Plant ALL the plants!

I had great ambitions for this weekend. I had such great dreams for my little mess of a yard. Okay, really, my goal was simple plant all the plants that were sitting in the weed patch that I like to imagine will someday be a real live vegetable but for now is over run by this vicious weed could surely eat me alive should I be taken in by it's lush foliage and tiny purple flowers. But I will not be fooled by it's quaintness. I've learned my lesson. What starts out cute and lovely gets all kinds of ugly mid summer (I almost spelled that midsommar - guess who's excited for their Midsommar in Scandinavia?). So I dug and pulled and dragged and transplanted and I quickly went from this:

to this:

Btw, if you haven't read Hyperbole and a Half, stop whatever you're doing and go there right now. 

You're welcome.

I had 2 flats of annuals, 3 perennials and 2 tomato plants were in desperate need of being put into the ground and while I only got half of the annuals and both tomatoes planted, I did move a bazillion rocks out of what I imagine was once intended to be a rock garden but had subsequently turned into weed patch with dozens of cobble sized rocks looming at various depths beneath the surface. And because I'm a sadist, I bought another tomato plant at wholefoods in the afternoon, because, summer just isn't worth living without sweet 100's, right?

While I'm feeling a bit defeated about my silly little yard (remind me to never buy a house), I did manage to fold ALL the laundry! A small victory as it had started form a small mountain of rumpled clothes that threatened to block the door to my room. I'm going to go back to planning my vacation now.

lesson learned

My mother, the master gardener*, is adamant about wearing gloves while doing any sort of yard work or planting. I've often dismissed the idea because I don't really like the way they feel and if they're not freshly washed, they can be sort of gross.

Mom's favorite**

Well, I learned my lesson. Last week after pulling weeds and digging around my garden my hands were a mess. I'd broken a couple nails and the next day I had a rediculous hangnail situation which led to the an infection that left my left thumb swollen and throbby for 5 days. I think I am finally on the mend but I hadn't realized how much I use my left thumb until it became so infected that I found myself swearing every time I tapped it against my desk or tried to button my pants.

Time to invest in a few more pairs of gloves and band-aids - I don't want to risk loosing half of what separates me from the apes.



*I know that a master gardener is an actual title, a title which my mother hasn't officially achieved but if you've seen her flower garden, you'd agree that she has earned honorary.

** These cotton gloves dipped in latex are her favorite - they really do the trick - keeping your hands dry while allowing them to breath and grip. Also, machine washable.

generosity of a bearded iris

Saturday morning I drove out to this fancy garden center half an hour from my house. It was beautifully organized, their plants were like little works of art. It was all so lovely and crowded, as such places tend to be on lovely spring days, that I found myself completely overwhelmed. I realized I had no idea what I wanted, so I browsed over the lovely trees, precocious annuals, and sturdy perennials till I found the herbs and vegetables. I loaded my arms, as  there were no carts to be found, with strawberries and tarragon and beets and mellons and butter lettuce and brussel sprouts - yes I went a bit crazy. I carefully ballanced the tiny plants in my arms and made my way up to the cash register, where I was finally given a box for my lovelies.

I've got such great plans for my garden this year.

At some point my mind turned to flowers and I started thinking about irises - not dutch iris but the bearded irises that are so often found in the gardens of blue haired ladies.

They're such fussy flowers and they come in the oddest colors. I'm sure that I must have declared my disdain for them in the past. But along with so many things that I once hated, I've grown to love these flowers that have long fallen out of fashion.

I think it's time we bring them back. I mean look at these award winners, aren't they fabulous!

(They're judged on their emotional appeal, generosity and floppiness)

Here's what the good folk at Better Homes and Garden say about how to grow them in your garden.

sprouts

Good news, my new passport photo is a thousand times better than my last. I know you were all worried.

And while I'm sharing good news, I'm proud to announce that I spotted peas sprouting up on my garden this morning. Yes, it's a proud proud day when you peer into your raised bed and spot not one, but three little leafy bits pushing their way up. I thought they might like this crazy warm weather so I gave them a drink yesterday morning, hoping to get things moving and today they appeared!

Honestly I've developed a bit of a botanical mania. My house is filling up with plant and seedlings and sprouts and flowers. The other day I saw that someone had sprouted lentils (I admit, it may have been on Pinterest) and I just had to try it. Well, I'm here to report that they are adorable and apparently a tradition for Persian New Years, and I was thinking about Easter, guess they could go either way. 

photo from What have we got here?

Okay, this isn't my picture but you get the idea. I have mine in four little bowls that I picked up from Target. Away, they are awful cute and an inexpensive easy way to bring a little spring indoors. I'd imagine it'd be a great activity to do with kids as I got a real kick out of watching their daily progress.

I put some crumpled up paper napkin a bowl  (less is more, just need enough to cover the bottom of the bowl) and soaked it with water. Then I sprinkled enough lentils to finely cover the surface - and that's it. Check on them every day to make sure they're damp and within a few days you'll see them start to sprout.

Puxatawney's got some explaining to do

This has been a strange winter - maybe we should just call it a non-winter. Honestly, after weathering winters in Alaska, New England, Finland and Northern Utah, I was sort of done with winter. And now, wouldn't you know it, I sort of miss it. A few weeks ago, I was looking through old photos from my time in Finland and I became intensely nostalgic for snow. Snow is something that I haven't seen this year (flurries don't count) and I don't miss the logistical nightmares (like commuting through 6" of heavy slush with hundreds of drivers who haven't the slightest idea of how to drive in snow, or the countless times I got my car stuck in a snow bank in my own driveway) I miss the muffling effect, the magical ways in which snow can transform a landscape. And there's this sick part of me that loves those super cold days when everything is frosty and frozen the the ground just sort of crunches under your feet like styrofoam. Alas.

As much as I enjoy the beauties of winter, I think spring is the best season of all. And if spring wants to come early, I'm ready to embrace it. So long as it stays for a nice long while (not ready for an early summer).

Yesterday, I may have spent nearly $40 dollars on seeds - crazy, I know. My head is all filled with plans for my little garden this year. I'm learning from last year and rethinking the tomato situation, giving up on zucchini, and planting peas this weekend (it's early, but I'm gonna give it a go). And I've decided that there is nothing wrong with gardening on Sunday - it's no more "work" than knitting or cooking, though perhaps more strenuous - I think that it's a lovely way to connect with nature, and clear my mind of worries of my week. 

I'm really excited to be able to pick fresh tomatoes and arugula from my garden - honestly, that's really all I care about arugula and tomatoes, everything else is just an experiment.