Some pictures to go along with yesterday’s post

Somehow I thought I had more pictures from our journey to Glick's, but, my only access to camera was when I could pry HP's crackberry from his hands. I was not able to capture the playground atmosphere or the acres of plants, begging to be chosen, but I did get a couple images.

I get a fuchsia every year. I love the deep colors of the traditional fuchsia.

But, to truly suit the Flamingo (and you know I must) I repeated the lighter pink like last year's.

I'm sure I'll get the deeper fuchsia when Glick's big sale starts in June.

I probably would have gotten more pictures, but HP was impatiens

We filled the buggy, as full as the little buggy gets. It is probably a good thing we don't have a bigger car, since we don't have a big enough yard to handle it!

Here is a sample of our shopping excursion A few tomatoes, some thai and serrano peppers , some parsley, the tall grass stuff that HP likes to put in the planter with his impatiens, a bleeding heart to replace the one HP heartlessly killed, some lemon balm.

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Kiki, in the garden

We had a brief hint of sunshine this weekend. Unfortunately, it was short lived, but it was a full day of sun.
First we went to our favorite greenhouse. We drove up on a sunny Saturday only to find that there were about a zillion other people with the same idea. The grown-ups were rushing throughout like kids at opening day of Hershey Park. Couples were calling to each other like kids discovering candy. "Look at the Zinnias! Honey do we have space for these peppers or more tomatoes?"
Loading up the buggies and filling trays with young plants, there were smiles everywhere. The promise of lush gardens and fresh juicy tomatoes was like a call from above, as in the Song of Solomon:

2:12 Flowers appear on the earth;
the season of singing has come,
the cooing of doves
is heard in our land.

In our yard, the doves have returned. Last summer they raised a family, we watched as they fed the babies, and taught them to fly. We didn't have a chance to say goodbye to them as summer faded away, but we were overjoyed to see them return.

Our very small yard requires quite a bit of work to keep it presentable. While I have always favored the "natural" look (to the point my husband calls it wild or sometimes unruly) we at least try to start the spring with some trimming. I think we only buy plants as a reward for all our trimming. I'm not sure that makes sense, but it's my story.

The hedges needed attacking, the grapes & wisteria were taking over the world and there were sticks and twigs and leaves to be picked up. And then more grapes and wisteria to trim. It was a long day in the yard followed by pizzas made on the grill. (Which I have yet to have time to photograph, though I think of it each and every time.)

The trimming did reap an unexpected reward, I had lots of grape leaves and had a wonderful Sunday dinner!

Salmon grilled in Grape Leaves.

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Kiki, in the Garden

So, dear innnernets, did I mention that HubbyPoo has signed up our garden for the Historic District Garden Tour?

I'm not sure that I did. I recall the young lady who was organizing it calling to "confirm."

Her: Hi Kiki! Your husband said that you guys would be on the garden tour this year. I just want to thank you for participating!
Me: He said what? He was lying! I can't imagine him agreeing to something like that with out talking to me.
Her: Oh, he said you guys would do it. He said it would be incentive to get things done in the garden.
Me: Was he drunk? Wait, he said what? Blast him, that is the same "rationale" that he used when he signed us up for the Christmas House Tour. Do you really need us? I thought people were dying to show off their gardens?
Her: Yeah, I really need you. You can make him do all the work
Me: Ok, we'll do it. But I'm broke, so I'm not sure how snazzy we'll get. And we don't have anything blooming that late in June. I just don't think the yard will look it's best.
Her: Oh, it'll be great you'll see

And so we are signed up for the Garden Tour. And while I was not planning to buy anything, when the Oley Valley Perennial sale came up, I had to go. I just wanted to replace my bleeding heart that HP killed ruthlessly over the past year. So off we went. No bleeding heart, but we did get some rosemary, an evening primrose, Polemonium (Jacob's Ladder), dill, parsley (we have that, why did we get more??) an Arizona Sun, another variety of Hosta, some sweet violet and I think something else that I can't remember. The Perennial Lady's prices are really good, she grows all the plants on her farm and she's just a nice person. If we have a spare inch in our garden, we'll probably go back again next year. Though I don't foresee having the space, somehow I foresee us visiting again. So much for not spending any money.

