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First let me start by saying this was one of the best birthday presents I have ever received. My friend and co-blog writer Chris, gave me time to help me in my garden. These days I value time more than I have ever in my life.
Plus spring is a busy season for us dirt diggers. Here is what we did with that time in the garden. Two gardeners are always better than one.
Check out the before and after pictures: Incredible.
BEFORE
Look at this lonely chair that actually was missing a slat. I painted it a couple of years ago and really haven’t done anything with it.
AFTER
WOW….we took chairs, pots and plants from around and look how it all turned out. We even used my “Tiki Bar” sign.
Here is the to do list:
AFTERNOON 1:
- We started with one bed at a time. We weeded, added fertilizer and cut back all the perennials.
- Then we assessed if plants were happy in their spots. We moved 4 shrubs into new homes. WARNING: be careful how many you move in the spring. You must water them religiously during the summer.
- We moved pots and furniture around. Chris has vision…I haven’t developed mine yet.
- We stopped, had some wine and celebrated our accomplishments. We scheduled next session.
Adding the bird feeder and pots together helped with the structure.
AFTERNOON 2:
- We planted the shrubs and trees I got from various plant sales and swaps- another 5 in total.
- We added soil conditioner and mushroom compost to my soil…it was a little dense. Good tip to remember.
- We planted my fruit bushes – blueberries and blackberries.
- We turned the rest of the veggie bed to prep for tomatoes and other summer goodies.
Beds have new blueberry and blackberry bushes. Bring on the tomatoes!
AFTERNOON 3: …which was a bonus and not really part of my present
Chris showed up with her wonder-man husband Bill to help limb up some trees to offer more sunshine. It is a amazing what one can do with a bow saw, tree pruners and a ladder. NOTE…I held the ladder – it was a very important job!
WOW…it was transformative. Thanks Chris. Thanks Bill. Best gift ever…
You should find a pal and help each other in each garden. It’s more fun and you get soooooo much more done.
Happy Gardening!
m
Like a lot of people who started gardening in the early 1980s, I was in love with Azaleas.
Since then, I’ve moved on to other shrub passions like this variegated Weigela–
and the native/Asian cross, Calycanthus Hartladge Wine. 
But one of my 80s Azaleas still makes my heart beat faster. 
This is George Tabor, two of them actually, flanking the path in our woods.
Every spring my passion for this big, beautiful azalea is rekindled. I love it very much!
So if you are just starting to shape your Southern garden (and planting shrubs is the way to do it, BTW), make room for at least one Azalea–George Tabor.
Any other suggestions? What are your must have shrubs?
What to do first? 3 of my favorite gardening events are scheduled this weekend.
Here’s a link to the PAX sale at NCSU. Click on woody plants on the right to see the list of shrubs they plan to offer
http://www.ncsu.edu/project/pialphaxi/plantsale.html
And the Garden Conservancy Open Days are in the Spring now:
http://www.gardenconservancy.org/opendays/open-days-schedule
Note that the fabulous Joslin garden is open. I will have to revisit that old favorite and pick out one or two more gardens on the list.
At the State Fair grounds, a cluster of great sales by local garden clubs:
http://www.raleigh-garden-club.org/plant-sale.html
If you like Azaleas, the Gardeners of Wake County sale will take your breath away. I prefer the Raleigh Garden Club Sale which usually has plants shared from members ‘ own gardens. They do very well in my Wake County woods.
So grab your hat, a check book and get out there. April 13 and 14 is a great weekend for local gardeners. Enjoy!
It’s time–
Time to cover the dinning room table with plastic, dust off the grow lights and sow tomato and pepper seeds indoors. 
Timing is critical when it comes to growing from seed. I want to have these plants ready to plant in the garden by our last estimated frost date, April 15th. Too early and they will be floppy and leggy. Too late and the plants will be stunted.
Let’s hope my timing this year is just right. (These plants were started March 8-14.)
It’s time to set out purchased transplants of lettuce, spinach and other cool weather crops in the garden.
And it’s time to eat lots of homegrown kale, collards, cabbage and other greens that wintered over so I’ll have that space empty when the aforementioned tomato plants are ready to set out.
It’s also time to fertilize, mulch, powerwash outdoor furniture, weed the beds, clean the porches etc, etc, etc. Spring is the busiest season in the garden, sort of like Christmas if you’re in retail.
So don’t forget to enjoy the fruits of your labors. Sit down and take in the view, even if your chairs are covered in winter’s grime. 
Bulbs, like these (Ice Follies and February Gold) daffodils planted in the woods last fall are looking good. 
And here’s another favorite bulb blooming in my garden–Spring Starflower (Ipheion uniflorum and Tristagma uniflorum). It will grow anywhere, even in the dry shade at the base of trees.
This tough little perennial will even grow between pavers, but since the foliage smells a bit like a skunk when it’s bruised, planting starflower on my little patio was not the best idea.
One day, maybe I’ll move these. 
Gardens are like mine are never really finished. Might as well relax and enjoy!
PS. It’s also time to start checking yourself for ticks. Can you believe I got my first tick bite on Sunday? Yikes that’s early.
When I was growing up, parsley was the curly stuff that nice restaurants used as a garnish. Everyone left it on the plate. 
Then in the 80s, I started seeing Italian parsley listed in recipes. Thank goodness. Italian or flat leaf parsley is packed with sweet, fresh flavor. These days, it is THE garden crop I am never without. 
A true biennial, Italian parsley winters over in my Wake County garden. I clip, wash, and chop green leaves even on the coldest days–then put them in many of my favorite recipes–like this quick and easy go-to pasta from the food magazine, Cooking Light.
![pasta-peas-ck-226527-l[1]](http://youshouldgrowthat.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/pasta-peas-ck-226527-l1.jpg)
tp://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/pasta-with-prosciutto-peas-10000000226527/
My Italian parsley crop is lovely now–but as the weather warms it will bloom, turn leggy and die.
Don’t even try to save it. That’s the life cycle of a biennial plant.
So new parsley plants are the works under grow lights on our dinning room table. This parsley is easy from seed or transplant, and very rewarding. In fact, if you have almost no garden space at all, I would tell you, find space for a few herbs (like my favorite–Italian Parsley).
What herbs do you love and grow?
