The Joy of Gardening

[Kätzchen]

This past week, I had the honor of taking care of my friend's home and their garden while they took a vacation on the Pacific ocean. I used to have a small garden, years ago and raised sunflowers, tomatoes, lupine, calla and tiger lillies, pumpkins, and several kinds of summer squash (acorn, banana, spaghetti, to name a few).

My friend's garden grew like crazy this past week because even though she wanted me to do early morning sets of watering (15 min sets), I ended up watering late in the evening or early morning and usually it took about 2 hours each time I went about watering the garden, removing weeds and snacking on strawberries or cucumbers, but it's early yet for the tomatoes.

She's got lovely beds of flowers, too: Roses, poppies, daisies, hiacynth, calla lillies and all kinds of magical garden fairies and colorful glass sculpture, through out the entire garden. It was heaven to work in her garden and take care of it while she and her husband were gone for the past week.

My favorite items to tend in her garden were the roses, the poppies and her herb garden (spearmint, thyme, rosemary and sage) and this gigantic tree-like bush of huge flowering ... Hydrangea! The picture below is not from her garden but is near perfect to the flowering hydrangea that's in her garden -- which flowers in beautiful violets, blues and in a beautiful shade of lightest green that I've ever seen.

I trimmed a few blue, violet and green ones and put them in a crystal heart vase to take to work.





If you have a garden (or even if you don't, like me) and want to share what's in your garden that brings you joy, please feel free to post and share and let's hear about what's growing in your garden this year!


ps/ their pets (Simon - their Jack-Russel, and Petunia - their cat) loved hanging out with me in the garden. Petunia loved hiding out in the rows of corn and Simon, bless his heart, followed me all around while I watered the garden areas.

[JustBeingMe]

I love gardening and glad you made a thread for this. I take care of my neighbors garden in front of me. She's an elderly woman in her late 80's and can't do it herself. She has all rose bushes across the front of her apt and down one side towards my apt in the back. I live in a 4 plex. I have elephant ears growing this year, but I didn't take time to plant anything for myself in my own garden to make it look more full. I was too busy helping my aunt out of town this Spring. Her son in law helped me spread new sandy loam on the ground in front and back of the house so I could lay new sod grass and build flower beds for her. It was a job and then some. Me with a bad back got it done with a little bit of help from a couple of cousins with everything. It was very time consuming trying to figure out exactly where and how much and what but it's done and she loves it and that's all that matters. I'm proud of the work we did. And her labor fee was free. I didn't charge her a penny to help her.
I enjoyed doing it but I hated getting sick while I was there. UGH that was the worst part of it all. LOL
We can't post our personal pics here, I wish we could(takes up too much in the server I think), but we can talk about gardening.
Great thread Idea.

[Chad]

Bumping this for a friend.

[Chad]

I love to garden and I plan to start a greenhouse this year.

[Chad]

I have some wildflower seeds that I need to throw out on my land so that they can go through the winter process and bloom in the spring.

[Chad]

Does anyone know how long I need to keep wildflower seeds in the freezer before I can plant them?

[Bèsame*]

Has anyone ever done this? It looks easy..

[Chad]

Texas has had a warm winter so far and I am getting very excited to start planting gardens. I worry that we may have a late freeze but I am so excited. Like a kid on Christmas morning!

[Chad]

I planted 4 O'clocks and more cilantro today. My Morning Glory's have sprouted and look good. I lost 2 Lantana to a freeze so they have to be replaced. The Rosemary is ready to be transplanted. The peach tree looks good and I hope to have peaches this year.

This is just the beginning of spring and I have a lot of work to do to get the rest of the herbs in place.

Yay spring!

[homoe]

Originally Posted by Chad

I planted 4 O'clocks and more cilantro today. My Morning Glory's have sprouted and look good. I lost 2 Lantana to a freeze so they have to be replaced. The Rosemary is ready to be transplanted. The peach tree looks good and I hope to have peaches this year.

This is just the beginning of spring and I have a lot of work to do to get the rest of the herbs in place.

Yay spring!

I'll be expecting some tasty peach cobbler this year Chad

[Chad]

Originally Posted by homoe

I'll be expecting some tasty peach cobbler this year Chad

Haha! I don't know how to bake. One of us needs to bring a baker into the picture. Mom will not bake anymore.

Maybe barter with a baker.

