Wandering Wednesday....no direction but to plant, seed, water and rotate gardens!

I have been busy planting, getting plants to people, and watering in this heat of 90 degrees. That is too hot for May!!!!

I raised all my annuals this year again from seed which means spring is a busy time of year! That is why I have not posted in a few weeks. Just have not had time to wander and take pictures.... I decided to capture the last of the spring daffodils and tulips before they disappear until next spring....this week they will be gone for good....

My dainty heirloom daffodils bloom much later...they are perfect for floating in water vases.

I planted peony tulips last fall and they are just finishing their show....

I am looking forward to these developing over the years....just love the color red!

I can't have tulips in my front yard since the squirrels won't leave them alone. I have dogs which help keep the squirrels away in the backyard.

Spring is not here until the Johnny Jump Ups start blooming. I have a lot growing throughout the potager this year.

I grew some trailing pansy this year so we shall if they do branch out....

I put my spring flowers in small vases throughout the potager since we enjoy them in our salads..

I also put some Johnny Jump Ups in my radicchio bed that I started last fall....time to make a salad....

April Showers

Daffodils are finishing their show this week. 

I have been on my hands and knees clearing potager beds from weeds this past week.I am planting vegetable, flower and herb seedlings throughout the potager that have been hardened off the past few weeks. 

My entire backyard lot is vegetables , flowers and herbs mixed throughout the landscape.  I am busy this week seeding beds for spring vegetables. I rotate what is growing in each section every year. It keeps pests and disease away when you practice a 3-4 yr crop rotation. I have permanent perennials mixed throughout the garden as well as grasses and evergreens.

 I put these arborvitaes in 8 yrs ago and they were knee high. I purchased them for $5.99 a piece. I have nurtured them all these years to provide  the bones for my urban potager. The Midwest drought of  2012  killed 7 of my arborvitaes that I nurtured from knee high. The one at the end is the last one I have to pull out,and I did that today. It made me sad to think that I only had 7 left after all these years of taking care of these evergreens......hope we do not have a drought like that anytime soon! I will start with some new arborvitaes again, but this time I plan on using Green Giant Arborvitae that grow a bit faster and will fill in sooner!

 This bed is filled with Tulips and native plants at the back.I am hardening off the last of my cole crops. My Red Mustard, Tatsoi and Swiss Chard will be placed in this bed with Cutting/Leaf celery, China Aster, Harlequin Marigold and Sweet  Scabiosa 'Black Knight' for seed saving. I just hope the bunnies leave this bed alone! 

I save seed from heirloom flowers and grow those that people do not plant anymore. The heirloom flowers have fragrance which is missing from most of the new cultivars today. I decided a few years ago to use heirloom bulbs in the potager. These were planted in an area where not much else grows due to lack of water. It is right outside my kitchen and off the front porch. 

Thalia 1916 Heirloom Daffodil 

Two flowers form on one stem. They are smaller and  delicate. They have a pleasant fragrance. 

As the daffodils finish their show, grasses are cut to the ground beds are cleared, spring vegetable, herb and flower seedlings are planted.... our urban potager is awakening to another year of abundance.....

HELLO SPRING!!!!