Who's Planning Their Garden?

[Elspeth]

With the temps in the north finally dipping below freezing, I'm finding myself thinking of spring gardening. Who else is doing the same?

We live in a small suburban lot, ringed by HUGE trees. So, direct sunlight is a rare commodity. Add to that two boys playing football and two dogs chasing each other and I'm struggling to have grass let alone anything else.

But this year I'm determined!

Last year I planted a small herb garden and I loved it. Love cooking with herbs. I had thyme, sage, oregano and rosemary. The thyme and oregano did the best, sage not too well and rosemary only OK.

This year I'd like to add garlic. Anyone have a preference in types?

I've tried to grow tomatoes and I just don't have enought light. My mother always has plenty, so I think this year I'll stick to one grape tomato for the kids to snack on and plant lettuce instead. I like Romaine and want to give growing it a try. Any advice?

I've also gotten into making salsa with tomatoes, garlic, onion and 4 kinds of peppers - not bell. Me and the kids like it and I keep telling myself look at all the vegetables I'm eating. I'd like to try growing the peppers. Not sure if I've enough light though. And, I'm not sure where to get the different kinds of plants.

Does anyone order their plants?

Lastly, I want to plant an apple tree. We really like Jonagolds. I'm not sure if you can buy them or if they're a grafted species.

OK, really lastly, any suggestions for pretty, hardy, shade tolerant ground covers? My dogs do a number on plants - and no I don't mean numbers one and two.
What they don't eat, they trample. I'm envisioning lots of chicken wire cages for tender plants.

Oh, yeah, I forgot the other thing. This really is the last! Grapes! I want to start an arbor. Wild grapes grow in the shade - why not domestic? I want purple eaing grapes. Seedless if possible. Ideas???

And hello everyone! Hope you've all been well.

[Celtic cat]

My sister in law is going to give me gardening duty over her new herbs. Anything you have found that they are picky about? Good luck with all of yours.

[valpal59]

I am so ready to get started. Come on spring. Will be adding plants to the flower bed I already have and will be starting a new one this year where our swimming pool used to sit. It is 12 x 24. I have started trying to decide what I want to plant. Too many choices.

[valpal59]

Spent most of the day yesterday on BHG websight on the plan a garden. Gettin closer to final decisions. Need to order plants soon or I will be behind like I was last year. Our weather has been decent and I am getting spring fever really bad. Is anyone else ready for spring?

[LeahBarrett]

Have a lavender farm in NC. Will be very busy weeding and picking once we get our first crop. We have some herbs and do plan on expanding further into herbs this year. It's just that the lavender keeps us so busy. We have over 1300 plants.

[RebeccaAnn]

Spring is here. Our snowdrops and crocuses are in blooming. Birds are returning from their winter home. We have a large family garden that I can't work in much. We have a small secret garden that was started many years ago by me and Jean-Thomas. David and Julianna rarely enter it they call it the children's garden. EmmaAnn last year didn't enter much either. It is only me and Sarah working the secret garden and weeds have taken over. I want so to work in Jean-Thomas Secret Garden. It's my special place where he can always be found. Its so peaceful and all the outside world is kept out. Last year I struggled with it. I can be outside only a short time. I don't handle sun or high humidity well.
I want so and need to work in our special garden. Sarah will help me and she is strong but still quite small. I am physically handicapped and can no longer get on the ground. How do I make my garden grow?
RebeccaAnn

[Arianrhod]

I am sorry I have been away so long

Elspeth, I will get back to this, this week end,
with a few answer's for you! it is not too late
except for early lettuce, and peas.

Hello everyone!

[valpal59]

I am going to work in my flower beds early saturday. They are calling for severe weather saturday afternoon and evening. Maybe some tornados.

[Elspeth]

Went to the store yesterday to get clover seed. Tierd of trying to grow grass where there is
Too much traffic from kids and dogs
Little sunlight
Little water because the big trees suck it all up.

So, I'm planting it to clover. The problem is finding a place I can buy a pound or two of just clover seed. In suburbia, people are trying to get rid of it, not grow it.