[Soft*Silver]

I live in NE Ohio and love to garden. My gardens have always reflected how well I am doing in life. If I am scattered and falling apart, so are my gardens. If I am not succeeding in general, nor is my garden. If I am flourishing and happy my garden is colorful and productive. If I am really busy in one aspect of my life, my garden is put on hold. And when I have time to concentrate on it, I do a helluva job...

so for the past five years, I have been very busy in other aspects of my life until this year. This year I hope to put in herbs, and some perennials, a few roses, and a small vegetable garden, mostly gourds and melons, a few beans and two tomato plants. I have to redo all the plants around my house for they have gotten overgrown and I want to do more of a cottage garden in those spaces.

I use to have an ENORMOUS herb garden at a different house, and hope to get that back, at this house. My problem is that the greenhouse I bought the herbs from, closed. They had 20 varieties of scented geraniums and I use to have all of them! I had at least 5 varieties of sage, mint, basils, thyme, etc. Does anyone have an herb shop they frequent that sells via catalog? Let me know!

[Soft*Silver]

Originally Posted by Chad

Maybe barter with a baker.

If homoe and Chad done mind a grandmotherly type woman to bake for them, i would barter with them for some baking! I use to be quite famous for the incredible baked goods I would make during holidays!

[Kätzchen]

On a lark, several years ago, I posted about how e joy able my day was spent helping my friend with her garden. It's so nice to see other's enjoy gardening, too.

Originally Posted by Chad

Does anyone know how long I need to keep wildflower seeds in the freezer before I can plant them?

Chad??? I know you asked about this over a year ago, but I've never heard of keeping sunflower seeds in a freezer. Like, ever. So I don't know if you ever found a reasonable answer, but I save back some of the seeds from healthy plants and store them in air tight glass jars. Season to season. If I don't use the seeds during the next planting season, I just leave them out for birds to feed on.

Originally Posted by Bèsame*

Has anyone ever done this? It looks easy..

I've never heard of these type of garden planters, Besame*. The only planters I have are clay pots and planters that I sculpted years ago, when I participated in a ceramics class in college. If you've learned about them and liked this type of planter, I hope you'll come back to share about it.

Originally Posted by Chad

I planted 4 O'clocks and more cilantro today. My Morning Glory's have sprouted and look good. I lost 2 Lantana to a freeze so they have to be replaced. The Rosemary is ready to be transplanted. The peach tree looks good and I hope to have peaches this year.

This is just the beginning of spring and I have a lot of work to do to get the rest of the herbs in place.

Yay spring!

It sounds like you're going to enjoy your garden this year!

Originally Posted by Soft*Silver

I live in NE Ohio and love to garden. My gardens have always reflected how well I am doing in life. If I am scattered and falling apart, so are my gardens. If I am not succeeding in general, nor is my garden. If I am flourishing and happy my garden is colorful and productive. If I am really busy in one aspect of my life, my garden is put on hold. And when I have time to concentrate on it, I do a helluva job...

so for the past five years, I have been very busy in other aspects of my life until this year. This year I hope to put in herbs, and some perennials, a few roses, and a small vegetable garden, mostly gourds and melons, a few beans and two tomato plants. I have to redo all the plants around my house for they have gotten overgrown and I want to do more of a cottage garden in those spaces.

I use to have an ENORMOUS herb garden at a different house, and hope to get that back, at this house. My problem is that the greenhouse I bought the herbs from, closed. They had 20 varieties of scented geraniums and I use to have all of them! I had at least 5 varieties of sage, mint, basils, thyme, etc. Does anyone have an herb shop they frequent that sells via catalog? Let me know!

I love growing flowers and certain types of herbs. Your gardens sound absolutely beautiful! I hope you have time to cultivate all the many things you enjoy growing in your garden!

Chad and homoe's banter about baking pies reminded me that it's been awhile since I've baked a pie for my sweetheart. I didn't get around to it this week at all, due to my partner coming home after chemo and needing bedrest. This last week was a tough week on both of us. I love to make apple pies and berry pies. Once in a blue moon, I like to make Cherry pie. Good stuff, for sure.

[Chad]

Originally Posted by Soft*Silver

If homoe and Chad done mind a grandmotherly type woman to bake for them, i would barter with them for some baking! I use to be quite famous for the incredible baked goods I would make during holidays!

Hi, yes please join into the fun. What were you famous for baking? Pie? Cake? Bread? Cookies?

I love bartering. I once repaired a femmes car for a homemade apple pie.

