Planning for Spring Blooms

Every child is born a naturalist. His eyes are, by nature, open to the glories of the stars, the beauty of the flowers, and the mystery of life. ~R. Search

Each spring I take walks around our property looking for green popping up from the ground.  It never fails that I look a tad too early, and wonder why the daffodils aren't sprouting yet. It's hard to be patient after a long winter.  It's even more difficult to gear up for planting in the fall for blooms that won't be seen for several months.  I wrote an article the other day for Old Fashioned Living on naturalizing bulbs.  Yes, I was a bit long winded, but there were a lot of tips to share on the subject.  Naturalizing is such a whimsical way to plant bulbs that it's hard not to smile while I'm writing:)

The article is here: http://oldfashionedliving.com/How-to-Plant-Bulbs-for-a-Burst-of-Color.html

~Brenda

Putting the Garden to Bed

I cannot endure to waste anything as precious as autumn sunshine by staying in the house. So I spend almost all the daylight hours in the open air. ~Nathaniel Hawthorne

It's almost time for the garden season to end here in Michigan, and that means "putting the garden to bed" as the old phrase goes. I wrote an article for Old Fashioned Living with tips on putting your fall days to good use preparing the soil, storing bulbs, bringing in herbs and more. I love working outside in the fall! You'll find the new article here: http://oldfashionedliving.com/Putting-the-Garden-to-Bed.html

This was a rather odd garden season with the heat and lack of rain. My roses are doing better now than they were earlier in the summer, now that it's not so hot.  The gladiola, hibiscus and even the calendula were light on blooms too. I'm looking forward to the fall color in Michigan this year, and the crisp cool air.  We're planning on preparing a place for a new herb garden this fall.  I hope you all are enjoying the last days of summer.

~Brenda