Dear Sisters,
See the raindrops on those beautiful seed packets? You know what that means don’t you? The New England thaw has officially begun! With every raindrop that falls, another inch of frozen snow washes away exposing a little more bare ground and our garden furniture!
This was the view from my kitchen window this morning.We had a hard rain last night which brought down the drifts of snow by a foot or so. The chairs have been a great marker for measuring snow. Up until this morning all we could see were the tip tops of them.There’s a patio under all that snow! It seems like forever ago that it looked like the photo below.
I was able to sneak away to The Boston Flower and Garden Show with a friend a couple of weeks ago and that helped get the garden mojo juices going! Silly me, I left my monster NIKON camera at home and wouldn’t ya know as soon as I stepped inside the door and saw all the amazing garden displays I wanted to share it with all of you! I’ll bring it next year! Promise.
There must have been over 100 vendors! There were the usual seed companies, garden shops, carnivorous plants and plant experts, garden accessories, bird houses, garden sheds, greenhouses, and garden tool people.
I was in need of new garden gloves and pruners for cutting small branches and flowers. The ATLAS gloves have a great fit and are water proof. I got green for spring, pink for summer and red for fall! They were a steal at 3 for $20.00!
The founder and inventor of the Florian 701 Ratchet Pruner ( handmade in the USA) had a booth a the show and we stopped to catch a demonstration he was giving on his ratchet pruners.
It was refreshing to meet the man behind the product in person. He had an aura of down home ingenuity and confidence with a little pride on the side! After watching how his ratchet pruners worked on small twigs and branches I decided to get one and added a fine nose pruner to boot. It seems like I’m forever replacing them because they lose their sharp cutting edge or get sticky, or the parts fall off. All of the Florian products come with a lifetime repair/replace warranty. Ya gotta love that! I can’t wait to try out the nose pruners on my flowers this year!
Speaking of flowers! I purchased the first of this years dahlia tubers and gladiolus bulbs last week.
I fell madly in love with this jaw dropping hot pink and white color combination! SWOON!
The contrast of red and white is also very dramatic in the garden. I grew these two years ago and I struggled making them fit into my casual backyard bouquets but when placed all together in a clear tall vase they are stunning! Sometimes simple is best.
The most darling thing I bought at the The Boston Flower and Garden Show is this rusty ornamental pet stake created by the company Rustica Ornamentals. You can send in a photo and they’ll make a pet stake in the perfect likeness of your favorite pet. Is that not the cutest rusty corgi you’ve ever seen? You’ve got to check out the link above! They can make anything!
Max tasted the snow this morning and told me it’s gonna be slow growin’ this year. But that’s okay. When if finally does melt, we’ll be ready!
How are your farm and garden plans shaping up for this spring?
Max and I are waiting to hear all about it…
Until our next shoreline visit~ WHAT SHORELINE? We still haven’t seen it this year!!!
BEACH BLESSINGS and Much Love,
Deb ~ The Beach Farmgirl
# 1199
I am so ready to go to the garden and play in the dirt. Here in Virginia it is still cold damp and rainy, the date is April 15 for planting out. That is supposed to be the last frost date. I will start some seeds indoors in a week or so. I’m so ready. really speaking of snow the week end. Really. Spring is coming soon. hooray. Juanita
Hi Juanita!
The waiting is the hardest part. Before you know it we’ll be in full bloom and wanting to freeze the garden before it’s all gone again! Happy planting!
Hugs, Deb
OMG Deb I can’t believe those 2 pictures are of the same spot. Wow. It is 90 here today can you believe it ? I’v noticed something else going on out here, a lot of wildlife in places where you never expect to see it. There was a pair of Mallard on the door step of Wal Mart today for example. We already have tomatoes ON ! This has got to be the weirdest weather ever. Look at how many records have been broken. Back there and here.
I think when the Big eath quake hit Japan a few years ago, you know the one that caused the sunami.(?) They said then that it was hard enogh to move the earth’s axsis. I don’t know if my wording is right but My concept is —that is what has changed so much.