But, when I was there I discovered distressed plants (winter came back here after spring had begun) It was all 50% off of already reasonable prices.

I bought

Two pots of heather
Three forsythia bushes
One old-fashioned lilac that I planted at the corner of our front porch. Imagine, sitting on the porch in the soft May evenings, surrounded by the scent of lilacs.
One Yellow Delicious Apple Tree
One Peach tree
A Concord Grape vine
A Black Raspberry bush
Rosemary
Garlic

And the assorted lawn fertilizers, rhododendron fertilizer, plant fertilizer, topsoil and Cow Manure in a bag.

Yesterday I planted the herbs and loosened up the soil in the herb garden. My oregano overwintered and the thyme and sage was coming back until we got more winter. Not sure if they have any life left of not. Probalby should just get more.

I planted the lilac and the peach in the front yard and fertilized the yard.

Today we tackle the back since I'll have kid power to assist in the yucky clean-up needed of dog mess.....

Happy Gardening to all on this Beautiful Spring Day!!

[RebeccaAnn]

Elsbeth
Your garden sounds beautiful. I want so to fix our Secret Garden so I can work it. It is so full of weeds. I'm afraid Jean-Thomas shall be mad at me for how I've let his garden go. We started it and always worked together there. I can't get down to the ground anymore even with help. I have little use of my hands and tire very quickly.
How can I find or make tools I can use? How can I make our Secret Garden grow?
RebeccaAnn

[Arianrhod]

Adding good soil under the tree will give you more options and a better chance of plant's taking hold around the root's.

You are going to be one busy lady getting all that in.

As soon as I can * if ever* post pic's again, I will post some of my self dubbed
"Lazy Girls Rock Garden" it was the easiest garden I ever did, and most of the material was FREE..

Paula

[Rindy]

Well mine is all in and finished but the watermelon. I've got asparagus, carrots, onions, peas, potatoes, strawberries, cantalope, chilie peppers, the reg green bell peppers. My lavender is alive so it pulled through the year. Happy Gardening all....

Slainte

[Elspeth]

PAULA!!!!

My long lost friend!!!

Love to see your rock garden pics, or even just tell us what's in it. I want to do a little rock garden too.

Got all the plants in. Nice loose soil and cow manure for the plants.

Still need to plant the backyard to clover. Took me a while to find some. Here in suburbia, people are trying to kill it, not plant it.

Need to mow the lawn too, but it's buried in the garage underneath all the stuff from the basement the kids tossed in there. Man, if my kids were ever home, I'd make them do some cleaning.

Still need to get more sage and thyme. We all need more thyme, right? And my s-i-l recommended taragon too. Never used it, but what the heck, might as well give it a try.

[Arianrhod]

Ah Elspeth ! it is a pleasure to see you, sounds as if you have made great headway in your garden plan's . Next time you are my way, come dig some clover and take it home to transplant, the rabbits love it here, and the added bonus is, they leave my flowers alone!

The rock garden, my neighbors's are moving a good deal of land around. He had piles of different sized rocks behind their barn, and I asked him if I could have some. We have a werid steep bit of land along the front step's, that NOTHING will take hold in, my DSO has tried, carpet junpier, every sort of ground cover ect.
So I went and got as many rocks as I could handle, and laid them right on what was growing in that slope, I took a load every Sunday for three weeks.

When I got it looking how I wanted it, with the rocks arranged, I used Round Up to take care of the scrub that was growing, waited a week, back filled it with dirt, and planted it with begged chicks and hens, and sedums. It is just it's second year, and it has thrived, and it really doing well..

I took a picture of some iris , there were some old old iris beds on the side here, not even green was coming up, and my dog was eating the bulbs, ew.
So I STEPPED a few into the rocks and they took, go figure.

If the pic does not post, perhaps the powers that be will help me *please*
Nope won't post *cries* I will email then to you!
Paula

[valpal59]

Started receiving garden catalogs. YEAH!!!!! I have them scattered all over the house. There are so many plants I want to try this year. COME ON SPRING!!!!!