Adventures In Gardening: Looking Back While Moving Forward

A year ago, on December 30th, 2011, Brenda Haas asked me to write for The#gardenchatBlog and on December 31st, I sat down to post my first Adventures In Gardening column.

In fact, it was a Saturday, like today (though thanks to leap year this year, the date/day is a bit off). This was completely 'uncharted territory' for me. I was super excited and scared at the same time! A little overwhelmed, filled with self-doubt and even a little queasy, but for once, I wasn't going to let fear, or anything else, stop me from doing this.  I spent over two hours writing and revising my first column, Getting To Know You.

(Some of my favorite photos from this first year of Adventures In Gardening)

Now here we are, my first anniversary of writing Adventures In Gardening and I honestly haven't the foggiest idea of how to commemorate such an occasion!  So I'd like to take this time to share my deep appreciation with all of you. Thank you for sticking with me as I felt my way along this new path, during beautiful times in my home & garden, and through heartbreaking bumps in the road like my mothers stroke, my beloved father.in.law's illnesses & passing, Hurricane Sandy and my unpredictable health.

I also couldn't have made it this far without Brenda's continued support, encouragement, friendship and faith in me, nor can I thank her enough for giving me the opportunity to be a part of this blog!

As gardeners, like our gardens, we continue to grow with each passing season & year.  I hope you'll continue to grow with me here as we begin life's journey anew in 2013.

Best wishes and peaceful blessings for the New Year!

I'll see you next time in January.
~Jo

aka Bloomin'Chick. Wife, mother of an angel in Heaven, survivor; a real Jersey Girl. (What you see on those reality shows isn't real!) Writer, photographer, joyful gardener (coastal Zone 7b/mountain Zone 6a) & avid reader. Eclectic, creative & happily married late 30-something who lives at the sea w/her heart in the mountains who happens to be disabled with Seronegative Arthritis & Fibromyalgia.  I blog about my passions & life at Diggin’ Around and my NJ at NewJersey Through My Eyes.   

Be sure to catch more of my daily garden photo shares via #GardenWalk where you can see what's growing around the world right now & share your garden with like-minded folks!

Adventures In Gardening: Winters Arrival & Amaryllis Season

Happy Winter friends!

The Solstice has come & gone once again and despite cold temps settling in for the long haul, our daylight hours now begin to lengthen bit by bit as we slowly turn back towards the sun.

I tell y'all what, Autumn didn't leave us here without a fight!  A wind-swept rain storm brought down more trees & branches, knocking out power again for many, as well as flooding.  I'm usually so sad to see Autumn go, but this year I'm glad to move forward!  Now, Old Man Winter is making sure any trace of Autumn is blown away before Christmas arrives.  Wind is roaring around us here, as we're down in a bit of a valley here on the coast, bringing down more branches and keeping temps in the 30s.  We've had bouts of flurries & snow showers throughout the day and even though it's not enough to stick, I'm delighted!  It's beginning to look (and feel) a lot like Christmas!

Indoors, the Amaryllis have begun to bloom and what I fondly call 'Amaryllis Season' is under way!  The first to bloom, a new one I'm trying this year (but I've misplaced the name of), had been open since the beginning of December. Today, one of my many 'Apple Blossom' has started to open.

I adore Amaryllis!

In fact, I can't remember a time when I didn't grow them, but I've only been doing so for several years. In my Zones (coastal NJ 7b & mountain NJ Zone 6a), Amaryllis aren't usually able to grow outside like in warmer climates, especially when we have a normal Northeast Winter!  (There were a couple of 'Winters that weren't' where I did get them to grow outside, in pots, but the results were lackluster despite lush foliage).  I love growing them around our home while my garden outside is at rest.  As with most blooms, they're quite addictive!  You can never have too many - no matter what my Hubby says!  I've grown many shades of red & pink, solids & striped, one that was nearly orange and one that was white, but 'Apple Blossom' is my favorite.  

These bulbs combine a couple of aspects of growing I love most: Low maintenance with beautiful blooms.  Plop an Amaryllis bulb into just about any container (I prefer one with some kind of drainage holes) filled with your favorite potting soil or pebbles, water sparingly (to avoid mold & rot which happen all too often here), place around your home (in direct sun or indirect) and voila!  Stunning blooms.

I usually begin forcing the bulbs around Halloween and stagger them from that point on by a week or two in between so I have Amaryllis blooming from Thanksgiving through Valentines, but, this year I got a later than usual start because Hurricane Sandy drove me to complete distraction.

I'm fascinated by how they change, not just daily, but throughout any give day once they open, which usually compels me to take many (many!) photos of them every day.  This year, I created a photo slideshow on picasa called The Daily Amaryllis for my blog, Diggin' Around, which I'll be adding new photos to throughout the weeks to come, so I can share all of this season's Amaryllis photos in one spot.  I wanted to share it with you here too:


After today, you can drop by my blog to see new photos!  (Scroll down, the slideshow appears in the right hand column).

I'll see you here next Saturday, December 29th, my 1st anniversary of writing for The#gardenchatBlog!

I leave you with best wishes & blessings for this Winter and a Merry Christmas to all who are celebrating next week!

~Jo

aka Bloomin'Chick. Wife, mother of an angel in Heaven, survivor; a real Jersey Girl. (What you see on those reality shows isn't real!) Writer, photographer, joyful gardener (coastal Zone 7b/mountain Zone 6a) & avid reader. Eclectic, creative & happily married late 30-something who lives at the sea w/her heart in the mountains who happens to be disabled with Seronegative Arthritis & Fibromyalgia.  I blog about my passions & life at Diggin’ Around and my NJ at NewJersey Through My Eyes.   

Be sure to catch more of my daily garden photo shares via #GardenWalk where you can see what's growing around the world right now & share your garden with like-minded folks!

Adventures In Gardening: Catching Up

Hello friends!

Let me start off by asking for your forgiveness for not having photos with this post!  I'm having upload issues, but I have linked to the photos which have appeared here on #gardenchat and my blog as well.

Let's see now, where are we?!  December is well under way already and there is so much to catch up with you about. The last time I wrote, I was spending the week before Halloween with Hubbs at our Northwestern NJ home in Zone 6a. (Click here).  Autumn in the NJ Skylands and in near by Northeastern PA is spectacular and it’s our favorite time of year to be up there, even when it’s cloudy & dim like it was 7 of the 9 days we were up there this October.

