This has been a very mild winter for those of us here in the southern United States. I know some of you are asking, "Aren't winters always mild in the south?" The answer I guess is yes, compared to some, but we've only had a few days of weather below 40 degrees this year, which is rare. It got down into the low 20s for a couple of days in a row, just enough to kill everything and then it warmed right up!
We have to replace two citrus trees. They were young and this was their first winter outside of a green house so it was rough on them and we didn't put enough protection on them. We moved from an area nestled between two lakes which kept our citrus trees much warmer than where we are now. Next year we will be better prepared.
We worked in the yard today, cleaning up dead leaves, planting new flowers and enjoying the mild weather. I cleaned up and replanted my herb box. This year I have rosemary, spearmint, oregano, chives, sage, cutting celery, basil, parsley, cilantro, romaine lettuce and two strawberry plants. We will put the veggies out in a couple of weeks. We still have to get the boxes ready for those. We do have some tomatoes and bell peppers started, ready for planting.
We moved into a fixer upper and the yard is just about done. This is our second spring here and today we finished up the beds around the house. We put in a wall garden next to the AC and added two carpet roses, a red and white to cascade down the wall. It serves two purposes, one of holding in the dirt that washes down the slope from under the concrete pad for the AC and two it will be beautiful too! We planted pink, yellow, and red knockout roses around the other side of the AC and around the sunny side of the porch.
We put lirope and red fountain grass on the north side of the house, replacing the former owners lovely shingle garden! Yes, he planted rocks and roofing shingles in a beautiful walled bed because he didn't want to pull weeds. It was quite an eye sore. Looks much better now! Our Surinam cherries survived the winter, yeah for the lights and blankets. We are pushing the limit of their cold tolerance here, but I have so missed them. Haven't had one since I was seven; won't say how long ago that was! I think I saw a blossom on one of them today. :-)
Can't wait to put the impatiens in tomorrow. These go on the shady side of the porch under the big live oak and they bloom until they freeze. Last years plants are starting to come back too so they should be really thick and pretty this year. I added an African daisy to the small garden under the Chinese tallow tree (Popcorn tree). I know it is an invasive tree, but it so pretty when it blooms and in the fall when it is scarlet. (And it is food for those bees, see below...)
What I really miss about being here is our beehives. I so want to find a way to have them here, even if it means putting up a small area of privacy fence to encourage the bees to fly up and also to keep the nosy neighbors from worrying about them. I love honeybees, watching them, working with them and of course the wonderful, healthy honey.
I'll post some pics when the blooms start coming in on the roses. I hope Spring is just around the corner for you too. I love, love, love this time of year.
Till next time...Peace and happy planting!
We have to replace two citrus trees. They were young and this was their first winter outside of a green house so it was rough on them and we didn't put enough protection on them. We moved from an area nestled between two lakes which kept our citrus trees much warmer than where we are now. Next year we will be better prepared.
We worked in the yard today, cleaning up dead leaves, planting new flowers and enjoying the mild weather. I cleaned up and replanted my herb box. This year I have rosemary, spearmint, oregano, chives, sage, cutting celery, basil, parsley, cilantro, romaine lettuce and two strawberry plants. We will put the veggies out in a couple of weeks. We still have to get the boxes ready for those. We do have some tomatoes and bell peppers started, ready for planting.
We moved into a fixer upper and the yard is just about done. This is our second spring here and today we finished up the beds around the house. We put in a wall garden next to the AC and added two carpet roses, a red and white to cascade down the wall. It serves two purposes, one of holding in the dirt that washes down the slope from under the concrete pad for the AC and two it will be beautiful too! We planted pink, yellow, and red knockout roses around the other side of the AC and around the sunny side of the porch.
We put lirope and red fountain grass on the north side of the house, replacing the former owners lovely shingle garden! Yes, he planted rocks and roofing shingles in a beautiful walled bed because he didn't want to pull weeds. It was quite an eye sore. Looks much better now! Our Surinam cherries survived the winter, yeah for the lights and blankets. We are pushing the limit of their cold tolerance here, but I have so missed them. Haven't had one since I was seven; won't say how long ago that was! I think I saw a blossom on one of them today. :-)
Can't wait to put the impatiens in tomorrow. These go on the shady side of the porch under the big live oak and they bloom until they freeze. Last years plants are starting to come back too so they should be really thick and pretty this year. I added an African daisy to the small garden under the Chinese tallow tree (Popcorn tree). I know it is an invasive tree, but it so pretty when it blooms and in the fall when it is scarlet. (And it is food for those bees, see below...)
What I really miss about being here is our beehives. I so want to find a way to have them here, even if it means putting up a small area of privacy fence to encourage the bees to fly up and also to keep the nosy neighbors from worrying about them. I love honeybees, watching them, working with them and of course the wonderful, healthy honey.
I'll post some pics when the blooms start coming in on the roses. I hope Spring is just around the corner for you too. I love, love, love this time of year.
Till next time...Peace and happy planting!
