Birthdays, Buddies, and Blooms, Oh My.

Hello, hello! Remember me? Sorry for the silence. It's Mikey's fault. You see, one birthday in the midst of growing season I can manage, and since Kristen arrived almost perfectly on time (April 2), I can't blame her for my blogging absence. But Mikey? Well, that little stinker's original due date was May 18. Guess who decided to show up a month early? He's such a troublemaker. (Truly. Bed rest and everything with that boy. Good thing he turned out to be so sweet and funny, or I might really hold a grudge!) 

So, during the craziest growing and gardening time, we have two birthdays to celebrate. Kristen opted for a girlfriend sleepover, creating tie-dye shirts and hanging out by a bonfire.

Mikey wanted the action of Frankie's Fun Park with friends. Laser tag, go karts, and lots of noise... 

 

 

The drummer boys...Mikey opened the present from big brother, Tyler: "Look! I got shelves!" It's actually a cajon, a wooden, bongo-like instrument. Between the djembe and the caj on, they had quite a jam session.

Have I mentioned that I love birthdays? The former PR girl/event planner in me loves a good party.

Peter thinks I'm a bit obsessive.

Just because we have to celebrate on the actual date, then celebrate with friends, and of course have a family party on the weekend, does that really make me obsessive?

I hate it when he's right.

Poor Mikey, he was sick on his birthday. Toast and jello aren't very festive. He rallied, though, and enjoyed the weekend with friends and family.
 

Chloe didn't know what to think about my great-nephew, Max. 

Hanging out with Max just makes me happy.

Actually, our kids have spent a lot of time at home, sick, over the past few months, which is another reason I'm behind on my writing. Poor kiddos, it's been a rough time, but I think we've finally gotten them over the worst of it. (Crossing fingers and toes.)

(Note to self: Never tell a friend that your kids rarely have stomach issues. I can assure you, Murphy will be listening, and you'll suddenly find that your kids are champion thrower-uppers. Lesson learned. Blegh.)

On the rare occasions that the kids went to school, we had some gardening fun. I helped Mikey's class plant a pollinator garden...
 

 

...but more on that in my next post. All I can say is...teachers should be our highest paid professionals. Those kids wore me out! 

Then, I planted salad bowls with Mikey's Scout troop. 

The boys were great, but more on that to come, too.

When we weren't throwing birthday parties or gardening with kids, we coached (Peter) and cheered (me) at soccer games...

 Goal! (Mikey is #3)

...celebrated the Grand Opening of Kristen's trainer's new stables...

...chased chickens...

...and tried to find a little time to enjoy the spring blooms.

 Bleeding Heart, one of my favorites.

 Columbine, another favorite.

Tulips are almost done. Sniff.

Loropetalum continues a magnificent show.

Emerging Autumn ferns...

First azalea blossom.

 Bellflowers

Irises are replacing tulips blooms.

 Dutch iris...I wish I had planted hundreds of them. Truly one of my favorite spring flowers.

Lilac. 'Miss Kim' isn't as showy as the variety my mother grew in the north, 

but the fragrance is just as sweet.

Strawberry season is just around the corner...

...and our blueberry bushes are full of blooms.

Bees love Pieris Japonica.

I didn't plant anything in this container--the violets are a happy accident!

Hostas and Solomon's Seal are waking up.

No matter how many lilies of the valley we plant, we only have a few appear...

but I love them.

I wish our forest was covered in trillium. I adore them.

So, that's what's been happening here. Birthdays are behind us, and now it's time to get serious garden work accomplished. 

Weeds, beware--I'm coming! 

What are your gardening plans this week?

My plans are to clean up the kitchen garden beds and the potager and plant warm weather crops. 

But I promise--I'll be back soon. Hope you'll join me!

Happy gardening!

XO ~

Julie

Alphabet Garden—You Can Grow That!

Is there anything better on a chilly day than to browse through seed catalogs, dreaming of spring blooms? Actually, I think there is—sharing those seed catalogs with kids and inspiring the next generation of garden gurus.

A...Azalea

Designing an alphabet garden with a child is a great way to get your gardening fix, while reinforcing ABCs with itty bitty gardeners or teaching older children about planning for edible and decorative landscapes. During the rainy, snowy, cool months, planning an alphabet garden is a fun, not-too-messy art activity. Let the child take the lead in picking plants and designing the garden on paper, while you provide gentle guidance about the plants' growing requirements (sun versus shade, for example.)

