting and watching things grow. My grandparents on both sides of the family were avid gardeners, so I guess some of it has rubbed off on me.

Life in Keewee's garden in January

The Hellebores, which are planted in a sheltered spot along side the carport, have come into bloom, which I am thinking is rather early, but as these plants are new to the garden, I really do not know yet, their habits in this area.
Update 1/12/08 I have just been watching Ciscoe's gardening program, and have learned that these plant start to bloom at this time of year. See, we are never too old to learn.

Some of the daffodils are starting to make an appearance.

There is still some color

We have had a lot of rain, hail, frost, and very little sunshine, and there are still plants bravely putting on a show.

Calendula.

Primrose.

Hellebore.

Fuchsia.

Autumn is here

Yesterday was sunny with a cool breeze blowing, making me think twice about going outdoors to clean up the gardens before the rain gets here, which, according to the weather forecast, is coming up in the next couple of days. I told myself to stop being a wimp, and get out there and get the job done. After a while, I was warm from all my exertion and by the end of a couple of hours all the work was finished.

The garden does look scruffy right now, but with a little elbow grease it will soon look much better.

Surprise, one Gladioli trying to bloom.

A birdbath full of soggy leaves and to my surprise, a few Anemones are till showing green.

The lavender sure needs a trimming.

I have been working on this area for a while and I still need to add some more pavers and plant ground covers in between.This job will now have to wait until spring.

A couple of hours later, and all the dead leaves and twigs have been picked up, the brown stalks of plants going into dormancy have been cut back, and the gardens are looking tidy again.

Autumn is here

I finally finished planting all the tulips and daffodils which were delivered a few days ago. The irrigation system is drained and put to bed for the winter, and all I need to do now, is rake up some leaves and pull a few weeds.

There is still a little color left in the garden now fall has hit. This yellow daisy is nestled in amongst Catnip and blue Salvia, making for a pretty display.

The ever hardy primroses are still pushing out a few blooms.

Color In Keewee's Garden on September 2nd 2007