Ahhh, the aroma!

Spring is starting slowly here, with a few days of less than springlike weather, but at least the lily of the valley are flooding my garden with a heavenly aroma. I've cut enough for bouquets for each room, and will cut the rest of them since they will be gone all too soon.

Most of the early spring bloomers are gone, and the warm-weather blooms haven't yet begun. The gardens are lush and green, but I can't wait for a blast of color to finally arrive.

And So It Begins

With trepidation, I tootled over to Lowe's to check out the plants that were on sale. At 2 for $5, the Proven Winners sounded like a good deal. Rarely do I find plants in good condition there or at Home Depot, but it was worth a chance. Boy, I lucked out! Although the selection was not vast, what they did have seemed quite healthy. There were good prices on other (not PW) selections, too, so I came away with enough planting material to start digging tomorrow, when the weather forecast looks promising. I'm also going to check out HD later today (before the punters descend on Saturday), which is also having a sale, in hopes that the plants they have in stock are also in good shape. I know that by the weekend, there will probably be nothing worth buying. But maybe today I'll have some more success.

By next week, I'll be ready to hit the better nurseries--Schartner Farms and The Farmer's Daughter, for starters, and perhaps try out a new (to me) nursery called Blue Moon. I've made a list, and I'll really try to stick with it, although I make that promise every year and then succumb to "Oh Look--Something Shiny Syndrome."

Remembrance of Gardens Past: A Shade Area

Shade areas can be lush and soothing, with many flowering perennials that are quite easy to grow and maintain. In addition to color, texture is an integral part of a shade garden because of the very pattern of shade and sun as it plays over the plant. Foliage is as effective as blooms and this is the spot where a talent for combining elements can really shine.

Amongst shade stars are hosta (the varieties are endless, but I favor those with a blue undertone), astilbe, dicentra (Bleeding Heart), lily of the valley, trillium (I adore the white-flowered ones), aquilegia (columbine), epimedium, digitalis (foxglove), alchemilla mollis (lady's mantle), pulmonaria (lungwort), heuchera (coral bells), heucherella and tiarella. Ferns of all kinds can mix with other shade lovers or be placed in a separate fernery, which is what I have done.

Well, I Guess I'm a Blogger

I'm the classic Judi of all trades, master of none. My interests are varied and vast, but there are few of which I can actually claim a high level of expertise. Nonetheless, they are all important to me, and I will share them here, often seasonally.

Since this begins in the springtime, the most sensible one with which to begin is gardening. Ranking near the top of my favorites, it's something I've loved since the 1970s, inspired by a trip to England, from whence my inspiration evolved.