One Frog in the Peas

But an otherwise unobstructed view.

Spring has sprung here in NC.  Which, of course, means that it's in the 70s and 80s during the day, and still occasionally drops to freezing temps at night.  Up here on the third floor, I haven't had to do much to protect my seedlings - I'm more worried about not watering them enough than seeing them perish to cold.

The boys and I went to Michigan for a week during spring break and, of course, had a marvelous time galavanting between the homes of various friends and family.  My tolerance for cold has all but evaporated,  but I must admit that unlike springs here in the south, spring in the ice box is much more a cause for celebration.  Here, greenery more or less pops into existence.  In Michigan, each new bud and bloom is revered and celebrated.

So, my patio is ready for a new garden season.  Pots are scrubbed and shelves are cleared, and I need to start thinking about what I'm planting.  There are a few plants still going, but most (even the perennials) managed to die because I forgot that, in the south, in the winter, on a patio, you must water all year round.  Oops.

The what-to-plant debate has been further complicated by the fact that I don't know what to do about my community garden spot.  The garden leader has decided to move me from last year's spot to a different one, and I object.  I put close to $100 worth of soil improvements in my plot last year, and to have to start from scratch this year would SUCK.  I've bemoaned the places' excessive rules and stupid policies before (and if the new plot the dude gives me is one that was overrun with mint last year, I'm really gonna be pissed).  I object to the enforced "community building" crap - I don't want to be social, thankyouverymuch, I just need some dirt.  And truth be told, my patio is plenty of work already.  But oh, the sunshine my plants get at the plot... it absolutely can't be rivaled here.

Quinn misses roses.  I can't do sunflowers properly on the patio.  Or peppers.  I should probably just suck it up, especially since I've already paid the $30 annual fee.  Don't worry, I'll talk myself back into yet.  But I think my irritation at losing last year's work is justified.

Tomorrow I think I'll be off to do some plant shopping and pick up some dirt.  But today, I'm enjoying a mostly unobstructed view from the patio, in perfect weather, with a hot cuppa and the pumpkin bread I made last night.  Life is good.

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Greetings & A Flower

Thank you for the kind welcome, Summer! I'm new at this, so be gentle, dear readers.

I've been trekking through the back woods behind my complex the last few Sundays to see what's growing, budding and flowering. I thought I'd post a photo of this beautiful Mayapple for a start.

What I tend to see the most of though (it's amazing how successful a plant can be) is poison ivy. Remember the "leaves of three, let them be" saying? Pretty much holds true. I wear my fake rubber wellies out there and often gloves, too. But it doesn't deter me from enjoying the plants and trees. Hope to share more photos in the future.

Best,
Water Daughter

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I'm still here! And a new author...

Check out who is still in the land of the living!  Work and kids kept me awfully busy for a while there, and just when I needed a break, Easter provided an excellent opportunity for escape.  We drove nearly a thousand miles to get to Eau Claire, WI and back to visit family.  It was a lot of fun, but damn 8 hours is a long drive when you've got two young energetic BOYS in the backseat.  Not to mention a 3-state evening thunderstorm.  That was just *awesome*.

But wow did that storm have an major effect on my little .7 acres!  I took a bunch of pictures of my garden in progress before we left with the intention of doing a blog post, but I just didn't have the time.  So now I get to do a splendid before and after. But before I get to that...

An exciting bit of news!  I've sweet-talked one of my dear friends into becoming a contributing author of this blog!  Yay!!  Woohoo!!!   Welcome!!!  WaterDaughter, who grew up on a river in Manistee, and I met thanks to our converging paths in the nonprofit circle, and became good friends because we share a love for the green and wild, among other things.  She plans on occasionally posting photos and information about the lovely wild things she comes across in her many treks through swampy Michigan wonderfullness.

Now some before and afters:

Chives

Guara

Lovage

Roses

And some things that hadn't popped when I left:

Daffodils

Tarragon

Tulip Buds

And, of course, bugs!

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What a Difference a Week Can Make

This is what we were up to a mere week ago.

Lots of ice.  Lots of snow. 

 Lots of clothing required.

 But there was reason to smile.  It was warming up!

The walnut trees were budding...

Velvety red blooms waiting to burst into glorious green.

And finally, a long handful of days above freezing, complete with sunshine.  Hello, wonderful mud!

Orange mint is coming out to play.

Day lilies are peeking through the half-frozen muck and clay.

The winter savory is revealing itself.

And it looks like my rhododendrons, which haven't bloomed since I planted them two summers ago, might even come out and play.

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Wordless Wednesday: Chive Flower from June '09

Chive Flower, originally uploaded by SummerAlyssa.

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A Sunshiney Day!

I got home from work, turned the faucet on to get a drink of water, only to look up and notice a strange, rarely-seen phenomena.

 

Sunshine!!!!!  ( Seen here through the Mullberry tree row between my yard and a neighbor's.)  I, of course, immediately grabbed my camera and ran outside to record the moment.  Did I mention sunshine?  In February?  It was a moment to revel in!

It was also above freezing, so I got to check out some plants that had until recently been completely snow covered.  Like this branch of my sage bush.

And this lemon balm bush.  (Which, when mixed with chamomile flowers, makes my absolute favorite summertime tea.)

The sky was an amazing azure blue barely marred by only a few clouds, seen here through the lovely (though problematic) walnut trees.  I didn't edit this photo at all except to crop it.  The sky really was that exact color!

I also took the opportunity to take my boys out for some fun in the sun.  We raced around a local church parking lot with our two Traxxas RC cars, the Slash and the Stampede.  We even invited out our favorite neighbors, Ela and Kristian.  For the first time in months, they didn't need snowpants!

It's supposed to be more or less sunny for the rest of the weekend, but we'll see.  I hope so!  The cars aren't the only things that need to recharge their batteries;)  And, I'm in desperate need of a tan.

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Played in the Dirt Today

Look what I got in the mail yesterday!

I can pull of this many experiments because at the place I order from, the small packs are 35 cents, and the big ones $1.  Cool, eh?  I'm so excited.  There are 48 varieties of plants here, from herbs to flowers to veggies, ranging from incredibly common to exceptionally unusual.

Such power in such small packages.  These are Immortelles seeds.  Aren't they cool and funky looking?

Here is what I did today.

This is only a small fraction of seeds to be planted, but not all are suitable or in need of being started early.  Some are soaking on paper towel  on styrofoam trays inside plastic bags to germinate, and others are already in soil.  Some will take at least  month to germinate, others days.  A green clock counting down the days until spring.  :D

In case you were wondering, in these pots are:

Anise
Angelica
Basil (Genovese)
Basil (Lettuce Leaf)
Catnip
Chinese Wolfberry (Goji)
Columbine
Fenugreek
Fuller Teasel
Immortelle (Everlasting)
Lemon Grass
Pumpkins (Jack O Lantern)
Pumpkins (Lumina)
Rue
Valerian
Yarrow (Pink, White, and Yellow)

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