As the A to Z Challenge for 2012 approached, I thought for sure that I would never be able to come up with another alphabet about gardening. I struggled to get through last year's challenge, finishing it up in May or so. It is the only alphabet I managed to finish last year. Yet once the deadline for signing up hit, I decided to take it on again.
I did fall behind in April, due to illness and being busy. I also had entered 8 blogs into the challenge. Crazy, I know. But I did manage to finish all 26 posts in time for the deadline at 11:59 p.m. on April 30th.
I had fun trying to think up different flowers and plants again. I believe I have exhausted most opportunities for some of those tricky letters, though. I doubt I will do it again next year, at least for this blog.
In addition to inspiring me to start writing about gardening again, this challenge inspired me to whip my yard back into shape again, as well. I look forward to sharing that progress with you over the next several months.
Here is a list of this year's A to Z contributions. I am also including last year's alphabet at the end. Thanks for stopping by!
A is for Azaleas
B is for Beans
C is for Coleus
D is for Dogwood
E is for Echinacea
F is for Forsythia
G is for Gardenia
H is for Hostas
I is for Ivy
J is for Johnny Jump-Ups
K is for Killing Everything
L is for Lilies
M is for Mums
N is for Nasturtium
O is for Orchid
P is for Peony
Q is for Queen Anne's Lace
R is for Rhododendron
S is for Sunflower
T is for Tickseed
U is for Umbel
V is for Vinca
W is for Wonder
X is for Xanthospermous
Y is for Yard
Z is for Zinnia
Here is last year's alphabet:
A is for Annuals
B is for Bulbs
C is for Crocuses
D is for Daffodils, Dahlias and Daisies
E is for Easter Lily
F is for Ferns
G is for Geranium
H is for Hyacinths
I is for Irises
J is for Japanese Maples
K is for Killing Beetles
L is for Lilacs
M is for Mulch
N is for New Ideas
O is for Organic Gardening
P is for Perennials
Q is for Quarreling
R is for Roses
S is for Snapdragons
T is for Tulips
U is for Upside-Down Tomatoes
V is for Violets
W is for Wisteria
X is for Xeranthemum
Y is for Yarrow
Z is for Zazzle
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Sunday, May 6, 2012
One flat at a time...
The weather here in Upstate New York keeps going up and down. One day it is stifling hot and we are dripping with sweat. Less than 24 hours later, we are shivering with bits of snow in the air. My allergies are going crazy, my sinuses are giving me headaches and it is just too early for planting. This is what I said as we pulled into the greenhouse yesterday, though I gave the disclaimer that the violas and the pansies would be able to handle the fluctuating temperatures.
E made me wander my favorite nursery for almost an hour. I begged him to not stay too long, because the lure of purchasing flowers would be too much for me. He told me to restrain myself. HA. He has never seen me at a greenhouse before. Last summer, I was so upset about Dad that I just didn't care to work in the yard. This year, though, is a different story. My fingers are itching to get into the dirt and I want to make it look beautiful outside.
We wandered through all of the little greenhouses as he tried to find something to purchase for his mother for next weekend. He was also allowed to peruse ideas for the pots in his yard. (Now, last year, he wasn't interested in adding any flowers. Hanging out with me must have rubbed off a little bit through osmosis, or something.) We bickered over ideas, because we have differing tastes. He also doesn't know as much about flowers as I do. Some of his requests were simply impossible.
I found myself wandering in front of the huge display of violas and pansies, time and time again. This particular greenhouse sells six-packs for $1.99 or a flat for $14.99. He has every color of pansy and viola you can imagine. He also starts everything in waves, so that you can purchase flowers at different points in the season. I just can't help myself. E offered to kick me in the shins or something to distract me. Instead, that just inspired me to pick up a flat of my blues and purples.
How can you resist that beauty?