Our great week was cut short by a Hurricane named Sandy. We spent that Friday prepping our Northwestern home and headed back to the Coast early Saturday to make final preparations here at the complex and for ourselves. Our 2nd hurricane in 14 months. It was unthinkable. The waiting for her arrival, which began sometime on Sunday and gradually built through Monday, only added to the fear. We lost power at 3:30pm on Monday the 29th. To a degree, that’s the worst; when you can no longer see what’s going on beyond your own windows. Monday night was awful. Overnight the winds were forecasted to diminish, yet they increased, gusting over 90mph again & again... You could feel everything shift, shake. The windows rattled. I felt the floor vibrating under my feet. I prayed we would still have a roof above us by daylight.

Thank God we didn’t have the rain with Sandy that we did with Irene. We didn’t flood this time after losing power (and therefore, the sump pumps). No structural damage either, aside from a few missing shingles on one of the buildings and some siding blew off another. I lost one of my arbors in the back yard, the one at the red gate with all of the morning glories & beans still growing on it. But that was it and we are so deeply grateful. We, literally right here, are so very lucky.

The destruction, locally and widespread, along the NJ coast, throughout NJ (and in areas on NY and CT) has been unlike anything we have ever experienced first hand and hope we don’t witness again. Utterly heartbreaking, though I’m still not sure that does it justice. Life changing. For a few brief photos, click here. (I recently made a decision about sharing my Hurricane Sandy photos publicly: I’ll wait. It’s too soon, especially for those who’ve lost so much.  Some I will begin sharing after the holidays, others, I haven't decided when yet).  By the following week, I still felt stunned, dazed, numb. It was all so hard to comprehend, process and explain. I attempted to try here.

Most of my garden was pretty twisted up and shocked into silence by Hurricane Sandy’s winds. And the snowy Nor’easter we had a week after the hurricane didn’t help matters much. I had beautiful Autumn colors in the garden, along with roses up through Thanksgiving after the storms.  (Click here and here).  I discovered a couple of Knock Out rose blooms this week that some how escaped the grasp of the off & on frosts. My pink Wax Begonia’s made it until yesterday. And the Snapdragons are still going strong! Snapdragons in December in the Northeast, who knew?! I’ve never been able to keep them going past Spring much less into December! (Click here).

We’ve surrounded my containers with fallen leaves and topped them off with fresh soil & mulched leaves as we do every late Autumn. One of the ‘Apple Blossom’ Amaryllis is about to bloom in the living room (click here) while other Amaryllis are just beginning to return. (I love to have them blooming off & on through Valentines).

I’m so glad to be back here with you!  Were you affected by Hurricane Sandy?  Is your garden now at rest?  Have you started (forced) any blubs indoors?  Share with me in the comments below!

Until next time…

~Jo

aka Bloomin'Chick. Wife, mother of an angel in Heaven, survivor; a real Jersey Girl. (What you see on those reality shows isn't real!) Writer, photographer, joyful gardener (coastal Zone 7b/mountain Zone 6a) & avid reader. Eclectic, creative & happily married late 30-something who lives at the sea w/her heart in the mountains who happens to be disabled with Seronegative Arthritis & Fibromyalgia.  I blog about my passions & life at Diggin’ Around and my NJ at NewJersey Through My Eyes.   

Be sure to catch more of my daily garden photo shares via #GardenWalk where you can see what's growing around the world right now & share your garden with like-minded folks!

Adventures In Gardening: Is On Autumn Vaca!

(Taken this morning on our way into town).

Hello friends! I'm writing to you from Northwestern NJ Zone 6a this morning, our Skylands home, on my Blackberry, to let you know Adventures In Gardening is on Autumn vacation, but I'll be back soon to hopefully share photos of an amazing area garden in Autumn!

Be sure to stay tuned to Diggin' Around & New Jersey Through My Eyes for more Autumn photos from yours truly!

Catch up with my prior posts: http://gardenchatblog.blogspot.com/search/label/Adventures%20In%20Gardening
 or click on the Adventures In Gardening label at the end of this post.

Until next time...
-Jo
aka @BloominChick
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Adventures In Gardening: A New Spin on #GardenWalk Thursdays!

Happy Saturday from a damp & cool coastal NJ Zone 7b!

Since I last wrote, Autumn has been fickle weather-wise: teasing us with beautiful, quintessential Fall days then slamming us with unbearable humidity other days & sometimes drenching us with rain.

But, while the garden is starting to slow down & thin out a bit, it’s still going strong with nearly everything in bloom!

 Is there anything more delightful than roses in Autumn, I ask you?!

And that’s when it hit me! Changing up #GardenWalk Thursdays  - seasonally that is! (Lots of things are hitting me at random as of late; Autumn is my most creative time of year).  Even monthly themes, throughout the year. Why this hadn’t dawned on me before, I’ll never know!

Beginning Thursday, October 4th, #GardenWalk Thursday celebrates Autumn in our gardens for the month of October!

Tweet a photo of your favorite Autumn bloom, color or harvest from your garden on Thursdays, including the #gardenwalk hastag in your tweet & you may be featured here on our blog on Fridays!

I hope you'll join us for #GardenWalk Thursdays!

Until next time…

~Jo

aka Bloomin'Chick. Wife, mother of an angel in Heaven, survivor; a real Jersey Girl. (What you see on those reality shows isn't real!) Writer, photographer, joyful gardener (coastal Zone 7b/mountain Zone 6a) & avid reader. Eclectic, creative & happily married late 30-something who lives at the sea w/her heart in the mountains who happens to be disabled with Seronegative Arthritis & Fibromyalgia.  I blog about my passions & life at Diggin’ Around and my NJ at NewJersey Through My Eyes.   

Be sure to catch more of my daily garden photo shares via #GardenWalk where you can see what's growing around the world right now & share your garden with like-minded folks!

Adventures In Gardening: Preserving The Harvest (What to do with all those beans!)

Happy Autumn everyone & welcome to my first (official) "how-to" Adventures In Gardening!

In my last post, I mentioned I was up to my eyeballs in (green) beans this year, so much so that I've been freezing my near daily harvests to enjoy during the colder months. Today I wanted to share with you how easy it is to freeze beans!

Let's get started.  Yesterday I used a fresh batch of harvested beans.  (I clip them off right into zip lock bags so they can go right into the fridge if being used that day or the next - if keeping them longer than than, I like to freeze them).

Regardless of how you grow edibles in your garden, give the beans a quick rinse before cutting.  (I grow my beans on the gate arbors & the birdies love to hang out in the foliage).

I cut both end tips of the beans off, but you may only want to cut off the top where it connected to the vine.  Then I cut the larger beans down into smaller pieces.  Many of the beans are more than six inches long!  If any of the beans feel 'hollow,' pop them open and take out the bean seeds - dry them on a paper plate in a safe spot & you can use them to sow next year!  (All of my beans this year came from seeds I saved from last).

