May is here, and both at work and in the garden has been a busy time. March and April were a bust for gardening due to the weather (two weeks ago we had snow) and now it is playing catch up. So what has been happening? Here is the good, the bad and the ugly.
No. 1 Where The Winds Blow. The week began with a major setback. Due to the weather, I purchased a mini greenhouse to start my sweet peas since they love cooler weather. Because I was running out of space in the playroom, I also put the trays for the calendula and lacinato kale, in there once it started warming up. Well, on Monday, we had some insane wind that didn’t just blew up the mini green house (which was secured)—it destroyed it. The wind shredded the plastic and bent the straight poles into an L-shape. And while it was windy, we are not talking 20 mph winds or higher. I was shocked. Needless to say—all the seed trays blew away into my yard. So…. I wouldn’t be surprised if random plants start growing in my yard. That being said—I was madder than a cat in a bathtub when I saw the damage.
Looks small but it is actually about 10' x12' x 6'. I also have other garden beds (not on pic) that have direct sewn veggie seeds waiting to sprout.
People always tell me that some of my dahlias are too close. Actually they work just fine with this separation. And the past two years since I started, they have done beautifully (check our my gallery! :) Also, this was prior to putting the stakes in.
No. 2 Dahlias are planted. This year was supposed to be the year when we kicked off the flower micro farm, but I am putting that on hold. You see, after losing all my tubers during winter storing, I am a bit jaded. Before I make that big investment, I want to make sure this is going to be for the long haul. So in the meantime, I planted only a few dahlias this year—Penhill Watermelon, Hollyhill Black Beauty, Icebers and Catle Drive are new ones. Another new one is Breakout--- because I am done with Café au Lait. Last year I had it with the diva dahlia. Breakout has almost the same look and I am hoping it will be prolific. Chilson’s Pride, with its Victorian vibe and look, is the only making a return because I simply fell in love with it.
No. 3 It's All About the Mulch. Mulching is one thing this year, that I really did not pay much attention to last year and spent LOTS of time weeding. So one thing I am trying different this year is using landscaping fabric for the dahlias, to try and keep weeds away and maintain good flower “hygiene” you can say.
For the roses I am thinking of trying a different mulch, which Floret Flowers use for their roses—it is a layer of cardboard, then wood chips, a sprinkle of manure and alfalfa pellets. It is interesting, have never used it but I think I will try it, if… that bring me to my next item—ROSES.
No. 4 Roses Investment. This year, my major garden investment was ordering three David Austin roses. For the longest time I have wanted to own some of his roses. You can see my post on that HERE, but they are: Scepter D’Isle, The Inswick, and Claire Austin. My decision now comes to, do I want to grow in containers or in the garden, since we will be moving. Any advice on how roses handle being transplanted?
No. 5 Cottage Garden from Scratch. The plants for the cottage garden startup are on their way. You may be wondering why I waited until now to order the plants. Well, I decided last week that I wanted to plant some “cottage” plants. I have my garden beds outside our fence. We are building a new house in the next year and a half, so I do not want to mess with the grass there. But outside the fence (still in our land) I plant my flowers. Yes, I know it is a lot of work to then start in the new house, but I just love flowers. And I am so excited for the selection I orderered:
Echinacea, Warm Summer
Scabiosa, Butterfly Blue
Scabiosa, Fama White
Foxglove, Rose Shades
Delphinium, Fantasia Mixed
Sagina, Irish Moss
Clenthra (Summersweet), Einstein
Lemon Verbena
- Hollyhock, Country Romance Mix
Another reason I am keen on having a cottage garden is because most pollinator friendly plants look beautiful in that style garden. While we have a farm, we actually live in town and one thing I noticed was the lack of pollinators. The past three years, we made an effort to plant plents that will attract the little critters, and we have been very successful. Last year, was the best and we had so many monarch butterflies and bees. It was truly delightful to me. J
No. 6 It's Planting Time at the Farm! Farm planting season is here and hubby is ready to rock and roll. We have a corn and soybeans farm and we are blessed that we are doing really good. I always thank the Lord, for this. For the next few weeks, weather dependent, my husband and the crew will be busy planting hundreds of acres with crops. Keeping my fingers crossed for good weather!
And there you have it. My week in 6 points. :) Happy Saturday!
I may be sharing these beauties with these awesome ladies: Weekend Green, Garden Like Link-Up, Floral Friday Fotos, In a Vase on Monday, Garden Blogger's Bloom Day (15th of the Month), Simple Saturdays, The Homemaking Party, Home MattersGardens Galore, Home Sweet Home, Gardens Galore, Floral Bliss, Home and Garden Thursday, Vintage Charm, Friends Sharing Tea, Tuesday Cuppa Tea , End of Month View (31st of the Month), #MyGloriousGardens, Six on Saturday