Update

Been cleaning our house like a mad woman and finally just about done.

My indoor plants are moved and about 3/4 of the container garden is moved. The rest will be moved tomorrow! Then hopefully I will soon have pictures of my new patio area. (:

In the meantime I am rooting some mint and have some nasturtium seeds drying.

As for an update on the garden:

• lots of little buds on my four zucchini
• the nasturtium seeds I planted with them are growing, growing, growing
• my hydrangea is gorgeous (!)
• tomato has blooms
• the geranium has gone crazy
• dusty miller is going to bloom soon
• lavender and rosemary I rooted are doing well
• my coreopsis is great

Just to say a few things. (:

Moving is no fun.

The past week has been super busy between work, CM graduating, friends getting married on the coast, and moving across town.

Don't worry... I haven't forgotten to water my plants. (: Even with the rain we've had.

My mother was kind enough to let me pick some of her gorgeous Sweet William on Monday and they are, of course, still looking beautiful in my new place.

Woke up this morning to find...

... four female  jays in and around my potted plants. I never get females in the yard so I was pretty surprised. I was going to snap a photo but when I came back with my camera I scared them into the trees. I gave them the heels from a loaf of bread, just to be nice.... unfortunately they invited their friends the starlings. So that won't be happening again. (:

I did want to report that I picked another round of strawberries Monday night. We don't eat them fast enough when they're not in a dessert so I cut them to freeze and filled two quart size Ziplocs. Yay!

Hand-tied bouquet I made from what is in the yard.

Can words describe the fragrance of the very breath of spring?...

... Neltje Blanchan.

Isn't that right? One of my very favorite smells is a mix of sunshine, sweet alyssum, a blue plastic kiddy pool full of water, and Coppertone sunblock. I was thinking just this morning if someone could accurately put that in a candle I would totally stock up on that. But, alas! It cannot be done so I have to wait until this time of year to catch just a sniff of something similar. That is why I decided to put sweet alyssum in my hanging baskets this year and (as I've decided but am unsure I'll be able to follow through on it) every year!

 I was cheap this year. At work we were throwing out some cheap, brown plastic hanging baskets so I decided to take the hangers out and place them inside my coco fiber ones from last year. It wasn't very pretty, I'll admit. But part of being a gardener is knowing something beautiful is coming and having the patience to wait for it, right?


I used white sweet alyssum and what I thought was to be white trailing fuschia and white ivy geranium. The picture doesn't really show it, but the fuschia and the geranium are both more of a light pink than white.

The pot is diappearing!

What a nice surprise!

Despite all of the clouds and down pouring we have been experiencing, I picked enough strawberries to fill nearly 7 pints this morning. Some are going to a friend and some are going with CM on a rafting trip this weekend. The rest? They're going in my stomach where they belong. (:

Spring Visit

I took a visit home in late April and shot a few photos while I was there that I wanted to share. First of all, I brought my grandma a bouquet from my garden:

The rain starting.

Pretty star magnolia.

Looking up at the magnolia tree.

Just a little part of my grandparent's yard.

Wood hyacinths and globe flower.

I didn't stage this at all. The cart is just right where my grandma left it and it's perfect.

Meet Kitty!

Love Euphorbia.

Couldn't believe I found a damselfly!

Where we're at now?

Strawberries! First of the year for us!

These are in my stacking planter.

Everything is getting bigger, greener, brighter!

 

 Unfortunately my calendula has powdery mildew, but other than than all is well. Out in the front bed my work from last year was undone, my vinca vine is probably lost and all of the pretty purple was destroyed by aphids. Destroyed. I'm just glad they are staying out front.

You may notice I have a couple more basil. ^ I've been snipping it so it gets better. Used some on a pizza too!

Look at that chrysanthemum! 

I'm excited to share....

...what my mom has been up to! Check out Botanical Brouhaha's blog. There you can see Erika's Fresh Flowers as #7!

At long last...

I know this must be long anticipated! :) So sorry for the lack of updates on my garden. I take pictures, but they don't always find their way online. So here are some from a couple weeks ago, just to compare how my garden has been growing. 

I bought two box basil plants from Rite Aid.

My strawberries were doing wonderful.

I planted the cuttings of dusty miller with my chrysanthemum that wintered over and a coreopsis I impulse-purchased at Fred Meyer. :)

Could you imagine my excitement when my ranunculus bloomed? Finally!

My little scented geranium that also wintered over.

My calendula that wintered over had buds on it. So surprised!

My Top Hat blueberry is so cute!

My blue lacecap hydrangea that I thought could finally be lost after much neglect is fine.

Everything getting all bushy and bright.

My strawberry patch. Look at that mean weed on the right!