Good morning fellow
bloggers! It's been a busy week....hence the absence of posts. Graham and I have the weekend off so we've been enjoying some time together
dinking around and wandering through
Bellevue Square.
The recent realization hit me that SPRING IS COMING! When I look out my back window, there are lots of green sprigs (tulips) popping out of my otherwise dormant soil. This reminded me that it is time to plan my garden for the coming year. I've decided that this year I'm really going to think ahead, figure out what I really want to plant and order it online to get it if that's what it takes to create the look I'm dreaming up. Last year I visited many nurseries and pretty much just purchased things that I saw that looked pretty (lots of perennials). I'm hoping, for one, that they come back this year and for two, that they are more filled out so I won't have funny gaps between plants. I guess gardening is a lot like wine--it gets better with age/time and never is quite right after only one year.
Anyway, this year I'm focusing on my containers and have checked out a couple of books from the library on edible container gardening. Last year my goal was simply to grow some produce but this year I'm hoping to not only grow edible produce, but also have the pots look beautiful. One idea is to mix vine beans with sweet peas or morning glories (in the same pot), having them entwine together and work their way up a tepee of stakes. The other thing I got SUPER excited about (just ask Graham...he couldn't stop laughing at my glee) was the idea of growing my very own blueberry bush in one of my half barrels. I love blueberries and never realized how beautiful the plants are almost year round (white or pink flowers in spring, berries in summer and orange/red leaves in the fall). If anyone reading grows blueberries already, can you recommend a good variety for growing in a container?
I asked Graham yesterday if it was okay for me to buy a blueberry bush this year. He said yes, as long as he gets to buy a flatscreen tv. :o) Honestly, I'm probably about as excited about the blueberry bush as he is about the tv so it probably is a pretty even deal. Anyway, now I'm working on figuring out where I can order these exciting new seeds and plants from--what fun!
There is a blueberry made specifically for conatiners called "top hat". I am sure almost any seattle nursery would carry it.
ReplyDeleteWhat were you thinking of ordering online? I love chatting gardening!
Someday I'd love to have a nursery specializing in teaching how to grow your own food....
If edibles get you excited, try this site....
http://www.raintreenursery.com/
Be careful with Morning Glory. It has tough roots and is considered an invasive weed!It can take over a garden, so perhaps a container would work well, but don't plant it in the garden.
ReplyDeleteUh Oh, it's me, SANDY, who wrote about the Morning Glories. I need to get Shauna to fix this error. She was working on my Blog design and now I'm not me! But then again, I could create some real trouble for her!!
ReplyDeleteShauna -
ReplyDeleteMorning glories that you grow from seed that have pretty flowers are way weaker & less invasive than the weedy ones that grow around here. I've had a couple in the ground & they just died in the winter. They did self seed some, but nothing invasive.
Kelsie - I've heard people have horrible luck with the "bareroot" stuff you can buy for pretty cheap online. My stuff from Plant Delights did great, but they do expensive super rare stuff.
What exactly were you looking for? Sometimes if you can't find it here, its because it doesn't grow well here, or maybe they just don't have a particular cultivar you were looking for? Email me a list & i can tell you if I've ever seen it or if it grows here....
kari at transitionbikes.com
ha ha, when I read the thing about morning glories I thought to myself "that's funny, Shauna really sounds like her mom in that comment"
ReplyDeleteOh you guys! This stream of comments was a crack up! Kari, I'll get in touch with you about more plant stuff once I've decided what I'm looking for....
ReplyDelete