trying to catch up

I have some catching up to do on this blog of mine.  I've been a busy girl lately now that the weather in beautiful central NC has been so delightful.  And, I have had spring fever for weeks now, so I've spent a lot of time outdoors. 

I'll start with the birth of my new flower beds.  I finally have a small parcel of land on which I can build gardens and plant stuff in the ground.  Yippee for me!  I have a fence in the back yard which separates my neighbor's from mine; it's about 50 feet long, so my bed is about 50x3.  Not bad for a future mixed border for full sun.  I've decided that this bed will serve two purposes: food and fun. 

The fun part will include some ornamentals I already have, such as grasses, small shrubs, perennials, and the occasional annual that will be purchased or grown from seed.  The food part will include tomato plants and maybe some herbs such as cilantro, rosemary, and thyme; stuff I can use in the kitchen.  I have to say there is nothing like a tomato that you simply go to the backyard to get.  I love to eat them direct from the vine, salt shaker in hand, and devour them like they're apples.  Yummy! 

I bought a German Johnson plant today, and picked up some Morning Springs and Sweet 100s the other day, and traded for some Marglobes as well.  I stepped them up from cell pack size into larger pots to gain some growth and prepare for planting in the garden in a few weeks.  I will have a bounty of tomatoes no doubt!

The front yard has full sun as well, so I made a paisley shaped bed that will also serve as a mixed bed of small shrubs, perennials and annuals.  This will be exclusively a fun bed. 

I have to say that most of this would not have been possible without the help of my friend David.  Together, we got some gorgeous soil from an old compost heap, making several trips back and forth in his SUV, the soil being transported in 5 gallon buckets!  I think we got 28 buckets in his car at a time, and made about 3 or 4 trips to get the soil we needed (he needed some too).  Once that was in place we were able to till it up.  He did most of the work, but I am grateful for it. 

The beds are beautiful and ready to plant!  And, I cannot wait to get out there to do it.  I'll let some weeds pop up for the next few weeks, pull them, or kill with some diluted vinegar (instead of chemical weed killer, that is).  There is quite a bit of info on the Internet about using vinegar as a weed killer, so check it out and decide if it's right for you too.

Stay tuned for more on the progress of my flower beds as the season progresses. 

nothing says spring like...

I love spring.  I love spring mostly because it's the renewal of life after a long winter (and this winter was a long one for sure!).  I love spring because all of the little herbaceous beauties show what they're made of.  I love spring because there is an abundance of color and fragrance in the air. 

I've been over-joyed about this particular spring because I am not a cold weathered gal.  And, spring has finally sprung.  As I continue to travel to JC Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh for pictures week after week, I am amazed at the transformation that has taken place among the plants in just a short amount of time.  As long as I have marvelled over plants, the transformation into spring never ceases to amaze me. 

The purple delight above is Pulsatilla halleri suspb. styriaca.  Pulsatillas are among the few to bloom first in spring.  From their silky, hairy foliage emerges soft purple flowers, lasting but a few short days to weeks.  Its common name, Pasqueflower, is given because it blooms so close to Passover.

As I've been driving around town I am beginning to notice that the Dogwoods are coming into bloom.  With the weather being as it has, and as warm as its expected this week, we can only see more wonderful blooms popping out everywhere.  Which reminds me...pines are ready to pop too.  Ugh!  What a mess that will make.  Need more rain.  But, I digress.

There are a number of other beauties that I've captured, such as this Magnolia 'Lois'. 

This is Magnolia denudata 'Forrest's Pink' (captured last week).