Showing posts with label garden starts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label garden starts. Show all posts

Saturday, June 21, 2025

Blooming in the Backyard.

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I haven't shared any blooming in the backyard yet this year. Still trying to get everything planted, held me up.

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Our porch stairs is always shade, so the Pansies are happy here as our temps warm up.

THRIFTING TIP: I'm purchasing pie pans, cake pans for saucers. Plastic new saucers are now over $2.00 for plastic and clay as high as $7.00. So thrifting is the way to go, usually a $1.00 or less each if purchased in a bunch. And they will last longer.

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Missing from my pots this year are Lime Green sweet potato vines. They just were not available? I use purchased Impatiens, a Geranium to mix with my seeded flowers from the greenhouse.

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Nasturtiums are different this year, two different kinds of seed.


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My trellis rose exploded early this week...this is actual color and not retouched.

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I actually fertilized these roses early and one more time in May. And, it paid off, they are gorgeous. Actual unretouched COLOR! PHEW!!!!


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Backside of the Nasturtiums from the Veggie garden side...great for attracting pollinators.

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We had some serious winds early this week, I put up this temporary trellis around my newly transplanted greenhouse starts. Zinnias, Sunflowers, Cosmos? not sure what else. I'll remove the netting soon, and use some ties to the fence.

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Birdbath planter is a little bit of everything. Same with the long planter, not even sure what is all in there.

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I think this may be hot peppers, not sure, one pot I planted and didn't write down the contents, and honestly it looks like weeds, but was a ring of plants around the outside so we will see what it is? 

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Here is the Tulip/Iris plot I cleaned out planted last year and removed so MANY Day Lilies. This year I've added 2 Foxgloves, 

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Aren't they gorgeous?

and added some transplanted Baby Tears, two grown from roots Phlox,
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 2 BellFlowers in between the Iris and a 

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below Gaillardia ---I purchased another Fox Glove and Gaillardia for here, 

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and that will make this plot quite full.  

The center trellis is a lavender Clematis, which is done for the moment. We should get another bloom.

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Below: Back on the Northwest side, a large pot of Dahlias. I have Dahlias grown from bulbs in all my large pots. Some saved from last year, and two new bags.

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greenhouse grown Marigolds, Sweet Williams Hubby picked out and one purchased Petunia. The Dahlias are going to explode in a few days.

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On the North bed, we haveColumbine done blooming  next to my Rhubarb.

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Our Iris were magnificent, but short lived, heat and too much rain. Some blossoms never opened, just rotted curled up. Staking them was a project.


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My cool sheltered shed garden holds first year home grown perrenials...this is the second year for these Delphiniums, I will try and transplant in Fall. In the background you can see the fence. When we had the roof and gutters done we diverted an overhead gutter to that bed and the bushes have quadrupled in size in two years.

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This Delphinium is huge this year, and really bushed out, hopefully I can split the roots up. We will see. This was a tiny root I purchased in a box of three. this is the only one that made it.  The rest of the backyard isn't photo ready, but soon.

Side Yard and front is next! 

What's BLOOMING with You?


All the opinions and photographs in this blog are my own unless identified, I have not been paid or reimbursed in anyway for my opinions, posts or any products shown.  









Tuesday, March 11, 2025

Midwest Gardening: Garden Starts, Plants, Planters...wishing for Spring!

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It's trying hard to be Spring in Chicagoland, it was 70 yesterday, but will be below freezing tonight, it's already in the low 40's at 1pm. I hooked up the heater in the greenhouse as I have all my Dahlias, Potato Vines, and miscellaneous summer bulbs started in there. Hopefully since it was sunny today, it will hold. I will put it on high tonight.

I haven't posted much about our home, mostly because it has been full of bags of donations, shipments of 'stuff', and barely put away Christmas, and well---PLANTS, lots of PLANTS.

In the Kitchen...I began the garden starts last week, March 5-10, actually and entire month late. But, that is another story.  

Check out THIS POST it's a great blow by blow of the entire process from the past! YIKES I'm behind this year.

