Spring is “bulb”ling up at our house!

April 19th, 2012

Wow, what a spring we’ve had so far! At the beginning of March, I got the chance to go to the Home and Garden Show. I’d never been before so needless to say, I was completely awe-struck. Besides getting some great ideas for decorating my yard and garden, the smell of the of the hyacinth was heavenly and made me wish for spring to come soon. Well, as the saying goes, be careful what you wish for ‘cuz you just might get it. Two weeks later we had the heat wave and everything started popping through, including the bulbs my daughter and I planted last fall.  I keep reminding her that those are the flowers she planted and what a good job she did. I don’t think she quite understands the connection between the little round “balls” she buried in the dirt and the flowers that are blooming, but she knows it’s a good thing.

"Mommy, those are *my* tulips!"

The Sub-Zero pansies are doing really well, too, I’m pleased to say. Admittedly, it was a pretty mild winter but it did get cold from time to time, especially the last few night. Well these pansies are definitely not – dare I say it? – pansies. Mind you, I have done nothing to them since last fall – not even water them. They held their color and their leaves through the winter and are now full and colorful scattered among my tulips in the front of the house. I hear they’ll get kind of wimpy looking over the summer but will bounce back in the fall. I can’t wait because these were definitely worth the investment.

Sub-zero pansies in November....

....in March....

….and today! I’m “digging” these!

 

 

I am so looking forward to “soil my plants” this weekend! Until next time….

Mary Gold

Giving It Your “Stump” of Approval

February 16th, 2012

A co-worker  and I were talking the other day about how many people contact Flowerland, seeking advice or information about plant or lawn care issues. “Why don’t they just go to the internet and read about it?” my co-worker pondered. “It’s all about trust,” I replied.

Recently, for example, someone emailed about burning their garden to prevent blite. Before asking one of my knowledgeable Flowerland colleagues, I thought I’d research the topic myself. I found a couple of non-professional forums on the internet on burning as well as some blogs, but nothing that specifically talked about burning for blite prevention or screamed “Trust me!” So I asked Doug about it. I learned that burning can be good for many things but it will not help in preventing blite in your garden. I was able to provide an email response that I trusted.

When I google information about plants, I always take into consideration whether the source is in a similar climate. If not, the information may not be applicable to my situation. I also look at whether the source is an expert or an enthusiast sharing experiences. Sometimes the sheer volume of information can be overwhelming. Half the time I’m also right in the middle of a project and just don’t have time wade through everything. It is usually at that point that I pick up the phone and stop operating by the seat of my “plants.” I know when I talk to someone at Flowerland or download a care sheet from the Flowerland web site, the information will be solid, easy to understand and appropriate for where I live. Armed with trusted information, I can get back to my garden.

Do you have a favorite and trusted source for gardening information? How did you find it and what are some of the reasons you trust it? Let me know.

Until next time…

Mary Gold

Babes and Bulbs

December 15th, 2011

I'm ready to garden, Mom!

It’s hard to believe that we are just over one week out from Christmas. Where has the year gone? It seems like just yesterday I was working out in the yard with my daughter and her little gardening tools.

I had the most fun planting some new bulbs. I picked up some tulips and some hyacinths and let my daughter help decide where to plant what. We decided the hyacinths should go in the front yard. They will actually add some dimension and color to the tulips and crocus that are currently planted there.  She told me where to dig and (for the most part) that’s where they went.

Tulips are even more beautiful when you plant them together!

The tulips went in the back yard in the perennial flowerbed. They will add some nice color in the spring while the perennials get going. We decided to go with four clusters and she sorted the bulbs accordingly. She even helped plant them. While I was digging my holes, she got out her little shovel, dug a hole for one of the clumps, put in the bulbs and covered them with dirt. Mind you, when she went in the house for a few minutes I had to dig a deeper, bigger hole and re-plant them before she came back but so what? The point was to do something with her that we both enjoyed. Plus when the tulips come up in the spring, I can point to them and remind her that she planted those bulbs with her own hands (more or less). I hope it makes her smile to see the fruits – or flowers – of her labor.

One other quick update. As you may remember, I planted some of the Sub-Zero pansies in my front yard this fall. I guess I’ve never planted pansies

before because these babies rock. After the frost, all my other annuals were pretty much toast and had to be pulled out. These beauties still have colorful flowers, which is a wonderful site in an otherwise dormant front landscape. The grower claims they’ll even come back in the spring. If you are looking for a great annual next year that will take you all the way to winter, I highly recommend Sub-Zero pansies.

These are my Sub-Zero pansies on Dec. 2. They still look great!

Until next time!

Mary Gold