New England Gardener

Apricot roses

So, when the meteorologists muttered the word “frost” the other day, I took action. I actually covered up my most tender vegetation with light baby blankets. I was outside, in the dark, carefully tucking them in for the night. I have never done this before and it felt a little silly, but I was protecting my “investment”.

My husband thought I was crazy. I told the plants to hang in there and be strong and that they would live to see another day.

They did. Everything is fine in the garden.

And, while I love to nurture my little tubers and watch them grow all summer into dazzling dahlias, there’s nothing like a blooming apricot rose bush in early May. Worth the money for sure!

Lettuce Under Wraps

The community garden here in Maine resembled a campground tonight as gardeners pitched makeshift tents over tender seedlings.

The mid-May frost warning is Mother Nature’s way of reminding us not to rush the season. Conventional wisdom tells us not to transplant heat-loving seedlings until Memorial Day weekend in Maine. That’s a bit tricky this year because the long weekend falls a bit earlier than usual.

For gardeners whose weekend plans would be incomplete without planting, just keep an eye on Tim’s forecast. You might have to tuck those plants in for the night one more time. At least they don’t require a bed time story.

Photo by: meonomous

That’s right. According to Matt Noyes, meteorologist here at NECN, there may be frost in the forecast tonight. You can read his analysis of the week in weather over at the Weather New England blog. I wanted to share one piece of his analysis relevant to the New England gardening world in regards to protecting your plants from frost.

“So what can you do to protect plants against frost? Many of you have already shared with us that you saw our forecasts starting last Thursday of the frost potential and decided not to plant just yet.

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Zach Tames Giant Pumpkin

My grandfather tended a large vegetable garden planted with pole beans, beets, tomatoes, lettuce, chard, spinach and all sorts of squash. Just before dinner, he’d head out to the garden, colander in hand, and return with salad. It was a revelation. My grandmother was equally passionate about flowers. She had large cutting beds filled with Snapdragons, Zinnias, and Asiatic and Oriental lilies (no Lily Leaf beetles to worry about back then!) She also delighted in roadside fauna stopping to point out Queen Anne’s Lace and Tiger Lilies during walks with the dog.

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The little yellow stakes

I have been hooked on dahlias since August of 2001. I interviewed a man named Leo Barden who had the most amazing dahlia garden in Hull Massachusetts. They are so gorgeous! Each one is an intricate little work of art. Since meeting Leo and getting some expert tips from him, I have been planting dahlias. For years, we even dug up the tubers, packed them in peat moss and stored them during the winter. We would split them and replant them in the spring and have always had success doing that.

This year, our stored tubers dried up. That has happened before…they were too warm, I guess. So, I bought about five new varieties and they are in the ground and ready to go. I have, in the past, ordered dahlia tubers from some of the nations top growers. This year, I opted for the local garden store varieties. And, at some point, when I seen dahlias in bloom at the nursery this summer, I will be sure to buy a few of the plants. I just can’t resist them.

I labeled some yellow stakes with the color and variety of the dahlias to mark my plantings this year.
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I am eager and excited to start gardening and blogging about it this year!

The preliminary work is done in my flower garden…the raking, clearing and assessing. I begin the season with high hopes and expectations!

That said, I won’t be sugarcoating my success this season. I know that the next few months will be filled with plenty of frustrations and I’ll be telling it like it is! Yes, there is a big bud on one of my three surviving peony plants and the ants are milling around, but it probably won’t bloom. They never do. I’m still trying to figure out why. Our Broadside producer, who is sitting next to me, just said “I can’t believe your peonies don’t bloom”. As he does annually, he will soon show me the photos of his gorgeous dish-size peonies. It will be my first frustration of the season!

I would like to give a little shout-out to the hosta! Those lily-like, tried-and-true perennials that bring so much joy. They always return and always look great and can perk up a shady area in no time! I even plant them in sunny areas. They do better there than many of my “full sun” plants.

If it wasn’t for the hosta, I may have thrown out my gardening gloves a long time ago. They are such resilient plants and I’m always happy to see them poking up in the spring. I caught my 3-year-old son jumping on one and kicking at the buds last weekend. I shrieked! I yelled! I lectured! And, I explained to him that the hosta plants are our friends!