Gardeners! Share your garden photos and garden chatter here.

[The Barbarian]

 

[The Barbarian]

 

[limr]

My mother had a vegetable garden when I was a kid and my sisters and I were forced to do garden work in the summers. It wasn't a regular chore - my mother would just holler for us randomly - so I never got into the habit. We also apparently, in her mind, did everything wrong, so we were left with only grunt work like weeding or digging, so I also didn't really get a good idea of the overall picture of how it all worked. It might have been different if I had been even slightly interested in it all, but I was so resentful of being ordered around and I hated being out in the heat with the bugs just getting yelled at all afternoon. So no, gardening was never my thing.

Even now, if it's something I have to do in the summer, then I won't do it. I'll mow the lawn on cooler days later in the evening when the sun isn't on my yard. I started keeping plants in my office at work a few years ago and discovered that I am better at that than I ever thought I was before, so that's been fun. As for outdoor stuff, I know that I do have to do yardwork and *some* gardening now to make my yards look nice. I plan on very very low maintenance bushes and flowering plants in the front, and lawn + wildflower meadow in the back.

So back in the fall, I planted some daffodil bulbs. And this month, they actually bloomed! This is the first gardening I've ever done willingly and it's cool that it actually worked! I know it's kinda pathetic compared to what y'all are doing, but duuuuuuuuuude, I planted a flower and it's still alive!!! That has never happened before!!

 

[SquarePeg]

@limr nice first success! Princess doesn’t really enjoy it so I don’t push it other than the occasional mowing. I don’t want to put her off for good.

Growing up in the city we always lived in multi family homes that we didn’t own. i knew less than nothing about gardening when we bought this house. I’ve spent the past 2 years fixing mistakes I made the first 20! Thankful for YouTube and Facebook groups for ideas and information.

You know I also hate the heat and avoid the sun as much as possible but ive managed to work around that the past couple of years. I do all my watering and dead heading in the morning before it gets too hot. Any labor intensive chores like weeding or digging or pruning, I try to save for after dinner when it cools off and the sun is behind the trees. If we have a heatwave I just neglect everything except watering l until it’s cooler. I like the naturalI unpruned look so it’s not as much work as some of my neighbors who insist on shaping everything into orb and triangles perfections.

 

[SquarePeg]

Tulip update. They’ve grown taller! Also the ones in front of my fence are starting to pop. They also seem a bit stunted but they are shorter varieties and not done yet. Fingers crossed - the deer and rabbit repellent seems to have worked (for now).

Dahlia update - they’re getting leggy so moved them out into the sun. I’ll be pinching the taller ones back and repotting them into their final pots very soon. It’s going g to be a long month of watching the weather and making sure I bring them in when needed. Official last frost date 5/15 but there’s some talk that info is outdated based on the last 10 years. Our garden season is expanding with global warming. A slim silver lining on a very big cloud.

 

[terri]

@limr : Congrats on the daffodils! It doesn't get much more carefree in the garden than bulbs. You're smart to start there: who knows, a small project once a year will add up faster than you think. Your back yard is already quite luscious as I recall.

@SquarePeg : the tulips do look great! Not stunted, just like a smaller variety. Love that shot of them along the fenceline.

This is my first spring in my new home and I'm still watching things slowly coming up. Gotta see what I have before doing much planting in my cute little postage stamp yard.

 

[SquarePeg]

@terri it’s hard to wait! You could do some containers to fill in any gaps and to keep your hands dirty until you see what’s what.

 

[terri]

@terri it’s hard to wait! You could do some containers to fill in any gaps and to keep your hands dirty until you see what’s what.

Seriously hard to wait! Now, I have replenished my herbs, and they're potted and sitting in the sunroom.

All the nursery had so far is oregano, thyme and flat leaf parsley. The basil is from the grocery store: I doubt it will go for too long.

But mostly, I'm not seeing any of the usual annuals and perennials yet. Still too soon.

 

[terri]

I've been watching these little guys for several days, just little green shoots, then little buds.

Almost overnight, they've bloomed! Purple and pink hyacinth, and what appears to be a lone tulip in there.

Those spindly looking sticks in the background are pink hydrangeas. This I recall from last year, when we were visiting the house (but still not allowed in - we let the sellers stay for 3 months after closing).