 B...Bleeding Heart

Several years ago, I designed and installed an alphabet garden at our children's elementary school. Alphabet gardens provide many learning opportunities that tie into a school's curriculum...but they provide an equally fun learning opportunity at home. In fact, by providing kids with their own plot to plant an alphabet garden, they're empowered to decide upon plants, creatively design the site, read about each plant's growing requirements, and learn the simple tasks of caring for a garden. Observation skills and wildlife care all tie into the learning opportunities with an alphabet garden. 

First, though, create the alphabet garden inside with the child.

Planning Supplies:

• Seed catalogs (or downloaded photos from seed suppliers, if (like me) you can't bear to part with your catalogs)
• Scissors
• Glue stick
• Markers or crayons
• Paper or poster board (bigger is better!)
  

Remember to guide your child as he or she designs the garden. Together, decide upon a location in your garden, or determine where to install a new plot in your yard for the alphabet garden. Help the child sketch out the garden space on paper or poster board, allocating 26 spaces for plants.

C...Columbine

After the initial set-up of the paper garden plot, look through seed catalogs for plant photos from A to Z. (When designing an alphabet garden for children, I stick with common names to make gardening more accessible for kids. Not many children will understand Latin.)

Good seed catalogs will give you specific information about the plants' needs, so help your child pay attention to the following:

• Sun requirements
• Size of plants (tall plants may shade smaller plants or large plants may crowd out neighboring plants)
• Water needs
  

Once the plants are selected, have the child cut out pictures of the plants and arrange the pictures on the poster board. Let the child take the lead, but help ensure adequate spacing for the plants.

Combining edible plants with ornamentals is a terrific way to teach children about edible gardening. Some plants for an alphabet garden include:

Aster · Beans · Catmint · Daisy · Eggplant · Forget-me-not · Goldenrod · Hollyhock · Ice Plant · Johnny-jump-up · Kale · Lettuce · Milkweed · Nasturtium · Oregano · Peas · Queen Anne's Lace · Rosemary · Snapdragons · Tomato · Umbrella Plant · Violet · Wormwood · Xeranthemum · Yarrow · Zinnia

When the plan is complete and the weather begins to warm, check for your area's last expected frost date for spring planting here. Now, the real fun begins! 

Alphabet Garden Supplies:

• 26 different plants or seed varieties, one for each letter of the alphabet
• Gloves
• Trowel
• Prepared garden space
• 26 "ABC" plant markers—stones, wooden letters, handmade plant labels.
  

It's time to make the child's plan for the alphabet garden a reality! Order seeds to start indoors or direct sow, purchase transplants, or plant some transplants and start the others from seed—it's your call! Stress the importance of practicing organic gardening methods, both for the edible plants, as well as the health of pollinators and wildlife. It's never too early to teach kids the benefits of organic gardening. After all, planting dill to attract caterpillars doesn't make any sense if you douse the dill in pesticide, right?

Let the child take the lead in planting, but offer support and gentle guidance, such as reminding kids to handle seedlings carefully, as well as ensuring adequate spacing. Discuss the plants' needs for food and water, as well as sun, to help them grow strong.

Encourage creativity for the garden décor. Smooth stones painted with the letter and name of the plant make good markers. Wooden letters on dowels from craft stores are adorable, but they can be pricey. (I used these for our school alphabet garden.) Old metal spoons hammered flat and inscribed with the letter and plant name are good, durable, recycled options. Additionally, scare crows are fun decorations to add to an alphabet garden, along with rocks painted like ladybugs. A broken terra cotta pot turned upside down turns into a toad home, and natural decorations like pine cones, stones, and sticks can turn into a fairy home in the alphabet garden. Let the kids' creativity run wild!

Most importantly, have fun with the process of growing the plants, picking flowers, harvesting foods, and sharing time with kids in the garden. After all, who will grow our next generation of garden stewards if not us?

Z...Zinnia

Happy gardening!


Julie

Spring Treats.

It's official. It's spring—tra la! 

The tulips are popping! The cherry trees are bursting! The peas are poking their little first leaves out of the soil!

I'm using too many exclamation marks!

