April 2013 – Georgia Gal Gardens

Southern Dogwood

I am blessed with many Dogwood Trees scattered throughout my woods. It’s hard to capture with the camera the delight of the white peeking through the bursting spring green. A baby pink one in the backyard bloomed beautifully, but no pink petals for two years now. These trees are a joy to behold in all seasons and their snowy white “petals” are amazing.

Dutch Iris

These gorgeous Dutch Iris bulbs were a gift from my thoughtful sister-in-law. She knows me so well and has given me so many great plants over the years. Also know as the classic Fleur-de-Lis, I was fascinated by these flowers as a child and am so happy to have them growing in my garden.

Flowering Crabapple

This pretty Crabapple bloom is a sure sign of spring. Bees love this tree. There weren’t as many flowers this year as last, but it was still a sweet display. Most of the hot pink clusters of delicate, star shaped flowers have faded now and the ground is littered with fallen petals. CrabappleClose

Seed Starting

Leftover seeds & 2012 Harvested seeds Pod Greenhouse, More seeds, Chart Tools

SeedPrep

The simple chart below keeps track of type of seed, how many per pod, planting date, when germinated, and when removed from the greenhouse. It has been so helpful to know how many plants sprout and how long they take to be ready to go outside.

In early March, I started Cucumber, two varieties of Tomatoes, Jalapeno, Hot Peppers, Sweet & Lemon Lime Basil, Parsley, Oregano, Rosemary, Dill, Cilantro, Thyme, & Catnip seeds to plant in my first raised bed.

I have been wanting to build a raised bed for years. With the plants I chose, I hope to can salsa, dill pickles, and tomato juice. After only a few short weeks, the seedlings are doing well. The bed is built and nearly ready for the seedlings. I will post pics of that process soon.

Purple Pansy

These Pansies were too pretty to pass up. It was late for planting them when I did this project-3 weeks or so ago. I got them to fill in and add some color to the bed under the Crabapple Tree. The dark purple/blue color is so rich and the pansy “faces” are very charming. I used a hand trowel and very easily added the flat of 12 plants to the bed. I also filled in the top side of the bed with soil from the backyard and straightened the formed concrete “stones”. Still needs more plants and work, but it’s much better than before.