Heirloom Tomatoes Are Here!

My first little green tomatoes have developed over the course of the last week or so. The first to pollinate was Constoluto Genovese. This was followed by Gold Nugget and KBX. It looks like it is going to be a flavorful year. My very first taste of an heirloom tomato is not too far away! I can't wait. As you can sort of see in this photo, my Constoluto Genovese tomato from a couple of days ago.

My Square Foot Garden

This is my first year doing square foot gardening. At the end of last season I purchased three raised beds. In the fall I started many types of garlic in one bed (8 of 9 squares). I planted 9 per square foot. Also in that bed is a Mucho Nacho jalapeno pepper plant.

The middle bed has eight Fat n' Sassy bell pepper plants and one Mucho Nacho jalapeno plant.

The front bed contains Jericho and Little Gem romaine lettuce (4 per square), Simpson Elite lettuce (9 per square), Scarlet Nantes carrots (16 per square), Tango celery (4 per square), Salad Bush cucumbers (2 per square), and bunching scallions (16 per square).

Overall assessment: After a fall and winter of squirrels digging up the garlic cloves, they seem to be doing well. The beds dry out quickly so plan on watering daily. Growing your own lettuce is surprisingly easy and WAY cheaper.

I found a GREAT Mail Order Company! Should I share the name?

After purchasing plants, trees, and shrubs from, many different local and online sources I have to share what I've learned. Most likely there will be many sources for the plants you want. Never buy from the online source with the cheapest or highest prices. If the prices are to low, you're most likely getting a small plant recently started from seed or a rooted cutting. If you go with the source with highest price, you're just wasting your money. I've ordered plants from numerous places, but over the last two years I have been purchasing most of my plants through one company in particular. They have the best plants for very reasonable prices. Not quite the cheapest. Certainly not the most expensive. Quality...unbeatable. In fact there plants are typically better than those I find in most nurseries.

Now I'm wondering... Should I share my source? Demand might go up. Then prices might follow. Should I? Um, Okay. I will. Only because I wish I would have known about the years ago. I love GREAT GARDEN PLANTS! Their site is at greatgardenplants.com. I thoroughly recommend that you check them out. They have a great selection. The last two seasons (perhaps longer) they have been giving out a free daylily with every order. It's worth buying from them it even without the bonus plant. If you sign up for their newsletter you even get a coupon for $5 off your first order. That's what reeled me in, but it was the large, healthy plants that hooked me. Customer service is unbeatable as well. They even have a triple guarantee. I've never had to use it, but it made me feel better about placing my first order. On a scale of one to ten...Easily a 10.

Oh, and I am in no way affiliated with this company. I just love buying plants. :)

Time for Change

We purchased our house a few years ago. I've always hated the front pachysandra bed along the sidewalk. As of this season it is officially gone! After pulling as many runners out by hand as possible, I finally had the chance to start planting. Once they fill in it will be a huge improvement. In my eyes it already is. :) I did place chunky, bark nugget mulch on the bed to also help prevent erosion while the plants are rooting out. This bed now has the following plants for more curb appeal:

Hostas: Guacamole, Patriot, Paul's Glory, Wide Brim, William Frances

Heuchera: Creme Brulee, Peach Melba, Can Can, Silvery Scrolls

Unnamed blue columbine

Stella de Oro daylilies

Impatiens (as filler to prevent soil erosion on this steep slope)

Two unknown azaleas, a pink and white one, are at the back of the bed.

Spring is Blooming! Garden pictures!

'Graham Thomas' David Austin rose

It has an true tea scent. A lovely shade of yellow. Just one in a small vase can make a beautiful centerpiece for days.

To the right: 'Hollywood' Heuchera.

Although the foliage mound stays shorter than I expected (about 5 inches tall), these have the best blooms I have ever seen on a heuchera. Rich color and stems fully covered in blossoms. Absolutely gorgeous!

To the left:

'Maynight' Salvia

'Magnus' Coneflower

'Crimson Pygmy' Barberry
Name unknown Irises

'Double Knockout' rose
'Brite Eyes' climbing rose

Orange unnamed Asiatic lilies

Asclepias tuberosa

To the right:

'William Baffin' Rose

'Blue Spire' Russian Sage
'Sunshine Blue' Caryopteris (just purchased this year)

William Baffin Rose

Two years ago I purchased two William Baffin roses from Jungseed. Last year I had tried to trellis them along the back hedge. Notice how I used the word tried. Take a look at these thorns. Instead I decided to just let them loose this year. They are beautiful, thorny monsters. They are currently in the midst of their large spring flush. It's absolutely gorgeous! I wouldn't place this rose where someone might brush up against its canes, but it sure is a showstopper for a garden.

