Stephanie's Garden: First Garden Post

Many photos below...

I've had a vegetable garden for a few years. Each year I'm learning new tricks. I have a few strong tomato plants growing from seed as of June 2015, along with the regular transplants and direct sowed seeds (beans - saved from last year, cukes, zucchini, sugar snap peas). The sugar snap peas are new this year. I've harvested enough for a few dinners so far. Very tasty!

Last year I had some Morning Glories growing around the corn. I left it alone, was pretty. I have picked hundreds of Morning Glory seedlings from the garden this spring. I've heard these can completely take over a garden and that is exactly what it looked like was going to happen!

We have a lot of green tomatoes and many peppers (we've eaten a few peppers already). I've staked some tomato plants and caged a few, depending on the expected size of the plant and the tomatoes. My Purple Cherokee plants are staked, along with the Better Boys. Stupice and Juliet (Juliet is my fav for canning) are in cages. There are others too...

I became a bit obsessed with flower gardening in the Spring 2015. I am sure this is because I am so in love (married August 2014)! I am planning to have flowers blooming all season next year.

So far I have planted 20 Virginia Bluebell bulbs (native): April 2015, no blooms this year, the healthy foliage is pretty much gone now..to return with blooms March/April 2016. Ordered from Ebay and planted in April.

I ordered some seedlings from another Ebay seller: New England Asters (native), Fireworks Primrose (native) and Rose Campion. All are doing great. The primrose is blooming now, vigorous, hardy plant. The asters, also very vigorous and healthy, should bloom later in the summer. I hope! Although the rose campion is doing fine, I'm not really expecting to see flowers this year, but I look each day just in case.

Roses: I planted 7 rose bushes this year:
1) Two own root New Dawn bushes from Heirloom Roses (planted mid May, one is a little older than the other, ordered earlier) Beautiful and doing fantastic.
2) Three grafted rosebushes from Tractor Supply: Blaze climber (no blooms this year), Blue Girl (labeled incorrectly - 2 pretty white roses!) and a pink rosebush (I forgot the name...Mississippi Rainbow or something like that...one lovely large pink rose this year)
3) Late season/bargain buy from Tractor Supply: Two Knockout Rosebushes (one is a double knock out) These plants were in pitiful shape. I bought them for $2 a piece hoping I could save them. So far, I think they are going to make it! Both seem established with some new growth and I think one is setting a couple of rosebuds!

Hydrangea: Kroger had a foil wrapped blue hydrangea potted plant on sale for $3. I bought it hoping to transplant it. I have it in a larger pot and new growth looks great. I plan to put it it the ground late summer/early fall.

Lilacs: I planted some lilac suckers from my neighbors 50 year old bush. These are very iffy. I think the heat may have done them in. We were having days reaching 90+ degrees in May. A couple suckers look like they might make it. If not, I will plant some Bloomerang (continual blooming) lilac bushes in the fall or early spring next year alongside my deck.

The rhododendron planted last year, moved to a new location this spring, is doing well. It has set some flower buds so hopefully next spring the plant will flower for the first time.

Azaleas: I planted 3 small bushes. Two flowered this year. All seem healthy.

Boxwoods (?) My dad planted some small bushes for me a year or two after I moved into my house. I love them because my dad planted them. Unfortunately the azaleas he planted for me didn't make it. I think the boxwoods grew too much and smothered the azaleas. He doesn't think the buses are boxwoods, but that is what I call them. These are very hardy bushes and have thrived with very little care, but they attract flies! I have tried to find some other source for the fly attraction and cannot. I'm at a loss about it. Its been a problem for a couple of years. These bushes were very hard pruned this spring (regrowth is vigorous) and we are moving them to the back yard in the fall. I'm going to plant flowers in the spot (hopefully plants that will not attract any flies!)

I've planted many annuals, some from seeds....I received some surprise Marigold seeds from the Ebay seller who sent me the pea seeds (?) These are tallllll flowers, growing in a pot. They are finally setting a couple of flower buds. I'm looking forward to seeing them. I didn't know marigolds grew so tall! Some of my California Giant Zinnias are about to bloom (yay!) I have these scattered all over the yard, started from seeds (direct sow) I have a couple of Elephant Ears planted, one has sprouted. I also planted some Gladiolus bulbs (Dollar Store), a few have sprouted (these may return next year) I've had others that returned for a few years.

My oldest daughter asked me for a cactus this year, so I bought her an Easter/Spring Cactus. The bright red/orange flowers were beautiful! The plant's month long rest after bloom has just finished, and we have just repotted it. We will work on setting some new flower buds in the fall....

I bought a Purple Passion houseplant too....very pretty and interesting plant! Fuzzy purple leaves. Its just been repotted.

All of my plants are getting a lot of fish fertilizing! My husband loves to fish and gathers minnows on his trips. He brings them home to me to make my own fish emulsion. So far so good. I think the flowers and vegetables love it. Last year he threw some minnows in the corn and we had HUGE corn plants. I've also used some slow release basic fertilizer, an organic soil acidifer (roses, rhododendron, azaleas), plenty of Epson Salt, and some occasional shots of Miracle Grow. I like to stick to organics in the vegetable garden but I'm okay with Miracle Grow for the flowers - it works! I also use Serenade Garden (anti fungus spray). This is for the tomato plants (so far not needed this year) and I've sprayed my roses.

These are some of the roses that bloomed this year (above). The New Dawn plant has another rose bud growing now for its second (repeat) bloom (first photo). The photo directly above was supposed to be "Blue Girl." Oh well!

This is "Blaze" (above). It is growing well, has more than doubled in size (planted in April, covered on colder nights). I'm sure I will have lovely red blooms next year. I have to build a trellis. I think this climbing rose bush will grow up to 15' tall!

This is the pink rosebush (above). That tall shoot grew fast after a shot of Miracle Grow (as in a day or two!)

These are the two "New Dawn" plants (three photos above). The first one shows the new shoots of the first one (about two months older than the other, both planted in May). I'm expecting these plants to grow 20'+ in a few years, and cover the chicken coop wall (10'x50').

This is day 1 after planting the Knock Out roses (late May). I told you they looked pitiful (above). The wire wasn't removed from around the plastic container wrapping at the store. I don't believe the plants were getting any water in the dirt other than right on top of the new growth.

Here they are a couple of weeks after planting (4 photos above). I think one is going to bloom. I pruned the other on the one green cane because it wasn't showing any signs of new growth after many days. It is now! There are several new shoots beginning. Yay.

Here is the Primrose (below) a couple weeks after planting (planted in April, first picture taken in May, and again today - June 2) A lot of growth happened after a shot of Miracle Grow, but these are very hardy plants. They were flooded terribly in May. I thought they had been completely washed out...

Below are the New England Asters (planted in April, first picture in May and then June 2):

I've been pinching the center leaves of the Asters. It making the plant grow very bushy, but I'm watching a few places that are turning dark on the edges (above)

Here are some Zinnias, planted from seed (below). I'm watching and waiting for the flowers!!