“We might think we are nurturing our garden, but of course it's our garden that is really nurturing us.”
– Jenny Uglow
– Jenny Uglow
4/26/18:
Recently I was walking by a shopping area a short distance from my workplace, and noticed plants outside Tractor Supply, a store I hadn't visited before (my garden adventures are way too small-scale for tractors!). I was surprised at the variety of tomato and other vegetable seedlings, fruit trees and berry bushes.
Inside the store, the first things I saw were displays of toy animals, brightly colored clothing, kitschy garden decor, and packets of seeds. They were indeed selling a lot of farming equipment, but all this unanticipated merchandise was more interesting to check out. There was even a little corral of baby chicks and ducklings in the center of the store: SO CUTE. I didn't buy anything at the time, but will keep in mind this previously-overlooked source for gardening stuff.
Inside the store, the first things I saw were displays of toy animals, brightly colored clothing, kitschy garden decor, and packets of seeds. They were indeed selling a lot of farming equipment, but all this unanticipated merchandise was more interesting to check out. There was even a little corral of baby chicks and ducklings in the center of the store: SO CUTE. I didn't buy anything at the time, but will keep in mind this previously-overlooked source for gardening stuff.
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Starter plants for sale.
Radish sprouts.
Geraniums with variegated leaves, autumn fern.
Back home in my garden, it's awesome how quickly the radishes have sprouted. I haven't grown French, black, white or purple varieties before, so am curious to see how big they'll get and what they'll taste like. The snap peas nearby have now grown about 18 inches tall. I carefully wove their long tendrils into the wooden trellis for them to climb up.
Flowers are everywhere right now. Bright and pale pinks, velvety purples, red, gold, orange, white. For the first time this spring, a columbine (aquilegia) is producing beautiful lavender and white blossoms. I planted these from a mixed pack of seeds last year, so it'll be neat to see what colors the other surviving plants will have.
Most of the rosebushes that I've been patiently fertilizing for months are finally blooming. One of the two golden yellow ones is performing the best, with 6 flowers fully open at once!
Flowers are everywhere right now. Bright and pale pinks, velvety purples, red, gold, orange, white. For the first time this spring, a columbine (aquilegia) is producing beautiful lavender and white blossoms. I planted these from a mixed pack of seeds last year, so it'll be neat to see what colors the other surviving plants will have.
Most of the rosebushes that I've been patiently fertilizing for months are finally blooming. One of the two golden yellow ones is performing the best, with 6 flowers fully open at once!
Golden roses.
Tall pink rosebush.
Red one about to open fully.
Aspects of gardening that are bittersweet experiences to me are thinning seedlings, and deciding to cut back plants. I water and fertilize, they grow big and healthy, but quite often an ornamental plant gets too large for the space it lives in, or starts to block the sunlight for others around it. So I regretfully trim off many lovely green branches, leaves and even sometimes flowers. Container gardening is especially space-conscious. Rather than pruning aggressively, I prefer to transfer things into bigger pots when I can, such as I recently did with some thriving African daisies. I guess such decisions are exercises in observation and problem-solving; I grow those skills, while my garden grows determinedly around me, in all this spring sunshine.