In the Garden: April 2010 Archives

If you should be in the vicinity of Peru, Indiana, I highly recommend that you look for Garden Gate Nursery. I've been visiting this nursery for years on my annual visit to my sister, and they have wonderful plants! The variety is excellent, and the plants are healthy and strong.

What makes me tell you about them is not the quality of their plants, but their generosity of spirit. While I was there, I dropped my cell phone in their parking lot and left without realizing my loss. When we returned to Illinois the next day, there were two messages from them on my answering machine, asking me to call to determine what to do about the phone.

When I called, I asked if they would mail the phone to me. The owner took my name and address, and then made a sound of understanding when he realized I live in the Chicago suburbs. It was going to be difficult for me to get back to them the next day. I offered my credit card number to cover the cost of postage and handling, but he refused it! They wrapped the phone in bubble wrap and placed it in a Priority Mail box and sent it off. It arrived safely two days later.

So, I am pleased to let you know about this company, and hope that you will have the chance to visit with them. I'm sure you will enjoy the visit, and the plants you purchase, as well.

I know that you will see this before you get to the next entry, so this thought is a little out of order, but related.

I had the pleasure of working in the front garden yesterday. I decided to deadhead daffodils, and worked for an hour clipping them back. I need another hour. I think I might have gotten about half of them done. It was an incredibly prolific year for daffodils.

While I was there, I took the time to trim back the Russian sage, which has a nice start. I also pruned dead branches off the redbud, and cleared some weeds from the mulched bed. It's VERY satisfying to know that so little effort can make such a difference in the appearance of the gardens.

I've been blogging in my head for the last month, and almost every thought had to do with the spectacular Spring we have been experiencing. Starting at the end of March, we had a spate of warm weather that lead up to Easter. I was afraid that the daffodils, which had opened early in the warmth, would faint before my family could see their glory at Easter. Not only did they last, but more opened. This is the first time daffodil season and Easter Sunday have coincided, so that my extended family could see the display.

Thanks to a shift back to more seasonal weather, the daffodils hung on for weeks, joined about ten days ago by tulips. Each time I walk outside, I feel like the dog in the commercial who is tossed a doggie treat, and he floats into the air in happiness! I wiggle with pleasure at the beauty around me!

Dear Husband, wonderful man that he is, has slipped the rings over the peonies. They have responded to the warmth, and are easily 15 inches tall now. I plan to harvest some of the buds before they open and refrigerate them, so that I can enjoy peonies for weeks in flower arrangements.

I spent a couple of days working in the herb garden several weeks ago. I got in early to kill off thousands of feverfew starts that I didn't want. That's an incredibly prolific plant. If you don't plan to make your own tinctures and teas, you might want to think twice about planting it. I cleared the walkway while I was at it, and put down Preen, but I should have watered the Preen in, and I can see that I have more volunteers to kill off.

When we visited with my youngest sis a week ago, we made our annual visit to her favorite nursery. I brought home a few plants that I hope to get in this week. I'll have to wait on the basil, but the lavender can be planted now, and I think I might get away with the annual red fountain grass. It's tender, but it will be planted next to a brick wall that should radiate heat during the night, and allow for the earlier planting.

I have spinach plants rising up through the dirt in the trial pot. I believe that I can start spinach fully eight weeks prior to our last frost date and have a viable crop. I have some in the bed now, and I'll try to get another row in tomorrow. We're having on-again off-again rain for several days, so I'll have to run out between storms to get it planted.

I think this may be one of the best Springs that I can remember. The period from early April to late June is my favorite in the gardens. They have their best display, and I love the early bloomers. Iris are coming on strong, closely followed by lilies and day lilies. There's something new blooming almost every week. I'll try to be more vigilant with my camera so that you can see what's sending me into raptures!

Happy Spring to you all!