Although the calendar may say that spring has arrived, Mother Nature has other ideas. Here in middle Tennessee, Mother Nature has decided that it's not quite time to say goodbye to winter. We've had some very cold, gloomy, wet days since the first day of spring. Today I woke to a dusting of snow with more in the forecast for today and tomorrow.
I had a lot of plants coming out of dormancy, so I hope all my "babies" are okay out there!
This past Saturday, 3-23, the weather wasn't great, but it was nice enough for us to do some work in the garden. We were able to get the new beds in Morrow Park Phase III completely ready to plant.
We just added this small path that connects to the larger path. The small section in the right front has a little bermuda grass in it, so it will need to be sprayed with grass killer once the bermuda comes out of dormancy. It wouldn't do any good to spray now because since the bermuda is dormant, the spray would not travel to the roots.
Compost and aged horse manure have been added to all planting areas. My hubby tilled everything together and I smoothed the beds with my rake. My hubby is a master at making new beds. He tills every new bed to a depth of about 12 inches. Now all we need is some warm weather and some plants......
Well I'll be darn, look what I found in the garage :-) I have quite a collection waiting to be planted.
There are 42 plants here. This coming Friday, some of us gardeners from Clarksville are going to a wholesale nursery in McMinnville, Tennessee. I have my list already made and it's a looooong one! Many of the plants I buy on Friday will be used in the BIG SURPRISE coming to Morrow Park Phase II. I also have 41 types of flower seeds waiting to be planted.
I know spring will be here soon, I just have to be patient. In the meantime, I can still enjoy all the bird activity going on in the garden. I can always count on them for some great entertainment. For those of you following my Bluebirds, they are still here but haven't chosen a house yet (as far as I know.) The male is the most aggressive Bluebird I've ever seen. He has no problem chasing other birds away from the houses he's interested in, even though he's still "just looking". I did buy them more mealworms, but I've found that many of the birds enjoy mealworms, so I hope my Bluebirds got to eat some of them.
I hope everyone has a wonderful day and until next time.....
Happy Gardening!
Words and Photos Property of Christy's Cottage Wildlife Garden.
Your shopping trip sounds very exciting. Still too much snow to buy plants up north here, but there is a big sale in mind may that I am looking forward too.
ReplyDeleteHi...Yes, I'm very excited about this trip. I've never been to this nursery, but I've seen the plant/price list and it's unreal. I just paid about $35.00 for a Peony at my favorite nursery (local) and the wholesale nursery I'm going to Friday has gallon Peonies for $6.95. It's always fun to have a plant buying trip planned so you can look forward to it. Thanks for stopping by!! I'm enjoying following your blog and seeing all the plans you have!
DeleteHi Christy, I am really impressed with all the hard work that you are putting into the garden! You are doing it right to amend the new beds properly first and then start planting. Can you lent me your hubby to work in my garden as well ;-)? After five years of hard digging my husband is completely "done with gardening". Unfortunately he never was or is into gardening, but I have to give him credit that he still helps me with the heavy lifting. I think the number of plants that are waiting in your garage to get into the ground is the number of plants that I plant in one year ;-). You simply garden on a much larger scale than I do and I really look forward to follow the process. Hope spring comes soon to your area!
ReplyDeleteChristina
Hi Christina....When we lived in San Marcos our entire lot was 45x75. I literally ran out of room to plant anything. When we moved here we wanted some land, so we have 3.6 acres. To us this is a dream come true. I am so lucky that my hubby likes to garden and he really enjoys preparing beds. You are so right about amending the new beds, the plants go crazy. We're lucky to have a friend a few miles away that owns horse stables. We can get all the horse manure we want and the plants absolutely love it. At least your hubby did some work with you and helps with the heavy lifting. I have many gardening friends who's hubbys don't help in the garden at all. I really do garden on a very large scale and it just keeps getting bigger :-) I'm so excited about finishing Morrow Park and revealing the BIG SURPRISE. I think it's going to be awesome! Thanks so much for stopping by.
DeleteAre you going to Mary's Greenhouse! You lucky gardener, I need to get a group together...HMM...someone with a truck for sure. Your garden looks wonderful, I can't wait to see it when winter finally leaves us in peace. gail
ReplyDeleteHi Gail...We sure are!! I've never been there but when I saw the list of plants and the prices I just had to go. I think my truck will be full by the time me and the friends riding with me are done shopping! I hope winter leaves us soon. Mother Nature has been teasing us with a nice day here and there. The temps next week look promising! Thanks for visiting!
DeleteThat's a lot of plants ready for your garden. Winter just doesn't want to leave this year. It keeps teasing us.
ReplyDeleteI agree GoSS! We got more snow overnight. However, the forecast starting tomorrow for the next 10 days looks very promising. I have my fingers crossed! My plants may be in the garden soon!
DeleteI can't wait to see what you all come back with on your trip! Have fun!
ReplyDeleteOh Tina....I have my list made and it's a long one. I'm buying all the plants for the big surprise plus plants for all my pots and then some just because I can!! :-) My list actually got a little longer when I called and they told me that each flat not only must be the same plant BUT ALSO the same color. Hubby and I may end up going back on Saturday if everything me, Angie and Eddie buy won't fit in the truck! This should be fun!
