"One of the most delightful things about a garden is the anticipation it brings."

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Some color from a sunny day.

I hate wasting sunny days this time of year, but I had a day of mostly errands so I didn't have much time to play in the dirt.  One of my stops was the grocery store, and a few things made their way into the cart.  I think I was giving myself an excuse to get outside when we were finished. 
I thought it would be fun to try onions as well, so I bought a bag of Red Wethersfield onion sets.  My helper and I planted some in our freshly cleaned raised beds.  There are 80 in a bag, so I plan to share a lot of sets we didn't use.
During her nap time I thought I would get the violas planted.  I did some very minor cleanup to the bed that they went in.  They are planted near the Japanese maple by our front door.  This is a beautiful variety, acer palmatum 'Orido Nishiki'.  I tried to get a good picture of the newer branches, it's difficult to see the deep red color.  The leaves will be a variegated cream and green with a hint of pink, very pretty.  
While I was out I saw that the tete-a-tete daffodils and anemone blandas that I found several days ago had finished opening.  They are a bit dirty from the heavy rain we had a couple of days ago.  
The lighting makes the anemone look lighter than it is, it's actually a little darker than this picture shows.
This morning looks wet and rainy with the promise of the temperatures heading back down into the 40's this week.  I guess that means I need to get the house back in order.  It seems to slip away on the days the I spend outside.  I'd rather dig holes and weed than do laundry or cook any day of the week!
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27 comments:

  1. So nice to see some colourful garden plants right now .. we are still frozen in here in the Great White North : )
    Love the violas .. such pretty colours !

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  2. Delightful, Catherine. Sounds like you had a nice time outside--a little reward for being a "good girl" and doing your chores first! :) The Japanese maple sounds beautiful. I don't think I've seen one with variegated leaves. Can't wait for future photos of that.

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  5. Delightful, Catherine. Sounds like you had a nice time outside--a little reward for being a "good girl" and doing your chores first! :) The Japanese maple sounds beautiful. I don't think I've seen one with variegated leaves. Can't wait for future photos of that.

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  6. In Spring, once you get a feel for the outdoors again, it's awfully hard to stay in and do housework! I look forward to pictures of your Japanese Maple with leaves. Sounds so pretty!

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  7. My kind of gardener-fuhgetabout the housework for sure. Gotta take advantage of the sun. I am looking forward to hearing more about your J. maple. Sounds very beautiful. I love them all.

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  8. Housework - blaah. The garden called me all weekend - and I answered! My house is a tip, but the garden looks good - so I'm sure I've got my priorities right!
    I love the photos by the way.

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  9. Wonderful photos! I am off to the local nursery to see if our onion bulbs are in. I had wonderful luck with them last year. Thank you for sharing your spring. I can't wait to get digging outside. We still have a couple of months.

    Happy Bloom Tuesday!

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  10. GardenJoy4me - I love the violas too, I'm always drawn to the purple. Hope you thaw out soon.

    Donna - Gardening is like a reward, I enjoy it even more if I know the house is clean.

    Mildred - I always wish I could have a housekeeper for the spring and summer! It eventually does get done though.

    Tina - As you can tell, I'm not doing the housework because I'm distracted by the garden blogs. I better get back to work :)

    Nutty Gnome - Yes, you do have you priorities right. The housework will be there, but the sun isn't always out :)

    Bren - I've never tried onions. Every year we like to try a new vege or two. I'm glad to hear you've had good luck with them and I hope you found some today.

    Lucy - Aren't they sweet?

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  11. I would like to get and about too but there isn't anything at the nurseries yet. So I enjoyed your trip for the both of us. Love the yellow and blue posted today.

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  12. Great buys, love seeing your blooms. Gee, hope it starts warming up soon.

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  13. Yay, more plants! I still have no daffodil bulbs, the little buggers. And did I tell you that I think I dug up anemone I planted last fall because I thought it was a weed. Tucked it back in and have my fingers crossed!

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  14. Hi Catherine, I love your new purchases. There cannot be too many violas in a garden, of any color. The little anemone is so sweet, I love the blue ones. Must remember to plant more this fall. Most gardeners would agree, digging holes is way better than housework! :-)
    Frances

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  15. Anna - I guess you probably still have snow anyway? I hope you get to go plant shopping soon! I love blue and yellow together.

    Darla -The sun is trying to sneak back out. I may have to check on my flowers today :)

    Melanthia - Do you think the squirrels got your daffodils? These little guys I planted last year and kind of forgot they were there. I know I've weeded plants before too and realized what I'd done once I took a second look. These bulbs are pretty tough, I hope they come back for you.

    Frances - The sun is making a return, but I'm forcing myself to finish my inside work, although blogs aren't really part of it. :)

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  16. What beautiful little violas!! Won't they make a cute splash of color... will there be any daffodils nearby? :-) You see, once Spring arrives I won't want to Ever stay indoors!

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  17. I just love blue! Especially in the sky! Beautiful, spring weather we're having here- I love it!

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  18. Lovely colors, such pretty blues and purples.

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  19. Shady Gardener - I did put some daffodils nearby!

    Debbie - Thanks, I've been practicing my photography a lot the past couple on months.

    Tessa - We ended up having blue skies too and sun. We went out and did a little planting even :)

    notsocrafty - Thanks! :)

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  20. I can almost smell the sweet fragrance of your violas. I have always had a fondness for the smaller "pansies." Many have reseeded and it becomes a race with the slugs. I'm sure enjoying these sun breaks.

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  21. I always find onion sets so much easier than seeds!

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  22. Grace - The slugs have already begun there work here on the daffodils and primroses :(

    Matron - Thanks, I've never tried either, and the sets seemed like they would be easier.

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  23. I'd rather be outside working in the dirt than cleaning it out of my house too Catherine!

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  24. Violas! How lucky you are to be planting. I love your raised beds (3/1 posting). What are their dimensions and what kind of wood did you use? Did you use an outdoor stain or paint? They're wonderful. I have two raised beds that I love but would like to add more. Great blog you have!
    Ann

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  25. Susie - Me too!

    Ann - We've had some nice sunny days here. Our winter was colder and snowier than usual this year. I couldn't resist those little violas.
    The raised beds are about 3 x 3 feet and about 3 feet high (I'm guesstinmating), the larger one is 3 X 12 feet. If I remember correctly my husband used cedar for them, but I told him to make sure it was untreated since we'd be eating the food that grew there. We used an outdoor stain, mostly to help waterproof the wood. I love working in raised beds and these have a wide enough edge that make them comfortable to sit on as well. Thanks so much for visiting!

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