Pulmonaria

Pulmonaria, Lungwort, is one of the first plants to bloom in my gardens each year. They are especially great as they keep their leaves all season and grow similar to hostas into a nice round clump. They seed freely and form great masses of plants if not deadheaded. They prefer a shady site and thrive in an area that gets flooded in winter and spring.




I have the variety with dark green leaves with white spots that produces both pink and blue flowers on each plant. Right now their leaves are very small, but you can see the spots quite easily.




I noticed last year that a white variety has evolved.




As a garden center was going out of business last year I was able to scoop up a silver leaf variety
which has a delicate pink bloom!

Look what I found

Took a hike out back to check out the Rosina Violets out back. They are a good three weeks behind in growth from the ones out front. Did find one little one in bloom, all by itself. Hopefully it will have more company soon.



Interesting how there is so much diversity within my gardens. The front gets the full hot sun all day, so things are much faster in coming up. But I never took a close enough look to actually figure how how far ahead my front gardens are!! VERY INTERESTING!!!



So if I remember - it would be wise to plant some of the cool weather veggies out back, to prolong the harvesting. The seed bed we cleared last year is where we used to plant all our veggies years gone by. So the soil is good and will be a great place to transplant some of those seeds I already planted that need work out front! I just wrote myuself a note so that I will remember to move them back there.

This is a close up of this beautiful Violet. I just love the rosy color. Soon the whole back slope around the pit will be covered with these blooms and joined by the five other colors of violets I have around here.





There are tons of violets, so I have lots to share. There is deep purple, violet, white, white with purple and variations which have developed from all of the above! Come and help yourselves!

And Krissy, this photo is for you. These are my white Lily of the Valley starting to poke up in back gardens!! Got some pink ones last year. Can't wait to see them in bloom!!


Have a great day!

Blueberry bed

Looking up from the hedge, this is the area where the Blueberries are going.




And this is the view towards the hedge. Such a large area of lawn.




I started by just transplanting bushes to the area.




I also moved all the roses left around the front gardens to bring out a new bed in front of the hedge.




I moved two established Blueberry bushes that I had purchased from the back gardens. They had not done well as they were in very overcrowded ares, without the benefit of full sun.




I also moved a Snowberry bush, a Crabapple seedling from my large Red Crabapple by the driveway, a Peegee Hydrangea that was crowded out of the hedge and Highbush blueberries from the woods.





I added a Butterfly Bush that had been residing in the Daylily bed at the end of the area.




Then I put fabric down on the grass around them and piled on leaves shredded by the lawnmower in the fall. As long as it is a natural fiber, fabric works as a great layer to keep out weeds/lawn growth, just like newspapers or landscaping cloth.


From this view you can see the start of my new veggie beds.

Change is coming

This is the view you all got to enjoy last year in the gardens. This huge expanse of lawn has been dwindling ever so slowly over the past 22 years! It started with the area down by the street. We put in the Burning Bush/Privet hedge, then planted Rugosa Roses and Creeping Juniper. As the Juniper got overrun by native plants and ivies, Sheila and Jimmie transplanted it to their gardens, where it was enjoyed all winter long by their resident deer!! How nice to have provided a winter feast for the taking - or should I say, eating!!

Obviously we are still working on their deer problem!!

I took over more lawn for the front perennial beds and the berry patch, then added the nursery bed, Lily bed, Strawberries and Yucca and on and on.

Then last year after going through the process of becoming a Certified Natural Habitat I learned how much a lawn can add to the problems of our environment. The gas used for mowing, the gas emissions added to the environment, not to mention the energy expended doing the mowing and the chemicals required to maintain a pristine lawn.

All added up to me rethinking the whole thing. Add to that having no available garden space to grow many veggies. Then comes that wonderful book, "Gaia's Gardens". That was all I needed to figure out that I already had the perfect place for my veggies. Where do I get the most sun? Right out front.

So I started changing it more last fall. I moved Blueberries out from the back and the woods, established guilds for my Apple and Pear trees, and decided to get rid of most of the front lawn.

So this photo is all that remains of what used to be a large expanse of lawn!!

First bouquet

This is the first bouquet of the season! I picked it about three weeks ago, making it the earliest Violets I have ever picked!! This is the Rosina Violet. They always bloom earlier than all the other varieties I have.

These are from a little patch right by the driveway so they are easy to spot - Hey, I have more of this variety out back. I need to remember to check it out today!

New raised beds

Have finally got a plan for more vegetable beds. Started putting brick walks on front lawn which will surround new raised beds for vegetables. That is the area that gets full sun all day. These beds will abut the new Blueberry island I created in the fall, which will be bordered by a new potato bed as well.

I found a large bed of Daylilies in the woods, so dug up a bunch for one of our gardeners and proceeded to harvest several tubers for a meal before sending them off to their new home. I cooked them with Wintercress leaves in broth, and enjoyed it as a soup with my dinner. Mia and John did not like the tubers with their skins on. The kids and I do, so I figure they can peel them after they are cooked, but neither one of them was willing to do the work! Oh well, their loss. From now on I will just use them at lunch with the kids.

The other day the kids and I gathered Dandelion flowers, buds and leaves. They picked all the flowers, helping me to locate the plants. I boiled the leaves and buds, then served with butter. The kids did not go for either, but I found them pleasant enough to eat. Another time I would probably put them in with other items in a soup/stew. I have been using the leaves for salads and additions to many dishes so far.

Lots of seedlings are coming up: Radish, lettuce, spinach, kale, arugula, broccoli rabe, for edibles, and lupine, columbine, cleome and many more perennials. A few of you who have been here already have taken home lots of seedlings. They all need thinning, so I am very happy to be able to share them rather than put them into compost.

I'm finding it much easier to not capitalize to get this written. Funny how easy it is to adjust when time is so much more precious. In the gardens I am trying to zero in on the most important things to get done. But then I tend to get side tracked so easily.

Went out to dig the lilies and then saw remnants of groundnut throughout the wild roses. Those roses have gotten so overgrown over the years, but are in a spot edging the woods, so have not been a priority. There was a nest in it from last year, so it has been serving a purpose, but too many thorns in my way of digging the lilies, so I stopped and just pruned it all back, so that I can dig up the ground nut. Last fall I dug a bunch in another area, and found them to be quite tasty.
It is so much fun to locate another source of edibles.

Planning to help a friend thin out bleeding heart today. Did mine (the White ones) last week with Krissy's help. The roots were just amazing. Some were creeping along the soil line, as they had no where else to go. I managed to have enough to give to the seven gardeners who were on my waiting list for it and then had extra which I surprised two people with. You never know what you might find over here!

Started watching the kids as JD started work this week. Thank You, God. Definitely keeping very busy. Such glorious weather!!

Plants now available

Make arrangements to come over and get young plants while they are easiest to transplant. check out list of available plants. As I am very busy getting ready for vegetable plantings, there will only be a few offerings of plants this spring.