Planting Time!

An early trip to the Farmer's Market this morning yielded a car full of small plants and annuals for color. Then on to Lowe's to pick up some larger bushes. A new hydranga, rhododendrum, some Mr. Lincoln roses which are the deep red ones -- a honeysuckle to plant along the fence line and several others I can't think of right now.

I've got them set in the location I want them, but now comes the hard work. Digging the dirt and planting. We'd planned to have two beds enlarged and turned ready for this day but the relentless rain and cool weather kept it from happening. I still need to move the lavenders I layered last year - they are already almost too big to transplant and they are all blooming! The sage is in full bloom, pretty but needs to be cut way back as it is one that needs to be moved. The lemon balm that got froze out in the ice storm has come back stronger than ever and is scattered over the garden. It's so pretty but oh my, way too invasive for the small area I have now.

My plans are to move all the herbs to a small garden just off the patio. Love the scents and it's easy to clip pieces for cooking. My lavenders alone will fill at least a 6'square area, maybe more. I did get a new rosemary this year, called Island Spice. Has a lovely scent and I will probably keep it in a pot as it won't take the winters here. I can keep one large upright rosemary all year long as it's up against a south facing wall and fairly protected by the lavenders. I'll let it grow larger this year once the lavenders are cut back.

Spring Flowers

Dogwoods are everywhere in Missouri and are all in bloom now. The white ones grow in abundance alongside roads and the pink are usually found planted around homes. These in the front are a beautiful shade and in full bloom.












Coral Bells growing on the east side of the house, you can see one of the Hostas that surround them in the lower corner.


Redbud trees are another Missouri favorite. Blooming in early spring, the buds come out before the heart-shaped leafs open. This is a closeup of a few buds on the trunk, the tree is at least 15' tall.







Lilacs are one of my favorite flowers, I love the scent. These have been slow to open this year due to the fluctuating weather. On the left is a picture I took yesterday, April 30th, the buds are just barely beginning to open and there is no scent yet.

What a difference a day makes! The picture below was taken this afternoon, the 1st of May. The warm temperature overnight has helped the buds open and the scent is wonderful, I brought a few in for my desk.











One thing I love about MO is how fast everything greens up once we get a few warm spring rains. One morning you wake up and it looks like the faries were here and painted everything this beautiful shade of green.

Last Frost

April 28th is the last frost date for our area here in SW MO, and sure enough we had a light freeze on the 28th. Storms expected late tonight but isn't cold enough to freeze again. The up and down weather this year has caused some plants to be slower blooming. The lilacs are usually done by this time but are just now beginning to open.

But everything is coming to life and as it warms up more they'll really start growing. The herbs are already growing fast and a few are blooming. The sage has beautiful purple buds, not quite open yet. I'll post some pictures of the flowers in the yard.