Ground Work Will Pay Off

Summer Cottage Garden print
Garden Flowers

The non-glamorous part of yard work is the ground work.

You didn’t know there was a glamorous side to yard work?  To me the glamorous – aka “fun”- is in finding a gorgeous new plant at the nursery that I know will look perfect in just the spot I am thinking of.  It’s the moment when I pick up the little ( or big ) bucket that holds a small version of what will one day be a lovely, mature shrub.   I know that it will end up living a long life in my yard, giving me years of enjoyment, while I tend to it and watch it grow.  Others who pass by or visit will most likely enjoy it too.  I look forward to digging the hole, carefully setting it in and then it will be my glamorous addition to the yard.

Back to the ground work.  Although this area of gardening is not my favorite it is so important that it can’t be overlooked.  The dirt must be ready for those plants you wish to have grow for many years.

If the garden is being created from lawn, dig it up with a pitchfork (ouch) or buy (rent) a rototiller.  Buy an inexpensive soil test kit , or test meter, and test the soil in your garden for acidity.  Knowing if the soil is too acidic or too alkaline will give you the opportunity to amend it if that needs to be done for growing happy plants.  Any soil that is too much one way or the other inhibits the plants’ ability to use nutrients from the soil for good growth.  No matter how much you water and care for your plant, if it simply can’t use those nutrients, it will not flourish.

Decide what you want to grow and amend the soil to accommodate those plants.  If the soil tests at mid-level (6.5-7.0 pH), then you are fine.  I like to grow a variety of flowering shrubs and annuals, but if you are planning a rose garden, you should make sure the all-over soil is right to grow them.  Hydrangeas, along with Rhododendrons and Azaleas like acid soil (a pH of 5.0 – 5.8) and in the northeast where I live, the soil tends to be acidic.

Any local garden shop will be able to help you find the right amendments and read the packaging for how and when to use them.  I always add bonemeal to the garden in the Spring and a little in the hole of new plantings, because it helps build strong roots.

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About Me

This is how the blog began and also how it has changed over the years. The writing began in New Hampshire and now has shifted to Florida.

The first part of this blog was written when I lived in New Hampshire. It was a hard time, and then a good time. Even though I had been born in New England and lived there into my early twenties, I hadn’t owned my own home.

For most of my adult life I have lived in central Florida. I moved here in 1979 with my son. I got married and had three more kids who were raised in Florida until 2005 when we moved to New Hampshire.

After eleven tumultuous years, I could no longer afford to live in New England. My second oldest son stayed in Florida when we moved. When I moved back south, he and I decided to share a house and split the costs.

So, the early blog posts cover my time learning about life in New Hampshire. More recent posts are about my time here in Florida and learning to garden all over again for this climate.

I really miss this yard.

backyard garden
My New Hampshire backyard

I was not good about tagging and categorizing photos and posts when I began writing, but here are some photos I kept of New Hampshire.

nasturtium flowers
Alaska Nasturtiums grown from seeds

Now I live in growing zone 9b where everything is different! If you are a Floridian who wants to learn how to grow your own food, please follow me and we can learn together.

Thanks for reading. ~ Pam

Planting a New Hydrangea Shrub This Spring

Endless Summer Hydrangea
Image by Chiot's Run via Flickr

You don’t need a green thumb to grow hydrangeas, so why not plan to plant a new shrub this Spring. With just a bit of knowledge, you can have a beautiful and long lasting addition to your landscape in the form of big gorgeous blooms.

Once you’ve made the decision to add a hydrangea to your yard, find out which type you’d like to grow and if it is right for your planting / climate zone. There are many varieties and flower types. Most are shrubs but some can be little trees, such as the Pee Gee, so know what you are buying. Decide where you will plant it by searching for a spot in the yard that is free of tree roots and has plenty of sun. Also remember that the plant you buy will grow to be around four Continue reading “Planting a New Hydrangea Shrub This Spring”

Are We Gardening Yet?

Anyone thinking about gardening yet? If you love getting your hands into the dirt like I do, then I’ll bet you are dreaming of seeing green now that Spring is on the horizon.

Somewhere under the mounds of snow are my hydrangea shrubs.  I long to see how my new little cutting from last year is doing.  I planted next to the steps and it was my fist try and propagating a hydrangea.

It can be a long wait to see our garden beauties again, but they somehow manage to come back looking just as lovely year after year (with perhaps a few broken stems) despite the igloos they inhabit in winter. I had noticed that the main, large shrub had another off-shoot, or new little plant growing up beside it last summer, but I never got around to digging it up. I plan to do that this year, but I’ll have to check with my landlady to see where she’d like to plant it since this isn’t my yard.

If you are thinking about buying a hydrangea for the first time to add to your yard, check out my Blue Hydrangea page which includes information about choosing a shrub, how to plant it and how to take care of it. They are very easy to grow if they get a good start and are planted in the right location. The blooms last a very long time on the bush, and they have some of the most gorgeous flowers you’ll ever see. Remember that the plant will end up being quite large so give it enough space to fill out in the years to come.