Planting the Garden for Mother’s Day

Sunday was Mother’s Day. I celebrated by putting my mother to work.

What? She offered. I kept telling her to sit down and relax, but she kept picking up the clippers or broom and performing labor. Even here you can see the shears in her hand.

I wish that we could have waited to plant the garden another day, but I am going to be away for the next two weekends. It cannot wait until June. I really wish that it could have been done before now, but it has been too cold. Therefore, it was this weekend or never. I spent Saturday and Sunday gathering my plants and seeds at different plant sales and nurseries around Westchester County.

This year I decided to try the square foot method. Here was my plan after its thousandth modification. Of course, this was not the final version, either. I had to adjust it while planting.

Ta-da! All ready to start growing. I just hope that things go better this year.

Besides the large vegetable garden, I planted herbs in several pots and flowers in others. I had a little help from next door. The only problem is that she kept digging up the flowers and seeds I had just planted. I had to give her a pot of dirt and her own spade to protect my investments.

This spring one brave little strawberry sprang back to life from last year’s plants. I gave it some help from another plant.

I replaced the curry plant that died with lavender. I think that I will like it better. I hope that the lavender is happy here. The plants that I put in the big garden are not doing so well. One of them has barely grown in two years and the other died this winter. I have hope for this one, though. So far every single thing that I have put in this space has excelled.

My giant rosemary bush was also replaced by this little guy. I planted him further back than the previous bush because it used to grow over the sidewalk. Do you think that this plant will live for at least four years like the last one? It looks so little and pathetic right now.

I also cleaned up the broken barrel and replanted the columbines in another pot to put on the front porch.

This area looks a little bare now, but it is better than before. I also chopped out the pricker bush that was always attacking me when I tried to get out of the  car. The stump will have to be removed later.

The last project for the weekend is a surprise to be revealed next week. Check back next week to see where these guys went.

Thanks, Mom for all your help. We love you all the numbers.

Happy Homemaking!