A Stroll Through The Patio Garden
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Today I’m going to show the progress as I stroll through the patio garden.
I will drive to the Woodward Park Garden Center today. Since we can’t get out and buy plants, they had vendors bring plants to sell.
The Garden Center put a notice up on Facebook and I ordered about 8 garden plants.
I am to drive up to the tents there at Woodward Park and follow the signs. They have scheduled us to pick them up in 15-minute intervals so there is less exposure to one another. My scheduled time is 11 a.m.
I will take Charlie to his acupuncture appointment. Because of COVID, I drive up and they pick him up at my car. Then I’ll go get his medications. And then to get plants for the patio.
Okay, here is the growth on my patio as of yesterday. It’s been raining again! The garden loves the rain.
Japanese Maple Tree In A Container:
The Japanese maple is growing nicely. I haven’t seen much growth yet on the butterfly tree/Jade.
This is the large blue raised garden bed. Mostly what you see is chocolate mint. And a clump of Lamb’s Ear.
This is the Sedum autumn joy plant. You can see how much it’s grown. I just love how it grows rounded, as if it’s been shaped.
I wanted to plant additional plants in the galvanized tub gardens. However, they are already filled with plants that have returned from previous years.
Yellow Rose Bush In A Container:
Below is the rose bush I still need to trim. The rain has pushed my maintenance schedule back.
Look how big this rose bush has gotten!
Last year, I tried to scoot it down a bit, but the roots were growing into the concrete. It’s too heavy for me to turn over and work with. So I guess I’ll just leave it alone because I can’t lift it to repot it.
Lots of lemon balm, various mints, and sedum are coming up in other pots.
I told my older daughter I’d give her some of the herbs when I see her next. She’s going to dabble in gardening a bit, she says.
Above is my white clematis. Every year, I say I’m transplanting it. But the pot is heavy. And once it comes up, the vines quickly wind themselves around the trellis. Wild violas are cropping up here and there in the clematis container.
They are impish and cheerful little flowers. I’d like to get some larger pansies too.
I’m not sure if it’s too late to order and plant pansy seeds, as they prefer cooler weather. I’ve never grown them from seed before.
Daisies & Lemon Balm:
What you see above are Shasta daisies. The yellow- and green-leaved plant is a ground cover that has also come back. I think it’s called vinca.
And here’s the big piece of driftwood that sedum always grows up in. That is lemon balm growing in the crack of the cement below the driftwood.
So that’s all the patio photos for today’s show and tell.
It feels eerie and surreal at the moment. Every day I wake up to the knowledge that the world is carrying on differently. I’m staying in as much as possible and will be spending time on my patio today.
I hope you all are doing okay and that you have a garden to think about to keep your spirits up. I know the spring growth in my garden space lifts me and makes me feel more positive during this COVID-19 pandemic.
Brenda, how do you do your grocery shopping?
I order it for delivery by Shipt.
What beauty you are seeing come to live; and a reminder to all of us who is really in charge of our Universe. Enjoy your beautiful Garden Oasis, and your two fur babies..they are always so precious..Stay safe. Very great you could get those garden plants..yay….
I have always tried to make my home a sanctuary and have what I need should something go wrong. I’d love to get a generator too. All the other residents are probably having to use the complex laundry room. I don’t have to do that. You have to go into the office to get tokens. I don’t have to do that either. I try to be self-reliant.
Your weather and plants are way ahead of ours here in northwest IL. Lilies are just now poking out of the ground and sedum and lamb’s ear are coming back to life, but that’s about it. Rosemary doesn’t over-winter here. Your mystery plant looks like some kind of sage.
Neither rosemary or Lamb’ Ear has ever made it through the winter here for me before. But last time I bought bigger plants, probably 1 gallon instead of 4 inch.
