Ahhh, Glorious Nature.

We had a few thunderstorms last week and then it turned really hot this weekend. I think the rain/heat combo made the yard explode with growth. Things are popping up and budding out like crazy. I woke up Sunday morning to probably 50 blooms on my clematis. Gorgeous!!! This is the time of year when I'm just blown away by how so incredibly AWEsome nature is. It's so neat to watch seedlings break through the hard earth, plants that looked crispy enough to think dead come fully back to life and buds of beautiful flowers unfurl and bloom into brilliantly shaped and colored flowers. We are beginning to eat out of the garden, the wooded area behind the house is filling in and there is a pair of finches building a nest in the fern on the front deck. So happy...

Bought some brightly colored annuals for the back patio.

The Tennyson tree is so happy to be back outside.

Can you see Chris in the background working on yet another project? He's making a cool gate to finish off the fence. I can't wait to see what he comes up with!

Can you believe how gorgeous!?!

Lettuce.

Comfrey.

Broccoli.

Fennel.

Radish.

Peony. Any day now!

Our new wrap-around couch for the front deck! Now all I have to do it make cushions which will require me to learn how to use my sewing machine. Chris purposefully made the couch long enough so he could sleep on it. He loves sleeping outside.

Front deck.

Bella Kitty.

Seeds in the Sunlight

I have no idea what I'm doing when it comes to starting seeds indoors. Luckily I know a lot of experienced gardeners and I have some really great reference books. The past two years (my first two years of gardening) I have only direct seeded into the garden. However, this is slightly limiting because there are many types of plants that like to be put in the ground while it's still cold outside. So this year I will add to my garden selection kale, fennel, cabbage and leeks. They are supposed to be planted indoors in flats and placed in direct sunlight or under a grow light 4-6 weeks before the last frost. They will go into the garden just before the last frost because they like a little chilly weather.

I also found my gardening journal tucked away in my office. In most gardening books they express how helpful it is to keep track of what goes on in your yard year after year. This is so you don't make the same mistake twice. I didn't enter anything in it last year, which is not very helpful, so this year I'm picking it back up. Here are a few entries from my first year gardening...

These are two of my favorite reference books.

Here they are! All ready to get to growin'!