This is the season of digging, weeding and planting. The priority this weekend was to get plants dug for the two big plant sales coming up. The Greenfield Garden Club, of which I am a member, will have its plant sale on Saturday, May 11 at Trap Plain, at Siver and Federal Streets, and the following weekend, May 18, the Bridge of Flowers will have its plant sale at the Trinity Church’s Baptist Lot in Shelburne Falls. This is a chance to get some great plants for your own garden at very reasonable prices while supporting the educational projects of the Greenfield Garden Club, and the maintenance of the Bridge of Flowers. This year I have dug Sheffield daisiies, crimson bee balm, campanuala ‘Joan Elliot’, Terra Cotta Yarrow, purple leaved coral bells and ‘Switzerland’ shasta daisies. I might find a couple of more clumps that need dividing.
On Friday I was out and about on a variety of errands. I stopped at the Hadley Garden Center to get extra pots for the Bridge Plant Sale, and couldn’t resist buying this large sage plant known as meadowsweet. The Herb Bed in front of the house always needs refreshing and I thought this would really brighten things up early in the season. I also planted a tiny new French tarragon and summer savory. My parsley and basil plants aren’t ready to go in yet, and I have dill seed at the ready. Perennial herbs are starting to green up, chives, rue, chamomile, mint, lemon balm, bee balm, oregano, golden marjoram, thyme and sage as well as the lilies, stocks, irises, and Sheffield daisies. Even an Herb Bed deserves a little glamor.
The vegetable beds are all dug and three of the beds are filled with onions, planted this weekend.The garlic is well up and looking good. Two beds are planted with lettuce plants, but it is still too cool for more tender seeds. At this time of the year a Monday Report is mostly a planting list. I put in three more tiarella plants down by the peonies where I am eradicating lawn, two native columbine plants, an Eryingium ‘Sapphire’, and a beautiful yellow epimedium. My own epimediums are just coming into bloom.
It’s not even June but the buds are bustin’ out all over, the sun is shinging and there is more planting to do this Monday morning.
So true – luckily our weather dipped down from the 90s into the low 80s and I was able to work on the gardens.
I noticed my epimedium flowering so profusely this year…I do need to find time for divisons this year.
Oh…I really like the look of that Meadowsweet. I would have bought it too!
Good to see the deep freeze is finally over for you, too, Pat, and that you’re busy digging in the garden once again. Our spring has been so wet that I haven’t been able to get much done. If it ever dries out, my shovel and I are going to be very busy!