For the first time in more than a year, I went shopping in person rather than online. Due to the coronavirus pandemic -- and my desire to not contract the virus and die -- I've been avoiding crowds since February 2020. But now that cases are falling and I'm halfway vaccinated (2nd dose tomorrow!), I decided to take a cautious step back into the world. M had a rare Thursday off from work so after my shift ended, we drove over to the outside gardening center at Lowes. We knew there'd be fewer customers around since it was early in the day and the middle of the week. Plus, the weather was a bit blustery and we sensed that would keep people away too. Thankfully, we were right. After donning double masks, we ventured back into the world of commerce and purchased 8 bags of mulch, a strawberry plant, some spearmint, some chocolate mint and a bunch of flowers. The whole experience was nerve-wracking, but at least we got what we needed. And, with a great deal of willpower, I did not go crazy and buy every plant that interested me. Hooks: Can you believe the birds and chipmunks and squirrels ate two entire feeders worth of food in just 24 hours? I guess my feeders have been missed! Time to restock. Plants: After work today, I went outside and filled the white, ceramic urns I keep in front of our home. Last year, I planted dramatic red geraniums and bleeding hearts. This year, I opted for a softer tone, combining blue moon phlox and white opening act phlox with velvety purple petunias. The whole display looks good, if a bit uneven. Probably should've added a middle plant between the tall and short ones. Ah well, live and learn. Perhaps the petunias will grow a bit and fill that gap.
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A mass of daffodils bloomed in the front yard by the light post and a few tulips popped up under the bushes to offer a bright pop of color. Hooks: In the backyard, I moved the bird feeders to the left of the deck and added watering plates to the shepherd's hooks. We used to keep the feeders near the dining room window so the cats could watch 'em, but it turns out that drew critters (who have eaten their way into the air conditioning units). Needless to say, we now have to fork out $15,000 to replace the air conditioners and add a new furnace upstairs. Much UGH. Plants: I cleaned up the front garden, removing last year's pile of dead leaves from beneath the bushes near the door and the tree at the end of the driveway. Then, I raked in a bag of compost, sowed some wildflowers and topped with mulch. We've had issues with critters (likely chipmunks and voles) creating massive mazes of tunnels underneath our yard. This has resulted in dips, browned grass and holes everywhere -- a common problem in New Hampshire. Since I prefer not to use pesticides, I decided to give whirligigs a try. I recently read an article that said staking whirligigs throughout your garden can help because the wind causes a vibration in the ground that the critters don't like. Not sure if it'll work, but seems like an easy and inexpensive thing to try. In the basement, the peppers and the lavender and the johnny be good seedlings are growing well. The tomatoes and the geraniums, not so much. I planted the latter in a different type of seedling container, the kind you can add directly to a pot later and it'll decompose organically, and I think they just dried out too fast. Won't be using those again. While I'm sowing seeds, I'm also listening to the late, great Stuart McLean. His Vinyl Cafe stories, which I have often heard while driving or baking, provide an air of fictionality to the process. For what is fiction but dreams transformed into words? And what is a garden, but dirt and seeds and water and light transformed by hope?
Plants: Planted 6 cells of Moonflowers (Belle Blanche Datura), but will surely sow more since I love the way they smell at night. They always remind me of the moon garden M showed me on one of our first dates. I sowed 12 red multibloom Geraniums (Pelargonium Hortorum) and 12 white multibloom Geraniums (Pelargonium Hortorum). They're supposed to be difficult to grow from seed, yet I am undaunted. If they take, I'm sure they will hold pride of place in the white urns on the front porch. In larger pots, I planted Night-Scented Stock (Matthiola Longipetala). I had no luck with these wee purple flowers last year; perhaps this year they will take. I also sowed Crocus (Jeanne D'Arc) in 6 small pots and the Benjamin Franklin Peonies (Peony Lactifora) in 2 larger pots. In the big brown pot, I went for the lasagna method, planting lilac and white Cum Laude tulips (Tulipa Cum Laude), red Abba tulips (Tulipa alpina) and white Mount Tacoma tulips (Tulipa Mount Tacoma). I've only seen this method on Youtube; here's hoping it works in real life. Lastly, I planted 8 cells of Roma tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) for us and 10 cells of Catnip (Nepeta cataria) for the girls. Even though catnip grows fast, I think I'll do a few more later for luck. Well, it's time to start the garden again. Past time, really. I had intended to begin a bunch of seedlings in soil on March 15th and April 1st, yet it's already April 7th and I'm just getting around to it. Yes, the desire's been there, as well as the dream of future flowers and crops. But between the job search and the house hunt, three mass shootings in the past two weeks and, of course, the global pandemic, I just didn't have the energy to drag everything into the basement and start.
Today -- after some procrastination -- I gave it a go. Plugged in the new mini-vac and cleared away the debris from last year. I know I should've done it last fall, ah well, it's mostly gone now. I reset the glow lights, prepped the starting soil, filled the new water mister and the old blue watering can and focused on the March 15th seeds. Plants: Sowed 9 cells with English True Lavender (Lavendula angustifolia) and 9 cells with Johnny Jump Ups (Viola x williamsiana). I also planted 9 cells with Purple Beauty Sweet Peppers (Capsicum annuum) and 9 more with California Wonder 300 Sweet Peppers (Capsicum annuum). Both trays are now under the empty Aerogarden grow lights, waiting for germination. In a small jar of warm water, I'm prepping 12 seeds of Moonflowers (Belle blanche datura). Those will head into pots tomorrow. On a damp paper towel, I've sown 12 Red Multibloom Geraniums (Pelargonium hortorum) and 12 White Multibloom Geraniums (Pelargonium hortorum), which are now chilling in the fridge. I'll pop 'em into some dirt tomorrow. I ran out of time to do more, but hopefully, I'll sow the flowers and the catnip and the tomatoes next. I think the biggest thing I learned from last year's garden was to enjoy spending more time outside.
At heart, I'm a kitchen witch, a librarian's assistant and a cinephile. My greatest pleasures take place inside, often by a fire with a cup of tea nearby. However, the garden -- my garden -- with all of its troubles and difficulties also made me appreciate the outside. I still do not care for bugs or heat or humidity. And though I worked hard to create a wildlife-friendly garden, I did not expect the wildlife to be quite so quarrelsome. But the very practice of caring for a garden meant I had to spend more time outside, among my plants, among my flowers and among my new animal companions. That brought me a small measure of joy, one I hope to replicate this year. Let's also hope I'm a bit more organized and diligent in my journaling. I make no promises. |
Photo used under Creative Commons from Magdalena Roeseler