Poinsettias in July

Here's an interesting plant adventure we've simply happened upon accidentally.  Poinsettias like us!  We can keep poinsettias going throughout the winter and into spring and summer.  When weather includes freezing temperatures, we keep them indoors, of course.  We have a sun-room that faces south, and that's the room they like the best.  Once chance of frost is past, we take them outside.  Usually this is when they sprout a bunch of new green leaves.  This year's batch still have their red leaves from the winter months.  The largest of our poinsettias is 4 years old.  It likes the sun-room so much that it has bloomed red, at least to some degree, each winter.  After we put it outside this year it dropped most of its leaves, but is now working on a new batch of green ones. 
Poinsettia facts  (From www.Ask.com):
To get a poinsettia to reflower you have to keep it in total darkness between 5 pm and 8 am. Start this around October 1st and continue until color shows on the bracts; usually around early to mid-December. Any little exposure to light can prevent flowering. Covering the plant with a light-proof bag and placing it in a closet might work. Night time temperatures above 70-75°F can decay or prevent flowering.

How can I make my poinsettia last during the holiday season?

• Place the poinsettia in a sunny window.
• Do not let any part of plant touch cold window panes.
• Indoor temperatures from 60 to 70°F is ideal for long plant life.
• High temperatures will shorten the life of the colorful bracts.
• Water only when the soil is dry.
• Placing your poinsettia in a cool room 55 to 60°F at night will extend blooming time.
• Do not fertilize when plant is in bloom.
• Avoid temperature fluctuations and warm or cold drafts.

I want to keep my poinsettia plants. When can I take them outside?

Move your poinsettia plant outdoors when all danger of frost has passed. Place it in a sunny area but where it will get moderate shade in the afternoon.

Pansy Perfect

I've had great luck with pansies over the years. Not all flowers like my gardens, but this one does, and when I find one that flourishes I go with it. My pansies tend to reseed themselves, and most of the pansies in the beds show up each spring all by themselves. (That's my favorite kind of flower!) I did buy 1 new flat this April that was on sale at the local nursery. Because of the sale pansies, I decided to try them in hanging baskets. Both hanging baskets have been used before - several times - why not? The pot by the front door is Mexican pottery from Alamo, Texas. The pot is actually holding a planter basket of pansies. I rather expected that the planters would do fine in April and May, but would fade as the heat of the summer came on. So far, they are doing fine. I try to keep the ones in pots de-headed, but I don't bother with those growing in my beds. I do water the potted pansies regularly, but hardly ever water the beds. So far, nature is doing that for me.

Here are a few pansy facts:

• Hardy plant that can survive freezing even during their blooming period
• Like sunny or partially sunny positions in well draining soils
• Are normally biennials with a two-year life cycle. The first year plant produces greenery and then bears flowers and seeds in their second year of growth
• Have been known to reseed themselves
• Not very heat-tolerant, best used as a cool season planting

Welcome to Our Gardens

How much gardening can you do on a 1 acre lot in town?  A lot!  We've lived here for 12 years now, and each year our gardens have grown.

100 blueberry bushes were here when we got here.  They had been planted in the 1960's, and were quite neglected and over-grown.  We knew nothing about blueberries, but asked local growers for advice.  It's work for sure, but not as much as you'd think, and it's great to harvest delicious organic blueberries every July and August.

A small vegetable garden came next.  Using split logs for edging, we created a 8' by 30' raised bed.  Over the years, we've needed more room, so 5 years ago, a second 8" by 8' raised bed was added.  A separate patch of raspberries, and another for asparagus have limped along, although not really very successfully.

Then there are the flower beds.  The home came with mature trees and a few perennials, but the only plantings noticeable were the huge over-grown junipers and rhododendrons.  They nearly covered the front of the house obscuring windows and doors.  A back paver-block patio came first with flower beds extending from either side.  Two side raised flower beds were added next.  Finally, we were able to redo the front landscaping with a new paver walkway, and new beds of smaller plants.  Shrubs, bushes, trees, perennials.... every year a few are added; a few disappear.

That's a quick overview of our gardens.  I am hoping this will help orient you to the setting of this blog.

BLTs for Lunch

Ok, I have to post again today because we just had our lunch. First of all, I steamed some of the peas for about 3 minutes; then added less than 1 teaspoon of butter. Oh, they were good!

Next, my husband, Dave's, favorite: BLT sandwiches. The lettuce came from 1 of 2 narrow planters. We threw in some lettuce seeds about 5 weeks ago, and success! The lettuce is as happy as can be. I've cut it a few times already. It grows right back. The tomatoes came from the store. It's too early for our own. Yes, that's toasted white bread you see. I know, I know... not the healthiest, but sometimes the health battle with Dave is more effort than it's worth. Anyway, this was a very tasty lunch.

Summer & Retirement

I am a very recently retired school teacher. In fact, this is my very first day of retirement, although right now it just seems like the start of another summer vacation. The adjustment to retired life is easy right now. It might be a little different come fall.

But, on to my new blog. I am a novice at this, however I have things to say and things to share. My husband and I live in a small village in western NY on a 1 acre lot. It came with 100 mature blueberry bushes in the backyard when we bought it 12 years ago. Since then, we've added flowers and vegetables each year, along with trying to maintain the blueberry patch. We've learned to garden the hard way, through trial and error. We enjoy it. It's like life in general - always a process, a journey, and never quite perfect nor finished.

My first posts will introduce you to our gardens. It's been a warm, moist spring and at present everything seems to be green and lush. We've already grown, eaten, and tilled up a crop of spinach this year. It was delicious. The last little bit is waiting for me right now in my fridge.

Today's harvest was the first picking of the peas. My husband planted 2- 10 foot rows of sweet green peas in mid-April. He trellises them on string netting. They are now overloaded with pea pods. Yum! Lots of pods to get 1 bowl of peas, but they will be greatly enjoyed. I'm hoping I can learn how to share some pictures in short order, because they really look good.