Bloom Thyme Friday: Patience is a Virtue

Link | May 28, 2020 | Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

Yes, patience is a virtue… they say.

And this season as gardeners we have needed all the patience we can get as we deal with weather conditions. Weather dictates most everything we do.

As I write a gentle rain is falling, it looks and sounds beautiful. The birds are loving it but I’m practicing patience as I wait on sunshine. Much of the garden is sitting in water and rain predicted for all day tomorrow too. 😏 We gardeners surely do hate to complain about rain. However… GULP! GULP!

We are coming out of a very cold, dreary period … it has actually set records for lack of sunshine and for lowest temps. Funny thing about that, England is having their sunniest spring on record. I think I have their answer … my daughter is there. She always brings sunshine to my life.

We NEED a bit of sunshine. Our spirits need it. Our plants need it. Work on my new outdoor potting space needs it. My Sweet Bay Magnolias especially need it.

SWEET BAY MAGNOLIAS

We have three SB Magnolias and love them. Last year at this time they were leafing out so beautifully and getting ready to bloom. The freeze we experienced a couple of weeks ago nipped them good. All baby leaves turned black. We feared the worst. But, this week with the warming temps, we now see leaves! Whew, that was close. Can’t imagine losing them.

BLOOM THYME…

The warm temps are sure paying off… blooms (and veggies) are popping all over the garden!

Caution: Excessive images coming. Hope you like pink and purple.😳

Oh, **Sweet William** how sweet you are![/caption
**Baptisia** getting started. Easy, Breezy, Beautiful.

**May Night Salvia** can’t be stopped. Power bloomer.

Not sure of the variety, but these alliums brought their “A” game this spring!

**The President** clematis has been bringing joy to my garden for years and years. It is usually the first of my clematis to bloom.

PEONIES…

Click on any picture to open the gallery feature.

VEGGIES…

Click on individual pics for additional information on varieties, etc.

🍅Tomatoes planted in containers last weekend by my son. 👨‍🌾 We always have garden days together for Mother’s Day but this year it had to be later and socially distanced. No hugs. 😭 TOMATOES: Summer Sandwich (formerly Steak Sandwich), Romas, Mr. Stripey and several cherry tomato varieties.

🌱Peas coming along nicely.

🌱Zucchini are growing in containers as we did last year. This year’s varieties are Romanesco and Rhonde de Nice (a round Zuc)

🥔Potatoes (Kennebecs) jumping up along with a “volunteer” Cosmos to the right side.

🥗Lettuce (Black Simpson) is being enjoyed by all!

ROSES…

So many roses are loaded with bud and just ready to burst!

And some ROSES are reaching their peak…

**Midnight in Paris** growing in a container on my deck.

Below is Ghislaine de Feligonde reaching for the sky over the Potting Shed.

She looks like she’s enjoying today’s gentle rain.

Ghislaine de Feligonde… this old-fashioned rambler forms a large shrub with few thorns. Fragrant bloom clusters open apricot, aging to pale yellow. Occasional repeat bloom. Canes can reach 6 to 10 feet. (Taken from High Country Roses website where I bought her 3 years ago.)

RAIN OR SHINE

If you need a rainy or sunny day activity … I think you will enjoy my recent interview with Mike Shoup of the Antique Rose Emporium. His talks should come with a warning, he makes it hard not to fall in love (or deeper in love) with roses — plants he calls THE ULTIMATE GARDEN PLANT. And, he uses them so beautifully. You can listen HERE.

Friends, spring is happening! Until next time be well, be safe, and be happy in the garden.

If you are local keep an umbrella handy too. 😉 ☔️

Bloom Thyme Friday: Oops!

Link | July 7, 2017 | Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

Oops! Where did those tomatoes go! They were just here a minute ago.

If you have been reading my blog for a while, you know that several years ago Mr. G built gorgeous little raised beds for “his” tomatoes and other veggies. I say “his” even though, I have to plant them and water them but they ARE his. We have several things in our relationship like that.

Me and my roses have trellises. He built them. But I “control” them.

You get the picture. It works!

Back to the tomato and veggie beds…

He is very territorial about his raised beds. He even made a sign in the early days reminding me of something #noroses! WHAT! His point is well made and “usually” I am very respectful of his space.

