Spring Garden Planning

Being raised by a farmer, an avid gardener

& grandparents who had a sure appreciation for food,

it is of no surprise that I lOVE to garden!

Flowers, sprinklers, shrubs, bark, manure,

fertilizer, stones, patios, grass,

moss, fruit trees, 

vegetables, herbs, seed catalogs, 

terracotta, bees, salmon geraniums,

birds, bird feeders, ladybugs, hanging baskets,

hummingbird feeders, 

borders, fencing, water fountains, bird baths, squirrels, pathways,

EVERYTHING garden that speaks garden.
And for my dear friend Phyllis you are awesome because you have chickens in your backyard! :D

above: Poppy

Oh and don't get me started on the fertilizer isle in the garden store. "Heyavens!"

As a little girl our family visited the Butchart Gardens in Victoria B.C. It was so beautiful and I think it was then that my appreciation for hard work in the soil developed.www.butchartgardens.com

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When I am picking out patio furniture the first
question I ask myself is "how will this look with my flowers."

My dearest friend Jennifer and I love sharing garden adventures. She is a magnificent gardener. She has the most beautiful beds and veggie gardens of anyone I know in Montana! 

Just last Friday at Spring Delight we were discussing seed catalogs.

It was so fun :) 

The key that I have discovered in 

gardening is the importance of experimenting.

I have planted perennials and moved them around

in different beds like furniture rearranging! 

I have planted flowers and blooming shrubs in various spots 

in our yard only to dig them up and plant them elsewhere because

they weren't thriving. I have killed my fair share

of plants too! Last year I made a new bed and planted these beautiful

lavender perennials. I didn't water them enough and they had

far too much sun and heat. They're still there today...dead. I need to pull them up and throw them away.

seen above: lambs ear, lavender, salvia, phlox, jacob's ladder

Having grown up in both central and western WA, where two very

different climates exist I have been accustomed to the value of manure, peat moss and top nurturing soil in your flower and vegetable beds.

above: Tulalip WA. Tulip fields.


But here in Montana, at least in Billings, everyone uses rock!

Yuck! I hate rocks in flowerbeds! It doesn't make sense to me.

Dad used to make me earn my school clothes money by dropping me off in the fields to pick rocks. Note, in the very hot heat of summer! blahhh

So why in the world do these Montana people insist on bringing rocks to their beds?

Well, I think they do it because it is easy upkeep and prevents weeds. But it seems counter productive since rocks only make your beds hot and suck moisture from your plants. I don't get it. I don't know why I shake my head with such disapproval. Other than the fact that I have strong opinions regarding rocks and their place in the garden! :)

We are landscaping my dad's house this summer so I am 

like a hyper little kid in a candy store!! Holy canoli!!!

I've been researching landscape designs and keeping notes when I come across 

a yard I love. In my opinion central WA has the best weather

for garden growth. EVERYTHING grows there! Except rhododendrons :(

But I have seen the most beautiful of beautiful Willow trees there.

I have to have on in the back yard, it's official.

And geraniums, you don't need to

spend tons of money

on the Martha Washington Geraniums (like you do here)

because they grow huge there. So excited.

Daddy loved roses. He planted them all over his apartment complex. Mom has been diligent in keeping them healthy this spring. Well, at his house we are going to reserve a section of the side yard specifically for daddy's roses. It will be called "Dad's Rose Garden."

(Yes I name some of my beds, it's what I do, I'm that person.)

Surely I will benefit from psychology school, right?!

So, if your looking to start a garden this spring to have

beautiful blooms come summer...here are some planning ideas to get you started.

~~~~Find a Spiral Notebook~~~~

Draw the area of your yard where you wish

to add flower beds.

Next, draw the area again only include

the flower beds and their placement.

Then, with the outline of your

yard and flower bed placement(s),

incorporate the shrubs, perennials, annuals, and misc. such as bird bath, rock path ways, ect. inside the flower bed sketches.

This gives you a clear idea of what your landscape will potentially look like. Plus there is something about blue prints. By drawing your vision and putting to paper, it makes your little dream become that more real and attainable. 

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~Here is a list of typical spring perennial flowers

you can begin to plant now.

Flowering Shrubs

Butterfly bush (actually attracks butterflies)

Forsythia

Lilac

Hydrangea

Flowering Petite Trees

Crab Apple ~ blooms bright deep pink in spring

Ornamental Choke Cherry ~ blooms "lilac" like white blossoms

Perennials

moss phlox (mountain phlox, creeping phlox)

candytuft

anemone

forget-me-not

jacob's ladder

lungwort

woodland poppy

merry bells

carnations

aster

periwinkle/myrtle/vinca

lady's mantle

bleeding hearts

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Perennials to plant in shade

lambs ear

periwinkle/myrtle/vinca

hosta

lungwort

bleeding hearts

hydrangea

Perennials to plant in sun

lavender

sun rose

hens & chicks

candytuft (looks great cascading down rocks or ledge)

mountain phlox

gay feather

pin cusion

cone flower

babyis breath

echinacea

coreopsis

salvia

butterfly bush

Here are some illustrations of these perennials listed above.

~Remember if you are not starting these by seed yourself, 

it is important when choosing your plants from a nursery, to pick

ones from the middle of the rack making sure they are full, 

not leggy, no signs of long roots on bottom of container, no bugs.  

To check for bugs, gently shake the plant. 

If bugs emerse, choose another. ~

Happy Gardening!! 
Next I will post on how to keep a garden journal.