beet harvest

I really didn't know if these beets would work, since they are particular about soil quality and we have such heavy clay. So I am especially pleased to see that I do have some small to medium-sized beets after all. I am going to eat them with salad tomorrow!

The hardy gardenias are blooming now, and their fragrance is delightful. I am not sure how to describe it, but it is a bit like coconut lotion. I like how the bud opens in a spiral fashion. This particular gardenia is a cultivar named 'Kleim's Hardy.'

cultivar

The "Annabelle" Hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens 'Annabelle') is a cultivar of the native that Chloe and I saw yesterday. Here it is growing at the nursery. Knowing that this grows in the nearby Virginia mountains, I am more endeared to this plant.

native

Chloe and I took a hike in the middle section of Shenandoah to South River Falls. We had done this hike in our first semester with our plants class, learning about the forest species present at different elevations, exposures, and degrees of moisture. Today, we spotted some of the same species (like the beautiful yellow birch) as well as some wildflowers and this native shrub, smooth hydrangea. We also saw huge areas along Skyline Drive covered in the gorgeous blooms of mountain laurel.

My edamame really wants to grow! So do the bush beans. Beans seem to have a lot of vigor. I am getting ready to add some more cucumber and swiss chard seedlings to the garden. I also just planted a pepper and a zucchini.

On the low roof of our laundry room, I am attempting to make a cascading garden of nasturtium and rosemary (and am also nursing some sunflower sprouts). I hope that these eventually really trail down over the wall!

bee balm

I think this is a bee balm seedling, the only one to sprout of a whole line that I planted. This is a native, Monarda fistulosa or lavender bee balm. The seeds are minuscule, and after sowing them we had a huge downpour-- perhaps all but this one washed away. At least I can watch this one grow, although I don't expect flowers this season. My love of bee balm derives from my memories of it growing in Cooper's Cove in the mountains of West Virginia. Supposedly it does not like the heat and humidity of our area as much and often suffers from powdery mildew. I am hoping to draw some butterflies into our garden with it, along with hyssop and echinacea.

One of my duties at the nursery is to deadhead the roses, which produces these colorful collections of faded flowers.

edamame

These little sprouts appeared five days after planting. It is gratifying to see seedlings emerge, now I can watch them grow! Cilantro, shiso, bee balm and nasturtium seeds have yet to germinate, not sure why...

dzian! farewell

My friends Jonathan, Rachel, Wendy, and Carey are in a band called "Dzian!" (this means "Supercool" and is meant to be accompanied by a thumbs-up). They play pan-Asian surf rock music, and their shows are always a lot of fun-- this is funny, clever, and very well played dance music. They also have dancers for some of the songs-- this one is a spy story. Jon, Rachel, Wendy, and Carey are all leaving town in a few weeks, so this was their farewell hometown show.

third try

The first set of sunflower seeds were munched by the birds. The second set was half-munched by slugs. I finally wised up and started some seeds in my sunny bedroom window. I am hoping that with this head start, the sprouts will be (nearly) invincible!

good news, and bad news

First lightning bug, and first mosquito bite.

Saturday, aka Friday

At the moment, I have the day off of work on Friday. So, today was like my Saturday (it gets confusing)! Accordingly, I treated myself to coffee and a croissant in the back yard. I am continuing to harvest the cool-season veggies from my garden, and today I ate a salad of mustard greens and arugula (with radishes), and later a stir-fry with beet greens and baby beets (and mushrooms, garlic scapes, and tofu).

stormy May

We've had daily passing storms for about a week. At the nursery we have a wide view of the sky so we can watch the weather change, which often happens rapidly. Here a dark cloud rolls in over the annuals tent.

baby beets

I thinned some beet plants today and was happily surprised to find some actual "baby" beets had been growing! I expect I may be able to harvest them at a larger size in about two weeks. We are getting daily downpours this week and everything seems to be shooting up...

jz funny hat dance

pizza with Eleanor

I had put some basil plugs in my garden too early, so they were stunted. It was time to pull them out and make room for something else, so I decided to harvest them and make pizza.

blurry friends

I am going to try to post once a day while Taylor is away-- let's see if I can do it. Here are a few at once since I already need to catch up!

I was able to meet Fiona for lunch while up in DC for an interview yesterday. Later, I had a good time wandering around Eastern Market for the first time-- it seemed to have a nice old-DC neighborhood feel with small scale and charm, vibrant with homes, shops, restaurants, and of course the market.

arugula flower

first harvest!

I picked the first greens from my garden-- a head of mustard greens and some beet greens. No, this is not my usual harvesting outfit-- I picked the greens for Taylor's going-away (for now) dinner, after which we went out for dessert with a group of our friends at one of my favorite Charlottesville spots, the C&O.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

Here are a few of the beautiful plants I am surrounded by at the nursery:

a deciduous azalea


a rainbow of heuchera


Nellie Stevens holly flowers


sourwood capsules


bark of a young river birch

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

Mom, I hope you enjoy a few photos from my garden and these blooms from the nursery! I often remember your counsel that in the garden, it is all an experiment-- a good lesson for life too. Lots of love, Sonia








I just planted sunflowers in front of this blank wall-- in my mind's eye, I can already see the tall yellow blooms standing out against the white brick (do I really have to wait almost two months?)