Now that the beans are ready, fill a large pot with water half way & bring to a boil.  Fill a large bowl half way with cold water & add an ice cube trays' worth of ice to the bowl.

When the water comes to rolling boil, it's time to carefully dump the beans into the pot!

Once they're all in, I set my timer for 3 minutes & I stir them a couple of times.

Bring your bowl of ice water close to the stove so you can easily transfer the beans from the pot to the ice water.  I use a large serrated serving spoon to fish the beans out of the pot.

Brrr!

Once all the beans are in the ice water, give them a good stir or two.  I leave them in here for a few minutes.

After a few minutes in the ice water, I drain the beans.

Pick out the ice cubes & then give the beans a few good shakes to help drain the excess water.

At this point they're just about completely cooled off; I let them sit for a few more minutes.

Line a bowl or plate with a paper towel, then dump your batch of beans out onto it to help them dry off a bit.  You can move them around my hand or spoon to give them all a chance to dry.

After a couple of minutes on the paper towel, I place the beans inside a zip lock bag, filling one bag about half way.  (You may need more than one bag per batch of freezing).

Before sealing the bag, I make sure as much of the excess air is out of the bag as possible.  Then I make sure to spread the beans out in the sealed bag as much as I can (so they're not in one big clump & therefore don't freeze that way) before placing flat in the freezer.  

And there you have it!  Takes a little longer than 'easy as 1-2-3' (roughly 20 minutes) but it's well worth the effort.  Add to your favorite cold weather soups, stews & roasts right from the freezer or bring to a low boil in a small pot half filled with water for a side veggie.  Enjoy!

What garden harvests are you preserving now?  Share with us in the comments section below!

Until next time…

~Jo

aka Bloomin'Chick. Wife, mother of an angel in Heaven, survivor; a real Jersey Girl. (What you see on those reality shows isn't real!) Writer, photographer, joyful gardener (coastal Zone 7b/mountain Zone 6a) & avid reader. Eclectic, creative & happily married late 30-something who lives at the sea w/her heart in the mountains who happens to be disabled with Seronegative Arthritis & Fibromyalgia.  I blog about my passions & life at Diggin’ Around and my NJ at NewJersey Through My Eyes.   

Be sure to catch more of my daily garden photo shares via #GardenWalk where you can see what's growing around the world right now & share your garden with like-minded folks!

Adventures In Gardening: Welcome September!

We had a stormy day yesterday, complete with tornado's in the area (NY) but thankfully we were spared the worst of it all here. A cold front came and now it feels more like September instead of July in September! Thankfully yesterday's rain wasn't like what we've had over the past couple of weeks; it came down so hard & fast, it wasn't good for much more than causing flooding & running off to the lowest point (and did more harm than good in the garden - no pumpkins this year).

So far today we've gotten a break from the oppressive tropical humidity we've been stuck with for well over a week now. It was truly a beautiful day in the neighborhood! The calm after the storm.

 (From our back yard, clouds were doing crazy things!)

So far today we've gotten a break from the oppressive tropical humidity we've been stuck with for well over a week now. It was truly a beautiful day in the neighborhood! The calm after the storm.

 (Our neck of the (coastal) woods)

At the end of August, I made the last round of deadheading the roses and doubled checked on Friday to make sure I hadn't missed any.  Both days were disgustingly humid but it will be worth it to have roses blooming through Thanksgiving! The Knock Outs have produced quite a few clusters of large hips so I've left them be for now.  It's a great time of year for the roses in my garden!

Stroll with me through the roses...

'Love' is new to my garden this year, a stunning rose for sure!

('Love' grandiflora)  

I'm so glad I was able to find another 'Easy Does It' to replace the one I had last year which didn't make it to this year. It wasn't in the best condition but the nursery gave it to me for a deep discount so I was willing to see what I could do with it. Now it's 3ft wide by 3 ft tall! A little different than my original one but still a favorite.

('Easy Does It' floribunda) 

   

This rose (pictured right below) was labeled 'Queen Elizabeth' & only $9 so I scooped it up.  I love my QE.   But, this one is definitely not QE! My 1st QE is a strawberry ice cream pink, light to no scent, quite tall (4-6ft+) & has deep wine colored new growth that turns a fairly dark green. This rose is a stunning fushia, heavily scented, short/bushy (3ft) with bright red new growth that turns a light green. From what I've gathered from online research, this is no QE!

(Mystery grandiflora rose) 

'Mardi Gras' has had a stellar year! The best since I bought it back in 2007 from the clearance table!

('Mardi Gras' floribunda with 'Black Knight' Buddleja)

Will the real 'Queen Elizabeth' please stand?

('Queen Elizabeth' grandiflora)

I'm up to my eye balls & other things in (green) beans this year so I've started freezing my daily harvests!  (Stay tuned, how-to with photo's coming soon!)

(One of many bowls full of beans!)

It's been a Slow season for my Early Girls but I finally got a nice sized tomato right before Labor Day weekend! With no longer having the full sun garden, I didn't go crazy with toms as I have before, seeing what will work & not in the back yard.  It's been nice though having the toms coming in dribs & drabs though.  It's doubtful I would've been able to keep up with the usual hectic 'use or preserve' pace this year.   

('Early Girl' tomato) 

Another round of Roma's is ripening and I'm pretty sure these will be the last of the season. I was able to keep the 2 containers of Roma's on the front porch where they get full sun.

('Roma' tomatoes from Bonnie Plants)  

Late Summer peaches!  Could have knocked me over with a feather.  I took this photo while we were up at our Skylands (Northwest NJ) home for the holiday weekend. Quite a few late Summer peaches are ripening on one of the 3 trees. Not sure they'll be edible, but we'll see!

(Peaches)  

I bought these, many, many moons ago at a friends shop, now long ago closed, back when I had my first garden. They still make me smile every time I see them and I hope they'll bring a smile to yours now.

(Old, longtime friends)  

Of course there's so much blooming in addition to what's pictured above!  (Like the dark purple (not blue!) morning glories now blooming with the beans on the red gate arbor).  Many I shared with you in my last post, An August Garden Walk.  If you missed it, click here.

And yes, I grow all that you see here in containers!  (Except the peach trees, those are along side of our place up north).  I do have one raised bed which is overflowing with coneflowers, hosta, lemon balm and some other autumn blooming wildflowers I can't recall the name of!  

What's blooming in your garden so far this September?  Share with me in the comments below! 

