May 1, 2005

The Cook's Garden has been planted with parsley, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, violas, onions, snow peas, chard, lettuces and other cold-tolerant crops. It looks so neat and tidy now, and soon the chives will be blooming. The strawberry plants are full of bloom, but we have not had weather for the bees to be out pollinating, so I don't know how good the crop will be. The cherry trees have been blooming, too, but again, I doubt the bees have been able to accomplish much, as they only work when the temp is above 60 and it is not raining. Very few hours have fit that criteria while the blooms have been open. The lavender field is looking good. Looks like nearly every plant made it through the winter, although a few may have lost some material on their west sides, where the winter wind beats on them for months. All in all, I'm pleased, but fighting the dandelions, who want to take over the field! My deck garden still looks fantastic. The late lilly tulips are lovely, bright orange. Lots of fragrant "Geranium" narcissus and dwarf irises are blooming, and the columbines are beginning to open. The golden foliage of some of the perennials (Centurea "Gold Boullion", Coreopsis "Tequila Sunrise", Phlox "Becky Towe", Heuchera "Amber Wabes") are adding a lot of interest, too. I need to add one of the Golden Bleeding Hearts from the sales area. I just noticed how lovely they are yesterday, and thought "One of you needs to go home with me!" Oh, the joys of owning my own plant store!