I would have bought even more, but I was limited in cash and had no debit card on me. I also am realistic and know how much yard clean-up I have to do before devoting much time to planting annuals. I should have been out there all day today, because it was beautiful. But I have these lovely things called parent-teacher conferences that start on Friday. I have 14 scheduled for that day. We write narrative reports that must be approved by my boss prior to being shared with the parents. They can range from 3-5 pages in length per child. Usually I am still working on them through the Wednesday before conferences. I have submitted 11 of them today.
I told myself that this flat of flowers is the dangling carrot toward which I am working. Of course, now that I have gotten a lot of my work done, I have also scheduled three evenings of babysitting after work. I think the flowers will wait for me. And if I am really good, I will buy another flat next weekend. And the weekend after that....and after that....and after that....
E made me wander my favorite nursery for almost an hour. I begged him to not stay too long, because the lure of purchasing flowers would be too much for me. He told me to restrain myself. HA. He has never seen me at a greenhouse before. Last summer, I was so upset about Dad that I just didn't care to work in the yard. This year, though, is a different story. My fingers are itching to get into the dirt and I want to make it look beautiful outside.
We wandered through all of the little greenhouses as he tried to find something to purchase for his mother for next weekend. He was also allowed to peruse ideas for the pots in his yard. (Now, last year, he wasn't interested in adding any flowers. Hanging out with me must have rubbed off a little bit through osmosis, or something.) We bickered over ideas, because we have differing tastes. He also doesn't know as much about flowers as I do. Some of his requests were simply impossible.
I found myself wandering in front of the huge display of violas and pansies, time and time again. This particular greenhouse sells six-packs for $1.99 or a flat for $14.99. He has every color of pansy and viola you can imagine. He also starts everything in waves, so that you can purchase flowers at different points in the season. I just can't help myself. E offered to kick me in the shins or something to distract me. Instead, that just inspired me to pick up a flat of my blues and purples.
How can you resist that beauty?
I would have bought even more, but I was limited in cash and had no debit card on me. I also am realistic and know how much yard clean-up I have to do before devoting much time to planting annuals. I should have been out there all day today, because it was beautiful. But I have these lovely things called parent-teacher conferences that start on Friday. I have 14 scheduled for that day. We write narrative reports that must be approved by my boss prior to being shared with the parents. They can range from 3-5 pages in length per child. Usually I am still working on them through the Wednesday before conferences. I have submitted 11 of them today.
I told myself that this flat of flowers is the dangling carrot toward which I am working. Of course, now that I have gotten a lot of my work done, I have also scheduled three evenings of babysitting after work. I think the flowers will wait for me. And if I am really good, I will buy another flat next weekend. And the weekend after that....and after that....and after that....
Monday, April 30, 2012
Gardening A to Z: Z is for Zinnia
For some reason, when I was a kid, I often got zinnias and marigolds confused. I guess that isn't too abnormal, as some varieties of zinnias do resemble marigolds.
I just didn't really care for them, though. My father adored them and planted them in front of the store every year. Perhaps if I caught more glimpses of butterflies on them like in the picture, I wouldn't mind as much.
A few years ago, I was shopping for seeds when I realized that zinnias had even more shapes. I am particularly drawn to the pinwheel ones.
Now that I know there are more varieties and colors, I tend to include them every year. I put them in a bed that has small peonies growing. I plant a mix of seeds of zinnias, sunflowers, cosmos and portulaca, for a variety of height and texture in color. And then I hope the birds don't eat all of the seeds before they get a chance to grow.
I have already purchased my seeds for this year. Now for the weather to get warm enough to start planting them....
Gardening A to Z: Y is for Yard
My yard is my happy place. When I was a kid, I used to spend a lot of time wandering our fenced-in side yard. My dad would talk about how I would wander around his gardens, delicately touching every plant and closely examining them. I loved getting lost among the ferns, trees and bushes. As an adult, I love to sit in my backyard and feel the sun beating down on my face. I love the feeling of release when my fingers dig into the dirt. I love the pride that I feel when I get everything weeded and cut back. I still love to run my fingers through the leaves and to smell each individual bloom. Now I take pictures of what grows, to share them with everyone.