The unofficial end of Summer has come & gone and with it most of the tourists here in our neck of coastal NJ Zone 7b.  The sun rises later & sets earlier, its' rays more golden.  Leaves are already turning.  I am ready for Autumn!  Ready for cooler temps and less humidity.  Ready for Autumn in the garden.  It's my favorite time of year!  September's arrival has me breathing a sigh of relief as I know the heat of Summer is finally going to wane.

But, with September's arrival comes the anniversary of September 11th.  A day I will never forget.  Can never forget.  And I feel as though I'm holding my breath until September 12th.  If you'd like to read my September 11th story, please click here.  If you have a September 11th story, please share it with me below in the comments.

Until next time…

~Jo

aka Bloomin'Chick. Wife, mother of an angel in Heaven, survivor; a real Jersey Girl. (What you see on those reality shows isn't real!) Writer, photographer, joyful gardener (coastal Zone 7b/mountain Zone 6a) & avid reader. Eclectic, creative & happily married late 30-something who lives at the sea w/her heart in the mountains who happens to be disabled with Seronegative Arthritis & Fibromyalgia.  I blog about my passions & life at Diggin’ Around and my NJ at NewJersey Through My Eyes.   

Be sure to catch more of my daily garden photo shares via #GardenWalk where you can see what's growing around the world right now & share your garden with like-minded folks!

Adventures In Gardening: An August Garden Walk

Hello friends! It's another sticky morning here in coastal NJ zone 7b, much different than last Saturday where it was damp & cool and only 68* at Noon!  I'm still 'weak in the knees' relieved that we've had something of a break from this awful Summer heat & humidity combo with cool early mornings & evenings bearing a hint of crispness that gently pats you on the shoulder and promises Autumn will be here soon.  I cannot wait!  I'm getting cabin feverish from having to hibernate indoors with the ac so much this year.  (Because of my health, humidity (plus heat) and I do not get along).

The cooler temps have also been welcomed by my garden and it's come back from Summer vacation to my delight & joy!  When I was a kid, I hate August, probably because it meant Summer camp would be ending & school would begin again soon.  I didn't notice the changing light, the resurgence of nature after a brutal Summer, the beginning of leaves turning (which is already happening here!!!) and that subtle hint of cool in the air I mentioned above.  And how could I not have remembered August meant Halloween was only 2 months away?!  Over the last two weeks, after noticing the beginnings of the change in seasons, I've come to love August.

With so much going on in the garden these days, I'm going to play 'show & tell' instead of writing more today!  I hope you enjoy my August Garden Walk slideshow and tell me afterwards in the comments below what's blooming in your garden this month!

Until next time…

~Jo

aka Bloomin'Chick. Wife, mother of an angel in Heaven, survivor; a real Jersey Girl. (What you see on those reality shows isn't real!) Writer, photographer, joyful gardener (coastal Zone 7b/mountain Zone 6a) & avid reader. Eclectic, creative & happily married late 30-something who lives at the sea w/her heart in the mountains who happens to be disabled with Seronegative Arthritis & Fibromyalgia.  I blog about my passions & life at Diggin’ Around and my NJ at NewJersey Through My Eyes.   

Be sure to catch more of my daily garden photo shares via #GardenWalk where you can see what's growing around the world right now & share your garden with like-minded folks!

Adventures In Gardening: Simple Pleasures in the Garden

NJ Zone 7b.
Good Saturday morning from a super sticky coastal NJ where it's 79* with 94% humidity! (And it's not raining). Soaking t-storms passed through yesterday afternoon & evening and more are expected soon today. It's been a period of adjustments since I last wrote. We had (Hubby's) Dad's memorial service and my elderly sister.in.law flew back to FL last Saturday. Our home is ours again and things are getting back to "normal," or something like it. ("Another new normal" as I say).

Amid the chaos of plumbers repairing the upstairs bathroom (which leaked through our bathroom ceiling, again) and getting ready for my iv medicine session Tuesday morning, I spied the first Morning Glory of the season blooming out on the arbor by the tall gate! (We have two gates, one tall, the other short). A pretty pink beacon. So exciting! Happy dance in the garden! (Well, a bit later in the kitchen actually). You know what this means don't you?! Autumn is coming! (My favorite season, my happy place).

Now, like everything else in my garden this year (except the tomato's & beans), these Morning Glories, grown this year from 'Scarlet O' Hara' seeds that were left to dry on the arbors until this Spring, are blooming one to two months early.  Twitter & blogging friend, @HedgerowRose said, "They're back to school flowers" for her, which in previous years would have accurately described their timely appearance here in my garden (which runs through Halloween, or the first good frost).  Early or not, this first bloom made my heart about burst with joy, something I haven't felt since before Dad passed.

Wednesday morning, after a frustrating night of mediocre & uncomfortable sleep, I remembered the Morning Glory from the day before, dressed quickly and grabbed my cameras.  I went to the spare room window & peaked through the blind.  Sure enough, two small clusters of pink blooms on the arbor!  So out into the beautiful, foggy (horridly sticky!) morning I went.  Thankfully the sun wasn't having an easy time of breaking through the dense fog, which kept the heat somewhat at bay so I could putter about in the garden after I took Morning Glory photos.  A bit of watering & deadheading and I was 'stick a fork in me' Done.  The oppressive, moisture filled air sapped the energy right out of me, especially since I'd just had my iv medicine session the day before, but, despite the fatigue, my heart was again filled with joy.

I can't believe how happy the Morning Glories appearance makes me every morning!

Plus, I love being out in the garden so early, before I do anything, like eat breakfast or journal.  Before the symphony of crickets, cardinals (and sometimes cicadas) is drowned out by the commuter traffic on the highway (which we live 150 feet from).  Before the neighbor across the alley is out in her yard with her hard of hearing sister.  ("What?!"  "WHAT?!")  More times than not, I wake each morning feeling as though I haven't slept (even when I have) and in pain from head to toe (which is no exaggeration).  Early morning garden walks, when I'm able to get out there for them, are an easy, peaceful & engaging way for me to fully wake up & begin my day.      

While you enjoy my 'Scarlet O'Hara' Morning Glory slideshow of photos I've taken these last five days, think about what simple pleasures in your garden fill you with joy & help you through your day.

Share them with me in the comments below!


Until next time…

~Jo

aka Bloomin'Chick. Wife, mother of an angel in Heaven, survivor; a real Jersey Girl. (Which is not the kind you see on those "reality" shows!) Writer, photographer, joyful gardener, avid reader, occasional knitter, lover of all things Autumn, Halloween, pink & snow. Braider of pigtails, my Summer trademark. Eclectic, creative & happily married late 30-something who lives at the sea w/her heart in the mountains who happens to be disabled with Seronegative Arthritis and Fibromyalgia. I blog about my passions & life at Diggin’ Around and my NJ at NewJersey Through My Eyes.   