Hydrangeas aren't my favorite. Neither is pink. For this year they'll likely get a pass from the shovel, though.

 

[The Barbarian]

 

[cgw]

My mother had a vegetable garden when I was a kid and my sisters and I were forced to do garden work in the summers. It wasn't a regular chore - my mother would just holler for us randomly - so I never got into the habit. We also apparently, in her mind, did everything wrong, so we were left with only grunt work like weeding or digging, so I also didn't really get a good idea of the overall picture of how it all worked. It might have been different if I had been even slightly interested in it all, but I was so resentful of being ordered around and I hated being out in the heat with the bugs just getting yelled at all afternoon. So no, gardening was never my thing.

Even now, if it's something I have to do in the summer, then I won't do it. I'll mow the lawn on cooler days later in the evening when the sun isn't on my yard. I started keeping plants in my office at work a few years ago and discovered that I am better at that than I ever thought I was before, so that's been fun. As for outdoor stuff, I know that I do have to do yardwork and *some* gardening now to make my yards look nice. I plan on very very low maintenance bushes and flowering plants in the front, and lawn + wildflower meadow in the back.

So back in the fall, I planted some daffodil bulbs. And this month, they actually bloomed! This is the first gardening I've ever done willingly and it's cool that it actually worked! I know it's kinda pathetic compared to what y'all are doing, but duuuuuuuuuude, I planted a flower and it's still alive!!! That has never happened before!!

View attachment 265212

Dafs are the gateway drug to incurable bulb addiction...You'll soon be lost to species tulips and jonesing for all the early Spring stuff, too. So sad.

Disturbing photos soon of what it's done to us in southern Ontario. ;^))

 

[Rickbb]

Been 80 all week, seems we’ve skipped most of spring. Half the sugar snaps died from the heat. I’ll start with the full on veg garden planting this week. Be one of the earliest years I’ve had to setup irrigation but it looks like another year of hot dry April which usually means a cool wet May. Well see.

On brighter note, broccoli and leaks are doing great, the broccolini is almost ready to set out abd all the other summer stuff will get in the ground this week.

 

[SquarePeg]

Been 80 all week, seems we’ve skipped most of spring. Half the sugar snaps died from the heat. I’ll start with the full on veg garden planting this week. Be one of the earliest years I’ve had to setup irrigation but it looks like another year of hot dry April which usually means a cool wet May. Well see.

On brighter note, broccoli and leaks are doing great, the broccolini is almost ready to set out abd all the other summer stuff will get in the ground this week.

It was a gorgeous 80° here today and going to be more of the same tomorrow. Then I think we’ll be back to more expected 50’s and 60’s for the weekend. I’d love to put some of my seedlings in the beds now but I am going to wait. I’ve frozen my butt off at enough April and May softball games to know that the weather here can turn on a dime.

 

[terri]

It was a gorgeous 80° here today and going to be more of the same tomorrow. Then I think we’ll be back to more expected 50’s and 60’s for the weekend. I’d love to put some of my seedlings in the beds now but I am going to wait. I’ve frozen my butt off at enough April and May softball games to know that the weather here can turn on a dime.

Same here - it's been a gorgeous week around here. The warmer temps are teasing the flowers and tree buds to pop open and it looks amazing. But - it won't last after this weekend. We're in for some cold rain, and next week will be much more in line with regular temps this time of year. Which is okay, really - I've been visiting the local nurseries and they just don't have anything yet. I'm going again later today because we're mid-April and I just expect to see a few things. I can keep young plants happy in their containers for several days until we're back up in the 60s.

The main thing is, I'm not seeing any frost-like overnight temperatures in the forecast. Rule of thumb is to make sure there's been nothing, and will be nothing, in frost range for a solid two weeks this time of year. It's heading towards May, kids!

 

[snowbear]

It rained a bit Friday night and yesterday. I got the grass cut just before it started again. OI heard thinder off in the distance ad I was finishing up. We went to the home improvement store to pick up some bolts and propane. As wwe pulled into the lot, MLW aid "Oooo, geraniums." We're still in recovery mode, and aren't ready for planting anything, but I picked up a put of geraniums and a hanging basket of petunias. It's a start.

And, yes, I forgot to remove the price tag.