Garden Notes: Late February
I spent most of the day in the garden, most of yesterday too. I found some old bricks and used them to lay out one end of a small raised bed for our veggie patch this year. We’ve planted banana peppers, onions, and cilantro from starts, and there are seeds to go in tomorrow: carrot, butterhead lettuce, and radish. I’m not sure anyone in the family cares much for radishes, but they grow so quickly and are fun to harvest. Oh, and we’ll plant a few beans. We buried a couple of seed potatoes this afternoon. Will I ever cease to marvel at this climate? February was always the longest, hardest month back east. My children love snow (those who remember it), but not I.
Saw our first monarch of the season today! Alas, it made two passes around our yard and fluttered on by. My milkweed has buds but isn’t open yet, and may not bloom at all—it’s horribly infested with little yellow bugs I thought were a particularly squicky kind of aphid, but now I’m doubting. We recruited an army of ladybugs, who munched dutifully for a while but have now flown home to check for fires or something.
Bees: a respectable number, but not the legions we hope to see when the salvia blooms.
I took a million pictures today but none of them came out. Ever since I dropped it on the street during Comic-Con, my camera is reluctant to focus.
Bloom notes, mostly for my own reference. I like to poke through my archives and compare…
geranium (three kinds)
tree mallow
Cape honeysuckle
lavender (two kinds)
jasmine (the one with the pink buds, not the white)
the yellow marguerites
African daisies
snapdragon
nasturtiums
sweet broom
viola
alstromeria
sweet alyssum (white and purple)
ice plant, in magenta profusion
bougainvillea (trying—I think I need to move it to a better spot)
red salvia (barely)
petunia
stock
Probably more things I can’t remember right now.
This list staggers me. I say that every year but staggered I am again.
FEBRUARY.
We do penance for this in October, when the very air crisps your skin and the only color in the garden is brown.
Jennifer says:
I love your garden note posts!
On February 26, 2012 at 5:52 am
Shonda says:
We are in the middle of our first year in our new to us home. It has been such a joy to find what is popping up every month! It’s like a treasure hunt. Last week it was bright yellow jonquils which was such a treat! I have been taking tons of pictures every month to keep track. 🙂
On February 26, 2012 at 8:40 am
Ellie says:
Does this mean I shouldn’t mention the six inches of fresh snow we have and the wind that blows like ice so that your bones burn with the cold of it?
Ah well.
I do love your gardeny notes 🙂
On February 26, 2012 at 12:04 pm
Penny says:
I wish I was there to help you plant.
I’m with ya, regarding snow. That’s why we’re (some of us anyway) spending March down south. That and to help out some pretty nice folks I know.
No internet there, alas. But imagine the feast I will have reading your antics when I return!
Be well 🙂
On February 26, 2012 at 3:16 pm
Laurie says:
I found out those are Oleander Aphids. Our whole hillside is covered in Oleander. Aren’t there Oleander behind your fence at the school?
Reviews are mixed whether you should leave them on or not. If there are just too many for me I wipe them off w/ a paper towel.
Our milkweeds are still bare sticks too. I sure hope they grow some leaves soon!!
On February 27, 2012 at 6:32 pm
Heather says:
For the radishes, slice them wafer thin, and toss them, along with sliced avocado, with fresh lime, salt, and pepper. So good.
On February 28, 2012 at 10:59 am
Donna Thede says:
What a sweet refreshing blog. I’m just a wannaB gardner… (Oh, how I wanna be… sigh). I keep trying, though,learning about the really forgiving stuff, like squash and tomatoes. Yes, you can laugh at me. Lord knows, I do. Can you tell me what the flower is at the very top here. I must have “accidentally’ planted one, and it has bloomed all year long, even through the snow. And it smells wonderful.
On February 29, 2012 at 11:40 am
Melissa Wiley says:
Oleander aphids! Thanks for the ID, Laurie!
I think I’m going to have to start all over with new milkweed this year.
On March 4, 2012 at 7:43 am