Here are my garden plans for 2014:
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- Fertilize EVERYTHING. A friend boards horses, and my parents have a truck. I have no excuses. The 'to fertilize' list includes, but is not limited to: my rose, the boxwoods, the rhododendron, the azalea, and the hydrangeas. (roses, boxwoods, holly, & magnolia 3/11/14, lots left to do)
- Make a map of my house & garden for the blog.
- Install lattice for my Confederate Jasmine to climb. (completed 3/16/14)
- Plant a rose. Probably Buff Beauty. (If they're sold out by the time I try to order I will hunt you down.) (ship date 4/7/14)
- Plant morning glories around a tree.
- Build at least 2 window boxes.
- Plant impatiens in my tree stumps.
here - Plant goosenecks by the new day lily bed.
- Design & plant in the beds around my foundation.
- Grow things from seed as much as possible. Basil, purple coneflower, black eyed susans, moon flower, morning glories, foxgloves, there are SO MANY SEEDS, and it's so much cheaper than buying plants!
- Experiment with cuttings (wild azelea, mock orange, etc?)
- Clear ivy in at least 2 more sections of yard.
- Plant more bulbs. (gladioli & fresia 3/15/14)
Part of why I'm dreaming big is because its cold outside and you can't do anything in the garden other than dream. More importantly January is a big garden sale month, and I'm a sucker for a sale. There are seed sales and plant sales, and tool sales, and it just makes me happy. Some companies like Park Seed hold your plants until the spring when it's safe to start planting in your area. I've been drooling over the Park Seed catalog (up to 60% off in January) , as well as the Burpee catalog & rareseeds.com. Now that I've got my wish list, I'm going to make a stop at a local nursery to see what I can get from them, then I'll place my online orders.
Come on spring!!
Great plans! I really should buy a rose this year. There are so many to choose from!
ReplyDeleteMy brother gave me a garden planner book for Christmas, and it has room for three years of notes, so as to compare one year to another.
It is cold and windy today. I'm going to meet the Library Bookmobile this morning. Maybe there will be gardening books to check out - to dream, to plan.
Happy Gardening!
Lea
Roses are wonderful, especially if you have enough sun to help them thrive. I have found one spot that I think will work, and a shade tolerant rose to match. *Fingers crossed.* Let me know if you find any good gardening books, or any roses for your garden this year!
DeleteHappy Gardening!
Oh! What wonderful plans! I'm sitting here in Australia in our hottest Summer for many years, and my current garden plans are just to keep everything alive!
ReplyDeleteI smiled so much when I read you want to plant morning glories. I love them so much and have many pictures of them in my home, but they're thought of as a weed here (there's some growing wild in my local council park Heeheehee!).
You have also inspired me to look into growing roses again. :-)
Oh you're so sweet! Some people here think of morning glories as weeds here too, but I consider anything that flowers a flower regardless :) I'm looking forward to the red morning glories, I think they're going to be a lot of fun!
DeleteI wish you could send some of your heat our way, it's not supposed to get above freezing here for a few days :(
I agree! January is the perfect time to dream big in the garden. and good for you for shopping local first!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I love our local nurseries, and have to support them when I can :)
DeleteHello Emily,
ReplyDeleteWe have a mild, partly sunny day today (Sunday), but soon it is back into the deep freeze for us.
In reply to your question about the Amaryllis Lily bulbs.
After the blooms fade, cut them off. As the bloom stalk dies, cut it off near the top of the bulb. Continue to water the bulb so that it keeps producing leaves for about 6 months or so. I put mine out on my porch will all my other house plants in the summer. Sometimes the leaves will begin to die of their on accord (stop watering if leaves are dying). Whether the leaves are dying or not, stop watering about the first of September and let the bulb dry in the pot (move it out of direct sunlight). When the bulb is totally dry, you can it remove from the pot (be careful not to damage the roots), and store in a cool place for two or three months or whatever time you want to wake it up again. Some people store the bubs in the refrigerator, but I have a small bedroom that faces north and stays cooler than the rest of the house. Another thing, don't store the bulbs near apples, as apples give off a gas (or something) that is harmful to Amaryllis.
When you pot it up in fresh potting mix, water it well, then wait until it begins to sprout to water again. They need warmth and plenty of light to bloom well. I have had Amaryllis to bloom four weeks from potting up, but 6 weeks is more the norm. I think I was overly optimistic when I said I expected blooms in mid-February from mine. They are just sitting there in in their pots, no sign of a sprout yet. Probably because it is so cold outside, my inside temperature is not as warm as usual. And I don't cook as much as I used to, so setting on the kitchen counter is not the warmest place either! I really can't put them elsewhere because of the cats (cats seem to enjoy chewing on houseplants). The table and kitchen counter are the only places they know they are not allowed to be. Once I found one of the cats up on top of the upright freezer - at least 4 feet from the nearest 'launch pad' - it got up there, but then was afriad to jump down!
Do you know about Dee Nash's blog Red dirt Ramblings?
Here is a link to her post about forcing bulbs to bloom in winter:
http://reddirtramblings.com/flowers/force-bulbs-indoors
She is in Oklahoma, and writes very interesting gardening articles. Take a look.
Hope this info is helpful
Lea
Thanks Lea, that is a huge help! I have been known to stop by Red Dirt Ramblings for Bloom Day, but I don't remember that post, so thanks for sharing. I think I can handle that care routine :)
DeleteEnjoy the warm days before it gets cold again!