Garden Journal for May 2, 2010

     It's a gray, windy day here that feels cooler than the 69 degrees my thermometer is registering.  A brief shower (about 1/4") during the night has made things damp, but with only another 1/4" two night ago, I think I can weed and plant today.

     I took a bit of time yesterday to actually "tour" my gardens to see what needed done most.  It's that gap time, when the daffodils and narcissus are gone and there just seems to be a lot of green in most gardens from fast-growing perennials.  I'm working on filling that gap and have been more successful in my personal garden at home than at the farm.  The "stars" of the home garden right now are the dwarf iris, not the tall German bearded which will bloom soon, or the miniatures that are finished, but the dwarf.  I have several patches that are gorgeous now, and if I were more competent with the computer/photograph installing I'd show you a photo!  (I promised myself I'd learn to do that over the winter, but the book interferred!)  Mine are a gorgeous salmon and a deep, dark purple.  They look great with the beautiful foliage of the "Amber Waves" heuchera.

     At the farm, the gap-fillers are mostly hardy geraniums, an early German bearded iris that came to me as "Old Gold" and early-blooming coral bells.  There are also some purple alliums almost ready to open, and the white-flowered comfrey is in bloom.  There are still some late lily-flowered tulips and a few late jonquils to help provide color, but this is the time of year I really appreciate good foliage color, like the "Gold Heart" dicentra.

     When I get tired of weeding (which rarely happens, since I love to weed, but I find as I get older, my hands start cramping after more than 9 hours!) I've been moving flats of plants about in the sales areas.  More perennials traveled to the A-Z area, more hardy culinary herbs ventured outdoors, creating more room in the coldframe for lots of annuals.  I've added those fancy double cosmos, the quirky caterpillar plant, brugmansias, jasmine-scented nicotianas, lots more basils, variegated nicandra, and other treasures.  As soon as I take time to run labels, I can move lots more.

     However, right now, the sun is breaking through the clouds, and I'm looking out windows that are obscured by the yews that really, really need trimming.  Think I'll go sharpen the nippers.........