Can’t quote The Beatles because it wasn’t lonely, but it’s been a long, cold winter. I’m very happy it’s over.
Right before we planted, and after a week of 90s, the temps dropped—collapsed for a night where it fell to the mid-20s. My poor yellow bells came up too fast and felt the brunt. I have to get out there and prune off the damage.
Otherwise, we made it.
As usual, BW and I hit Sunny Meadows hard. Their wide selection is always so lovely, so well maintained. We filled the bed of the truck, stuck more in the tub BW keeps in the bed, had a flat on the floor at my feet, and another on the seat between us.
Whew! (Then BW stopped in Boonsboro for another flat and a half an impatiens, a few more begonias and some rosemary at the excellent Cronise Market.)
No foxglove for me this year. They got swamped during that 90s week and just ran out. So I substituted, and this year I’m trying some different things in different places.
The best? Spending two entire days digging in the dirt, placing plants, shifting, deciding, arranging. Beds first, and that was a full day. And so worth it.
I’d already soaked and planted nasturtium seeds, and this year some sweet peas. Fun to see those starting to pop while I planted our truckload.
The second day, finish a few spots in the beds, then focus on pots. If my count’s right, that’s over 30 pots! BW’s clever idea was to half bury a broken one, then plant something at the mouth of it. I like it!
I have one more to do yet—some dianthus in a pot BW can see out his office window. But currently our front is dug up as the crew hunts for what’s probably a broken pipe in our septic tank. Finding it’s been an ordeal. And I’m trying not to think about it! And remind myself, the rest looks just great.
I’ve already enjoyed some walk-abouts, and get my smiles seeing how those seedlings grow, how the bedding and pot plants soak up the sun.
Cooler and some rain today, but I have inside activities. Sunday family dinner tomorrow to celebrate Logan’s 22nd birthday. He requested his Grandda’s flank steak and his Nana’s roasted potatoes, roasted carrots. Since Kat and Kayla can’t eat the steak, I’m trying my hand at risotto. Going to make that today, to be sure it doesn’t suck, and tomorrow, since Logan’s not fond of cake, I’m going to make his fave chocolate chip cookies to go with the ice cream cake for everyone else.
Then, on Thursday, we head to Louisville for Derby! We’re taking Kayla and J.R.—their first time—so lots of fun for a long weekend.
Then it’s back to work and gardening, along with Girls Night Out in Boonsboro, our Girl spa week, a shopping spree for Kat’s birthday (doing it early this year), a family week at Nemocolin. Then . . .
Our big summer trip. Ten of us are heading to Italy! A few days in Milan, then two weeks in Lake Como. I’d say I can’t wait, but I really do just love springtime in the gardens. And I have a book to write! So I’ll enjoy it all as it comes.
Hope your spring (or fall for those in the Southern Hemisphere) brings you a lot to enjoy as it comes.
Nora
Up here in the Rockies, between the weather, the water restrictions, and the deer, actual gardening is a thing of the past. I miss the Hubster’s vegetable gardens from Florida, where we had 2 growing seasons a year. But I don’t miss the heat and humidity. Love my mountain life.
Your flowers are just gorgeous. Everything looks so nice.
I love your plants! I have a black thumb and kill plants so I admire your gardens. Sounds like you have great times ahead with your family. Enjoy! I love your books!
Whew! I’m tired just reading all that! But, I can enjoy it all through your eyes! And hands! Your travel schedule seems just as packed. I always enjoy your travelogue. Look forward to reading it all. Thank you!
Your garden always amazes me. It is so interesting with all the different plants and locals. My garden was never so grand.
Enjoy your trip. Looking forward to the travelogue.
Spring has sprung here in southern Indiana. My husband went to the garden center and brought back 300 (!) flowers. It was for a good cause says he, profits go to the local homeless outreach. Derby week is in full swing here, but better bring your rain gear! Riders up!
Your plants look so fantastic. Hoping you will enjoy them all year. Loving all your books and anxiously awaiting the new ones for this year. Lots of love.
Oh so pretty. My mom was the green thumb lady. I did not inherit that gift. But we have flowers that come up every spring and a few for summer and lots of hostise spelling probably wrong)plants. Love them. We have a little square garden with a bird bath and hanging bird houses and other stone items our uncle had in his garden. Like mommy deer with babies and frogs and a plaque for my mom plus butterfly plants which I love watching them as I diamond paint by my bedroom window. God Bless you and your families! I love your stories and have all your works on my reader and on my audio books program. Reread and listen to a lot!