Be sure to catch more of my daily garden photo shares via #GardenWalk where you can see what's growing around the world right now & share your garden with like-minded folks!

Adventures In Gardening: Catching Up

A sampling of my garden, taken this morning.

Good morning friends! I'm writing to you this morning from a sultry, engulfed in fog, coastal NJ zone 7b where we are again under severe t-storm & rip current warnings.  Thankfully there's a gusty breeze kicking up to move the oppressive air around enough so I was able to turn off the ac's and open the windows & kitchen door for a little fresh, albeit it humid, air.  (I've since turned the ac back on as the 98% humidity is unbearable indoors!) 

Since I last wrote here, the 4th heatwave of the season has come & gone, the humidity has been oppressive (even by our usual standards), a massive water main break right before the 4th of July caused a state of emergency in our county (water restrictions were only just lifted this week), dangerous t-storms have been our only prevention from plunging back into full on drought conditions and the peaches & pears in my Northwestern/Skylands garden have ripened and I'm sure have been a delicious treat as usual for the resident deer, chipmunk & bears as we haven't been up there since Independence Day.

Here in the coast, the Hydrangea (Strawberries & Cream), Coneflower (Purple & Sundown), Knock Outs (Pink & Red), Lavender (Hidcote Blue) and Hybrid Teas (Pope John Paul II & Love's Magic) all seem to have gone on Summer vacation.  However the tomato's (Bonnie Plants Roma & a mystery plant), green beans, Butterfly Bushes (Buddleja davidii Black Knight & mystery white), the Floribunda roses (Mardi Gras & Easy Does It), the Grandiflora roses (Love & Queen Elizabeth) and the Bee Balm (Monarda Pink Lace) are taking center stage along with a new favorite, Tiger Eye Rudbeckia. (For photos, click here).

The Hostas, Caladium & Lemon Balm are still going strong.  The Morning Glory vines are just about covering both arbors now and my peach miniature rose finally bloomed again for the first time since February.  Aphids, black spot & watering conditions have been an on-going issue but that's not unusual.  (Well, the black spot is actually.  It's widespread throughout the area, more so than I've ever seen before).  I've lost one of the new roses I picked up in May of this year, Kordes Perfecta Hybrid Tea and I'm quite crushed as I'd fallen in love with its beautiful, antique looking pink, white & yellow rose blooms.  It went from healthy looking & blooming to literally dead in two days.  I 'quarantined' it and returned it for a refund.

When I last wrote here, my beloved father.in.law was still with us.  On June 24th, my husband got the call from his brother in FL we were both dreading.  My grief has been overwhelming.  For a week after, my heart literally hurt & I felt as though I couldn't breathe. As much as I have loved him, I miss him.  I stopped writing, even journaling, as though a switch had been flipped. And there was so much to do before the memorial services last Saturday (Tropical Storm Debby held things up down in FL initially) and my elderly sister.in.law came up from FL & has been staying with us.  For the first time since I started, I've been unable to find comfort in my garden.  'Mindless' deadheading has been a good distraction though. So much has (temporarily??) lost its importance & joy.  But, I will get that back,  and get back to myself.  Again.  In time.

And next Spring, the first thing I will do is buy a red Camellia bush to plant next to the Dogwood...

Until next time…

~Jo

aka Bloomin'Chick. Wife, mother of an angel in Heaven, survivor; a real Jersey Girl. (What you see on those reality shows isn't real!) Writer, photographer, joyful gardener (coastal Zone 7b/mountain Zone 6a) & avid reader. Eclectic, creative & happily married late 30-something who lives at the sea w/her heart in the mountains who happens to be disabled with Seronegative Arthritis & Fibromyalgia.  I blog about my passions & life at Diggin’ Around and my NJ at NewJersey Through My Eyes.   

Be sure to catch more of my daily garden photo shares via #GardenWalk where you can see what's growing around the world right now & share your garden with like-minded folks!

PS: If you don't know what the Camellia & Dogwood are in reference to, please click here.

Adventures In Gardening: Tales Of A Northern Garden

(Partial views of my coastal garden, NJ Zone 7b).

Hello friends! Beautiful weather has settled upon us and my coastal garden couldn't be happier it seems when I took these this afternoon after a morning of errands.  Word has it we'll be rain-free for the next 5 days.  Yep, I'll believe it when I see it too!  (I see those of you in my neck of the Northeast nodding your heads in agreement).

Here on the coast, thankfully the last round of heavy rain & wind this week didn't ruin the flush of blooms on the pink Knock Outs, though there were several other casualties in the way of Roses (Pope John Paul II hybrid tea & Mardi Gras floribunda are not fond of being rained on). Strawberries & Cream Hydrangea are well under way and even more beautiful than last year!  One of the Clematis is on a second bloom while the other is still recovering from being moved early this May.  The red Knock Outs, Hostas & Lavender are still going strong but the Salvia is finished. The Coneflowers, Monarda Bee Balm & Butterfly Bushes are getting ready to bloom while the Beans & Morning Glory vines have really taken off up the arbors.  Lastly, I began harvesting Raspberries this week!

Unfortunately, we're unable to head north this weekend as planned (two troublesome trucks equals one Huge headache) and I'm anxious to see how things may be coming along in my mountain garden.  This Memorial Day weekend, despite that awful cold I had, I finally came up with what I hope is a garden that will bloom regardless of how often it gets watered, as we're unable to spend time at our northern home on a consistent basis, and my inspiration for it came from the wildflowers lining the country roads & open fields like the white & purple Phlox, Black-Eyed Susans, Daisy's & Buttercups etc blooming that weekend. I changed my focus from plants to seeds.  Perennial wildflowers & drought tolerant perennial flowers to be more specific.

I realize some may not bloom until next year or after, some annual seeds may have snuck there way in, some may end up acting like annuals because of the NJ Zone 6a climate & usually shorter seasons, and a few may not exactly fit the 'drought tolerant' preference, but I'm very happy with the choices I made and content to have my mountain garden finally settled & under way.

