Daffodils, Dahlias and Dream-work

Dear sisters,

Spring has finally SPRUNG along the shorelines of Cape Cod Bay! Just looking at these daffodils makes my head spin with delight. There’s just SOOOO much to do this time of year. How about you? What’s putting an extra “spring in your step” right now? I know! Let’s walk and talk at the beach! I’ve got a full report! And besides there are more daffodils to see, dahlias too and some dream-work to be done along the way!

It’s our tradition to spend Easter Sunday with our family at the beach rain or shine! My brother and sis in law stoke up the old wood stove and we put on a Pot Luck supper. This year we decided to keep things fairly simple food wise. We each brought our own fixin’s for sub sandwiches’. We had a variety of tuna, egg salad and spiral cut honey ham. I whipped up a Deviled Egg Potato Salad and fruit salad. For dessert we had birthday cake. My sweet mother in law turned 90 this week!

It’s always a good day for just being together in our favorite place. RE-LAX-A-TION and taking a nice long walk are the order of the day! It’s off -season so we were all by oursleves mostly except for the birds, blossoms, and the views!

Most of the native grasses, plants and shrubs at the beach are just beginning to turn green but the daffodils and other spring bulbs planted by residents are in full bloom by Easter. They sure put a bright spot in a cloudy day on the shore don’t they?

Everywhere we looked we saw new signs of spring!

Bright purple periwinkle.

Gorgeous tulips keeping watch over an and old tea pot and a picture-perfect window bursting with sunshine yellow forsythia blossoms!

We caught daffodils

mingling with a bouquet of pink hyacinths!

After such a refreshing day at the beach we drove home feeling grateful for such a beautiful day full of new beginnings. On the ride home my thoughts wondered over the marsh grass right into my little backyard flower farm. So much for the day-long respite. Time is of the essence and I need to keep moving ahead my new “farmgirl enterprise”! I formed a quick mental to-do list then jotted it all down in my garden notebook when I got home. Here’s what I’ve gotten checked -off this week.

1. Buy dahlias- CHECK

2. Research soil/compost- CHECK

3. Order mulch for large garden beds- CHECK

4. Order greenhouse- CHECK

5. Clear area for green house- CHECK

6. Buy seed trays, and potting soil

7. Plant cool weather seeds
This is the dream-work I was talking about, but, it feels more like dream-play! If I got paid for daydreaming I’d be a rich in dollars farmgirl, but the truth is (and we all know this) dreams don’t come true by dreaming alone. We’ve got to put some elbow grease behind our big ideas too! We’ve got to DREAM BIG and work our tails off!

Here’s a peak at some of the dahlias I chose.

Dinner Plate, Decorative and Semi- Cactus for starters!

The dahlias will go outside in the raised beds in a few short weeks! I discovered a wonderful organic compost made by ” Coast of Maine “ called Quoddy Blend Lobster Compost that can be mixed with loam ( top soil ) for the raised cut flower beds. Check out the link to read more about it! Who knew Lobster shells had nutrients in them that when broken down would be good for flowers and veggies?

I’ve been running in circles (mostly in my head and online) about whether I wanted a hoop house or a greenhouse for starting seeds and extending the season for select flowers and veggies. I decided not to go with a hoop house in my backyard but with a portable greenhouse instead. It’s the perfect size at 10x10x 8 for this backyard flower farmgirl. I think it will be “just right “for the size of our yard and it was priced right at $199.00 (online only) through the Tractor Supply Company. Shelter Logic is the manufacturer and the reviews I read looked very positive.

Painted by our daughter when she was 8

Wish me luck and I’ll keep you posted as to how it ( and I ) performs!

Tell me, what sort of dream-work are you up to this spring? I hope something has you jumping out of bed feeling excited every morning!

Until our next shoreline visit~

BEACH BLESSINGS and much love!

Deb

  1. Julia says:

    Daffs, Tulips, Hyacinth,Forsythia, Spirea, Hellebores, Primroses, Violets, English Dasisies…Color abounds! I love the photo of the Daffs next to the beach!! Happy Spring to you!!