Anyway I had to move plants everywhere ELSE! To the Bedroom with four...

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I have a different piece of furniture here now...but I'm double protecting it...from the water from these plants.....

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And these. Hard to take photos with bright light outside, The hanging spiders have been quite happy in here with an air purifier and a humidifier running full tilt all winter. The only plant not happy is my Rex Begonia..which I think got overwatered...they are touchy but gorgeous.

Back to the Living room and PLANTS!

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The biggest plant was this darn IVY TREE...which I love and hate...each time we transplant it, it becomes HEAVIER. LOL. It's very happy in the living room windows.
I also moved three Mandilla into the living room and  more plants into my bedroom. It's pretty much plant heaven in our house right now. Oh, another one is in the bathroom...very happy there.

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Chaos and Plant Central: The upright box is one of the big garden planters 3'x8'x 2' high (above bunny munching) for the vegetable garden, the other is opened on the floor---a million pieces of metal...that should be lots of fun. 

(Each year from now on we will build or order raised containers for the garden.) We are getting too old to be lifting and bending over so much, and container gardening will be more compact, also less tilling for my hubby. At 78 the tiller basically drags him around. 

Wood will be very pricey with the Canada Trade wars...and tariffs, so we opted early to purchase these metal ones at a steal. They are 50$$ $more now then early February.

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Middle pot: I purchased a lovely lime Philodendron to put in the bottom of the pot with the Dracenas. It will be on the front porch this summer under the eaves, maybe the end of April or May.

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This  LIMEY should look great in that old antique pot with the Dracena spikes.

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The climbing Mandilla on the left is growing so many new shoots, it's going everywhere. I had fertilized everything the end of February and the plants are now kicking into high gear.

Our kitchen is perfect for starting plants, two huge windows facing South and East. Problem was I had so many plants wintering over in the house.

March 5-10 I  planted a bunch of flower and vegetable seeds. When they begin to sprout, the tomatoes, peppers, herbs, and flowers, I will keep you up to date on how everything is doing.


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It takes a lot of room to do starts. Hopefully I can fill the greenhouse with the rest, if the temps would moderate a bit more. It's been pleasant in the 80's in the greenhouse, I actually turned the fan on yesterday.

Later this week, I would love to start Peas, and the lettuce/radish/onion pots for the railings so we can have fresh veggies---as soon as possible in the greenhouse. By April we should be able to put carrots, beets, broccoli, and Kohlrabi into the ground, they are all cool weather plants. 
Since critters ate my zucchini, beans, cantalope, spinach, brocolli, and all my sunflowers last year...I'll be starting those in the greenhouse and move when they are BIG into the gardens. (Another reason for raised planters).

LEFT:  I moved my two rosemary plants into one big ugly pot. It's been okay this winter...and will definitely be happier outside when it is warmer. I'm going to have to replace many pots this next year. 
REDO:  I will garage sale for some.

CENTER: 
The wooden spoons on the covers are holding them down for they were a bit warped. I use big baking trays under some of my starters. I have two layers of plastic covering the surface of my cabinet, which has worked in the past.

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First thing up planted on March 5 was COSMOS. YAY! But this means I'll have to transplant them to bigger containers later. UGH.


The South window has these shelves set up. IF all goes to plan, everything will be in the greenhouse before Easter, so we can eat (10 or so) at the table.

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These are Birthday flowers  (the roses were done)  my from February. I actually love the spicy scent of carnations...so nice to have something blooming now. Of course the roses are drying straight in the hall wall for use some other time.

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I Can't wait for flowers like these!


How are Your 
GARDEN PLANS
Going!?

Thanks always for visiting. 
I will try and respond to every comment and answer every question.

I'll be participating at these fun parties.


All the opinions and photographs in this blog are my own, I have not been paid or reimbursed in anyway for my opinions, posts or any products shown. Please do not use photos without linking back to this blog without my permission. Thank you for your cooperation, Sandi Magle


Sandi