But wait, there's more. She told us that if we were looking for annuals (which, ok, we need some so we have a little more color in the yard) the prices can't be beat over at Glick's and their 1/2 price sale started June 1. And most important, it is kind of a big rambling, a little bit funky, kind of place. We dig that kind of place! Plus, they are the grower. It is always great to buy from the grower!

Unfortunately, we dug it a little too much and the prices all sounded so good. $0.67 for a 3-pack of the coolest "Zinnia Swizzle" (in cherry & ivory)! Who could pass that up? Plus the biggest Fuschia I've seen around for only $9.95 (we're talking a $35 plant) and they have some herbs and there was stuff to put in our planters so we bought some thai basil, some creeping mint (I thought that was cool, a yummy smelling ground cover!) some creeping thyme, some lobelia, a purple tomatillo, a huge boston fern, some gorgeous lisianthus, some impatiens, a draconea, a little vinca, our begonias, some strawflower "Bright Bikini Mix" cool name, eh? I think we may have gotten a little carried away! (and I'm sure that I missed something) So we literally had a buggy (actually, if I'm going to be literal, a Cabrio) full of plants. Annuals, perennials, biennials, perennials that behave like annuals (especially if we leave them in pots and don't put them in the ground...)

So we have spent our weekend planting and mulching and so forth. And, of course, when we spent all day out there beautifying the garden, I wanted to enjoy it at night so I had to visit my local Target while these adorable lights were discounted. They are now strung amongst the grapes.

I have spent my allowance for the next few months on plants and mulch and 2 strings of lights. (I really need at least one more, but the sale ended Saturday :( ) So we are officially on the garden tour and the yard/garden (yarden???) is looking great. Just a few more bags of mulch and we'll be done. Until we find something else to add to it!

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Plant of the Day

Do you have any idea what this plant is?

I've been living in my house for 5 1/2 years. I'm on my 5th beautiful spring in my delightful little garden-yard. I've admired & enjoyed this little plant. With it's abundant sunny yellow flowers dotting the leaves as it vies for space beneath the honeysuckle & trumpet vine, this is the little plant that could! Ok, the plant isn't so little--given a little leeway, it might think it can take over that section of the yard, but it behaves when asked nicely. And, until today, I had no real idea what this was. I had heard it may be some type of coreopsis, or possibly lantana, or maybe it's one of those, you know... but alas no definitive answer. UNTIL TODAY! I actually saw one, for sale at the garden shop. It was $30.00, but had no identifying tag in it. Ok, one step closer, it's a $30 shrub. of some sort.
So we asked the girl that works there. She dug through the pot looking for a tag, shrugged her shoulders and PLUCKED a poor innocent flower from the baby and went in search of an answer. And the mystery plant is.... (a drum roll please)

Kerria

Common Name: Japanese rose
Genus: Kerria
Species: japonica
Cultivar: 'Pleniflora'
Skill Level: Beginner
Exposure: Partial shade, Shade
Hardiness: Hardy
Soil type: Well-drained/light, Clay/heavy, Acidic, Chalky/alkaline, Moist
Height: 300cm
Spread: 300cm
Time to divide plants: September to November

Also known as Jew's mallow or quite simply as Kerria, this is a popular spring flowering shrub, just a single species from China but with several lovely varieties. It will grow almost anywhere, and soon develop into a thicket of tall graceful stems as suckers grow from the creeping roots, but it is best kept out of direct sunlight to avoid bleaching the flowers. In this form these are fully double, like golden pompons, ideal for illuminating a dark corner or north-facing wall. Chop round plants annually to restrain their spread. The Royal Horticultural Society has given it its prestigious Award of Garden Merit (AGM).

And now we know! I bet you sleep better tonight, I know I will. Now if I can figure out what else is growing out there, I'll be able to make it through the spring.

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