Here are the seeds I've started with this year:
~Pennington Premium Wildflower Mix 1,000 sq ft bag (the first time I've used this brand).
~Burpee Wildflowers Perennial Mix 1,200 sq ft bag.
~Ferry-Morse Gold Dust Alyssum, Unwins Dwarf Dahlia, Black-Eyed Susan, Foxglove Mix, Summer Carnival Hollyhock Mix.
~Burpee Goblin Gaillardia, Early Sunrise Coreopsis, Blue Star & William Guiness Columbine, Treu Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), Alaska Shasta Daisy, Purple & White Coneflower Mix, Purple Coneflower, Fantasia Delphinium Mix, Carneum Poppy, Country Romance Hollyhock Mix.

Yes, I went heavy on the seeds and will do so again next year, just in case some don't take and the wildlife (ducks & swans specifically) happen to find the ones that do to be tasty!

All gardens take their time to come into their own - factor in a new garden for a home you don't live in full time which is in a completely different Zone than where you've gardened for the last 13 years and soil littered with rocks & boulders and what a challenge it's been!  (Not to mention waiting to see what perennials were already there).  This garden has been 3 years in the making so far.  But, it has not been an unrewarding challenge by any means. 

I'd love for you to share with me your new garden challenges in the comments below!

PS:  There's a new twist on #gardenwalk Thursday!  Stay tuned to me on Twitter this Thursday to find out more.

And a Happy Father's Day tomorrow!

Until next time...
~Jo

aka Bloomin'Chick. Wife, mother of an angel in Heaven, survivor; a real Jersey Girl. (Those you see on those reality shows aren’t real!) Writer, photographer, joyful gardener (coastal Zone 7b/mountain Zone 6a) & avid reader. Eclectic, creative & happily married late 30-something who lives at the sea w/her heart in the mountains who happens to be disabled with Seronegative Arthritis & Fibromyalgia.  I blog about my passions & life at Diggin’Around and my NJ at NewJersey Through My Eyes.

Adventures In Gardening: Coastal Garden Walk

Greetings from my coastal NJ Zone 7b garden on this beautiful Saturday!

The awful heat & humidity of the last week+ finally broke yesterday and we've had nothing but cool, gusty on-shore breezes & windows wide open since.  More rain fell last night and more is on the way in the forecast for tonight & tomorrow.  The triple assault of powdery mildew, black spot & aphids on the Roses seems to be well under control, though the aphids are now attacking the Clematis vines so I got out the soapy baking soda water this morning & sprayed away! I then finished the first round of dead-heading the Roses this season.  Seeds have sprouted and are well under way throughout the garden.  The Hydrangea's are just starting to bloom along with the Salvia.  The first harvest of Raspberries should be ready by 4th of July.  The raised bed needs to be rid of ivy again, coming through the fence from the alley, but that will have to wait until I'm over this nasty cold.

Unable to do much else this week thanks to the aforementioned cold, I took a lot of photos during my garden walks this week.  (I know, I know, my taking a lot of photos of anything is nothing new!) My apologies for being brief today, but they say "a picture is worth a thousand words" and trying to write with this cold is like trying to swim through molasses (or what I might assume that's like) so I thought this week I would let my photos do the talking for me. Here is a slideshow of some of my favorites from the last week:

While at our northern home for Memorial Day weekend, I came up with a plan for my northern garden!  Much to come on that so stay tuned!

What's blooming in your garden right now? Share with me in the comments below and be sure to leave links to your photos/blog posts with photos! 

Until next time...
~Jo
@BloominChick
NJ Zones 7b & 6a
Diggin’ Around
New Jersey Through My Eyes

Adventures In Gardening: Remembering & Honoring Our Fallen

(Writing from coastal NJ Zone 7b)

Hello friends & tweeps! I hope you're all well and your gardens are growing beautifully.  We've more than caught up on our rain deficit, going from roughly 10"s below normal for this time of year to about 3"s and I for one couldn't be happier as I'm sure my garden is too!  I've been battling black spot, powdery mildew & aphids already for weeks on my roses but it seems to be under control as of now.  (Oddly enough, black spot is prevalent on the length of our road this year but the closer to the water you get or further inland you go, it disappears). Our wicked humidity has returned and temps are on the rise, just in time for this unofficial start of Summer. 

My husband, a Marine, has been in the American Legion for more years than I probably know, has been active with a Post since around 2004 and is Commander of his current Post (just re-elected for another year) and May is just about the busiest month of our year because of Memorial Day. I feel very honored to help him, his Post and our VFW with the Annual planting of the Flags for Veterans in a local cemetery.  I don't know how many acres this beautiful cemetery is, but there are well over 2,000 Veterans buried here from what seems like every conflict the US has ever been involved in to the present, as well as victims from September 11, 2001.  Our little group of 5 placed roughly 800 flags in just under 4 hours.  It's not easy for me physically and I usually end up sick by the time we're finished (as I did again this year), but, it's the very least I can do to thank those who've protected our Freedom.

I was sad not to see even one Peony blooming as they have been in previous years when we've been there for this.  Bloom times are completely out of synch this year.  This cemetery is roughly 5 miles inland from our home and the Peonies were well finished blooming even though we were there a week earlier than usual.  (Here on the coast, Peonies bloomed the week after).

This is the same cemetery where I honor my daughter at different times of year because I feel the need to go beyond my own garden sometimes.  It's truly a peaceful place where the garden & landscape honor those passed and comfort the living. 

In honor of this Memorial Day, I wanted to share with you some of the many (many) photos I took while placing Flags.  I hope you'll take some time throughout this holiday weekend to remember our Fallen, past & present and if you see a Vet, please thank him or her for their Service, you'll make their day!  Have a safe & lovely weekend!

Until next time...
~Jo
@BloominChick
NJ Zones 7b & 6a
Diggin’ Around
New Jersey Through My Eyes

Adventures In Gardening: Raspberries, A Lesson In Patience

From Zone 7b
I'm writing to you from a wet, humid, foggy & dimly lit NJ coast this morning and loving it! Rain, yes, we've finally been getting rain. More than 3's over the last couple of weeks. We're still upwards of 10's below normal and residents throughout the State are being asked to conserve water, but I'll take whatever we can get and my garden is loving it as well.

The Raspberries are just starting to push out what will soon be fruit. My initial harvest last year was the first week of June; we'll see what how the so far crazy weather of 2012 has affected them! I originally picked up my raspberry canes (Brandwine I believe) from a big box garden center on a whim.  I planted them in the corner against a brick wall, the only space left in my tiny, heavily clay soil garden, then in zone 6.  They never produced fruit, not that I was surprised, but I loved their bright green foliage that turned yellow & purple in the Autumn and so they stayed.