Wow you are really an awesome planner for your gardens. Everything looks so pretty. Enjoy.
Even though I have two black thumbs, I always love reading the garden adventures. Everything looks lovely.
Sounds like you’re enjoying the season and the gardening. Downunder, we’re enjoying an excellent spell of warm weather. A high pressure system has stalled between New Zealand and the east coast of Australia. We’ve had a week in the mid twenties Celcius temperatures and are expecting yet another week. It’s rare, that I need to water plants at this time of year but it’s become a necessity lately. The leaves started to change colour but have stalled a bit with the crazy weather. They’re now reluctant to crop their leaves.
Enjoy your spring while I enjoy my spring like weather. Soon it will get chilly again and winter will be upon us. Luckily, I live nowhere near high mountains and rarely see snow. Frosts however can be common.
PS I just finished reading Stolen in Death. Excellent work per usual. Looking forward to the next JD Robb.
Susan Cook
South west Victoria,
Australia.
Kentuckian here, originally from Louisville, our weather has been mild and very pleasant. However, things will turn considerably cooler by week’s end. So far, it might be cool and rainy for the Oaks on Friday if you plan to attend. Derby Day, at least for now, looks to be cool and sunny, but that could change because we often experience 2 or 3 seasons in one day! I’ve been keeping an eye on the forecast because I plan to travel there to visit my parents at some point that weekend.
Your garden and pots look wonderful! I love the fairies, little gnome houses and other statues and such you have among your plants and flowers. Logan is 22?! How time flies. All your upcoming activities sound like fun. I look forward to seeing pictures from Lake Como! Enjoy and thank you for sharing!
Happy Birthday Logan!!!
Also. Have a wonderful Italy trip with family. They
Are the best.
Love the Jack-in-the-pulpit in the first picture and are those hellebores in the second picture? I couldn’t quite make the color out but it was an unusual one if they are. If not, what are they? Also love all the art, the toy truck, pots & stands, but I always do when you share pictures of your spring plantings. Thank you for sharing!
Bit too cool here yet (SW Ohio) for annuals to go out; normally wait until after Mother’s Day but wondering as the last 2 yrs we’ve had a nasty frost a couple weeks or so afterwards. Thank heaven for sheets! I don’t have as much space in flowers as you do, so only need about 7 full-size sheets when it happens. We hit 28 (officially) about a week ago one morning; temps in my yard read 26 (boonies & low spot), and was very glad I’d not given into the urge to move the house pots outside yet!
Sounds like you have a wonderful summer planned; Enjoy it all, will think of you as I’m watching the Derby Saturday!
I don’t know the formal name for them. Informally, they’re Yellow Bells, fronted in my garden by the faeries and fuschia.
dawned on me later; hellebores, often known as either Christmas Rose or Lenten Rose, wouldn’t have been frozen out as they do well in the cold. So I’ve been hunting for your “yellow bells” but can’t find any that have similar leaves to yours. There’s a shrub in the esperanza family but the leaves are long & narrow; several that resemble fritillaria, or galanthus; again, leaves don’t work. Do you know anything of the latin name for them? Ah well, I enjoy looking at all the different pictures anyway! And so it goes. By the way, all my hellebores are Lenten Rose. As much as I’ve wished over the years for something to bloom at Christmas, never happens. Gardening does give some challenges! Thanks for sharing yours with us every year!
I really don’t. I planted those probably twenty years ago! I vaguely recall the woman at the nursery calling the yellow bells, and since they have little yellow bell-like blooms in the summer, that stuck with me.
KC: Google flowers that resemble yellow bells, then click on images and scroll through. The various images often have the name of the particular flower. That may help you in finding the one for which you are looking.
Thanks, Diane. I have been but everything I’m finding doesn’t have leaves like Nora’s plant. They’re all long & thin. Yep, does make for fun! Enjoy the day.
Hooray for those fairies!
BW needs a bigger truck! You two are out of control. 😉 hope his back is good to go, I’m getting my L3-4 fusion on May 5th. No planting for me. 😦
Your garden is my favorite story into which I fall. I’ve never lived in a climate that favors Foxglove but love it so much. Btw: Have you heard of Brookies? I just discovered them. Chocolate chip cookies mashed up with brownies. Oh, baby!