Like I said I am ‘usually” very respectful. Well, this year I had extra nasturtiums and I hated to toss them so I asked Mr. G if it would be okay if I added a couple to his raised bed. He said fine! There appeared to be plenty of space as the tomatoes were tiny at the time. #whatwashethinking

Then I had a weak moment at Lowe’s where I bought a tiny little cucumber plant and thought it would do very well in Mr. G’s raised bed. I love cucumbers so much. He hates them. HATES them. But, when I asked, much to my surprise, he said yes. #whatwashethinking

It had been a while since I’ve planted cucumbers. OH MY WORD, they are everywhere. In a heartbeat they took over the raised bed. Well, at least what was left of it after the nasturtiums had their way #OVERACHIEVERS. There were a few days there where I was actively looking for the tomatoes. 😳

The cucumbers climbed over the tomatoes, jumped out of the raised bed, covered the daisies and ran through Celsiana who had finished blooming and is making a great trellis. I don’t see them slowing down anytime soon!

The tomatoes have emerged from the depths and are beginning to see daylight and make up for loss time. Now we have tiny cucumbers and tiny tomatoes growing happily together. #harmony

Mr. G has been giving me looks when he passes the raised beds but, I just keep watering and smiling!

Hope you are smiling too and …

Happy Bloom Thyme Friday!

Can you say BLT?

August 2, 2012August 2, 2012 | Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

I love BLTs. Don’t you? I think I may have to try this Monster BLT from The Pioneer Woman…. click here. If you take a look at that sandwich she prepared, your mouth will water for sure!

Nothing is better on a BLT than your very own homegrown tomato! And, yes, we are starting our 9th week of drought. Last week we had our first rain (1/2″) and as grateful as we are, we sure would love some more. (I recorded the rain… click here to hear that wonderful sound and see how fresh it makes everything look!)

Regardless of the lack of rain, Mr. G and I are committed to watering our tomatoes and to feeding them Annie’s Moo Poo Tea. When all the water your plants get comes from your efforts, well that is a lot of work and with so many days in the 90s and 100s, we have had to be vigilant.

A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS

Last February I surveyed my garden friends who also love tomatoes and got a ton of suggestions on what tomatoes to plant this year. (You can read about it here.)

Based on the their suggestions, I am growing Rutgers, Mortgage Lifter, Brandywine, Lemon Boy, Beefsteak, San Marzanos, Cherokee Purple and a few others that “grabbed” my attention at the local garden centers and Lowes.

OUR EFFORTS ARE PAYING OFF…

What is your favorite variety of tomato? Do you have a unique BLT recipe you’d like to share? I’d love your recommendations!

Bloom Thyme Friday: The Good. The Bad. The Ugly. Part 2.

July 27, 2012April 4, 2014 | Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

The gorgeous Flamenco rose has required very little water / from the Biltmore Collection

Today we start 9 weeks of drought… as you know my garden is very large and I have had to limit watering to my roses and tomatoes and alternating trees and shrubs that are closest to our living area.

As I write this I am in the garden looking up at a simply gorgeous summer sky… not a cloud in site! Even in times of drought, God does amazing things… with people and with plants.

There is always an up side, I read that it looks like the US will set a record in the month of July for the fewest tornadoes on record. After the horrible storms of last summer (remember Joplin, MO), that is sure welcome.

And, as far as the roses are concerned, they are usually covered in Japanese Beetles at this time of year and so far we have seen very few. In their place are beautiful blooms without bug bites! That is sure welcome!

Roses get watered once a week and still keep going!

Tomatoes get water a couple times each week….

Sunny Knockouts and wave petunias can definitely take the heat!

More Zinnias with Phlox that is also beating the heat very well.

First bloom of Tropicana … rescued from sale table.

Container Gardening: From Ordinary to Extraordinary

June 23, 2012April 27, 2013 | Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

I love growing in containers. I grow everything from tomatoes and herbs to exotic flowers and shrubs. Each year it is fun to decide what containers to use and what plants to try.

Through the years I have turned just about everything into a container for plants. Sometimes I find something unusual and the container is more important than the plant. But, most of the time my containers are ordinary and it’s the plants that make them special.

However, there is one container that I use every year that is very special to me, this little metal water pitcher that is filled with lemon mint…

This pitcher belonged to my grandmother … the same grandmother who went to see her doctor when she was in her 80s and asked the doctor to give her a pill that would make her feel strong enough to hoe in the garden. This little pitcher was a part of her everyday, ordinary life. To me it is completely extraordinary in the memories that it holds!

I am told she had the greenest of thumbs and could grow anything. And, you can be sure that I love it when other family members say, “You remind me of your grandmother, Mammy!”

