Life Stories and Beyond

Today, it’s raining. Love it! I slipped outside between showers to talk to our new bloomers and plants whose roots have made it into the ground, and those who are soon to have their little feet in the dirt. Bring on the gardening before it gets too hot and I hibernate.  Our backyard garden area is fenced off. That’s because our land and woods provide deer and other cute critters a place for sanctuary. They are welcome to eat most everything except our garden.

Here are a few of our spring plant friends:

Violets: These purple beauties spring up throughout our wild lawn and adorn our paver cracks. Tough little guys make a lie out of the title, Shrinking Violets.

Pansies: If anyone calls you a pansy, say, “Thanks so much.” These little buggers survive the crazy sudden freezes here in Charlotte. They go with the flow, until the summer heat. They’re like me – “Forget all that sweating!”

Iris: We divide and shallowly plant their bulbs since they only like their rooty feet covered. My oh my, they surely put on a show in spring.

Blue Bells: They’re about bloomed-out, but are a living keepsake from my grandfather. They multiply like wild. It’s like he visits us every spring.

Hydrangea: Here’s a little secret. Lowe’s has a clearance section behind the healthy flowers. Last year, we bought pitiful hydrangeas for $3 and just look at them now. (The two on the right.) We just got the other two for half price ($7) due to their wilty state. Rain and new soil and they’ll be fit as ferns in no time.

Purple Speckled Butter Beans: Last year’s crop self-seeded from the dried up last-holdout-pods from the year before. Now, they’ve done it again along the fence line where the parent plants thrived. We moved a few offspring back in line and voila! Our third generation is following in their parents’ rootsteps. We may never have to buy more butterbean seeds.

Miniature Cabbage, Brussels, Onions, Basil, Dill, Sage, Celosia for hummingbirds, Red Romaine Lettuce, Peppers, Parsley: Flourishing in our new raised bed gardens I thank the hubby for building.

Tomatoes, Begonias, Dusty Miller: Wagon of goodies for planting after frost danger ends. Tomatoes do not like sudden crazy freezes and I don’t like having to cover them up.

Another plus of overcast days: Sunless days provide for some wonderful photos. Hopefully, nature will bring forth at least a few dreary summer days for cooler gardening for those of us who are shade dwellers.