Oh, Lake Como! I can’t wait to see it through your eyes (and Kat’s, and so forth) ❤
Your plants look great as usual! I was hoping for a good weekend to get my hands in the dirt but down here on the Eastern Shore it was chilly and misty so I postponed that till Tuesday. I am working on a perennial pollinator garden and I have lots of pots to fill also. Now if I could just locate some joe pye weed and goldenrod for the pollinators I would be happy.
Wishing you safe travels and lots of fun at the Derby.
Have you ever planted sarcococca in the shade? They bloom about February and have the most wonderful jasmine smell. Then they stay green all summer. Love them next to our front door.
Not sure I have room in the shade gardens for a good sized shrub. But I do love fragrant flowers.
Who looks after all those beautiful and wonderful “green projects” while you’re lucky enough to get away to Italy? Safe travels!
Wow! Planting is hard work on the back, shoulders, and that really bad pull on the back of your thighs, but it’s really beautiful. Enjoy those hard earned benefits.
Our house/dog sitter waters all my pots when we’re away. We have a sprinkler system for the rest. Thank goodness!
I do a LOT of stretching.
Hi Laura. I hope you won’t mind a question. I’m on my umteenth reread of the In Death series & just finished one of my favs: Innocent. It takes place around Valentine’s Day & Eve coincidentally thinks about the day they met but they never actually mention that they did meet on Valentine’s Day. I’ve always wondered did Nora/JD forget that that was the day they met? It was about 25 books in so understandable. Thanks.
I’m sorry for the delayed reply, but I was away and wanted to consult my books. Eve and Roarke meet in February 2056, but it’s not on Valentine’s Day. I’ve gone back through Innocent in Death and couldn’t specifically find Eve thinking about meeting on Velentine’s Day. Could you share what page?
Laura
Hi Laura. It is actually in Naked in Death and I could be wrong. But Sharon DeBlass dies on 2/12/58 and it seems like 2 days later they meet at Sharon’s funeral.
OK, I went back and found 2-12-58 in the copy. Eve starts watching the surveillance video at 6 pm. There’s a glitch at 12:05 am on 2-13. The TOD for Sharon is 2 am (on Feb. 13) which would mean the funeral was on Feb. 15(ish)/ Honestly, I think Valentine’s Day was not even on the periphery of Eve’s world so she didn’t take note.
Laura
I have to agree that Eve wouldn’t have had any thoughts then about Valentine’s Day except a peripheral thought of the nonsense if it even penetrated back then. Maybe some time in the future she would have thought “the first time I tasted his coffee” because we all know how important that is. After all, she thinks a lifetime supply should be in the paperwork detailing if a divorce should happen (NEVER!) and I still laugh thinking of his reaction to her stating she didn’t really read that paperwork, just signed it.
I do remember in one of the books she’s irritated at herself because she forgot & left his Valentine’s Day gift in her desk at work but I don’t remember the actual title. I used to be able to quote the books but too many & too many delicious details any more. I just reread multiple times & savor again & again.
Thanks for helping us to enjoy them, Laura!
It looks beautiful as always. Enjoy your trip and I can’t wait to sink my teeth into your new releases this year.
Have a wonderful trip to Italy and send any spare rain our way to Arizona.
I have been hitting all my fave greenhouses in west ILLinois and Eastern Iowa. Started cuttings at botanical gardens so when it finally warms up again I have lots to plant. Zinnas, sunflowers and strawflowers are planted. Wish I had room for fuschias in the ground! Found some miniature plants for the fairy garden can’t wait. Loved seeing your pics. Have a great summer.
Your dragon looks so wonderfully strong. He’s very special and will watch over things. Yes? Fabulous gardens!
Our daughter works outside of Boonsboro, at Days End Farm Horse Rescue (satellite facility). She loves stopping at Cronise this time of year!
As usual your garden sounds incredible. Enjoy it. I saw some pictures of Nora and BW at the Derby. Is BW incredibly tall or is Nora really short? They looked as though they had a great time.
I completely enjoy you sharing with your fans. I appreciate it very much. Love the flowers & your joy in them. 🦋🫶🪻🥂