Readers, Welcome to my blog (formerly Birds, Blooms, Books, etc). I'm entering a new decade taking on the challenge of moving from Maryland after living there 46 years and learning about my new home here in New England in the Live Free or Die state - New Hampshire. Join me as a write this new chapter of my life.

Saturday, May 8, 2010

The Perennial Garden






The surprise is the lupine has a bud. I didn't think it would survive but it came back and this year will bloom. The peony is having another year with no buds. What a disappointment.

Plant Trial - Part 2 the hibiscus

I had to find a location in full sun for the three hibiscus plants I got from Sherilynn. I decided to put them near the front entrance. See that rock?

I rolled it over and dug a hole there for them. I marked it with a stake so the mower guys down weed whack it. It's too windy today to spray liquid fence, but I will need to in order for the deer to stay away.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Plant Trial - Part 1 Arrival and Planting

My friend from Nebraska, Sherilynn, has asked that I test some perennials in my garden. She owns a greenhouse/nursery and is interested in how these plants will do in various climates. The plants arrived today and I unpacked them and promptly put them all into my garden except the hibiscus which I need to find the proper spot for.



Fedex did not due the best job keeping the box upright. The plants were a bit of a jumble.

I carefully removed them to the table and mat where I have my seedlings at present.


I think this is three Geum Koi which will have orange flowers.

These two are Huechera Snow Angel with variegated foliage. I have two other types of Heuchera so I hope these do well.

This is one of three Phlox Natascha - striped flowered phlox. I'll need to use liquid fence on it soon as the deer love to eat my phlox. I better put a cage over it too to keep the ground hog off it.

These are three Scutellaria Smoky Hills - blue flowers. They did not do well in transport.

Here are three Geranium Dark Reiter. I tired perennial geraniums before but they didn't survive the winter. We'll see how these do.

I'll keep you post on their progress.

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Sunday Gardening


This is the bed in which the tomatoes will go into. I don't want to disturb too much of the spinach since it's producing so well.

I modified my original plan and put the indeterminates (Rutgers) on the far end where there will be a netting trellis for them to be trained on. The Golden and Amish past will be in the nearer holes.

I cut up plastic bottles to use as cut worm collars. One of the Golden tomatoes had a bud on it already.


Here is the bed with the snow peas, onions, and beets.

The bed with more onions, lettuce, Brussels sprouts and more beets seeded where the peas did not germinate well or got eaten by the turkey.

The garlic bed. I'm using one for dinner tonight. I had Dan pound in stakes at the end of the bed for a later trellis.

The bed with more peas, Brussel sprouts and more spinach.
My other task today was to plant these pots. I got the plants at an Amish nursery in PA.





Don't you love the geraniums? I've never seen any like them before.

I'm going back to the nursery in two weeks to get some hanging planters.