Garden Girls

My faithful garden companion, Max and I.

Dear Sisters,

Whew doggies. Spring is such a glorious season in New England. Why, it’s enough to make a farmgirl feel born again! The weather is perfect for completing late-spring garden chores and planting some pretty, perky bedding annuals for a bold, burst of color. My daughter and I made an UN-planned trip to a new nursery today and got carried away with the beautiful blooms.I just love the kind of day that starts out one way and ends up totally different in the most pleasant of ways. Today was one of those days. My daughter, Nicolette and I were on our way home from an appointment when we decided to stop and get some pine shavings ( on sale two for $10.00 ) for the chicken coop. I promised her an iced coffee if she came inside Tractor Supply with me. Yup, she’s not above taking bribes. It worked! In fact, she ended up getting two pairs of gloves. One for working on her 1986 Vintage Ford F-250, and the other for gardening.

Adding transmission fluid to her truck.

She had some minor leaks in her truck this week so my handsome Yankee showed her how to check her oil and transmission fluid as well as how to add some if necessary. Turns out, it WAS necessary. She did all the research online to find out what kind she needed and the proper way to get the job done. This girls got some serious can-do spirit and have I mentioned that I’m just crazy about her? Oh, the things she’s taught me over the years, but that’s a post for another day.

Nicolette and Max

Today she surprised me when she agreed to swing into a new garden nursery I had heard about. Hm. Maybe all those home-school garden lessons are finally taking root? Or maybe it was just the magic of warm sunshine and the charm of the nursery we visited that pulled her into my world. The entrance to the nursery was a bloom with hanging baskets and flowering shrubs set out in front of the cutest picket fence which had been painted in the sweetest pale yellow, like the petals on an old English rose. Little red wagons were parked at the ready for customers. She grabbed one and off she went straight for the annuals table where pansies were marked 50% off. Well, before I could even get a good look at the offerings, she had filled her wagon with violas and pansies in the prettiest shades of purple, two creeping phlox, two pale lavender columbine and two white petunias. ” Where are ‘ we ‘ going to plant these mom,” she asked? How could I say no? Or, take it easy or, wait till I’ve had a chance to look around? She said, ” we “! She did a fine job of choosing the healthiest plants the sale table had to offer so we moved on to another area where I found some beautiful flats of snapdragon just right for one of my raised beds in the cutting garden.

Before we knew it we had two wagons brimming with happy flowers ready for planting.

Once we got back home there was some prep work to be done before ‘we’ could plant.

Before

Grass and weeds had crept into my foundation garden and it was in much need of a re-shaping.

Ready for plants!

Nothing a regular shovel and some farmgirl elbow grease ( a hot shower and 3 Aleve before bed ) can’t handle. I know there are fancy edgers and plenty of edging materials you can buy for keeping out pesky weeds and grass but I like a more natural look and besides, I enjoy the work and the chickens love it when I toss them the leftovers.

It seems like by the time most bedding annuals find their way to a homeowners garden they are almost always root-bound.

I always remove the hardened roots and loosen the root ball before I plant. But this time, my garden girl, Nicolette did it.

Then she laid out the plants in a design she liked then got busy planting. When she was finished planting she remarked how easy it was. Well, for her it was pretty easy since I had done all the prep-work ahead of time but who am I to complain. Baby steps, right?

They sure brighten up the garden don’t they? Flowers and daughters.

All that’s left to complete this garden is to add a layer of mulch. That will make the colors really pop and keep the plants from becoming stressed during the heat of the summer.

Max sure looks proud doesn’t he? You’d think he did all the work himself.

Have you been playing in the dirt too? Tell us what you planted.

We wish you a glorious Memorial Day Weekend!

May the courageous men and women who fight for our freedom every day be blessed.

Until our next shoreline visit~

BEACH BLESSINGS and Happy gardening!

Deb # 1199