My combination garden diary, plant list & photo page... because I've got to keep track of it all somewhere.
Shopping/Planting Day!
Posted 04-22-2012 at 07:42 PM by CanadaSue
I'm beginning to suspect I'm a gardening/plant addict. I was awake at 0630 with 2 hours to kill until an 0830 bus. The plan was to have a quick look at the 2 garden centers I was headed for, stop at the drug store & grocery store - THEN buy my plants. It almost worked out that way.
I checked out the 1st garden center - yup - they had lots of the little sale plants I wanted. I tried to walk into the pharmacy - couldn't figure out why, at 0915, they weren't open. They're supposed to be open at 0900 & DAMN! The 2nd garden center wasn't open yet... argh!
Okay, got my few grocery items & was happy I had a list because my brain was outside. I went back to the drug store. They had been open the 1st time. It might have helped if I wasn't trying to get into the automatic EXIT door. Yeah - me & plants!
So what did I buy? A coreopsis auriculata 'Jethro Tull', a centaurea 'Amethyst in Snow', 1 pretty hosta & 4 houttouynia plants. And no, the last WASN'T on my list. I bought 2 more mossy saxifrages to add to the 2 I'd already bought last week & 2 variegated thrift. I'm a little ashamed of myself. I've already tried both plants & failed. I keep telling myself I just didn't have the siting quite right. Yeah, I'm big into self-delusion when it comes to plants. My biggest purchase by far was 11 new primroses. That will turn out to be a crap shoot - I have no idea what colours they are. I don't care - they're primroses. I now have 6 of a brand new double - new to me anyway - a variety known as 'Primlet':
http://www.google.ca/search?q=Primul...L8TvggfMzrHWBA
I changed my mind about buying more columbines. First - they only had large plants at $7 a plant. Uh... no. They didn't have any of the heucheras I wanted. I only want 2 plants but am willing to wait until I can get the ones I want.
I didn't buy delphiniums or larkspur - no delphies to be had & both places wanted outrageous prices for larkspur & I wasn't keen on the varieties they had. Right at the start of May, my favourite local nursery will have them available a year old babies for only a few bucks each. Now that I've had my plant itch scratched, I can wait until then.
The last few days, I'd finished transplanting; a few more things I wanted to save had sprouted including more lily bulblets. I may come to regret saving those! I don't have a clue what they look like in flower. A few maple keys had sprouted as well as other baby trees - out! I cleared away some garlic mustard, more damned fir cones...
Today was a lot more fun. After I found a home for my new babies, I scattered some more Shirley poppy seeds. The ones I planted a week ago are already sprouting as are California poppies. I also planted some Baby Blue Eyes - a variety called Penny Black - an almost black flower edged in white. I also took a gamble I may regret. I had a baggie with hundreds of what I THINK are more Shirley poppy seeds. The size & colour were about right & I don't recall other seeds I have that look anything like them. I flung them all through the garden. Where they're happy, they'll sprout. If not - no loss.
And now that I'm essentially done, the weather is taking a definitely bad turn. We have a storm starting tonight - just above freezing, high winds out of the north, snow, ice pellets, freezing rain & sleet... to be followed by almost 3 days of steady rain. We need the rain but after a storm, it may really batter the garden - or what's left of it after tomorrow.
Yeah, it's going to take a beating in the next 24 hours & I may lose some of the 'spring pretty'. But, it drains well & even if it ends up looking like crap for a few weeks, it will all come back. It should - good soil, it's been manured & I've also added blood & bone meal. The current growth is still recent & close to the ground. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
Hopefully it won't be a total disaster. I'll have to stay away from it while it's raining save for... one quick daily peek. Once the skies clear & it has a day or so to start draining, I'll be able to assess damage & start the season long process of trying to keep up with weeding.
And I have GOT to update my plant list on the computer if only to be able to get rid of the million plant tags taking up space in my gardening cupboard!
I checked out the 1st garden center - yup - they had lots of the little sale plants I wanted. I tried to walk into the pharmacy - couldn't figure out why, at 0915, they weren't open. They're supposed to be open at 0900 & DAMN! The 2nd garden center wasn't open yet... argh!
Okay, got my few grocery items & was happy I had a list because my brain was outside. I went back to the drug store. They had been open the 1st time. It might have helped if I wasn't trying to get into the automatic EXIT door. Yeah - me & plants!
So what did I buy? A coreopsis auriculata 'Jethro Tull', a centaurea 'Amethyst in Snow', 1 pretty hosta & 4 houttouynia plants. And no, the last WASN'T on my list. I bought 2 more mossy saxifrages to add to the 2 I'd already bought last week & 2 variegated thrift. I'm a little ashamed of myself. I've already tried both plants & failed. I keep telling myself I just didn't have the siting quite right. Yeah, I'm big into self-delusion when it comes to plants. My biggest purchase by far was 11 new primroses. That will turn out to be a crap shoot - I have no idea what colours they are. I don't care - they're primroses. I now have 6 of a brand new double - new to me anyway - a variety known as 'Primlet':
http://www.google.ca/search?q=Primul...L8TvggfMzrHWBA
I changed my mind about buying more columbines. First - they only had large plants at $7 a plant. Uh... no. They didn't have any of the heucheras I wanted. I only want 2 plants but am willing to wait until I can get the ones I want.
I didn't buy delphiniums or larkspur - no delphies to be had & both places wanted outrageous prices for larkspur & I wasn't keen on the varieties they had. Right at the start of May, my favourite local nursery will have them available a year old babies for only a few bucks each. Now that I've had my plant itch scratched, I can wait until then.
The last few days, I'd finished transplanting; a few more things I wanted to save had sprouted including more lily bulblets. I may come to regret saving those! I don't have a clue what they look like in flower. A few maple keys had sprouted as well as other baby trees - out! I cleared away some garlic mustard, more damned fir cones...
Today was a lot more fun. After I found a home for my new babies, I scattered some more Shirley poppy seeds. The ones I planted a week ago are already sprouting as are California poppies. I also planted some Baby Blue Eyes - a variety called Penny Black - an almost black flower edged in white. I also took a gamble I may regret. I had a baggie with hundreds of what I THINK are more Shirley poppy seeds. The size & colour were about right & I don't recall other seeds I have that look anything like them. I flung them all through the garden. Where they're happy, they'll sprout. If not - no loss.
And now that I'm essentially done, the weather is taking a definitely bad turn. We have a storm starting tonight - just above freezing, high winds out of the north, snow, ice pellets, freezing rain & sleet... to be followed by almost 3 days of steady rain. We need the rain but after a storm, it may really batter the garden - or what's left of it after tomorrow.
Yeah, it's going to take a beating in the next 24 hours & I may lose some of the 'spring pretty'. But, it drains well & even if it ends up looking like crap for a few weeks, it will all come back. It should - good soil, it's been manured & I've also added blood & bone meal. The current growth is still recent & close to the ground. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
Hopefully it won't be a total disaster. I'll have to stay away from it while it's raining save for... one quick daily peek. Once the skies clear & it has a day or so to start draining, I'll be able to assess damage & start the season long process of trying to keep up with weeding.
And I have GOT to update my plant list on the computer if only to be able to get rid of the million plant tags taking up space in my gardening cupboard!
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