Gardening in Somewhere Else

I was lucky enough to garden in Atlanta over the Memorial Day weekend and leave my constant highs of low sixties temperatures behind in Maine. All the moonflower seedlings were dutifully planted into the soil and awaited any glimpse of sun and warmth they could get. The moss rose continued to creep millimeter by millimeter closer to the grow light. I wished them well and boarded my plane. Meanwhile, the most superb garden helper in the universe helped me settle in some succulents, verbena, Rudbeckia maxima set off by Juncus fillformis 'Spirilis', and two pots of glorious firecracker plant, Russelia equisetiformis. A picture tells a million words.

Flowers at Last.

May 12, 2014
I hear it's snowing in Denver. I don't have snow but I also don't have soil temperatures above sixty. I did plant the Phlox drummondii seeds by the shed since that bed faces south and receives yet even more heat reflected from the adjacent shed walls. My computer and Shopbot generated trellis got two coats of red paint and was installed behind the weigela which is nicely waking up. The daffodils and jonquils are bloomed and, given the ten day forecast of No Great Heat, I believe will be with me for a nice while. The peonies have stuck their red stalks tentatively into the air and the garden is just a quilt of silvery green and chartreuse foliage. On the wild side, I have seen coltsfoot blooming by the roadside and there are bluets and violets everywhere.

Change

The gate is up and it looks superb but the geese have found an alternative route up to the garden. I have changed their title/job description from Compost Aides to Slug Patrol and that makes it all OK. There are many perennials that they do not nibble on. Therefore, these are the perennials which should grow here and do grow here. The moonflower seeds dutifully sprouted sandwiched between damp paper towels within Ziploc bags and then I planted them into pots. And then, voila - seedlings. Temperatures continue to yo-yo between forty something and fifty something although the Sun fools the weatherpeople and creates bursts of sixty something during my day. Tomas the rabbit is moved from the basement to his garden shed and loves watching the theater of growth and geese. At least, that's what I imagine he thinks.