Gardening

Dreaming of Summer

One of my gardening magazines came in the mail today.  A few weeks ago the seed catalogs came in.  I love looking at them and thinking about what I want to plant this coming summer.

When looking at the pictures of juicy red tomatoes or crisp cucumbers my mouth starts to water.  

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The pictures of bright colored flowers have me dreaming of warm summer days. If I close my eyes I can smell the sweet scent of fresh cut grass.

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The above pictures are from the Park Seed Catalog.

 

But it’s time to get back to reality.  …

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Spring Fever

Yesterday the temperature reached 70 degrees. Way above normal and so welcomed. It has been averaging below normal the last couple of months and I was beginning to wonder if Spring was ever going to show up.

We took advantage of the weather and drove around in my husband’s convertible with the top down. Spring fever hit me big time. I even ordered some seeds for flowers and vegetables online yesterday. Usually I order them in February but I couldn’t seem to decide what I wanted to grow. Maybe I just couldn’t get in the mood because of the cold weather.

Now I need to go out in the yard and start cleaning up from the long winter. Usually by the beginning of March the grass is starting to green up but this year it is still brown. But I did see some bulbs starting to push up from the ground.

This is from today.

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This is from March 15 a year ago. It will be interesting to see if the crocuses are in bloom by next week.

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If you and your children have Spring fever here are a few sites with activities to channel that energy into something fun. Check them out.

http://holidays.kaboose.com/spring/

http://fun.familyeducation.com/hobbies-and-interests/seasons/32840.html

http://www.kidsturncentral.com/holidays/spring.htm

Janice

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com

http://twitter.com/jlscissors

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Fall Bulb Planting

I was talking to a friend today and she mentioned about all the tulip and daffodil bulbs she was planting. I haven’t even thought that far ahead. Now is the time to plan, buy, and plant the spring flowering bulbs. It’s not too late to plant yet, because they say you can plant the bulbs up until the ground freezes. But who wants to be out digging in the soil when it gets cold out?

IMGP1528_edited-1 Looking at the pictures I took at a local park this past spring help motivate me to go out and buy some bulbs. I will put it on my shopping list. First I have to decide where and what I want to plant. Then it is important to know when I will be able to plant the bulbs.

Without a plan it is easy to buy or order lots of bulbs because the pictures on the package or in the catalog look so wonderful. Buying 100 plus bulbs will give the look above but do you have the time to plant them?

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It’s probably best to buy a few and get them planted. Then if you have time you can dig up another area of the garden, buy some more bulbs, and plant them. If you start now by doing it in stages you should be able to plant lots of bulbs before the ground freezes.

If you buy too many bulbs at one time and feel overwhelmed because you can’t find a whole weekend to plant them, you could end up with unplanted bulbs that rot over the winter. Been there, done that.

Let me know about some of your bulb planting stories.

Janice

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com

http://twitter.com/jlscissors

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Houseplants in the Fall

In the Midwest, Autumn is definitely showing it’s face. Some of the trees are losing their leaves. The evenings are beginning to cool down. And the sun is setting a lot earlier than just a few weeks ago.

I have mixed feelings about this time of year. I don’t like the shorter days but the cooler weather is nice. It’s sad to see the vegetable garden looking tired and worn down.

But my houseplants, especially the flowering ones, are looking great with the cooler weather. IMGP1737They will soon have to come inside. That’s where the problem is.
As much as I love the houseplants I don’t have a lot of room to over-winter them inside. When I squeeze them in front of the windows the rooms start to look cluttered. I do have some lights on a timer in my basement for the smaller plants but the big ones are heavy to carry downstairs.

Each year I go through the same debate. Do I let the frost take them or do I bring them inside and have the room look cluttered? I’ve had many of these plants for years so it is hard to let go of them.

Maybe I will get more lights downstairs and put most of the plants there. Then if I can remember to water them on a regular basis they should survive until next spring.

Janice

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com

http://twitter.com/jlscissors

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Summer Heat and Mowing the Lawn

From an early age we are told to finish what we start. And many times this means completing one task before starting another. Sometimes it just can’t happen that way.

It’s hot out here in the Midwest. And it’s suppose to rain again. The grass loves all this rain. Heat, rain, high humidity, and wet tall grass that needs mowing is not my idea of summer fun. But it has to be done.

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So today I decided to apply the 15 minute strategy to mowing the lawn. First I did the front which is a lot smaller than the back. Then I came inside, drank plenty of water to replace all that came out as sweat, and cooled off for a while. I worked on an article I was writing, again using my 15 minute strategy and a timer.

A little while later I went out and mowed both sides and part of the back. I’m back on the timer and blogging here. I’ll go out in a little while and finish it up.

Some days are just 15 minute days. And sometimes I am totally amazed how much can be done this way. I wish I could finish most tasks in one continuous stretch of time but I don’t function that way. Using a timer helps me hyper focus on the task at hand. A “to do” list helps me stay on track and reminds me to keep going back to the tasks I start so I can eventually finish them.

The timer beeped so it’s time to move to the next task on the list.

Have a good day.

Janice

https://cutclutterwithscissors.com

http://twitter.com/jlscissors

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