    Happy Spring to you too Julia! I’m ready for all of the above!!!  xo Deb 

  2. Junebug says:

    I so love daffodils, what great photos from the beach! I had to pick a large bouquet of daffodils from my yard to enjoy in my house. I must admit I struggle a little with dahlias. I think I need my soil tested.

    Have a great weekend!!!

    Thanks Junebug! This will be my first year with dahlias. You know I’ll keep you posted for better or worse! 🙂 Enjoy those daff’s . They come and go before we know it! xo Deb

  3. Joan Marie says:

    After enjoying your fantastic Spring display of beach-girl "flowery" – I am re-energized to get back outside to shoveling the 2 ton of fabulous topsoil that was recently dumped in our driveway here in Bucks County, Pa. Wheelbarrow load by load: making its way down the hill to my veggie garden. Why needs a gym membership when we have the great outdoors, a big square shovel and a well-balanced wheelbarrow – load after load. This year’s tomato crop should be fantastic! Happy gardening, Joan Marie

    Hi Joan Marie! I hear ya! I’ve got two yards of mulch in my driveway now too! Soil coming next week.. No gym membership necessary! Just a good pair of gardening gloves, a hat and a sturdy back for shoveling! I’m ready! I think! LOL  Happy gardening to you too! Best with your veggies!

    xo Deb

  4. Hi Deb, you are busy. Everything looks so pretty and I envy you sooo much being on the beach. I love the beach. Happy Birthday to you mother in law. My aunt back home turns 90 this year and when talking with her yesterday, she said she just got through tearing down the house next door to her and pulling up the fence and making one big yard. (I hope I have her genes) HA! She works circles around me. Love your little greenhouse choice and I absoblutely LOVE your daughters painting. I think I jumped the gun on getting my garden planted as we have had to cover everything the last 3 nights because of frost. After being near 90?? But alas I think those nights are over and good weather is here to stay. Our Farmers Market opens tomorrow and I can’t wait to shop. Until next time. Keep us posted, I love your blogs. Neta

    Hi Neta! Thank you! Oh, I hope I have your aunts genes too! Wow! This spring has been tricky hasnn’t it? We are supposed to be in the high 80’s tomorrow and staying warm all next week too. Should be able to get plenty of work done! Our farmers market opens this week as well and I’m anxious to see what’s new this year! Thanks so much for reading and for the visit! Happy Weekend Neta! xo Deb

  5. Brenda says:

    Hi Flower Farm Girl!!! Our wonderful large garden is being put to rest this year. Hubs decided that last year it was just not up to par and wants to add much to it and have it ready to start over next year. No one can believe it because we have always had a garden. I think we may build some raised beds closer to the house for some tomatoes, peppers and a couple of other things. It means I will have more time on my hands this summer because there will not be as much canning as usual. I will have to spend more time in my flower beds and maybe try again with my herb garden. I need to do some chicken detouring because they like to scratch my herb beds up and I have one that is almost empty. Your pictures are beautiful as ever. Love the one of the shore line. I could feel my feet in the sand while I gazed at it. Have a great weekend!

    Hello sister Brenda! I love the raised bed idea and the fact that you will spend more time in your flower beds too! Glad you enjoyed the trip to the beach!  Enjoy your weekend and thanks for the visit!  xo Deb

  6. Laura says:

    Hi Deb, the spring flowers are all around, along with the sprouting leaves on the trees, finally!, so the trees can match the warm weather we have had this early spring. Your dream plans are very inspiring, and make me want to use my own daydreams to start something new, something farmgirlie!
    Thanks for sharing, your cut-flower business sounds awesome!