It’s so encouraging to see spring arriving down south. It gives me hope that warmer weather will eventually move up this way. Yesterday morning, I got out of bed without looking out of any windows. You can imagine my horror when the entire world outside was white. SNOW-white, several inches. Ugh. I have tulips that are up about 3 inches and daffodils up about an inch higher. The snow won’t hurt them as they are so hardy but I had hoped the weather would warm up to make it more pleasant to walk Bear. Totally blind and hard of hearing, he still loves his walks, prancing as he walks down the street. He knows his routes by heart and I watch him carefully. During the day, he increasingly wants to sleep being held in my arms. Not something he used to do. My husband and I do what we can to keep him healthy and the vet thinks he’s doing well for his age, 16 years + 2 months. Bear loves to lie in the sun and enjoy its heat. I hope we get some up here before he’s gone. I loved seeing your garden! It is so green, fresh, and full of promise!
So nice that Bear still enjoys his walks so much. We do whatever we can for our pets.
Thank you for the peek into your patio garden! I am in Minnesota and some perrenials are poking up through the soil and tulips are about 5 inches high. I long to get into the garden but it will be a couple weeks before we can plant cold weather plants.
I have some bulbs up but they haven’t produced any flowers. I don’t think they did last year either now that I think about it.
When we lived in NC, I made up several concoctions to pare the ants down a bit…so many and so many varieties there. One was Borox and sugar mixture. Another was something like aspartame…have heard that some of the artificial sweeteners will do them in…but you would not want to put out anything that the dog might get into either…hope you find a solution. For what was called “sugar ants” that came inside…very tiny ones, I just got a couple of containers (plastic things) with a liquid solution that they would take back to their nest…and taped it high where the dogs could not reach it…and that took care of those within a couple weeks.
For ants that occasionally come inside, I’ve always used cinnamon. Just make a solid line of cinnamon and they won’t cross that line. It won’t kill them. But they turn around and go back.
Lovely to see all that green coming up. My daffodils are up and the crocus, but that’s all. It’s still really cold and grey here in mid-Michigan. I feel it’s fortunate that this flu pandemic and the quarantines are happening now when we at least have Spring and warm weather to look forward to. Think how dreary it would be if this were November. We’d have to cancel Christmas, too. I guess I’m just trying to tell myself that “it could be worse.” I hope by November things will have returned to some measure of normal again. Or perhaps a “new and better normal”. Guess we’ll see.
Cute picture of the fur babies. Fortunately we don’t have to worry about their health being at risk from this new virus. At least I haven’t heard anything to that effect.
Take care, stay well, Brenda. Keep enjoying your growing plants.
Oh, I sure will!
No worries!
I don’t know how that came out as “Susie yard”. I meant yard. My computer is going real slow as I type anything.
You just made me giggle ❣️
I thought they looked a lot like the seedlings that happen when my zinnias reseed.
It is so dreary, cold and rainy here. It looks glum. It will be nice to go out in the Susieyard again without freezing my bippy off.
You may be right. I just don’t recognize them.
I think Charlie is smiling in that picture! I so love that tiny face!
and you surely do have a green thumb. everything looks so fresh and green and clean!
the rain helps! xo
The rain does help. Not the ants. I wish I could get rid of those ants in my pots!
Brenda, thank you for showing and naming the plants. I have so many of the same plants in my garden and I wonder what they are called. My late husband’s aunt owned the house before we did so I didn’t plant some of them myself !
Those plants are her gift to you.
Brenda, you’re lucky that nursery has worked out a method of helping their vendor’s move inventory to customers like you. In the Pacific Northwest, spring inches in slowly and with lots of rain!
Yesterday, I had an appointment with my Vet. I had to call the office by cell phone and a tech came out to my car and social distanced while she filled out a questionnaire. I got out of my car and placed my pet carrier a few feet from her. I waited in my car and then the vet called my cell to discuss her diagnosis. Everything was good. The vet now requires a credit card on file, so there is little human interaction. So strange!
I hope the stock market stabilizes soon; my retirement is getting eviscerated! I think about the decades it took me to save. China owes the world more than any apology!
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Sorry about your retirement savings. Things will turn around eventually.
Your garden is already growing so much! The rose bush looks so healthy! I can hardly wait until we start to get growth like that…beautiful!
It will definitely lift your spirits.
Your mystery plant looks like Bee Balm(Monarda)
Don’t think I’ve planted that.
