Spring Garden 2010
Spring is here and it is once again time to start this seasons garden. This year I have added some new planters and can’t wait to get some new plants in. In addition to new plots I have also expanded some of the older ones. The soil here is not the best and each year I have to amend the dirt to keep my plants healthy and strong. The soil is mostly clay and really only support native grasses, weeds, and wild flowers. In the spring I add several bags of luscious black top soil and manure so that my plants will have the best chances to produce the most awesome flowers and fruits of the season.
New Flower Planter
This is my new flower planter. I had to dig this one up and till the land as it was previously unused last year. It didn’t take me too long, I spent about 4-5 hours using just a shovel. I broke the ground and turned it over, afterward I amended the soil using 3 bags of top soil and 2 bags of manure. I have several new plants this year and although this looks like a large planter I have already run out of space. I have planted mammoth Sun flowers against the fence with Scarlet Runner Beans in between to fill in the fence for a natural privacy screen. In front of these I have planted Hollyhocks, also my strawberries, chives, oregano, and on the far end some of my Angel Trumpets. In addition to my Purple Angel Trumpets, this year I have added some yellow ones.
Tomato & Pepper Planter
Another Planter we added this year is our Tomatoes and Peppers. This one doesn’t seem to look that big, but again this plot had never been used and had to be tilled and the soil amended before planting. My husband and I had started the digging but soon the project became bigger than either of us had expected. A young friend of ours came over and finished the job for us and it only took him a few hours to dig and turn up the dirt, something that would have taken us days to complete. That just goes to show there is something to say about youth 
. Thank you dear Glenn for all your help! In this plot there are 3 different varieties of tomatoes along with Jalapenos peppers, 2 varieties of green beans, and Cayenne peppers are planted in the tubs. Actually this vegetable garden is my husbands and he has done all of the planting and tending. Later, a fence will be added around the outside and top to keep the squirrels and ground hogs out of the garden.
Dieffenbachia I bring out in the summer
During the spring and summer months I bring my house plants out so that they can enjoy the warmth and humidity of our climate. In this photo are 2 different varieties of my Dieffenbachia. They are both 3 years old and the larger variety has been producing flowers. They really seem to love it outside and they will stay out until the weather turns cool in the fall. These plants bring some height to this corner of the yard where I don’t have anything to plant here as it stays in the shade most of the day. This is a perfect spot for my shade loving houseplants. This plant has grown so large I have much difficulty moving it in and out of the house, last year it grew to over 5 1/2 feet tall. I’m planning to cut it back and root some trimmings to pot and give away to friends so that they may enjoy this plant as much as I have over the years.
Echinacea
Moving into the front yard I have many more mature plants and some older planters. Here I usually just add more top soil to re-freshen the soil and add nutrients. Last year I planted a few plants to add to my medicine cabinet, one of them was this beautiful Echinacea plant, also
Mint
known as a Cone-flower. The next photo is one of 2 varieties of Mint that has done really well considering the long cold winter we had last year. Actually I was really pleased to see my Echinaceae and mint had survived as I had lost several other plants. It kills me when I lose a plant for any reason, but I suppose that is what happens when nature is in charge. Since I have taken these photos I have added more seeds to this planter, but they are still very small and not showing much progress as of yet. When they are a bit bigger I will up date with more pictures. I am looking forward to a successful growing season and will keep updated photos as my plants grow. It is still early in the season and we have many more months of this growing season!
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