Delete42 plants! And more to come!! How fun! With your husband tilling down 12 inches, putting them in should go quickly and easily, too. I can't wait to see your garden in full bloom!
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to see it in full bloom either! I have to keep looking back at pictures to remember what it looks like! Yes, planting is usually pretty easy in the new beds and the older beds have been composted, etc each year so they are really easy too. Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteNow I wonder how all those plants got into your garage:) You certainly have accomplished a lot this spring--your garden looks all ready for a big planting day. We got hit with over 12" of snow this weekend--the first all winter--so outdoor gardening chores have been put on hold for awhile.
ReplyDeleteHi Rose....the last two nights we had snow but just a dusting, not 12"!!! I can't even imagine getting 12" of snow...I think I would have an attack of some kind!!! I think the garden fairies put those plants in my garage!! :-P After my gardening trip this Friday, I should have a garage FULL of plants. I can't wait to see everything in bloom and especially the BIG SURPRISE!!! Thanks for visiting!!
DeleteYour garden looks like a lovely mosaic with the dusting of snow on it.
ReplyDeleteNo snow here but many cold gray damp days. I'm hoping the chill will keep things from being drawn out and then nipped by frost. Or at least that's what I keep telling myself while waiting impatiently for warm sunshine. :)
Hi sweetbay! Thanks so much for the lovely comment. Some of my shrubs had quite a bit of new growth until we had a low of 17 degrees last week. I'm trying very hard to be patient, but it sure is hard. However, according to our 10 day forecast tonight will be 26, tomorrow night 30 and then we head into much warmer days and nights. I hope this is the turning point for us and spring will REALLY be here!!
DeleteThanks so much for stopping by!
Christy, I think this spring seems to be taking so long because last spring arrived so early, at least here in CT. At this time last year, it was 70 degrees and all sorts of plants were blooming when they weren't supposed to be. It was weird and wonderful at the same time. This year I keep reminding myself that we're having a normal New England spring, whatever that is!
ReplyDeleteHi Debbie...I totally agree with you! I think I got spoiled last year, but this is more normal weather! Our normal last frost date is April 15th. However, in the eight years that I've lived here, I've always been able to plant my annuals and perennials starting around the 7th of April (with the exception of last year when I planted in March.) I'm hoping this year is the same! Thanks for visiting!
DeleteI don't think I quite realized how large your garden was until you showed us that overall shot. It's enormous! All those plants lined up in the garage and more to be purchased! It is going to look amazing.
ReplyDeleteHi Jennifer....thank you so much for your nice comment!! We currently have about 10,000 SQ FT of beds plus our vege bed. I have my list all ready for Friday and I'm getting 18 flats of annuals, plus quite a few perennials. Most of the annuals will go in pots in Morrow Park and in the BIG SURPRISE in Morrow Park. I can't wait to see how the gardens look once all the plants are in and start growing. Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteOh my. You are so ready. And I haven't even started although my Amyarilys are ready to open for Easter...:)
ReplyDeleteHi tb....well, we've got a good head start. Today was the first time in a few days I was able to get out and look at everything...boy do I need to weed. That's what I'll be doing tomorrow, then Friday going to buy more plants!! I'm so glad you stopped by.
DeleteI enjoyed the wide and closer views of your garden. I love it, and those paths! I hope it warms up enough to get your plants in soon.
ReplyDeleteHi Sue....Thanks for your nice comments! I like to give people a good perspective of what the garden looks like so I enjoy both close-up and wide pictures. Our temps are looking warmer for the next ten days, however now the forecast is showing a lot of rainy days. Hopefully soon I'll be able to get everything planted! Thanks for stopping by!!
DeleteWhy, yes, I would say you have plenty of plants ready in that garage! ;-) I can't wait to see your posts describing how you are planting them! Winter is slowly melting away here in Wisconsin, too. I hope we all get some significant warmth soon!
ReplyDeleteHi there! Well, today I went to that wholesale nursery and came home with 311 more plants. 192 of them are Marigolds in the 4 pks, but that's still a lot of plants. I can't wait to show you the BIG SURPRISE coming to Morrow Park. According to the 10-day forecast, our area has some warmer weather coming. I hope Winter melts away in your area soon too! Thanks for visiting.
DeleteGood to know about the mealworms although ewwwww...but I will get over it if I can get my winter feeders ready this fall. I am amazed at all you have planned....winter has loosened his grip here and we are getting more blooms suddenly...here we go!!!
ReplyDeleteHi Donna! Here we go is right. Our 10-day forecast has some very nice days and I'm so excited. You should see our Mockingbirds trying to protect all the feeders. There is one that flies between the suet, the apples, the mealworms and the peanuts trying to scare all the other birds away. He can't be eating anything because he spends all his time flying around. It's so funny to watch him! Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteSo you got it! We heard there was a possibility of snow, but probably would be farther north. We did get freezing temps, which killed pretty blooms on my saucer magnolia, but the snow came to you instead! Have fun with all your new plants! I am planning a trip to the nursery tomorrow (Friday), too. Very excited about that!
