Abelia ‘Edward Goucher’

Abelia
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This is my favorite shrub in the yard. Abelia is very low maintenance. I prune it once per year in early spring. A member of the honeysuckle family, it has the most delightful sweet smell that lingers in the air of the early evenings. This pink variety is over 8 ft. tall. Abelia blooms here from May til first frost and is a magnet for bees of all types. This one is so tall you can walk up and stand with your face in the midst of all the tiny pink flowers. Lovely.

Composting Bin!

This “Earth Machine” compost container, made by Norseman Plastics, is really more than a “bin”.EMachine

I bought this a few weeks ago at my county’s Recycling Center sale. When I picked it up, there were Master Gardeners there to teach me about the basics and answer questions. I also got a free small kitchen bucket, with a tight seal, for holding the food scraps until I’m ready to take them out.KBucket

You can’t put meat, oil, fat, or bones in, but all other kitchen food waste is great. You mix 1/3 food scraps (greens) to 2/3 dead leaves (browns) and keep it slightly damp.  I hope to make a fantastic soil amendment for my garden. With our plastic and paper recycling and now the composting, we have cut our trash output by 80%!

Hosta Trio & Dianthus

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frontbedmayHostas I planted late last summer have returned gloriously. They have made the shady bed under the Crabapple tree bright with green, white, & yellow. I also planted Dianthus aka “Pinks” here last year. These “Pinks” are now brimming with blooms of many different lovely colors.


Deer love to eat Hostas, so I am thankful these three beauties have been spared this year.

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Azalea

I’m late posting these Azalea pics. The lovely hot pink & white blooms faded a couple weeks ago. I am always amazed by the showy profusion of blooms produced on such an otherwise simple looking plant.

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Southern Flowering Dogwood

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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.

The UGA Extension offers a useful online publication about

Growing Dogwoods in Georgia.

Dutch Iris

DutchIrisThese 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.

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Seed Starting

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

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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.

Seedchart

GreenhouseIn 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.

Seedlings

 

 

Purple Pansy

PansyPurpleThese 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.

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Sweet Daffodils

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There are hundreds of Daffodil species and over 25,000 named hybrids. I only have a few different types in my yard, and haven’t taken time to identify them.  I plan to divide and replant some crowded clumps of bulbs after the foliage fades this year to encourage more blooms next year.

I took these photos over the last few weeks.

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They are all so beautiful and cheerful at this time when little else is happening yet in the landscape. I cut some of the super sweetly fragrant types a few weeks ago and put them on the mantle in the lovely bud vases my sweet sister-in-law gave me a few years ago.

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Grape Hyacinth

GrapeHyacinthTiny, bell-shaped, frilly edged clusters of Grape Hyacinth blooms are starting to fill my containers now. I pair them with daffodils for pretty late winter color. I dug the bulbs from under the Crabapple tree just after moving here and put them into containers. The ground under the tree wasn’t ideal. They seem much happier in the containers and have bloomed profusely for years.

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This photo was taken before the hyacinths bloomed, but you can see their trailing, green, skinny leaves hanging over the sides of the container. Also in this container, are a variety of miniature Daffodil and fantastically fragrant Freesia-which will bloom this summer. My sweet mother-in-law gave me the container when we moved in and I am so happy it’s finally filled with greenery and blooms.