It’s now almost the middle of April and here in Maine, the signs of seasons changing has officially begun. The moment we have all been waiting for over the last five months is finally here.
There’s an excitement buzzing through the air and a palpable energy bubbling up from the ground as the perennials stir from their slumber. The greenhouse doors are now open and is thus marking the beginning of my gardening season.
I’d like to begin a new weekly blog series where I keep you informed as to the happenings in and around my garden, what I’m currently reading, and what I have planned for the coming week.
OBSERVATIONS
We are just about two weeks away from our average last frost, according to the Farmers Almanac. Even more exciting is this Friday we are expecting temperatures to reach close to 80°F.
I just finished my first walk around the garden to make my initial assessments. Unfortunately, I noticed quite a few of my perennials have perished and I’m assuming this is due to our deep freezes this past winter where we dipped below -20°F with windchill.
Some of my perennials that didn’t make it are:
- English and Spanish lavender
- Pincushion flower
- Snapdragons
- Butterfly bush
In happier news, I still have many perennials coming back! This is one of the most exciting times of the year when you see your garden begin to come back to life, especially after a long hard winter.
The Prairie Fire Crab Apple tree I newly planted last year has survived and is now putting on new growth. I am anxiously awaiting the beautiful bright pink blooms and fragrant blossoms.
My roses, hydrangeas and foxgloves are also beginning to put on new growth and wake up.
And the 1,100 tulips I planted last year to sell have successfully made it through the winter and have been really putting on growth this past week.
I find I am taking notice the different colors of the new growth in the garden. From the red buds on the roses, to the purple sprouts on my Bleeding Hearts.
WHAT’S HAPPENING NOW?
There are lots of new and exciting projects currently in the works here at BirchSalt. Indoors, my seedlings are growing away. My sweet peas have already been pinched back, and are ready to begin their journey of hardening off.
I pinch back my sweet peas in order to help encourage more blooms this summer. In fact, the process of pinching back certain flowers can help aid in the production of flowers in your garden. Another flower I pinch back are my dahlias!
I’ll spend the next two weeks gradually exposing my seedlings to the greenhouse for a few hours at a time in order to get them acclimated to the temperatures outdoors before I plant them into the ground. You don’t need a greenhouse to accomplish this, a garage, cold frame, or simply a protected area will do just the same!
Spring cleaning is also at the top of my list this week. I’ve been cleaning up some of the beds, starting my spring fertilizing and pruning back my hydrangeas.
My husband and I have also started working on building out my mini cut flower stand. We still need to piece it all together, paint and then put on some finishing touches before the first week in May. I was able to pick up a few flower buckets at a reasonable price at Michaels and we picked up some lumber from Home Depot. We’re about $70.00 in total for this project, which I think is great!
UPCOMING PROJECTS
I have lots to do over the next couple of weeks as the garden wakes up!
More specifically, this coming week I will be focusing my time and energy on:
- Painting and finishing the flower stand
- Ordering flower wrapping materials for selling the cut flowers
- Building a sweet pea trellis
- Hardening off my seedlings
- Sowing perennial seeds
- Powerwashing decks and fences
- Pruning back roses
- Fertilizing hydrangeas and roses
- Planting gladiolus
WHAT I’M CURRENTLY READING
I thought it might be fun to share what I’m currently reading or what I’m experimenting with each week.
This week my attention has been focused on using cinnamon with growing seedlings. I’ve been reading up on how beneficial cinnamon can be in and around the garden and why it might be a good practice to use it with starting seeds!
Primarily it is noted cinnamon can help aide as a fungicide and work as natural pest control, helping to improve the overall health of your plants.
I haven’t tried this yet but some of the articles I am reading note that cinnamon can also be used as a natural rooting hormone! How cool is that?
So the next time you go to start seedlings, try to root a cutting or simply want a natural pest control method…. reach for the cinnamon!
Happy gardening!
-Kate
