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Desperation gardening
I have gotten off to a really bad start this year.
I didn't plant any spring vegetables at all--no peas, no lettuce. Just couldn't seem to get around to it. The strawberry patch, after producing faithfully for eight years, died entirely away. Two of the four asparagus plants I planted last year came up, but the stems were too small to be of any use--I understand it really takes several years for asparagus to really establish itself. Working overtime to try to bring in more money, too depressed, too broke, too distracted (by LiveJournal, among other things) meant I just couldn't get out and get stuff planted. My plant order came in, and all the basil and the bush beans died before I got them into the ground. Thirty dollars wasted. I have two trays of impatiens I need to plant in the front garden, but I've just been watering them sporadically for almost a month without planting them. I made the mistake of planting daffodil bulbs in that bed, but it's too shady for them to do very well, and so they just send up sickly green leaves without blooming, and I keep waiting for them to bloom before moving the impatiens in. So the impatiens still isn't in.
The garage garden is a mess of weeds. I have about half the seeds left from last year for a Burpee-designed cutting garden that I'm planning to put in there, although I haven't weeded/sown the flowers yet.
The pink garden on the south side of the house (which Fiona calls her garden, although that doesn't mean she ever really works on it) is very puzzling. I planted a mixture of seeds (annuals and perennials) last year in three rows of graduated heights: short, medium, tall. I got them in rather late, so not all the seeds got a chance to bloom. The zinnias, cosmos, dianthus and lavatera did come in, and were very successful. The sweet william looked rather discouraged. Never saw any results, however, from the poppies, candytuft, sidalcea or erigeron I planted at all. I haven't nearly as much experience with flowers as I do with vegetables, and so although I can recognize where I planted the speedwell, the echinechea, primroses (frighteningly muscular) and the other-pink-thing that I got at Karen's (![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
minnehaha) plant swap last year, I look at all the other stuff coming up there this year and wonder: are those perennials from last year that I should leave alone? Or are they weeds?
Anyway, I went to Bachman's this afternoon and got two geraniums for the two pots bracketing the front door. I got four tomato plants which I stuck in the vegetable garden; not sure I will plant any other vegetables this year (unless I want to drop another thirty dollars on basil--I LOVE homemade pesto). I got a six pack of pink petunias, which I stuck in the pink garden. And I got a mess of pink seeds (cosmos, amaranth, foxglove), and two packets from different companies, titled simply: pink garden. Stuff that's pink. Alyssum, candytuft, cleome, gypsophilia, larkspur, malope, phlox, silene, statice, vinca, zinnia, love in a mist, calendula, clarkia . . . . 8" to 4'. Now I won't even have plants graduated by height. I just blindly scattered seeds on the ground and flung about a half inch of topsoil over it all. I can just imagine what Sam Gamgee would say about such haphazard planting methods. Will water it and watch. What will come up?
(Am listening to October Project again. Rob gave this album a truly Minnesota compliment: "It's the least offensive thing that you've been listening to lately." My husband is not Into Music.)
Cheers,
Peg
I didn't plant any spring vegetables at all--no peas, no lettuce. Just couldn't seem to get around to it. The strawberry patch, after producing faithfully for eight years, died entirely away. Two of the four asparagus plants I planted last year came up, but the stems were too small to be of any use--I understand it really takes several years for asparagus to really establish itself. Working overtime to try to bring in more money, too depressed, too broke, too distracted (by LiveJournal, among other things) meant I just couldn't get out and get stuff planted. My plant order came in, and all the basil and the bush beans died before I got them into the ground. Thirty dollars wasted. I have two trays of impatiens I need to plant in the front garden, but I've just been watering them sporadically for almost a month without planting them. I made the mistake of planting daffodil bulbs in that bed, but it's too shady for them to do very well, and so they just send up sickly green leaves without blooming, and I keep waiting for them to bloom before moving the impatiens in. So the impatiens still isn't in.
The garage garden is a mess of weeds. I have about half the seeds left from last year for a Burpee-designed cutting garden that I'm planning to put in there, although I haven't weeded/sown the flowers yet.
The pink garden on the south side of the house (which Fiona calls her garden, although that doesn't mean she ever really works on it) is very puzzling. I planted a mixture of seeds (annuals and perennials) last year in three rows of graduated heights: short, medium, tall. I got them in rather late, so not all the seeds got a chance to bloom. The zinnias, cosmos, dianthus and lavatera did come in, and were very successful. The sweet william looked rather discouraged. Never saw any results, however, from the poppies, candytuft, sidalcea or erigeron I planted at all. I haven't nearly as much experience with flowers as I do with vegetables, and so although I can recognize where I planted the speedwell, the echinechea, primroses (frighteningly muscular) and the other-pink-thing that I got at Karen's (
minnehaha) plant swap last year, I look at all the other stuff coming up there this year and wonder: are those perennials from last year that I should leave alone? Or are they weeds? Anyway, I went to Bachman's this afternoon and got two geraniums for the two pots bracketing the front door. I got four tomato plants which I stuck in the vegetable garden; not sure I will plant any other vegetables this year (unless I want to drop another thirty dollars on basil--I LOVE homemade pesto). I got a six pack of pink petunias, which I stuck in the pink garden. And I got a mess of pink seeds (cosmos, amaranth, foxglove), and two packets from different companies, titled simply: pink garden. Stuff that's pink. Alyssum, candytuft, cleome, gypsophilia, larkspur, malope, phlox, silene, statice, vinca, zinnia, love in a mist, calendula, clarkia . . . . 8" to 4'. Now I won't even have plants graduated by height. I just blindly scattered seeds on the ground and flung about a half inch of topsoil over it all. I can just imagine what Sam Gamgee would say about such haphazard planting methods. Will water it and watch. What will come up?
(Am listening to October Project again. Rob gave this album a truly Minnesota compliment: "It's the least offensive thing that you've been listening to lately." My husband is not Into Music.)
Cheers,
Peg
no subject
You're not the only one with plants that go unplanted. I lose things most years to having made other choices for my time. I always have that 'eyes bigger than my stomach' problem when buying plants. And I generally have the space; I just don't get the work done.
If you want some gardening company, Peg, I'd be happy to put in a hour or 2 at your place. Maybe weed the garage bed, or whatever feels urgent.
K. [be warned, however,that the urgent thing in my garden is pulling creeping charlie]
That would be fun
Not sure exactly when, as I have weekend plans the next several weeks which I have to work around (which is why the garden is looking so neglected). But I would appreciate your help identifying things. I'll give you a call one of these days.
And everyone, yes, Bruce and Karen really have the loveliest garden, which would make all their friends curse them in envy except that they're much too nice to curse, and how you possibly curse people who host such lovely garden parties?
Cheers,
Peg