A peek into the garden, again

Bad blogger, better gardener

Oh my poor, abandoned blog. I have not forgotten thee. And reaching more than 10,000 visits since I have been back! Wow. Thank you all for your faithful reading and support. I promise to do a better job at keeping up with this.

While my blog has been collecting weeds, my garden is thriving! About a month solid of rain is making for beautiful flowers and yummy strawberries, green onions, carrots and herbs. Hallelujah.

Isn’t the ‘flower’ function of the Canon Rebel the best?

Garden plans

As I stare out our French doors to see a sea of white coming down – another 4 inches, bringing us to a grand total of more than 30 so far this winter – I find solace in looking at seed company Web sites and making plans for this spring’s garden.

We have twoish gardens at our house, depending on how you count it. The largest one runs across part of the front of our house, around the corner and all up one side. It’s about 10X4 feet in front, and 45X4 feet across the side. It’s made up mostly of perennial flowers, with a few strawberry plants as well. Last year, I threw in some chives, green onions, burgundy beans, several types of herbs, egg plant, squash plants, peppers and a couple of tomato plants on the side, too.

Here’s a few pictures.

Ignore the dead planters under the window - I was in the process of replanting when this photo was taken.

Closeup of one part of garden - hostas and native plants

Air conditioner? What air conditioner?

One last look

One of my first gardening goals, when the ground warms up, is to expand the side garden to run all the way alongside our fence. This should add another 20 X 4 foot strip of garden. Things I learned I do not want to plant next year: Peppers (our unseasonably cool summer meant a pitifully small harvest), egg plant (didn’t produce as much as I was hoping for) and squash (took up too much space). Things I definitely want to plant even more of this year: roma tomatoes, green onions, herbs of all kinds but especially cilantro and basil, burgundy beans and green beans, carrots, native perennial wildflowers. I am also aiming to plant less cherry tomatoes, more roma tomatoes. I love cherry tomatoes but they aren’t as versatile – not good for sandwiches or cooking sauces. Bring on the romas!

I love native plants and perennials because they are beautiful, environmentally friendly and require less upkeep. They have survived the crazy swings of temperature and conditions that can be found in Missouri, are reasonably naturally pest-resistant, and are beneficial to the dwindling bee population. They are beautiful in your garden and good for your concious, too. To read more about why you should go native, click here.
For a list of native options, click here.

The other garden we have is in our backyard, and is about 8 X 12 feet. Last year, I had it have more herbs and vegetables, but it also has a few perennials in it. The perennials I feature in the backyard, and to some extent the vegetable and herb plants, are all very tall. This is so I can have a beautiful view from my kitchen window.

This year, we have a newly added fence which means our dogs can technically get into this garden. I need to figure out a way to protect it before spring gets here. Because of the nearness of dogs, I am going to move away from vegetable planting this spring in this garden, and move toward things that won’t be as enticing for them to eat. I’m thinking about sticking with some herbs, but laying down more wildflower seeds.

Does anyone have any wildflower-type plants they would recommend? What are your plans for spring?

Lovely view

View part 2

Did I mention I miss my garden?

Spring, spring … can you please come sooner?

Oh, and groundhog? We need to talk.