Seedlings

Despite the rain, we have been planting seeds. Last fall, we gathered some seeds from our flower garden. A couple of weeks ago we scattered these seeds in one of our garden beds, along with a packet of Children's Flower Garden Mixture and Cosmos ("St. Michael's flower") seeds. Vegetable (broccoli, carrots, lettuce, tomatoes, and zucchini), blue lobelia, white lobelia, dahlia ("Churchyard flower"), and dianthus ("Mary's love of God") seeds have all been started inside.

We transferred some of the vegetable seedlings outside and the zucchini and carrots are doing well. The broccoli and lettuce did not fair well, so we will wait until the weather warms up a bit to transfer more outside.

Update: The crows ate (or destroyed) all three of our zucchini plants. I will be buying some garden netting before planting anymore vegetable seedlings outside.

Raised Vegetable Garden

Last year, we attempted to grow tomatoes and and zucchini in our backyard. We were able to pick a few tomatoes before a branch, from a neighbor's tree that was being cut down, fell and crushed our plants. Unfortunately, the squirrels and slugs got to all of our zucchini before we could pick any of them. Therefore, this year, we decided to make a mini, round vegetable garden. 

Three of the children took some extra garden bricks that we had stored in our garage and built a small circle in our backyard. Once it was built, they filled the circle with garden soil and divided it into quarters with small rocks. The children plan to grow zucchini, lettuce, carrots, strawberries, and broccoli.

Hopefully, our garden will provide us with some vegetables for our table this year.

Update: After taking the photo above, I advised the children to move the strawberries to the same "pie" as the carrots. They have done so. They have also placed a plastic owl by the garden to protect it feom crows.

Marigolds for Mary

As we drove home from Ascension Thursday Mass, Theresa asked, "Can I buy some marigolds for Mary?" I liked the idea of honoring our Blessed Mother on the day that her Divine Son ascended into Heaven, so I readily complied. We stopped by the local garden center and Theresa chose Taishan Yellow Marigolds and 'Bonanza Bee' Marigolds (French).  When we arrived home, she planted the flowers with a little guidnce from me.  We were all pleased with the end result.

Now, we need to finish weeding the backyard.

Marigold Care
Light: Sun to part shade
Care: Best in fertile, well-drained soil kept evenly moist

Easter Gardening

After hearing Theresa tell Patrick about bleeding hearts, I decided that I better prepare our garden for Easter.  I usually start my plants from seed in February, but this year we had too much happening to do so.  My father-in-law visited on Friday of Passion Week and gave us a little money, giving me an opportunity to buy some flowers and seeds that were on sale.  I enjoyed visiting the gardening center at Fred Meyer (twice) with my children, looking at all of the flowers and choosing some perennials and a couple of annuals to bring beauty to our yard.  It felt good to be outside digging in the dirt with the children again.

What did we plant?

Angel Daisy Leucanthemum

I have always liked daisies, so I was delighted when my children chose these pretty flowers.

Description: One of the least demanding most satisfying perennials in the garden.  An elegant, long-season display of showy blooms.  Ideal choice for beds, borders, and cutting gardens.  Perfect for all kinds of containers.  Excellent cut flowers.

Care: Best in fertile, well-drained soil. Water freely in dry weather. Remove faded flowers for best display.

More information

English Daisy Habanera Bellis Perennis (Mary-Loves)
As I stated above, I like daisies.
Description: Profuse flowers carpet the spring garden. Great in borders or rock gardens. Prefers cool, moist soil.
How to Grow: Plant in sun or part sun 6 inches apart. Grows to 6 inches.

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Fragrant Sunshine Wallflower (Erysimum Walfrasun)

I bought these to plant by the angel daisies, but then I decided to plant them in a different flower border.
Light: Full sun
Water: Semi-moist
Flowers: Spring to fall
Height: 15-18"
Width: 18-24"

Lithodora diffusa

We purchased three of these plants for one of our flower beds.

Bloom Time: Late spring to summer

Light: Sun to part shade

Height: 3-8"

Space: 18-24"

Water: Allow soil to dry between thorough waterings

Description: Vivid blue flowers bloom in spring on spreading evergreen perennial.  Good in edgings, rock gardens, and as a small scale ground cover.

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Pink Princess Escallonia

I have been looking for something to replace an old rhododendron that died in our garden a couple of years ago.  This shrub definitely has promise.  The tag reads, "Profuse pink to rose colored flowers bloom almost year round. Compact evergreen shrub with glossy green foliage.  Excellent color source in coastal climates.  Quick hedge or screen."  I am looking forward to seeing how it grows and hoping that it does well.

