Gardener's Log 02262024
The artist's garden in progress
Feb 26, 2024 Gardener's log: finished planting everything that can be planted from weekend acquisitions, and have sworn (again) to buy no more plants. The daffodils are in full bloom, as are the flowering quinces, and both plum trees, as the Mexican plum has a few open blossoms now. The red currant bush is budding out, as is the apricot tree. The peaches are sensibly hesitant. The Hellebore continues to be the Drama Queen of the shade bed, but has perked up a bit with last night’s watering. The Rose-red Camellia is down to her last few blossoms, which accent nicely with the vermilion hues of the Quince nearby, and the emerging mauve of the Redbud overhead.
I need more mulch to fill out the new bed extension in the front, and next weekend to put in all the drip systems, I should not have to be worrying about irrigation in March, but here we are. Welcome to Texoma. I have to finish building the 4' square bed, fill it with my good compost-dirt, and then the mulch will have to go where the dirt is (sigh, it's blocking the truck's parking spot). I have to order the mulch this week for a drop this weekend.
My Key Lime tree is full of buds. I think the Meyer Lemon will wait until next year, between grasshoppers finding it tasty last summer and one cold night too many this winter that has burnt the leaves a bit. The fragrant stock (such a find! Stock was once a staple flower in cottage gardens for it’s color and scent, but has been nearly forgotten), petunias, and dianthus are already perfuming the area by the front porch with spicy sweetness, and they are just starting to bloom as I bought them as starts. Various bulbs are peeking up, looking like hyacinths will start blooming next week, and I found wee little crocus had come up and bloomed already unnoticed. I do hope they come back bigger next year.
The heat and the dry may put a premature end to the pansies, but like so many other things in my garden, it’s worth trying. If I don’t try, I will always wonder.
Reading this & looking out the window at the snow that will be there well into April.
No I'm not jealous, quite delighted reading how your garden grows!!