Friday, June 05, 2009

Show off my Garden, why not?

It seems that everyone is showing off their gardens these days. I’m real proud of mine, so will jump on that bandwagon.

We live in the rocky Berkshire foothills. Our cash crop is often called Tolland potatoes, a/k/a rocks. I’ve amended my gardens with so much tree chipping mulch that our son in law won’t visit any more if he thinks I’ve gotten my hands on another truck load.

The trick to gardens, or so I was told by a lady whose flowers were spectacular, is Chicken Gicken from the Otis Poultry Farm Store. I’m not really sure how to spell that, but can stand behind the product. It takes a year or two to work, but when it does, watch out.

A photographer I am not – here is what’s blooming today.

I just love Columbine for the way it self-seeds. I’m surprised that some that I would have thought were hybreds have seeded pretty true.

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These wild Geraniums are another prolific seeder. They also spread wonderfully.

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Of course, there is always the weed that wants to add to the color

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These yellow Iris are yet another from my mom’s gardens

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Our grandchildren just love the song from the Fifties, Rockin Robin. When I found this along the wayside I just had to have one for the garden. They seem to like the barren roadside better then my chicken shit laced rotted tree mulch.

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Some more Iris, a Clemetis that I though was a goner, and even a couple of plants that I cannot remember the name of, imagine that.

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If getting our soil up to snuff for flowers is a trick, finding enough sun for vegetables is a real problem. I’ve tried several different ideas over the years and failed each year. I decided that this year I would not fail, and it looks like I’m right [so far anyway]. I have four tomato plants in pots, lettuce plants, musclun lettuce, basil, parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, dill and cilantro all growing happily in pots on our front walkway. That seems to be the only place where there is consistent sun. We can thank the winter ice storm for some of that sun………. I’ve also got a few tomato plants planted in the ground not far away where they seem to get enough sun to be happy

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Notice all of the walls built out of Tolland potatoes……

We’ve already had fresh lettuce salad a couple of times and it’s been heavenly.