I could sit outside in that small outdoor space all day. The disadvantage of living in a city is that there are always people around. The advantage of my yard, though, is that it is a larger one than most of the people in my neighborhood. I am a single family dwelling on a corner, which leaves me a lot of extra yard space.
Some day I will have to leave this yard behind. And then I will make the next one my happy place.
I could sit outside in that small outdoor space all day. The disadvantage of living in a city is that there are always people around. The advantage of my yard, though, is that it is a larger one than most of the people in my neighborhood. I am a single family dwelling on a corner, which leaves me a lot of extra yard space.
Some day I will have to leave this yard behind. And then I will make the next one my happy place.
Gardening A to Z: W is for Wonder
When I was a child, the garden always filled me with a sense of wonder. I was amazed at how beautiful the plants were. I enjoyed following their cycles through the seasons and was almost able to base time on them. I was amazed at how they seemed to change through the year. I loved the feel of the plants and to smell each one of their scents. I loved to draw pictures of them and used the entire rainbow of that 64-crayon box when coloring in my coloring books. After all, I had a rainbow of flowers available to me every year and they came in more than 8 colors.
As I learned more about plants, I as fascinated with how one little seed could become a big majestic plant. There was a harmony in nature that couldn't be replicated anywhere else. I remember writing my own story about how a seed grows into a flower, and the balance and harmony involved in it. Naturally, I proceeded to lose that story, which is a shame. I remember my teacher telling me to save it and to publish it some day.
I love to share the wonder of plants with my students every year. This year, one of them brought in a starter kit for a sunflower, which accompanies Eric Carle's book The Tiny Seed. We just planted it last week. I also set up my lima bean planting activity. The kids have been busy preparing their seeds in the baggies, so that they can watch how they grow. Every day, they check their plants and are ecstatic when they see signs of growth. I am passing that wonder on to a new generation.
As I learned more about plants, I as fascinated with how one little seed could become a big majestic plant. There was a harmony in nature that couldn't be replicated anywhere else. I remember writing my own story about how a seed grows into a flower, and the balance and harmony involved in it. Naturally, I proceeded to lose that story, which is a shame. I remember my teacher telling me to save it and to publish it some day.
I love to share the wonder of plants with my students every year. This year, one of them brought in a starter kit for a sunflower, which accompanies Eric Carle's book The Tiny Seed. We just planted it last week. I also set up my lima bean planting activity. The kids have been busy preparing their seeds in the baggies, so that they can watch how they grow. Every day, they check their plants and are ecstatic when they see signs of growth. I am passing that wonder on to a new generation.
Gardening A to Z: X is for Xanthospermous
I was looking for words that begin with the letter "x" to fill in this post. Thanks to the Internet, it isn't as difficult as you would think. I found a word on The Phrontistery: "xanthospermous." It means "having yellow seeds." And then it occurred to me that I couldn't think of any plants that have yellow seeds. I had to do more research. I found a lot of information about plants with yellow seeds being dominant. And then there was a bunch of stuff form biology that I vaguely remember from 20 years ago.
Mustard seeds are often yellow or white.
Some varieties of ferns will drop yellow seeds.
A heterozygous pea plants will drop yellow seeds.
Do you know of any other xanthospermous plants?
Mustard seeds are often yellow or white.
Some varieties of ferns will drop yellow seeds.
A heterozygous pea plants will drop yellow seeds.
Do you know of any other xanthospermous plants?
Gardening A to Z: V is for Vinca
Vinca is one of the only groundcovers that I think I would willingly use in one of my gardens. I like the deep green of the leaves. And of course, it has a purple flower. Purple is my favorite color and is automatically used in my garden as any flower that blooms in that color.
Photo copyright Andrea Coventry
Spring time is the best time to see these flowers in bloom. I wish they would last all season. Then again, they are a promise of warmer weather to come, because they arrive in the spring.
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