I'm sorry, my northern friends—I know it's still chilly up in your part of the world. But, it's spring, and I know your hands are getting itchy...

...to play in the dirt. Ahhhh....

Now, we all know the rules...

No planting tender annuals until after the last frost date for your zone.

(Repeat after me: I will not plant too early, I will not plant too early.)

As tempting as it is, you'll be wasting your time and money by planting your garden full of gorgeous tomato babies and basil this weekend—if your last frost date is May 15. Here's the ultimate resource for when you can plant tender veggies and flowers in your zone.

It's hard. I know. You want to plant. You need to plant. You look at your forlorn, bare garden, and the tease of spring makes you crave soil under your nails. Soon, soon...just be patient.

OK, I'm also impatient. That's why I'm sharing the perfect project to give you a spring gardening fix.

It's easy.

It's quick.

It's pretty.

It's EDIBLE!

And you can plant it RIGHT NOW!

It's a Berry Ball.

Hmmm. That sounds a bit like a poorly organized southern cotillion.

Strawberries herald spring. They're one of the first fruits to show off their adorable little blooms, quickly followed by deliciousness. Who can resist that sweet, sun-warmed berry, picked fresh from the field?

Wait—who needs a field when you can grow them in a container right outside your front door? (That's where our berry balls currently reside.)

And what's a more perfect snack for the kids than strawberries dangling within reach—while they ride scooters in the driveway or climb trees? What's more refreshing than savoring a strawberry snack as you toil away in the garden? It's a perfect reward for your labor.

Plus, this is a really fun project to do with your kids.

Here's what you'll need:

• 12” round hanging container with removable coconut fiber liner.
• Organic potting soil.
• Scissors.
• 10-12 small strawberry plants, ever-bearing variety. 

First, remove the liner from the hanging basket.

Using scissors, make a total of six small, evenly spaced holes around the lower and mid portion of the liner circumference. (I staggered the height of the holes a bit.) Do not make the holes too large or your plants will fall through and soil will spill.

Next, take a strawberry plant and insert the plant into the hole. 

Carefully pull the flowers and stems through the hole to avoid breakage.  

(Holy cow. Where did all of those wrinkles come from?)

You can use standard strawberry varieties, or you can try something a little special--Fraise des Bois. These are tiny, trés sweet, adorable alpine strawberries that produce fruit all summer until the first hard frost. I grow both Red Wonder and Yellow Wonder varieties--and I think the yellow berries are even sweeter than the red.

Fill in the lower holes first.

Add soil to the liner to help support the roots. The plants will be hanging somewhat upside down.

Now, fill in the next tier of holes with strawberry plants. These plants' roots will be placed horizontally in the basket. Add additional soil to cover the roots, and firm the soil to prevent plants from slipping out of place.

It's time to move to the top--you know, the place where we normally plant flowers in hanging baskets. Place one plant in the top center of the basket and evenly space four additional strawberry plant along the edge of the basket. Add additional soil to cover the roots and firm it into place. These plants will fill in the top of the container and spill over the sides as they grow.

Next, retrieve the metal basket from your son...

...who turned it into the Death Star and declared war on the rebel strawberries.

Carefully, lift the liner with the soil and plants into the basket. Gently insert the plants through the metal design of the basket to ensure they hang freely. 

Untangle the chain from the hanging basket. (This was, in my experience, the hardest part of the entire project, because I somehow managed to twist the chain. Lovely.) Make certain the chain's placement won't break any of the plants.

Hang the basket in a spot that receives six to eight hours of sun. This is, normally, a pretty sunny location...just not at 9 p.m. when I finished both baskets. (Friday nights are very exciting around here.) Water well.

Remember, containers need consistent watering. Check your container daily—and when it's hot, you may need to water twice a day. A good rule of thumb is to insert your finger one inch into the soil. If it's moist, you're all set. If it's dry, water your babies. Strawberries, especially, need adequate water. (Hmmm. I guess that's a “rule of finger” instead of a “rule of thumb,” huh? HA! Sorry.)

Now, don't you feel better? A little garden therapy always helps chase away the winter blues. Soon, your strawberries will begin growing and spreading and filling in the gaps so that your container will be one, big blooming ball...and your pretty little flowers will turn into delicious, tasty treats.

Mmmm...are they ready yet?

Enjoy!

XO ~

Julie