In 2005, I dug them up & potted them into a large, 16" container (along with potting up my few other perennials) and brought them to our new home here in zone 7.  I placed the container of raspberries on our full sun front porch.  And waited.  Again, their foliage their saving grace.  In 2007, a few berries.  3 to be exact!  I was ecstatic!  Every year since, my harvests have grown by leaps & bounds and have thrilled me (as well as the birds & deer) to no end.  Honestly, most never make it into our home!  I end up eating them right there on our front porch as I pick, still warm from the days sun.

They're at least 12 years old now and may finally need a bigger container this year as they've grown back Huge so far and shot out many new canes.  I've only dealt with pests once before, last year, (teeny tiny clear little worm-like things chomping away on the under side of the foliage, making lace of the leaves) and was able to rid them just by turning the container on its' side on the lawn and hosing down the underside of the foliage with the garden hose on a powerful stream.

In ground or in a container, I've learned that Raspberries love good drainage, soil that doesn't stay overly damp for long, lots of full sun and good air circulation.  I've also found them to be fairly drought & heat tolerant as well.  In fact, my best year to date with more bowls full harvests than I can remember was in 2010 during one of our hottest & driest summers on record!  As with any container, be sure to replenish the soil as needed each year once the level is lower than an inch from the rim of the container.

I've heard many stories of raspberries taking their time to bear fruit, even taking some years off from bearing fruit.  They say, "Patience is a virtue."  When it comes to Raspberries, if you have patience, you'll reap the rewards on many different levels!

What perennial (fruit, tree, shrub, flower etc.) have you bought on a whim and/or refused to give up on?  Share with me in the comments below!

And don't forget to get out and see the Super Moon tonight!

Until next time...
~Jo
@BloominChick
NJ Zones 7b & 6a
Diggin’ Around
New Jersey Through My Eyes

Adventures In Gardening: Coming Clean

From coastal NJ Zone 7b

I was startled by the humid air which greeted me this morning when I walked into the back yard for a quick garden walk. Our humidity levels have been unusually low since the Autumn and I can't say that I've missed the humidity for the most part.  Aside from that, a refreshing on-shore breeze moves the sweetly scented air tinkling the wind chimes and the sun is shining.  Very much the typical "calm before the storm" kind of day.  Tomorrow, rain arrives.  As much as 3 inches through Monday morning.  We're 8 inches below normal precipitation levels here in NJ for this time of year.  This will at least make a dent in our drought and reduce the State-wide fire threat.

As you can see above, the Rosa 'Radrazz' Knock Outs and Azalea's are blooming!  The sun is now resting on some Pansy's and past bloom Muscari (Muscari armeniacum & Muscari armeniacum 'Blue Spike' aka Grape Hyacinth).  It was looking at those same Muscari when they first re-bloomed a few weeks ago that gave me the idea for this post.

In July, 2010, I nearly kicked the proverbial bucket because of a bacterial infection.  The infection and fever from it put my left kidney in jeopardy, affected my heart and damaged areas of my long & short term memory.  The anesthesia from my follow-up kidney surgery 3 months later also affected my memory (as well as my sense of taste & smell).  Along with the extensive physical & emotional recovery, it has been a lengthy process of regaining memories, re-learning in general and finding ways to cope with my lack of short term memory.  (When you see me talk about my "memory issues" this is what I'm referring to!)

How much this has affected me gardening wise has become more apparent over time but it wasn't until I recently looked at those Muscari and had no idea how or when they got there that I realized the full extent.  That moment was as deeply unsettling to me as the day I couldn't recall where my Nana was born in Ireland (or when I got us lost going to my Aunt's home last Sunday).  The more I realize how much information/knowledge I can't bring to mind like I used to, the more I feel like an imposter in the gardening world!

I find myself referring to my blog, old notebooks & textbooks often and not always finding what I'm looking for because the clue remains just out of reach.  I see trees, flowers & shrubs that look So familiar but I just can't bring their names to mind.  In some ways I feel like a beginner all over again!  It's altogether discouraging, disheartening, overwhelming & maddening, to say the least.

But, I won't give up!  Because there are some things I haven't forgotten:  The healing powers of my hands in the soil and how much I love my garden.

How does memory affect you when it comes to gardening? Please share with me in the comments below.

Until next time...
~Jo
@BloominChick
NJ Zones 7b & 6a
Diggin’ Around
New Jersey Through My Eyes

Adventures In Gardening: Honoring Our Loved Ones In The Garden

From NJ Zone 7b.

Hard to believe after this morning's chilly sunrise garden walk that we will be near 80* tomorrow and 86* on Monday before dropping back into the 60s again. Still no rain to speak of in our forecast and red flag warnings cover the State from top to bottom. (For those who are unfamiliar, 'red flag warning' means an enhanced risk of brush fires and/or wildfires).

From where I sit now in the kitchen, I can see the Pink Knock Out (Rosa 'Radcon'), my second rose, purchased in 2007 around the anniversary of my daughters passing to grow in her memory; one of the years when the coming & going of that anniversary was particularly awful. I see Rosa 'Pope John Paul II' (Hybrid Tea Rose), growing in my Nana's memory since last year because I happened upon this clearanced rose named after a man she loved & respected for as long as I can remember. (She passed away in 2000). I see my beloved Dogwood just now waking from its' Winter slumber, rescued from a re-landscaping job roughly a few years ago. I just found out recently that Dogwoods were my mother.in.law's favorite tree. (She passed away in 2005).

Thursday evening we received devastating news about my husband's wonderful father. On top of his ailing heart, he has cancer. Cancer that has already spread from its' original location to another area. Inoperable. Nothing they can do. Words aren't enough to tell you... It's so awful. We love him dearly. I love him dearly. The only man I have ever known better than he is my husband.

I mentioned previously that I fell in love with Camellias during our road trip to FL & back to see my father.in.law in February. Not only that, I saw the huge Camellia bush in front of my in.law's home in full, red bloom for the first time. Before getting back home to NJ, I decided I wanted to try growing a Camellia in my garden, if they grew this far Northeast and apparently, they do.

When I was at the nursery yesterday, standing among the containers of red, white and pink Camellias, I decided something else: If the Camellia I brought home comes back & blooms next year, I will purchase another; it will be red, in honor of both my father.in.law & mother.in.law and I will place it near the Dogwood in our back yard.

Do you honor loved ones in your garden? Please share with me in the comments below what you grow, for whom and why. (Does it just remind you of them? Was it their favorite?)