ReplyDeleteHi Deb....yes, we got it alright. However, other than turning some of the new growth on some shrubs a little brown, I think everything came out ok. I'm sorry to hear about your magnolia. I went to the wholesale nursery today and came back with 311 plants. 192 of them are Marigolds in 4-packs that will be used in the BIG SURPRISE coming to Morrow Park. Now if it will just stay warm, I can get all of these plants planted!! I hope you got some wonderful plants on your shopping trip! I appreciate you visiting!!
DeleteI saw your post days ago and my comment did not register. I forget my comment exactly but it was about how nice the garden looks with a dusting of snow, and soon it will be welcoming Spring. For some reason my comments are not being accepted on some sites.
ReplyDeleteHi Donna...I'm glad your comment finally came through! I thought the garden looked really nice with that dusting of snow. You can really see where the paths and the stepping stones are. It just gives the garden a whole different look. I now have 353 plants waiting to be planted. I'm looking forward to showing everyone my garden once everything is planted and growing!! Thanks for checking to make sure your comment went through...I always appreciate hearing from you!
DeleteThe thought of the joy all those lovely plants will give you must make up for that snow!
ReplyDeleteHi there! Oh, you have no idea how much joy plants bring me!! Ater my shopping trip to a wholesale nursery today, I came back with 311 more plants.....so now, I'm jumping for joy I'm so happy. I can't wait to show you my garden once everything is planted and blooming! Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteSpring temperatures are on their way and will be here soon. We were due for more snow last week but we got by without and the temperatures are finally warming up and the crocus are blooming! It is so exciting that you have your plants all ready to go. Can't wait to see it all finished!
ReplyDeleteHi Lee...I'm so glad the snow passed you by. Our area is expecting warmer temps for the next 10 days too. On Friday I went to a wholesale nursery and came home with 311 more plants (almost 200 of them are in 4-packs and will be used for the BIG SURPRISE in Morrow Park). I definitely have my work cut out for me once in warms up ...and I will enjoy every minute of it! :-) Thank you for checking in with me!
DeleteHi Christy, I love the garden photo in your blog header, and enjoyed seeing your gardens at this stage...can't wait to see them as spring and summer come. I'll bet they are just beautiful! We have had a male and female bluebird here since Easter. Two years ago, bluebirds nested here. Last year they just checked out the facilities and moved on. Hoping they stay this time. Hope you have some stay too! I read your "about me" profile statement and it sounds like you blog a out a lot of things that I'm interested in, so I've decided to follow your blog. So glad you visited me and left a comment so that I was able to find your blog, Christy!
ReplyDeleteBlessings, Beth
Hi Beth...I'm so glad you enjoyed my blog and decided to follow it. My Bluebird pair are still here although I don't know if they've selected a house yet. I hope your Bluebirds decide to stay around too. They are so cute and fun to watch. As you've seen, we are finishing Morrow Park Phase II and III this spring and I'm excited about how it will come out. I'm really looking forward to completing the BIG SURPRISE in Phase II and showing it to everyone. Right now I have 311 plants in my garage waiting to be planted, plus I still have to go to my favorite nursery and get more annuals. If it ever warms up I'm going to be really busy...but I love every minute of it!! Thanks again for stopping by and I'm looking forward to seeing more of your blog!
ReplyDeleteFrom the top view of your garden, it looks like it is painted. Very wonderful. The snow added accent to the view.
ReplyDeleteHi Nelson...thank you for your kind comment. I hope you visit again to see it in bloom!
DeleteI think spring is pretty close, Christy, if not actually on the doorstep. Thanks for visiting my blog -- I answered your question there. P. x
ReplyDeleteHi Pam...Yes, I think spring is close...we are having warmer days but our usual wind. Thanks for answering my question about the scoot. I'll probably get one!
DeleteChristy, here's to spring's imminent arrival in your garden! You're going to keep busy planting, for sure!
ReplyDeleteHi Cindy....I think spring has finally sprung!! I will definitely be busy...I have 311 plants waiting in the garage plus I have more to buy for the BIG SURPRISE! Thanks so much for stopping by!
DeletePerennials that can't wait and emerge just to get killed back will keep trying. Tender annuals that go out too soon are toast. There's nothing like having a Big Surprise in a Garden's future.
ReplyDeleteHi NellJean...It looks like other than some new growth on a few shrubs everything came out OK after the frost. I am so excited about the Big Surprise and can't wait to show everyone. Thanks so much for visiting!
DeleteI'm here again to say that it's too early for Pentas in your zone, they're much more tropical than Petunias. I have Pentas now because I root my own. They won't be in nurseries even here in zone 8b for a while. I plant them out when new growth appears on the ones that roots survived the winter, not always a sure thing.
ReplyDeleteIt's also too soon for Madagascar periwinkles. They are disease susceptible if planted too early.
Hi and thanks for the info on the Pentas. I was going to use them as the "tall" plant in my pots, but will change to something else. I appreciate your help!
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