Here are some containers in my garden and even a picture of me taken a few years ago dressed in one of Mammy’s dresses, holding her water pitcher…

My favorite plants to use in containers…

Tomatoes (Because I am obsessed)
Chile Peppers
Roses
Mint (…Because I love it and use a lot of it BUT it will take over if you plant in ground!)
Most used cooking herbs
Nasturtiums (Planted around my tomatoes)
Dorotheanthus Mezoo (Big name but excellent trailing plant)
Lantana (Hummingbirds & butterflies love)
Wave Petunias (’cause they can take the heat)
Geraniums
Coleus
Ferns
Gardenias
Succulents

For more on container gardening, click here.

What do you grow in containers?

You might also enjoy these family stories…

Memories of My Mom…

My Dad the Sailor…

Bloom Thyme Friday: Frosty News

April 13, 2012April 4, 2014 | Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

Here’s the frosty news report… Last night I got home in time to assess the damage. Yes, there is some. When you have a garden as large as mine, it is difficult to cover. As much as I have enjoyed the early spring, it sure is hard to see burnt leaves and buds bending down that I know won’t get to bloom. 🙁 I guess you would call me greedy when it comes to blooms.

All in all, the damage is very minimal. The 10-day forecast looks good and includes some much needed rain.

More Roses

Last night I also planted Red Drift Meigalpio Roses as a border for my new bed. (Mr. G actually hung a huge flashlight thingy for me! He is the BEST!) I think the little Red Drift blooms look so cute and will be great to use in arrangements.

Here’s how they will look when they grow up…

Red Drift® has the most petite flowers of all of the Drift® Roses. It is perfect for use in front of border plantings. Red Drift® makes a beautiful statement when it drapes naturally over a rock wall or edge. Mature height is less than 1½’ with a wider spread. Great flower power and disease resistance.

Frost-free Zone

Things in the frost-free Potting Shed are doing very well! Take a look at the Mortgage Lifter tomatoes (seeds from The Art of Seed)… Actually there are a few peppers in this picture too!

Nasturtiums are doing great too…

photo-30 — Nasturtiums to put around my potted tomato plants…

Coming Soon!

Soon the roses will be blooming and I’ll be planting tomatoes. Around here we take roses and tomatoes seriously!

From the look of the Harrison Yellow buds, that rose may bloom in the next few days … and that will be 6 weeks early! 🙂

Frost or no frost, I still love an early spring!

Have you been having frosty mornings in your neck of the woods?

Moo Poo … Who Knew?

June 11, 2011November 20, 2011 | Teresa / TheGardenDiary.com

From the first night I participated in #gardenchat I began to hear amazing stories about a product called Moo Poo and the magical effect it had on plants. What gardener doesn’t want a miracle product for their plants?

If you are not familiar with Moo Poo here are a few details…

Company: Authentic Haven Brand
What: Totally organic soil conditioner teas
Who: Annie the expert!
How: Easy to brew … click here or see video below.
Bonus: Very cute packaging

For the last few years my tomatoes have been very disappointing … wimpy plants with wimpy fruit. So, I decided that my first Moo Poo experiment would be with my tomatoes. I may be new to Moo Poo but I can honestly say I feel great about using something that comes so highly recommended by so many amazing #gardenchat gardeners. And, believe it or not, my tomatoes already look impressive. The plants are huge and there are blooms everywhere! I can almost taste the homemade marinara, homemade salsa, BLTs … you get the picture.

Along with the tomatoes, my roses and potted flowers are also getting “the poo!” I’ll keep you posted.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

TOMATO UPDATE: AUGUST 25, 2011

This is by far the best tomato crop ever! And I LOVE tomatoes. My patio tomatoes produced and produced and produced.

See what I mean. They are tall ... hubby is over 6'!

The tomatoes in my herb garden are still producing yummy tomatoes even in this very hot and very dry season!

However, my favorite tomato/Moo Poo story is this… Some friend’s told me before their 2-week vacation that they had this pitiful tomato in a pot that was probably going to die while they were gone if not before. I told them to bring it over and I would see what I could do. Sorry to say I did not take a before picture. It WAS pitiful!

The first thing I did was repot the poor baby and give it a stiff drink of Moo Poo. I continued to give it stiff drinks each of the two weeks they were gone. When they returned, they did not recognize their plant– it was huge … green leafy and had several tomatoes. Trust me, it really was miraculous. And, even surprised me! I was very proud.

The plant was truly over 5′ and much too large to move, so I kept it! To date we have picked about 10 yummies and today there are 25, yes 25, tomatoes on the plant.

I say all that to say this … I am a believer in Moo Poo. Contact Annie asap and place your order. Stock up for next year! If you need more info, her website has all the details you need.

So, join me in raising a glass of tea or whatever to Annie at Haven Authentic Brand … she has something all gardens need!