Sun Exposure: Best growth and flower production in full sun.  Needs partial sun in hot areas.

Average Height: 5'-6' tall and wide

Type: Evergreen

Water: Keep soil moist until established.  Drought tolerant when established.

Fertilizing: Fertilize in spring just before new growth begins.

Pruning: Pinch growth tips to keep compact and increase floral display.

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Update (4/26/11): Pink Princess Escallonia was a disappointment. It was not an evergreen as stated, at least not in my yard. Both plants currently look very spindly. I will be replacing at least one of them with a true evergreen shrub.

Strawberry Pretty in Pink (PPAF Strawberry)

We planted three of these around the base of our daisies.  Patrick has claimed them as his and promises to take care of them.  Hopefully, he shares any fruit that they produce.

Light: Full sun

Water: Medium

Height: 4-8"

Width: 10-12"

Description: Everbearing variety produces pretty pink flowers and flavorful deep red berries.  Good in flower beds, planters, and window boxes.

More information

In addition to planting the above flowers, we also planted a few other things.  We found some bulbs, minus the packaging, in the garage. We are excited to see what flowers the bulbs produce; some of them are already starting to grow.  We discovered a small lupine (St. Mark's Plant) that had sprouted from an old seed in what is now our daisy bed and transplanted it in a new location.  Finnian scattered his snapdragon seeds (Infant Jesus' Shoes) in some of the beds. We also purchased lupine, sunflower, larkspur, and hollyhock seeds.  We will most likely sow them directly outside and hope that they grow.


*Some photo credits go to my eldest son.
**Religious Flower names found at Mary's Gardens.

Rambling Gardening Thoughts

My goal this week has been to try and fill our 96-gallon-yard-waste container with weeds.

I am 3/4 of the way there.

Once all of the weeds have been pulled or maybe as a little reprieve from pulling the weeds, I plan to clean our statue of Our Lady of Grace.

I scattered a few forget-me-not seeds in front of Mary today and I am hoping that they grow.

Last fall, we had a couple of trees cut down in our yard out of necessity. The stump of this particular tree could not be removed as it would have disturbed the roots of the two nearby fir trees too much. I think that it makes for a perfect place for our statue to stand.

What were my children doing as I weeded? They were painting, hammering wood, and playing outside. It is a beautiful, sunny day!

I pray that my children continue to turn to Mary as they play outside, asking her to intercede for them with her Divine Son, Jesus. May our Blessed Mother watch over and protect my children as they run and play outside.

Lesson Learned

On Saturday, I decided to spend a little time weeding in Our Lady's Garden. Since then, I have learned a valuable lesson. With Patrick standing near me, I pulled some Blackberry bushes, some Dandelions, some unnamed weeds and Herb Robert. The latter was spreading everywhere and had a noticeably unpleasant odor. I was happy to be able to accomplish this small amount of weeding.

Yesterday, Patrick decided to help me with my job of weeding. He had observed me so carefully and in doing so, he had learned that flower picking was for the novice. He pulled up most of our forget-me-nots. Next time, I decide to do some weeding, I will make sure it is during my little one's nap time.

Our Weekend

Saturday, it rained all day. Sunday was beautiful! Did we garden? Oh no...WE PLAYED!

What Do You Use for Garden Tools?

This morning, I started to read Sharon Lovejoy's Trowel & Error: Over 700 Tips, Remedies & Shortcuts for the Gardener. Towards the beginning of the book, I came across the following:

Don't be afraid to break the rules about what to use for garden tools.

I chuckled to myself, as I reminisced about my mom's lamentations regarding her kitchen belongings. My dad (the man who taught me so much about gardening) often took something from the kitchen to use outside. If my mom's kitchen scissors were missing, we all knew who had taken them and where they could be found.

My Pint-Sized Gardener

Here is a picture of our flower picker.

Yardwork with Children

On Wednesday, I decided to spend some time in our backyard rearranging the landscape which has looked a little strange, since we had two big fir trees cut down last fall. My children were all excited about helping me, except for my youngest. He systematically picked our little fig tree and every flower he could find in our garden. He would pick a flower; I would admonish him. He would help us move a few little rocks and then...He would pick another flower before I could stop him. After every flower was picked, my son returned to a tulip, whose petals he had plucked, and tried to eat the filament and anther. Last year, it was the squirrels that kept destroying my flowers; this year it was my little boy. I would much rather see my little boy delighting in picking the flowers, than a squirrel ruining my garden!