Potatoes and Carrots

Yukon Gold potatoes and Scarlet Nantes carrots are now planted!

Hail. Hail. Grass Be Gone!

Boy has it been a cold spring. Temperatures should average in the 50s with 30s at night. Not so here. It's about 10 degrees below normal around here lately. And what is that? Snow? Nope. We had ourselves a nice thunderstorm that produced pea-sized hail this past week.
Despite temperatures in the 30s yesterday, I found myself outside digging and tearing out the grass out front. Now there is no need for my hubby to line trim around the edge or "fancy" mow around the new bird bath. :) I'm sore today, but it's so much fun while I'm working in the garden. It took about two hours, but I was able to save and replant the bulbs that were growing up through the grass. Lots of crocuses, tiny tulips, and a hyacinth or two.
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The best part....Now I have just the spot for my new Mrs. F. D. Roosevelt peony that I ordered! I also ordered an American Revolution, Bright Sunset, and Eenie Allegro daylily that will grace this new section. The border will consist of Citrus Mix marigolds that my children are growing and carrots....for their foliage. Hoping the carrots will serves as host plants for the black swallowtails again this season. Any carrots that endure the constant foliage-munching are just a bonus.

A Case of Spring Fever

I can't plant much outside right now, but that hasn't stopped me from buying some stuff.
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Stars and Stripes Pentas. A variegated, red pentas. Just trying to tease the tastebuds of the hummingbirds a bit more each year.My new Meyer's Lemon from Gurneys.
I recently visited my in-laws. While sitting outside enjoying the warmer weather, I watched dozens of birds fly in and out of their old Alberta spruce tree. Every year I find myself admiring that tree. Wishing I had one that would make the birds as happy as theirs does. I'm wishing no more! It may not be 30 years old and 8 feet tall, but it's a start. My latest addition from Lowes stands at only 2 1/2 feet tall, but I have high hopes for it.
My new succulent collection also purchased on Sunday from Lowes. These will end up in one of my large strawberry planters when it warms up outside. The soil dried out too quickly for strawberries, but the succulents will be happy there.A welcome sight after a tough winter.

Flowers!!!

One week earlier than last season, the Ard Shenk crocuses started to bloom! I noticed them yesterday afternoon. I also see the tulip and daffodil foliage peaking through the soil and mulch. It's only in the low 30s today, making these very welcome signs of Spring!

Butterfly Host Plants

I have been planning my 2011 flower and veggie garden. Last year I had so much fun raising black swallowtail and monarch butterflies. So much so that I have made it a point to add more host plants to my garden this year. Below is my list of plants that I will have in my garden to feed their hungry little caterpillars.
BUTTERFLY (and Moth) HOST PLANTS

Dill, Fennel, Carrots: Black Swallowtails
Asters: Pearl Crescent
Coneflowers: Silvery Checkerspot
Pentas: Tersa Sphynx moth or hummingbird moth
Milkweed: Monarch
Cleome: Cabbage White
Snapdragon: Common Buckeye
Blueberry: Summer Azure
Oak: Red-Spotted Purple; Imperial Moth; Polyphemus Moth; Red-Banded Hairstreak; Dusky Wing Skipper; White-M Hairstreak
Clover: Eastern Tailed-Blue; Gray Hairstreak; Clouded Sulphur
Peas: Eastern Tailed-Blue
Viola: Great Spangled Fritillary; Variegated Fritillary
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I enjoy having them visit so much. The least I can do is serve them dinner. :)

Time to Plant Some Seeds!

On an unseasonably warm day I got to plant my first round of seeds. One Mucho Nacho jalapeno, 9 Fat 'n' Sassy peppers (now named King Arthur), 12 Burpee Petite Series snapdragons, and 9 Velour Blue and Bronze viola. I also started the paper towel method that I described last season to start some Tango celery seeds. It has felt like forever since I've been able to garden. What a wonderful day!

Ice Storm 2011

I hope all of you are safe and warm out there. Quite a storm has hit a huge part of the country and is finally coming to an end. This is what I woke up to this morning. There are many other things I can see out the window that I would like to take a picture of, but I'm not going out there!
A male cardinal waiting to take advantage of the feeders and water.The new water wiggler I bought around Thanksgiving is still spinning, despite the cold, with its first set of batteries. Nice! Lots of birds were using it to bathe yesterday. I also have a birdbath heater in there. There's not a spot of frozen water to be seen even during this ice storm.
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Name Change

I had been having trouble finding seeds for the Fat n' Sassy peppers that I adore. Turns out that they have been renamed! Surely a marketing ploy which I find very irritating. Now they are listed as King Arthur.

MUST PLANT!

Seed catalogs are coming in the mail. It has me thinking about what I will be planting this year. With such limited space I need to really be sure that I plant a lot of tried and true plants and limit my experimentation. These are the specific varieties of veggies that I've grown in the past, that I can really depend on every year, and wouldn't be without. These are all very disease resistant, heavy producers in my garden.

Here's my list of 'MUST PLANT!' varieties:

Tomatoes: Sun Gold, Celebrity, Jet Star, Kellogg's Breakfast
Cukes: Salad Bush
Radishes: Cherry Belle
Peppers: Fat n' Sassy bell peppers
Garlic: Music, German Extra Hardy
Lettuce: Little Gem, Jericho

I was wondering if any of you would share the varieties that you just have to plant each year.

Happy New Year!!!

Wishing everyone a wonderful gardening season in 2011!