Archive for the ‘Gardening’ Category

Does anyone do hospitality better than Southerners? Perhaps. But I can’t think of who right now because last week I was in Davidson, NC, speaking at the Davidson Horticultural Symposium where the members of the Davidson Garden Club rolled out the red carpet. It’s very fresh in my mind. And, oh my!

I was there as one of the guest speakers talking about the “Artful Vegetable Garden”—once again riding my hobby horse about how edible gardens don’t have to be utilitarian looking. I rubbed elbows with fellow speakers Allan Armitage, W. Gary Smith ,  William Welch and Pamela Baggett. The Davidson Garden Club members arranged for our transportation and accommodations, flowers in our rooms and for our lapels, escorts to make sure we didn’t get lost, fabulous dinners and lunches and one very special garden tour.

The garden surrounds the Italian Renaissance-style home of a private couple who have created a very approachable and walkable garden on acres of protected land in Davidson. A pathway circles the perimeter of the house and is planted with fabulous specimens that are evident even in the still-chilly weather of early March.

Careful attention to plant selection, artful creation of pathways to give long views of garden sculptures, creative use of elements for a rustic touch and even mossy paths, contributed unasked, courtesy of Mother Nature, made this a fabulous and memorable garden walk.

You can see more of the garden here.

I appreciate my new friends in Davidson and their fabulous Southern hospitality. Thank you!

Robin

The chickens aren’t the only ones sick of this wintertime weather inconvenience. I’ve been jonesin’ for spring for weeks now. Well, spring and chocolate. I can do something about the chocolate.

It turns out, I can do a little something about spring too!  Some of my gardening pals egged me on (*snicker*) with their discussion of all the spring bulbs they were buying for forcing. The nursery of choice among these seasoned gardeners was Brent and Becky’s.

Hey, I can keep up with the Joneses and get my jones on too! (Is anyone following me here?)

spring forced bulbs sm

Here’s the Brent and Becky’s winter mix bulbs with narcissus, tulips and small oxalis peaking out around their feet. Next to it is the gorgeous Amarylis ‘Elvas’ and the stout little ‘Foxtrot’ tulips.

elvas sm

tulipe foxtrot sm

I also have some Princes Irene and ‘Lilac Wonder’ tulips, but they’re not quite ready for their debut.

There’s still a lot of winter left here in Southern Maryland. In fact, as I write this it’s snowing. The weather guessers had predicted a couple of inches. Right now it looks like it’s about eight inches and rising.

I responded, of course, by ordering seeds. So far I’ve placed a nice, healthy order at Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds and a smallish order at Cook’s Garden.  I’m not even closed to finished yet, cause I’m jonesin’ for some summer bulbs.

Brent and Becky’s here I come!

Robin

Dec 10
2009

We Have a Winner

I swear that I used a random number generator to pick the winner of The NEW Low-Maintenance Garden book.  It’s only a coincidence that Carrie at Maywood Farm blog also happens to raise chickens.

Carrie left a comment that said:  ”I need this book because my husband and I are planning our dream home and are out of debt and saving money for the first time ever! I find books like these inspiring (even just looking at the cover makes me smile!)”

rudbeckia in winter

Gratuitous photo of rudbeckia in winter

Thanks to everyone who entered the drawing. Please drop by again, because I have another book that I will be giving away here in the next couple of weeks.

Robin
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Filed in: Gardening

Right Now at Bumblebee

March 7th, 2010

It’s official. Dawn over at Owl Hollow News won the Grocery Gardening drawing.  Congratulations, Dawn. I hope you enjoy the book.

What’s on your plate today? The weather here is sunny and at least not frigid. I’ll continue my early spring garden cleanup and also clean and repair bird houses. The bluebirds have made their return and are already checking out the real estate. What a joy to watch over my Sunday morning coffee.

Robin

March 6th, 2010

I find this one of the most anxiety-producing times of the year in the garden.

As I head outside and begin the winter cleanup, the whole summer garden thing just seems incredibly overwhelming. There’s so much to do. And I’m just one person out there. Honestly, I felt like sitting down to have a good cry about mid-afternoon. But I managed to put one foot in front of the other and actually got a good amount of tidy-up work done. Tomorrow will be more of the same.

Thank you everyone who left a comment explaining how you approach reading and leaving comments on blog posts. The cumulative input has been extremely helpful. The overall consensus is that you’ll read comments if it’s an interesting discussion. You don’t usually subscribe to comments because it clogs up your email box. And you’ll only check back to see if the author has responded if you’ve left a question. That about sums it up.

On another note, I have selected by random number generator the winner of Grocery Gardening. She’s been notified. When she responds back, I’ll announce who she is.

Thank you everyone!

Robin Ripley

February 22nd, 2010

My lawn is a wreck.

I went outside to re-fill the bird feeders—AGAIN. The parts of my lawn that don’t look like the frozen tundra resemble a swamp. With every step I take my foot sinks down at least an inch. Walking to the feeders I can see my path in the mud.

I also see that we lost one small ornamental tree by the driveway as well as one of my rose trellises, which succumbed to the weight of the snow.

Spring better hurry up and get here. I have a lot of work to do.

Robin

February 17th, 2010

Are you sick of everyone talking about the weather? I am too, but here goes…

There is so much snow on the ground, I don’t know when it’ll all melt. On top of that, much of it has iced to the extent that moving it from one place to another requires a pick ax. Walking in the back yard to fill the bird feeders is like walking on a bumpy ice rink. There are trees and bushes that need a bit of first aid to remove partially broken branches, but I don’t dare risk skating across the ice with my pruners. Not yet anyway.

Still, there is hope. Although we’re expecting snow flurries today, the weather should warm up into the forties in the next few days, providing some melting relief.

But really, all this unrelieved WHITE is getting to me!

Robin

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