Spring is Here!

With the arrival of my favorite season, I have decided to start blogging again. This time around, I will be adding another hobby of mine-gardening! At the start of every spring, I spend hours researching, planning and experimenting with our garden because I tend to forget what we experimented with in years past, and so instead of making the same mistakes year after year, I have decided to track what we planted, where we planted everything, and the outcome (can you tell I'm a teacher?). I figure that an online blog will be an easier way to organize everything, compared to random sheets of paper laying around the house, collecting dust.

For our front lawn, we've added an incredibly fragrant Phlox Red Wings (priced @ $13/gallon) by our driveway/in front of the kitchen. Dad and I thought this might be a little pricey, especially after we saw other Phlox (different varieties) in smaller containers, and since Phlox is prone to spreading. However, after sniffing every single variety, I can safely say that our Phlox choice was the most fragrant, and therefore, in my opinion, the best pick. I can't wait to see this grow and spread out over the season/years!

We are also experimenting with planting some Canna (priced @ $5/2 bulbs) as a border for our front entrance. Traditionally, we have planted geraniums here, with mixed success. We'll see how the experiment with Canna goes! If it goes well, it should be a nice way to frame the front door and welcome our guests. =)

Along the front side, we usually plant a row of Impatiens (that's mom's biggest contribution!). While she is visiting relatives, dad and I are taking the opportunity to experiment with some other flowers. Last year, the Impatiens did not do so hot (apparently the weather was a major factor), which has inspired me to shake things up a bit. We bought a Coneflower Ruby Star (priced @$15/gallon) that should go nicely in between our two hedges next to the front entrance. These bloom in the summer through the fall, and so we planted this in front of the tulips that will bloom any day now! We also bought two perennial pansies-a Lavender Shades and a Peach Jump Up. Generally speaking, I'm pretty neutral towards pansies, but the Peach Jump Up caught my eye with its unique and adorable colors. Then I caught a whiff of its fragrance, and it was over. I had to have it! So we bought that and a Lavender Shades to compliment it. These are also in front of some tulips, but will last the entire summer, and hopefully through the years. We also have a Jethro Tull (priced @ $15/gallon) with vibrant yellow flowers for kicks. This will hopefully last through the entire summer and compliment all the red and purple and orange that we've got going on! We also threw in some Sparaxis bulbs (priced @$5/12 bulbs) that were leftover from another section of the garden. These are bulbs that we've never grown, so we're not entirely sure how this will turn out, but here's to experimenting!

Of course, we also have our vegetable garden. I threw out the marker-labels, but have retrieved them from the garbage can (worth it!). We have Uncle Mike's Cherry Red Tomatoes (priced @ $5/6 plants) that will mature in 50-65 days and Marketmore 76 Cucumbers (priced @ $5/4 plants) that will mature in 58-75 days. Tomatoes and cucumbers are incredibly easy to grow and always add a nice add of pop and flavor (not so much the cucumbers) to any summer dish.

We also bought some Dahlias (priced @ $6/2 bulbs) because unfortunately our Dahlias from last year do not seem to be doing well. We bought a deep red and alternated it with an orange. Dad was really into a variation of a plant that we already have-a Columbine Origami Mix (priced @ $15/gallon). This plant loves the shade, so we planted it next to our Bleeding Heart. This should be a pretty nice mix!

I am always looking for some more shade-loving plants because the backyard tends to get neglected a bit, so I bought some Astilbe bulbs (priced @ $7.79/3 bulbs). Bulbs always make me a bit nervous, partly because I don't know whether the bulbs will actually produce a live plant, and partly because I'm never too sure which way is supposed to face up. I planted these in pots first, so that they will be less likely to be neglected. Fingers crossed that all goes well here.

I'm excited for what's to come for our garden 2014! I will be checking back in with updates and hopefully photos of our thriving garden!