Since the canes are long, yet unrestrained, they shoot out like fireworks. Bright pink fireworks. The canes are approximately 10 feet long. They rise up from the roots about 5 feet, but the are so floriforous that the arch over and just touch the ground with the other five feet of canes. I know this rose is a climber. I've seen some amazing pictures of it trellised (that's why I bought it), but it is spectacular left to its own devices...luckily. I barely did any pruning of it this Spring. It is an extremely hardy rose, so there were no dead or damaged canes. Disease and pests haven't been an issue with this rose either.

The picture to the upper right is of one of the William Baffin roses next to a Pink Knockout rose (on the left). They blend almost seamlessly. You can't tell when one ends and the other begins. Other than a slight shade difference in the color of the foliage, the blooms are remarkably similar in form and color.

The photo on the left is a closeup of the Pink Knockout blooms on the left and William Baffin blooms on the right.

Lady Emma Hamilton---Third update

This is my Lady Emma Hamilton David Austin rose as of two days ago. Although it does have a few leaves with the dreaded black spot (we had a long, rainy stretch), it is filling in nicely. Overall it appears to be a pretty healthy rose so far. I also had to cut off the end of one of the branches due to a cane borer hole, but now all seems well. I still can't wait to see her beautiful blooms and smell her delicious fragrance.

Insect Lore Painted Lady Butterfly Release

For Christmas I had purchased a Butterfly Pavilion by Insect Lore for my four year old. Just a few weeks ago I sent in the coupon to get the butterflies. They arrived about two weeks ago. In that time our nine little caterpillars doubled their size many times over. Today was the exciting part. The started to emerge as butterflies today! Two were released this afternoon and while we were doing that another had started to fill out its wings. In a few hours, after a quick drink of sugar water on a flower, we will be releasing that one as well. Although it was a short-lived experience, it was definitely worth it. Not only did my son learn about metamorphasis, he learned about patience and how to be gentle with such a tiny creature. Here are some pictures that we took before they flew too far away.

I love green!

Everything is turning green. Flowers have begun to bloom. It's a beautiful time of year. Here are some pictures that I took today of the garden. Luckily the brush with a frost last night didn't cause any noticable damage. I did cover up most of my annuals and tomatoes last night with sheets, blankets, and towels though.

This first photo is of my 'Pink Champagne' clematis that I purchased at Lowes last year. It is the first clematis that I ever had bloom...I just bought my first ones last season. This year the three I bought are branching out nicely.

'Eskimo Pie' hosta. What a beautiful hosta. I've heard recently that it can be finicky. For it beingmy first hosta EVER, it's great! I just LOVE the coloring of this hosta. I ordered it from Jung Seed Company last year, and it appears to be thriving. I hear that it is quite a sight in its maturity. I hope to be lucky enough to see it for myself.

As for an update on my 'Lady Emma Hamilton' rose, it is branching out nicely. The new foliage is a beautiful shade of burgundy. There are no signs of pests or diseases on this rose. I am very happy with my first order from David Austin Roses so far.

This final picture is of a shade/part shade section of the front yard. In the back you can see a pink azalea in full bloom. The cultivar is unknown. It came with the house.

There are also many types of heuchera in this section. Five 'Hollywood' (left of the pink azalea, 'Lime Rickey', 'Plum Pudding', and 'Midnight Rose' heucheras. Last season I bought my first heucheras, and I'm hooked. They are leafing out beautifully and have delicate-looking blooms. The variations in the cultivars are astounding.

In front of the azaleas and to the left are three 'Razzmatazz' daylilies and the rest are 'Stella de Oro' daylilies. The Stellas have already put out a bloom and are getting ready for their big opening show in the next few weeks.

The taller plant in front of the azalea and to the right of the photo is a 'Black Adder' agastache. Toward the front, right (you can just see some of the foliage in the corner) is another agastache called 'Acapulco Salmon and Pink'. Both were new to me last season. This will be the first time I see the 'Acapulco Salmon and Pink' in bloom. I can't wait. If it looks anything like it does in pictures, it will be a real stunner.

Finally, that is an unknown bearded iris in the front of the photo. This iris came with the house as well. The white foliage below the iris are from some annual dusty miller plants.

Prairie Fire Crabapple---Ants!!!

My Prairifire crabapple tree was delivered with a container full of carpenter ants about two weeks ago. It was raining and they scurried away when we were planting so we thought nothing more of it. Well the ants are back to swarming around the base of the tree. The nursery said that the damage in this picture was probably just from where the tree was grafted. I'm no expert, but I don't think it should have bark chipping off of it and be all cracked up like it is. I'm waiting for the nursery to look at the photo and get back to me. What do you think?