Forever Revising

Our gardens have filled up and are reaching for the sky. Now is the time to see where there are bare spots and a lack of color in a certain area. Change is always good in a garden. So many of my perennials in the old retail garden are so big that it has taken the diversity of the garden away. It's time to rethink that garden...something we do every few years with our gardens.

Actually we are rethinking all of the gardens here. Spending time with serious weeding and re-evaluating the space as to changing taste and acquired plants: some great new annuals that George has done from seed and cuttings that are ready to be put in. Both we and the mosquitoes were out working almost until dark on our rethunk garden last night.

Golden Tansy

The summer evening is our time to just be gardeners. We put in masses of coleus that will look like a patchwork quilt in a few weeks. Then we moved on to profusion zinnias (double cherry and apricot), salvias of all kinds, and anything else we like and have here at the farm. Come visit us this Sunday for the plant swap (more info in the "news" section of our homepage) and take a look at some of our updated gardens. As always it is a work in progress, come visit often.

As to garden advice…do as we are doing: keep ahead of the weeding and mulch...it's dry, dry, dry. Happy gardening!

Garden Grow Time

New Gardens

Our new gardens are growing, and fast. I have no idea what is in that soil, but it seems like magic. The pergola over the main entrance is finished, and it's painted a lovely violet blue. It's satisfying to see a lot of hard work pay off in an inviting and beautiful garden retail space. Actually, looking at our display gardens to see what is blooming at that moment and how big it really gets in the garden is worth the trip over here. It's amazing how big plants in little 3 1/2" pots will get, isn't it?

Gardening Hats for Sale

It makes me want to run around visiting all the other nurseries within an hour or so just to see what their places look like and compare and get more inspiration. Going to a local nursery (like ours!) is such a great experience; it's so much better than getting plants through the mail or from a catalogue (or from Lowe's!). Also the fun of a plant road trip with like-minded friends could make your week. I find it very satisfying to come home with a carfull of plants from everywhere on the map.  It will also help the local economy...AND when you put your new purchases in the ground, you'll get a good workout in the most Zen way by getting in touch with nature at the same time. Maybe now that garden season is slowing down a little, it's time to jump in the gardenmobile.

Garden info:  It's the second week in June, so it's time to cut back mums and asters. I also cut back my tall summer phlox, boltonias, and some sedums. Cutting back these plants helps to stagger bloom time and keeps them shorter for a neater appearance. Stay tuned and we'll see you soon!