First Garden Purchase-Seeds

Beautiful morning the other day...today a blanket of gray...again.

Though the soil is cold and sopping wet, I ordered some seeds this afternoon instead of going out to weed. Here's what is in store for this year so far: zinnias, larkspur, echinacea, coreopsis, cosmos, hollyhock, nemesia, cilantro, lemon balm, parsley, baby carrots, swiss chard, poppies, sweet peas

I've had a Lavatera 'Barnsley' at each house and this one should be no exception. I have a spot for it and want it yesterday!

In my online travels, I found this jaw-dropping flower farm about 90 minutes north of me:
http://www.floretflowers.com/spring-gallery/

Total spent today: $55
Running total: $55

This Spurge is a Noxious Weed in Washington State

WHAT?! Sarah Raven raves about this plant, but guess what I found!? This very plant, Euphorbia oblongata is classified as a noxious weed in Washington state!

 Here's what the Noxious Weed Control Board website states:
"Class A noxious weeds are non-native species whose distribution in Washington State is still limited. Eradicating existing infestations and preventing new infestations are the highest priorities.
Eradication of all Class A plants is required by law."

Uhhhh, I guess I won't be finding any seed packs around town!

photo credit

My Shy Acre

We've been here about a week and I can hardly wait to get unpacked so I can start gardening! Well, that's not entirely true, I need to finish a handful of projects before I can start gardening, but I am beginning the garden planning stage.

The area behind the gate will be my garden (closest to the back door and just up and west from the well). In this picture, you are looking to the east where the morning sun peeks up over the Cascades in the distance. FULL sun exposure!

The initial plan is to make a pattern of raised beds for veggies and flowers with a lavender patch planted east of the main garden on top of "the bump". I would post a photo of "the bump" except I can't find my camera battery charger and my camera battery is nearly dead.

This morning I took Sweet Boy out to help me measure the garden patch. The pasture is about 61' x 83' with a bump at the lower part and three gates. Fully fenced. The section for the future raised beds is 35' x 30', but I could easily do 30' x 30' making it a square. Why only 30'? The approximate 30'x30' is actually level.

The lavender patch can also be 30'x30' and if I plant 5' on center, that's 7 rows of lavender 30' long over "the bump"! Whoohooo! I've grown lavender in the past, but I'd like to do some research on growing rows of lavender. I do know this:
-likes poor soil once established
-needs well drained soil
-requires full sun
-my favorite is 'Provence'
The fun part will be to decide what to plant and where to put them!

Best Cut Flower Book

I've been reading gardening books! This is the BEST of all my cut flower books from the library! I love that she is so "how-to" oriented. This is going to be a constant reference for my cut flower garden! Can't wait to plant some Euphorbia oblongata!

Beautiful Sunset

The sun sets on the front side of the house, so this is looking out the big front window. The sky was beautiful on this winter evening!

Peony Transplant

I dug up my peony and brought it with me. Notoriously, peonies reject transplanting, so I'm hoping for the best. I put it in a large black plastic tub at the edge of the patio. I'll be very sad if it doesn't make it.

Moving to My New Garden!

We're almost there! Friday the movers took the big stuff, today many friends and family helped us with the rest! Sunday will be the final trip! Hooray! Bye bye suburban neighborhood, hello rural road!