My first March in NC held cold rain and snow -yuck!- so the past week of 80* has been a beautiful surprise! We have been taking walks each evening after dinner and finally agreed that Spring is here to stay. Time to break out the trowel and big hats!
The girls took a trip to the nursery while R dug a new shaded flower bed in the back. The front is now awash with viola, pansies, creeping phlox, and early snapdragon. Ferns are hung between the columns and the boxes are fertilized, waiting for daylilies. All of this new growth, intermingled with the bulbs we planted in the fall, makes for a beautiful scene.
The back is full of color, too! The large planter is overflowing with pink and red geranium and the twin pots with a mix of rosemary, strawberries, and lantana. The new shade bed holds camellia and winter daphne. We are just waiting for the bougainvillea to come out for the large upright planter and Chinese snowball to accent the deck.
Plans are in place to set blueberry bushes along the fence next spring. I’m hoping to expand the shade bed in the fall to include Lenten rose and hydrangea. The front island may end up with some more rose bushes before the summer is over.
R took charge of the vegetable garden this year, putting down seed and compost two weeks ago. We are hoping for watermelon, zucchini, and peppers this year. He also threw in a mix of leftover cool weather seeds, including radish, broccoli, and pumpkin. You never know what will sprout in our garden!
Little K has taken over both yards. It has been so much fun watching her teach herself to hoolahoop and jump rope! I built a quick-and-dirty corral for her kickballs in the back and she has been covering the front drive with drawings. She has also taken charge of watering all of the new plants. Too much fun!
Reading on the front porch swing has returned as my favorite pastime. I am digging back into Marlena de Blasi’s “A Thousand Days in Tuscany” and just loving it. Each chapter leaves me hungry for a quiet life of food, wine, and mountains. I can’t wait to try her recipe for fried zucchini flowers!
We celebrated St. Patties Day in our own way: steak and green mashed potatoes with a green angel food cake for dessert. Alas, no pictures.
Coming Up: Wednesday Weigh-In. See dspence’s daily tracker and find out how many pts were really in that green angel food cake.
Next Week: Spring Cleaning and Birthday Prep. Will the house be mopped before dspence turn 31? Find out next Monday!
And, Later: Donor BCPs to Commence in April. Will dspence's relationships survive the hormones?
All this and more…
I'm jealous, it's still a little too cold here for spring flowers!
ReplyDeleteHello from ICLW! I recently read through a lot of your archives and really appreciate the interesting perspective your blog takes. Thank you for sharing your story. I will be cheering you along.
ReplyDeleteHi from ICLW. I love this description of your garden. It sounds like you'll have a very colorful spring and bountiful summer and fall ahead! And you have quite a little helper too!
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