Saturday, February 12, 2022

Playing in the dirt

It's a little warmer here this weekend than it's been in a while. Spring is right around the corner no matter what the calendar says, and by the first of March it will be time to start seeds indoors for planting out six weeks or so later. Early tomorrow morning Gregg and I will be picking up three or four truckloads of dirt to finish filling the raised garden bed. It's almost halfway full from the first two loads, and I'm eager to have it done. Next week I'll place my seed order for the tomatoes, peppers, herbs and flowers I'm planning to grow this year.

Speaking of placing orders, today I placed an order for my Valentine's Day gift from Gregg: a crabapple tree! I ended up choosing a variety called Centurion. I told him last week that while I love cut flowers, this year I'd rather we spent that money on things I could plant in my yard and garden!


Once it arrives (supposedly by February 21...I ordered from Home Depot) and is in the ground, we'll chop down the dying dogwood tree that's currently in our front yard. 

I got a text last week from our friend Carol (the retired artist and avid gardener who gave me the start of my fig tree) asking if I might be interested in some camellias. Of course I said YES! She has them growing in huge wild tangles along one side of her property and she was digging up some to share with friends. I went over there today and picked up a big bundle of them. The area where she dug them up has several colors, so I'm not sure what we'll end up with. My favorites have white flowers with pale pink stripes in them, but they're all nice. The seedlings she gave me are three or four feet high and have green flower buds on them, so we should soon know! I hope they'll grow and thrive. Before I left Carol said, "My mother always said that flowers shared with friendship and good wishes will always bloom!" 

Here's one more small bit of gardening news. I bought a big bag of deeply discounted daffodil bulbs over Christmas and planted them on New Year's Day. I've been hoping they didn't get planted too late to bloom this year. Well, earlier today I went out to check, and the first quarter inch of green spears are starting to poke up from the ground! Looks like we'll have daffodils next month, after all! 

I'm so glad my favorite season is almost here. 

15 comments:

  1. Crabapples? Will you be making jelly? And as for the arrival date of your tree? That I can't tell you, but when you order carpet from Home Depot it's either right on time, or a day or two early.

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    1. I love the thought of making jelly, and also providing food for birds and deer.

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  2. It's coming! The light has changed. The air has changed. Spring approaches slowly. Too slowly, here in NE Ohio, but definitely on the way.

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  3. Crabapple trees are beautiful! I love Spring but we usually have at least one snow in March so it will be a bit longer for us. I'm looking forward to seeing your camellias!

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  4. They may or may not bloom. Some bulbs I've planted late have come up but not flowered. I hope they do! We had a beautiful day today and many neighbors were doing yard work. I'm not ready yet although the weeds and lawn are definitely growing.

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  5. That‘s wonderful, and I am looking forward to seeing more of how your garden is coming along in the coming weeks and months.
    During our walk yesterday O.K. and I saw plenty of pale lilac crocus, white snowdrops and yellow aconites. I said to O.K. that while walking in colourful autumn woodland I felt autumn was my favourite season, I now feel that spring is it.

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  6. My parents planted a variety of trees when I was a kid. The crab apple was glorious! Your gardens are going to be the same.

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  7. Your enthusiasm for gardening comes over loud and clear in this blogpost. Seeing and helping things grow is good for our mental health - like a natural medicine.

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  8. I once made my sister laugh by placing a crab apple on top of a pile of fresh horse dung on my way home from school. I knew she would see it on her way home.

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  9. It was a nice weekend, though kinda chilly this morning. But I saw the beginnings of the daffodils sprouting so Spring is on the way!
    We have Camellias along our fence and when they bloom they're gorgeous!

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  10. Wow! A crabapple, camellias, and a garden! You ARE playing in the dirt and at the same time, you ain't playing, you're doing! Good for you, Jennifer!

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  11. J have always wondered why it isn't everybody's favourite season. It excites me just thinking about it.

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  12. I love all the plans for the garden, Camellias are a lovely.

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  13. My aunt said you were never supposed to thank the person giving you plants or seeds..bad luck. so I never do.

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  14. Crab apples are lovely trees and are often loaded with blossoms. I like trees and shrubs, they are the gifts that keep on giving. I have 4 camellias, what a nice gift from your friend.

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