Spring Fever
by Charlotte J. Crockett
Do you have spring fever? I do. Every time I walk outside and I see new
flowers just poking out the ground I just can't wait to see more. To feel the
warm sunshine on my face and dirt under my fingernails. Spring is like a
renewal. It not only renews mother earth, but somehow seems to renew my soul
for another year.
Many things are going on in your garden right now. Everything is waking up.
Trees and bushes are budding out. Flowers are peeking out of the ground. Some
may even be blooming.
Now is the time to be cleaning up from winter and figuring out what you might
want to plant. Just remember to plant after all danger of frost has past for
your zone.
Good beginnings don't come easily. There is a lot involved in planning and
planting a garden. Amend your soil. Rid your garden of weeds. Make sure you
have good drainage. These are just the first steps in achieving a garden that
you and your family can enjoy for years to come. Planning is also a must. You
need to decide where your plants are going to live. Where they will be
happiest at. A sun loving plant will not like growing in the shade nor would
a shade loving plant like living in the sun. Make common sense judgments when
selecting plants for your garden also. Don't plan on putting a plant that
gets six foot tall in front of a plant that may only get a foot tall. Decide
if you want a formal garden or an informal garden. Plan accordingly.
Hardy perennials -- the name says it all. Hardy and perennial. Simply meant a
hardy plant. One that you can depend on to reappear after winter is over. Not
all hardy perennials are herbaceous plants. Which means they will die down in
the winter and not keep their foliage. Some do, however, keep their foliage
during winter. Depends on your zone and micro-climate where they are planted.
Keep in mind, places like southern Florida, California and the southwestern
USA, hardy perennials will do well but they need a cold dormancy which they
won't get there. Most gardeners in those zones use them as annuals instead of
perennials for that reason.
Here is a list of hardy perennials you may consider for your garden:
Achillea Aster
Crocosmia Astilbe
Chrysanthemum Daisy
Veronica Coreopsis
Liatris Dianthus
Day Lily Echinacea (purple cone flower)
Iris Gaillardia
Columbine Hosta
Butterfly Weed Liriope
Monarda Sun Drops
Peony Rudbeckia
Sedum Tradescantia
Mallows Salvia
There are many more hardy perennials to choose from. The above list is just a
small sample for you to get started in your garden.
The most important advice I can give you as a gardener is to have fun with
it. Enjoy your plants and it really isn't as hard as you think it is. To have
a garden doesn't mean to have acres planted. You can have a lovely garden by
your back door. In pots on your porch. Even in hanging baskets. The choice is
yours ... go with it.
Happy Gardening!
YOUR LIFE IS A GARDEN . . .
THEREFORE, what you plant you will harvest.
Plant four rows of squash -- squash gossip, squash
criticism, squash indifference, squash prejudice.
Plant seven rows of peas -- prayer, promptness,
perseverance, politeness, preparedness, purity,
patience.
Plant six rows of lettuce -- let us be faithful to
duty, let us not be weary in well doing, let us be
obedient in all things, let us be truthful, let us be
loving, let us not complain.
And of course, no garden would be complete without a
few turnips -- turn up with a smile, even when things
are difficult, turn up with determination to do your
best.
May you reap a rich harvest!
Look at the award won by Charlotte for her gardening articles!
About the Author: Charlotte J. Crockett is a 46 year old mother of 3 children and a
grandmother of 4 boys…all under the age of 2. She has been happily married for
28 years to a wonderful man who spoils her rotten. She was born in Germany
and spent the early part of my life traveling in Europe. She is bilingual.
Besides English she also speaks, reads and writes German. Although
she is getting rusty with it. :) She is a member of the National
Gardening Association. http://www.garden.org/
Gardening
She has not always been a work at home Mom. When her children were younger she
worked for several years in a greenhouse that retailed and wholesaled.
She picked up valuable information about plants. She has always enjoyed gardening,
even before it became the "in" thing to do. She believes in learning
from books but she also notes that "hands on" is as valuable
a tool in gaining knowledge as from a text book.
E-mail any of your gardening questions to Charlotte at cpossum1@aol.com
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