This week all other plans were laid aside. Every moment I could spare was spent in the garden, planting, weeding, marking rows, and tidying up. Last weekend’s rain provided the help I needed to get the last of this summer’s planting done. The giant weeds were pulled out, the rows carefully marked, and hundreds of flower seeds were planted.
The boxes are looking beautiful right now. My English Roses are in full bloom, and I have jars of them sitting all over the house.
The blooms are much bigger this year and definitely more plentiful.
My one disappointment this spring is the slowly growing sweet peas. Last spring my roses and sweet peas were blooming at the same time and they made a stunning pair! This year I think they will be totally out of sync.
I plead with them each morning, “Come on darlings, grow a little faster, show me your colors.” They pay me no mind.
She is always hunting for ladybugs and worms.
This January Miss E and I scattered poppy seeds in the Dahlia and Rose beds. I wanted some color during the months when the beds look so sparse, plus it helps keep the weeds out of the raised beds. They are just now starting to bloom. I love the color and texture of the foliage as much as I love the poppies themselves.
A few vegetables have made their way into the garden this year. Miss E was keen on having some edible things growing and I obliged her (but not without a little selfish hesitation). She planted a row of heirloom “rainbow carrots” on the very edge of the flower patch. She checks each and everyday to see if they have sprouted. We also have two happy tomato plants that were gifted from a sweet neighbor.
My little garden imp abandoned me for a ride on the four-wheeler with her daddy.
The dahlias are starting to fill out and a few even had some tiny buds on them! The sunflowers and cosmos from last year’s garden have re-seeded and I love the random look the garden is beginning to take on; like it has a whimsical personality of it’s own.
I have a few more Yarrow starts that I need to tuck in somewhere once they are big enough, and I have another packet of Bachelor Buttons to plant in a few weeks. Trying to space the planting out a bit.
The 2016 season is off to a lovely start, with many more delights to come. I hope you’ll visit again
~April