    Hi Laura! Yes! Our leaves are popping out too! Such a rare gift to have this  kind of spring here in New England… I’m soaking up every bit of it! You must keep us posted on your " farmgirlie"  daydreams and adventures! Thanks so much for the visit! xo Deb

  7. Merrilyn says:

    What a breath of fresh air and a delight to see all those spring flowers. We are still knee deep in snow on the Kenai Penn in Alaska. I must confess I was green with envy. You are very blessed. I always enjoy your posts. I too have much shoveling in my yard. It’s called moose droppings, because they lived in my yard this year. Have a great spring and thanks for the great posts. Merrilyn

    Hi Merrilyn! When will it start to thaw out for you? Your winter company sounds amazing…but not what they left behind for you! 🙂 Is there any use for Moose droppings in the garden? Just curious!!! As always, thanks so much for reading and have a wonderful weekend! xo Deb

  8. Laura says:

    The pictures of the flowers were lovely. We are just starting to get spring flowers here in rural Idaho, but the sage is greening up and I saw wildflowers ready to bloom along the Salmon River today. Good luck with all your plans this year for the garden. They sound wonderful and keep me inspired.
    HUGS!!!!

    Dear Laura, Oh I can smell the sage just reading the word! What sorts of wildflowers bloom where you are? In Nevada we used to get the bright yellow Mules Ear Daisies. I think that’s what they were anyway! So pretty!!! Have fun with your garden plans too! xo Deb

  9. Linda Walton says:

    I love reading your blog!I’ve learned so much. Seeing your pictures of the Spring flowers is getting me excited to start my gardens. I can’t wait to use the information you shared from the Back To Eden film and now the Quoddy compost. I found a garden center near-by that sells it. The only problem I’m encountering is with my husband who still wants to do things the old way. While I’ve finally convinced him to try the raised bed, he still wants to rototil the ground first. I’ve challenged him to do it his way and I’ll do my garden my way; plant some of the same things and see which garden is easier to start and maintain. this should be really interesting!

    Hi Linda! Now, I like the sounds of that compromise! Great experiement. We have placed our raised beds right over a large ( not so healthy ) sodded area in our backyard. We didn’t rototil. I’m placing cardboard and newspaper over the ground, then topping the first couple of inches with slightly de-composed organic matter… mostly leaves and pine needles… on top of that we will add the top soil and compost and finally the wood chips for covering. I’m excited to see  how this works. Please keep me posted on how your gardening goes ( and hubbys’ too) !

    Thanks so much for the visit! xo Deb

  10. Jan says:

    Wow! I just love spring bulb flowers! I just read Laura’s comment and chuckled ’cause my husband and I just passed through that area on our little road trip last week. The Salmon River area is just gorgeous! I took some great pics and will send you a few of central and southern Idaho.
    Alas, our bulbs in this Spokane neck of the woods are not in the blooming mode yet, but my allium bulbs have popped out some nice plants out back. They are the ones with the long stalk that sports a large purple ball. Very fascinating..It all started with one bulb that mom planted and now there are lots!
    PS: I did pick a few branches of Pussy Willow for my bedroom and they are starting to root in the vase. I will be sticking them in the ground soon!
    Enjoy your springtime!

    Hi Jan! Sounds wonderful! Yes, the bulbs are so pretty this time of year… Nice to have them to admire while we wait for everything else to " green up "!!! Look forward to those pictures!!! I have allium bulbs on my list… they are an amazing flower aren’t they?  Thanks so much for popping in as always! xo Deb

  11. Shery says:

    Didjya get your dahlias?? Ya know, I’d never given that flower much of a look before. Funny, how we’re all drawn to different posies. We don’t really live in a user-friendly place for the exotic dahlia. But, I’m going to buy one and try it … so that when I see her in my garden, I’ll think of my beachy farmgirl pal.

    I did! I hadn’t really given them a second look either until I decided to grow cut flowers. Oh, you’ll have a Debbie Dahlia in your garden? I love that! I think I’ll grow a Shery Sunflower so I can think of you whilst in my flower patch too ! Loved your rusty fieldtrip! You and Michelle sure got some wonderful finds! HUGS! Deb  

  12. Becky says:

    Where I live, the main growing season is October-May, so I will enjoy visiting often to see how things are growing at your place. I LOVE your daughter’s painting! I sure hope it is framed and prominently positioned. 😉

    Hi Becky! Great to see you here! Yes, her painting is framed and hung! I love her early work! Happy Gardening! x0 Deb

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