That and just the fact that this old world keeps on changing no matter what we do. I hope you get to the garden soon. I luv your little Corgi figure (the real one also ) 🙂
Hi Deb, I see you got your seed order in from Baker Creek Seeds! 🙂 Isn’t it so exciting! Glad you are getting some rain to melt that snow. Our weather turned freezing cold again (expected, but unwanted!) so hopefully when it warms up again it will be here to stay. I’m interested in the Ratchet Pruner you mentioned. Andrea and I purchased the pruners that Erin at Floret recommended (they are ARS SE-45) but I’m sort of worried they won’t be strong enough for cutting the sunflowers. These Ratchet Pruners look a lot stronger. Have you used them before?? I’m thinking about ordering a pair and having them to try. What are your thoughts? Also, do you purchase Dahlia tubers every year or do you dig yours up and store them for re-planting? We did, but I’m worried that they didn’t survive. It seemed so complicated when I followed the directions. I guess we’ll see! Headed to Amazon to order those garden gloves you wrote about! I’m pretty sure those are the ones we had last year and they were wonderful. Oh how exciting to look forward to our flower gardens huh??!!! 🙂 – Hugs, Dori –
Hi Dori! Yay! So exciting! I have not used the Florian Ratchet Pruners before but the demonstration was impressive! I have not mastered storing dahlia tubers yet. I buy new tubers every year but his year I’m determined to do better. It’s expensive to replace them! You and I will keep our farmgirl sisters in blooms all summer long! It’s a good thing! Hugs, Deb 🙂
Just think of the snow as a friend. It helps you get more inside projects done before the onslaught of spring makes you feel behind. Your yard is indeed beautiful.
Hi Bonnie!
Exactly! Right now I feel like I’m chomping at the bit and before you know it I’ll be bringing up the rear on all sorts of other things that need doing… Oh well, such is the life of a flower farmer… so the basement doesn’t get completely cleaned out AGAIN! 🙂 Hugs and happy gardening! Deb
Deb, oh how I miss the Boston Flower Show! It is so inspiring! The hard part is waiting for the ground to warm up enough to plant. Our daylilies are coming up but we are going to have a freeze this weekend, so we will have some brown foliage this summer. I hope to add new perennials to our garden this year, and you have inspired me to start some lands from seed. Thanks for the inspiration!
Hi Pam! That was my first time going to the Boston Flower Show… I will return! It’s definitely a shot in the arm! I bet you are really looking forward to your daylilies! Cover those babies for sure! Keep me posted on your new starts! I’ll be waiting to hear how it goes!
Hugs from the damp northeast!
Deb
Deb, you are the best to read and plan for the beauty of seeing our plants grow. I am in Panamá, but the weather stays the same and have been lucky with pinto beans and cilantro. And the flower’s are awesome. Will send you some photos later. This year I will try California poppies and wild Oregon beauties. Thanks!
If you see the Webb ‘ s in Moscow find out how their garlic is doing.
Bob
Hello Bob,
Pinto beans and cilantro.. Yum! I love the planning as much as the growing, Bob. Sounds as if you do too! California poppies are one of my favorites but I’ve only grown them a few times. So many flowers to grow and only so much room! I would love to see photos of your garden. Send them along! Thanks for the note! Deb
PS. MaryJane might know who the Webb’s are in Moscow… 🙂 I’ll inquire!
Thanks Deb, I am with the Peace Corps in Panamá, spending the last year and a half with the Emberá tribe in the Darién peninsula. Living with my friends the Emberá, I have shared your website with them…they love your photos and simple ideas. Pinto beans are different and provide the community with a basic diet. I also planted some sweet black beans from Louisiana, also ready in 40 days. Wish I could send you some photos and a recipe or two from my travels to Colombia, Paraguay, and Uruguay. I am your biggest fan in Latin America…Bob
PS: How do I send photos and recieps?
Wow! Thank you, Bob. I am honored and humbled to hear you are enjoying my’lil ole blog from the far reaches of Latin America. It sounds as if you are doing some” good work” there. You can email photos of your gardens and a recipe or two to this email address: deb@maryjanesfarm.org
I look forward to it! I may even try one of your recipes and post it on the blog! Send me an easy one! Deb
Not planting anything here yet, but I have been able to clean out flower beds, rock gardens and my herb garden . . . wore out the fingers of a pair of gloves doing so.
My irises and day lilies are putting up their “green stuff”.
April and May could still bring us freezes and kill things we would plant, even though today you wouldn’t believe that!
CJ
Deb, Love the pics of the heirloom flower seed pkts. Like you I am chomping at the bit to get outside and get planting. I am really debating whether or not to plant a large veg. garden, I have plenty space it is just that I am really wanting to be moved back to La, close to my grandbaby this year. But you know the Lord tells us to be content where we are, so while waiting on that dream, I think I will make this a dream place. 🙂 Now just gotta find someone with a tractor to till me up. and then decide what I like best to plant. The note above about the pintos got me going. I LOVE fresh pintos. We always had them growing as kids. hmmmm, what is my next step. Love ya Be Blessed Neta
Dear Neta,
I know exactly how you feel about wanting to be someplace other than where you are. Your heart wants to be near that grand-baby of yours and rightly so. When we moved East ( all the way from Nevada) I was truly homesick. Gardening and planting flowers especially helped heal my homesick heart over time. I concentrated on mostly flowers because they make me feel happy inside. Plant only what you love this year even if it’s a small patch of zinnias. They must be the cheeriest and easiest cut flower to grow! I’ll be thinking of you and your garden! Keep us posted… love ya, Deb