[Chad]

Originally Posted by Kätzchen

On a lark, several years ago, I posted about how e joy able my day was spent helping my friend with her garden. It's so nice to see other's enjoy gardening, too.

Chad??? I know you asked about this over a year ago, but I've never heard of keeping sunflower seeds in a freezer. Like, ever. So I don't know if you ever found a reasonable answer, but I save back some of the seeds from healthy plants and store them in air tight glass jars. Season to season. If I don't use the seeds during the next planting season, I just leave them out for birds to feed on.



I've never heard of these type of garden planters, Besame*. The only planters I have are clay pots and planters that I sculpted years ago, when I participated in a ceramics class in college. If you've learned about them and liked this type of planter, I hope you'll come back to share about it.



It sounds like you're going to enjoy your garden this year!



I love growing flowers and certain types of herbs. Your gardens sound absolutely beautiful! I hope you have time to cultivate all the many things you enjoy growing in your garden!

Chad and homoe's banter about baking pies reminded me that it's been awhile since I've baked a pie for my sweetheart. I didn't get around to it this week at all, due to my partner coming home after chemo and needing bedrest. This last week was a tough week on both of us. I love to make apple pies and berry pies. Once in a blue moon, I like to make Cherry pie. Good stuff, for sure.

Hi friend,

Thank you for the tip on seeds. I love gardening, my parents and grandparents were avid gardeners. I grow food, herbs, and flowers.

Thank you,
Chad

[MsTinkerbelly]

My mother and sister were/are avid gardeners, and my sister married someone with magical gardening skills. I however have a major black thumb, and struggle to remember to water the trees and small number of plants we have.

My sister and her husband moved to Idaho this past January, and since there is such a small growing season, they started most of their plants in the house and are waiting for the thaw to plant. They have a large bank of floor to ceiling windows that are acting like a green house, and the pictures show that they are going to have a great bounty eventually.

The biggest problem for the garden will be the dear living on the property, as they live in the Forest on a mountain, but my b-in-law thinks he can build a fence that will keep them out. We will see..........

[Soft*Silver]

Originally Posted by Chad

Hi, yes please join into the fun. What were you famous for baking? Pie? Cake? Bread? Cookies?

I love bartering. I once repaired a femmes car for a homemade apple pie.

I make THE best chocolate toffee nut cookies in the world! And apple pie? Yes yes! Cherry pie, blackberry pie, strawberry pie...you name it. I am just getting into baking breads now. By hand, no machine.

I am not really a cake baker..tho I can and do make cakes. I just dont favor doing them. Not like I do cookies and pies!

I have won over many with my baking skills...it is a joy for me!

[Soft*Silver]

Originally Posted by MsTinkerbelly

The biggest problem for the garden will be the dear living on the property, as they live in the Forest on a mountain, but my b-in-law thinks he can build a fence that will keep them out. We will see..........

good luck on that..the fence line needs to be at least 9 foot high and even then if hungry, they will attempt to leap it. The best thing to do is to buy some mountain cat urine and keep it placed around the parameters of the garden. They stay away from their predators. The other thing they can do is to plant a hedge of boxwood around the fence line. They do not eat boxwood and its scent is strong to them and thus, they might not bother whats inside.

I too live in a short season area..range 5. NE Ohio. I cannot start anything inside because we have 4 cats and they tear up my starts. We are considering putting grow lights in a room in the basement, for a seed starting area. It would keep the cats away. Maybe next year once I get this garden started.

I freeze my seeds over from one year to the next. Most seeds that actually need a cold dormancy should be frozen for a few months, if not over the actual winter period.

I had a pup that use to climb into my raised beds and pull up all my plants. Lord he was a terror! LOL. He was so happy with himself for "helping" I couldnt hold it against him! He has passed on (long story short, a neighbor shot him. The neighbor is now in jail) but I will never forget him wagging his tail, smiling at me with my huge sage plant in his mouth!LOL

[Chad]

Originally Posted by Soft*Silver

I make THE best chocolate toffee nut cookies in the world! And apple pie? Yes yes! Cherry pie, blackberry pie, strawberry pie...you name it. I am just getting into baking breads now. By hand, no machine.

I am not really a cake baker..tho I can and do make cakes. I just dont favor doing them. Not like I do cookies and pies!

I have won over many with my baking skills...it is a joy for me!

Yummy!

I love fruit pies.