Tuesday, June 11, 2019

Keeping Track of Plants

So each spring I take photos of my garden beds, more specifically those beds that have tulips and daffodils blooming in them. If I don't, I won't remember in the fall exactly where and what is under the ground. 

For daffodils, I take photos to show how many are blooming in one grouping. If the grouping is getting crowded, then I know it's time to dig the bulbs up to divide them (and plant others else where).


For tulips, the photos help me to remember exactly where I planted them, so when it's time to plant more in October, I can plant new ones in the same location...or, decide to move them. Unlike daffodils, tulips don't need dividing - they just rot away. Pics also help me to remember what colors I bought the previous year, just in case I accidentally throw away the info card.


Friday, May 31, 2019

Always Say Yes

So when people find out you're a gardener, they call you up when they are cleaning up their beds or dividing plants to see if you want any. I have discovered over the years that I'm not alone in the feeling of committing sacrilege by throwing away perfectly good plants.


So years ago when my friend and fellow Realtor asked me over to take a look at her over flowing garden bed to see if I wanted anything, I didn't hesitate to say "YES!".  I had never heard of Bachelor Button before and it was going crazy in her yard so why not give it a try in mine. 

My version is called Mountain Bluet, but is also knows as Mountain Knapweed or Cornflower. The blue-purple flowers are stunning and I love the shape of the flower heads before they open, too. Mountain Bluet is a spring blooming perennial and the leaves are a little fuzzy. Since my gardens have clay a few feet down, I find that nothing in my garden goes haywire with over growth, and these do just fine, not overspreading.


Wednesday, May 8, 2019

New Colors of Tulips this Year

I really hope I saved the mixed tulip bulb bag that I bought last fall because I am LOVING the colors in this mix. The range from red, pink, tangerine, yellow, and white. I decided to group them in odd numbers this year to see how it looked (instead of planting them in a straight line).


Large holes were dug and I put three to seven tulips in a hole, and then spaced the holes out a couple of feet. I love the look of randomness so much that I'm going to repeat it again next year.
Oh, and yes, I plant about 100 bulbs in similar locations each fall. Some get eaten by voles or dug up by squirrels before spring, some get eaten by rabbits when they start shooting up, and some don't bloom at all. Tulip bulbs here in Minnesota don't bloom more than three years, so they say, but I'm lucky if I get just one season.


Friday, April 19, 2019

First Signs of Spring

Patiently waiting for Spring to arrive and this is the closest we've gotten to seeing it.

Glory of the Snow