jonquills
It felt like Spring this weekend. The bright sun and warm air made us want to get outside and do things. Tricia cleared the garden and planted potatoes and onions. I even mowed the lawn.
I also planted two walnut trees and an esperanza bush. I debated a long time about where to plant the walnuts. In the end I decided that rather than leaving them in the containers it was better to just pick any spot and move them later if I changed my mind. Through indecision I have left many a plant in its container only to see it wither and die.
Such a contrast with last Valentines Day when we had heavy snow on the ground.
Today there was steady flow of deliverymen bringing flowers to the women at work. I stopped on the way home and got roses for my own sweetheart. It seems to me this is a holiday that is made more of than it used to be. I remember it mostly as a schoolchild’s holiday. My parents certainly never celebrated Valentines. Perhaps teenagers may have though. Since I did not have a girl friend it may not have registered with me.
February 14th, 2005 @ 10:52 pm
I’m jealous of your jonquills - I have absolutely nothing blooming in my yard
February 15th, 2005 @ 9:39 am
Oh, Bill, I’m so glad to read that somebody other than me dithers over where to plant things and sometimes lets them die in the pots rather than commit! That’s me to a T!
I need to get out and move some roses around, but I keep flopping in the hammock and basking in the sun. Ahh, well…
February 15th, 2005 @ 1:43 pm
Be careful where you plant those walnut trees. THe tannins in them will kill all that grows under them. So they are really nice to have in the back part of the yard, where you dont care that it is bare under neath.
February 15th, 2005 @ 1:51 pm
No, Marthachick, you are not alone. I suspect there are entirely too many of us…
February 15th, 2005 @ 5:04 pm
Actually he over stated my energy level. Sunday we worked at the lakehouse. Monday I pulled all the weeds & dead plants from the garden, tilled, amended, raked..then off to the farm store. Today I planted potatoes and shoveled up 10 gal of native pecans that had taken over the back porch & walk way. Ready for a rainy day so I can get back to the sewing studio >^..^<
February 15th, 2005 @ 7:44 pm
Yes, it’s great to see your blooms. Thanks!
I second Mary Lou’s comments about the walnuts. Black walnuts are lovely trees, but their roots and their decomposing leaves put toxic materials in the soil that retard growth in many perennials and vegetables. It’s best to plant them in a place where you’re not that worried about your garden. Sadly, the toxic stuff hardly ever bleaches out of the soil. It’s very persistent.
If you go to Purdue’s site or Texas A&M, you will probably find a list of plants affected by the walnut.
February 16th, 2005 @ 5:43 am
I love your jonquils…and the new life they represent. In California we are now in the rainy season, which is our spring. After three months of occasional rain, we have 9 months of NO RAIN. Having moved here from the eastern part of the US, it takes a while to adjust to this strange Mediterranean environment! I’d love to have you visit my website…it is filled with articles about nature and gardening for conservation of wildlife…and peoplelife
Great blog…keep up the good work!
Carolyn
February 16th, 2005 @ 6:20 pm
Lovely jonquils! The weather has been rather pleasant here too! I agree with you about the hoopla over Valentine’s Day, but I do like the candy!
February 18th, 2005 @ 6:34 pm
I think the “black walnut kills things” is a myth; Neil Sperry may mention it, but I checked on the internet and found this quote that you might find relevant.
thelrd in TEXAS Tarrant County
“I do not have references in front of me on the effecfts of walnuts on other
plants, but I can tell you from experience that walnut trees in the yard
where I grew up seemed to have little effect on nearby flowers and fruit
trees; however there were no garden vegetables in that part of the yard. Two
large walnuts are still growing there and there is a wonderful mixed
domestic and wild flower garden, apple and cherry trees, etc. I suggest that
as for any trees any possible effects extend no farther than the drip line,
that is the effect of shade and root competition which extends out from the
trunk about the width of the crown.”
J. Elliott
March 3rd, 2005 @ 11:40 am
It’s a fact that black walnut tree roots put out a growth-inhibitor. The tannins from leaves and walnut husks on the surface don’t help. But. From the Sunset Western Garden Book: “BLACK WALNUT Don’t plant near vegetable or flower gardens, rhododendrons, or azaleas; black walnut inhibits these plants’ growth, either through root competition or by secreting a substance that inhibits the growth of other plants.” Still way too early for us to plant anything outdoors, but any season works for cleanup. I envy you your spring.