Until next time...
~Jo
@BloominChick
NJ Zones 7b & 6a
Diggin’ Around
New Jersey Through My Eyes

Adventures In Gardening: Bloomin' Beginnings

(Due to technical difficulties, the slideshow is brief)

Hello from my northern garden here in Northwest NJ Zone 6a in the Kittatinny Mountains. Yes, NJ has mountains! In fact, the Appalachian Trail is just minutes from here. We're in what's often referred to The Skylands Region of NJ. We may live down on the Coast full time, out of necessity, (and appreciate that Blessing) but this is Home. I had hoped to show you what was blooming here, but Spring is taking its' normal time to arrive in these parts and things are much farther behind than down on the coast where things are way ahead of schedule.

We first bought our tiny slice of Heaven on Earth back in July of 2009 to get away to on weekends, some holidays and most vacations. It's funny, you would think that by now, two months shy of our 3rd anniversary of being up here, that I would have gotten more done gardening-wise, but as Hubbs would jokingly say, "That's what you get for thinking!"

It took a lot of work initially to get the small lot in shape and Hubbs did an awesome job of it! I pruned and cut back what I could to help things get healthy again. The first year, I wanted to wait, to see what was here already, to see what bloomed and what didn't.

Daffodils and tulips around the flag pole. Varieties of phlox, sedum, iris and other perennials along the front side. Two enormous rose bushes, lakeside, I've affectionately named Thing 1 & Thing 2 with the tiniest white & pink roses I've ever seen and the most fragrant I've ever smelled! (Their bloom time is short and I finally caught it early last Summer!) A mystery bush in front of the roses and a few along side that don't seem to be coming back (and will hopefully be replaced this year). Large white water lillies with yellow centers. A small rose bush out back that has yet to bloom though it's now growing by leaps & bounds. The most unique irises I've ever seen that bloom right up out of the lake in front of Thing 1 & Thing 2. And lastly, the fruit trees out back, one pear and three peach (two different kinds I'm guessing since their flowers are different colors), which the deer, bear and chipmunks love. (Yes, we have bear here in NJ too and this is definitely bear country, not to mention rattlesnake country as well, which I try not to think about).

Admittedly, I have made attempts. Year before last I tried a wildflower garden with seeds galore but they never grew. Last year that area was taken over by milk thistle but attracted so many butterflies, moths, bees & gold finch, I let it be. (No pun intended!) Often, as I washed dishes, I got lost in all of the activity & the sweet scent as I watched from the kitchen window. The resident swan ate my (then new) magenta butterfly bush down to a twig and it has yet to recover. And the resident Mallard ducks love pansys! Here the soil isn't so much rocky, as it's, well, mountainous, and if I didn't know better, I'd think I was growing boulders! One thing I don't do is shop for things to plant up here while I'm down in the coast, I stick to the local nurseries up here. I'm still amazed at how incredibly different the overall climate is up here vs 85 miles south on the coast.

But, every garden takes time to come into its' own; it's all about trial & error and learning. What do you love most about beginning a new garden? Share with me below in the comments!

To everyone celebrating/observing Passover and Easter this holiday weekend, I wish you a Blessed holiday and a lovely weekend to all!

Until next time...
~Jo
@BloominChick
NJ Zones 7a? 7b? & 6a
Diggin’ Around
New Jersey Through My Eyes

Adventures In Gardening: Spring Has Sprung, Zone Changes & Buying Local!

Hello & happy Spring friends!

We officially left "the Winter that wasn't" behind on Tuesday and continued our "May weather in March" trend for much of the week. Temps dropped a bit yesterday and though we'll get into the 60s today, it looks like we'll be in the 50s for some time once the rain arrives tomorrow with a couple of nights dipping into the 30s! (Time to bring in those tender plants!) Daffodils are already past bloom (disturbing!) and just about every flowering tree & bush in the entire area is in bloom and even if I didn't see them I'd know - AAACHOO!!!

Both my northern & coastal gardens have had Zone changes per the updated 2012 Plant Hardiness Zone Map from the USDA which you can find here. I've moved from 6 to 6a up north and apparently from 7a to 7b here on the coast, though I'm not too certain about that. When I look at my coastal zone on the map, the color indicates 7a, which is what I've been since we moved here and I looked it up in 2005. But, when I search by my coastal zip code, it says I'm in 7b! I think it's great that the USDA has made changes to the map, even adding zones, with all of the climate changes around the Country, but I had hoped the new map would have negated any confusion!

Thursday was Forsythia Bush buying day! What do you mean you hadn't heard?! You must have missed my tweets!
















On the way home from the doctors office, we stopped at a longtime, local area fixture, the Betsy Ross Farm Market, established in 1919, located in Port Monmouth NJ, so I could pick out two new Forsythia for out front. This is the only place I buy my Forythia from! Buying local is very important to me, whether here on the coast or up at our northern home and I do so as often as possible for everything before going to the big box stores etc.. I start in town then work my way to the surrounding communities & so on.
















I also buy other plants for the garden here at Betsy Ross Farm Market, usually annuals like the Pansy's in the first photo above, their gorgeous yellow & wine colors my favorite & their scent so tempting, but I only had enough "sneaky money" (as I call it) for those Forsythia! (Ah gardening budgets!) He has a healthy, beautiful selection, reasonable priced for their large size and they do well in containers! (Very large containers). I was tempted to pick two in bloom like mine at home but thought the trip home, albeit it short, might do more harm than good so I picked two that hadn't opened yet. Hopefully they are the same large, vibrant yellow like I have already (I suspect they may be the more pale yellow with the smaller flowers), but either way I know I'll love them! I've loved Forsythia since I was a little girl. I love them for their Spring & Autumn beauty as well as their year-round privacy! (Even without their foliage in the Winter, there's enough of their 'bones' to provide some privacy).

Healing our landscape post Hurricane Irene has begun in the back yard! The three foot deep hole in the corner of the yard (where the fallen tree roots also pulled up the fences) is filled in and my containers of Roses, Hydrangea & Bleeding Heart and the bird bath have been returned to their places by the gate. (Please excuse my 'naked' containers, I haven't painted them for the season yet!)
















Next step is bringing our chainsaw home to the coast from our northern shed so Hubbs can get rid of what's left of those fallen trees & their roots left behind by the power company & see what needs to be done to fix the fences. (Another step may be picking up two additional Forsythia to place along that chain-link fence to fill two empty spots & add privacy). Then the red fence will get re-stained.

I can't tell you how Good it felt to sit on the patio and see that corner (mostly) as it was pre Hurricane Irene!

What are you up to in the garden right now? What do you use your "sneaky money" for? I'd love to hear from you!

Until next time...
~Jo
@BloominChick
NJ Zones 7a? 7b? & 6a
Diggin’ Around
New Jersey Through My Eyes

PS: Did you see that #gardenchat made the news?! Click here to go to the post with the video!!!