So happy for you Brenda that your plants are coming up. And that we are into that time of year.
Here in Ohio it will be at least another 2 weeks before we see some plant growth.
Mine seems to be growing before my very eyes. Makes me happy to see it.
Is it possible those plants are zinnias that self seeded?? Looks like their leaves/form.
Believe it or not there are things greening up here too in the gardens, but sadly they are now under 6 inches of snow after our storm yesterday…..sigh. I think I saw some growth on one clematis also, that’s so exciting!! The lilac buds are swelling, and the forsythia showing signs of life. I’m so grateful for my garden that brings me such peace!! ‘
Can’t wait to see your new plants, and yes it’s too late to start pansies from seed unless you want to order them and start them for your fall garden.
I can’t recall if I planted zinnias there or not. I just ordered two plastic garden beds on stands and soil to be delivered via Amazon. Same soil I buy from the garden nursery I like, but not going out and this way it will only have to be lifted from my porch to my patio.
Thank you for sharing photos of your beautiful plants. It gives me hope.
Be well, Brenda.
Well we all sure do need some hope!
It still needs to warm up more here because I can even begin to do serious clean-up. Yesterday morning I woke up to a winter wonderland surprise – about an inch of snow had fallen and everything was frosted over! It looked surreal as the sun was coming up and there was a foggy like haze in the air as the temperature started rising slowly. By noon, the sun had come out all the way, the clouds had disappeared and the snow was all gone. Unfortunately, the pharmacy I have my prescriptions at now that is on my prescription drug insurer’s approved list does not have delivery service, so I walked to the supermarket where the pharmacy is in. They had taped blue lines on the floor on the other side of the counter where the clerks and pharmacist are. It was like calling long distance. Surreal indeed. The clerk got my item and bagged it, then put it into the register. And only after that was I able to step to the counter as she stepped back and I paid for my prescription with a credit card. When I turned to leave there was another person waiting behind me but keeping his distance (thank goodness). No toilet paper on the shelves. I asked one of the clerks I know as I checked out with a few things whether they had gotten a shipment in and she said there was still some left on the shelves Sunday morning when she came to work but it was all gone shortly afterward. It’s like playing a slot machine – you never know when or if you may get the jackpot!
I SO need to clean up my patio after the winter but I don’t know how much my back can take. My doctor ordered PT but can’t get it right now. I’ll do what I can and plant the plants I got in containers. Guess I’ll just reuse last year’s dirt. Plenty of ants around pots though. I hate the dreadful things.
I have been enjoying my little garden too. My favorite part was this morning, when so many birds were singing & chirping!
I haven’t seen hardly any birds here. But I did see a robin the other day.
I was going to say pineapple salvia. Mine didn’t die back because of the mild winter and the leaves look just like that.
I don’t think I’ve ever planted that, unless the birds did it for me!
Happy to see the garden and how it is growing. I am still buried with snow banks about five feet high. The weather has been cold so no melting yet. Like you, I feel like this is not real. How could this happen? Looking forward to seeing your new plants. Stay safe.
They are small plants, but it’s still a bit early. I typically start buying plants April 15.
Hi Brenda,
You are so fortunate to see the garden on your patio coming to life. I cannot wait for that here in Illinois.
Have a good week.
I know. It makes me smile.
I think that plant you are wondering about is Pineapple Sage. I have some in the ground and it is coming back now.
I don’t think so. I’ve never put it in the tubs before. Just pots. But sure would be nice if it is because Charlie loves to munch on the leaves to relieve tummy upsets. I guess this year I will plant it in the tubs and see. If I can ever get out to get some.
I thought the leaves looked like zinnia, I have done just coming up in Albuquerque. We have rock yards and my arugula has taken over.
I was hoping my daughter and son-in-law were going to pick up plants for me, but we are now under a mandatory stay at home order in Atlanta, so I will have to see what happens. Looks like your garden has a good start. xo Laura
I emailed and told them what I drive, took Charlie and drove there. They put them in the back of my SUV and we were not in contact closer than 6 feet. Great service.