There comes a time every spring when we look around and say to Mother Nature, "Slow down, what's your hurry? Can we just relax for a week or two and enjoy this spring season?" Mother Nature always replies with a firm no and tells us to get on with it. She has no use for procrastinators! And so we must learn to relax, but be busy. To enjoy spring, yet get on with the garden. It's not going to wait! The first tulips are blooming, after all, along with daffodils and all kinds of … [Read more...] about Mother Nature’s Springtime Lesson
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My Lego® Bonsai
I thought my Lego® days were about 50 years ago and the only Lego® sets I'd buy now would be those that showed up on a gift list from a great-niece or great-nephew. I was wrong. Behold my finished Lego® Bonsai tree. Or if you prefer Bonsai 'Lego'. Before you click away, a few more tidbits. It Costs About What A Real Bonsai Costs These kits are not cheap, though I honestly don't know if $49.99 is an average price for a Lego® set, but I'm guessing it isn't too far off the … [Read more...] about My Lego® Bonsai
Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day – March 2021
Welcome to Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day for March 2021. Here in my USDA Hardiness Zone 6a garden in central Indiana, the first daffodils are blooming. This particular one is 'Tete de Tete', a reliable, early blooming miniature daffodil. It isn't much more than four inches tall, if that. But before there were daffodils, there were little irises. This one is Iris histrioides 'Lady Beatrix Stanley', sometimes referred to as Iris reticulata. I have a lot of unnamed varieties of … [Read more...] about Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day – March 2021
An Unusual Phenomenon Observed with Plastic Pots
I have observed an unusual phenomenon related to plastic pots. I have observed that after planting a few plastic pots of violas and pansies, the empty plastic pots replicate. The result is you end up with many more empty pots than you thought you bought with plants in them. There can be no other reasonable explanation for this peculiarity other than "they replicated." How else would you explain to someone who doesn't garden how you planted "just a few pansies and violas to … [Read more...] about An Unusual Phenomenon Observed with Plastic Pots
In My Garden: ‘Variety Unknown’
Lately—and I'll just admit it up front—for many years, my favorite flowers in the garden share a cultivar name of 'Variety Unknown'. These are the first two reticulated irises that popped up a few days ago. They are 'Variety Unknown', part of a mix of Iris reticulata I purchased years ago. They are slowly coming up to join the crocuses in full bloom now, which are also 'Variety Unknown'. The crocuses are from mixed collections of Crocus tommasinianus, planted years ago, affectionately … [Read more...] about In My Garden: ‘Variety Unknown’
Talking About Gardening: The Enchantment Ages
I read an essay titled "Talking About Bicycles" in a book of essays, Present Concerns: Journalistic Essays, by C. S. Lewis, and my thoughts turned to gardening. As they do. "I think there are these four ages about nearly everything. Let's give them names. They are the Unenchanted Age, the Enchanted Age, the Disenchanted Age, and the Re-enchanted Age. " We enchanted gardeners find it hard to believe, but there are people who are unenchanted with gardening. They can take it or leave it. … [Read more...] about Talking About Gardening: The Enchantment Ages
