It's That Time Again

There is still time left to get spring bulbs 

and a few choice flower seeds in the ground 

for harvest between February and April

If you're on the East Coast it may be too late... : o (

but here in the West 

we still have a few weeks left

I like all flowers really... but I love 

the romance of a bouquet of Sweet Peas

It is the scent and the soft ruffles of the flowers 

that just can't be duplicated 

Sweet Peas are really easy to grow too...love that part!

  a large pack of seeds 

will only set you back 

about $5 dollars

One seed packet will yield enough flowers for your arrangement's 

for the entire month of April and on into May

 There are many ways to stake your peas...I think I have pretty much tried them all

 This was my "Sweet Pee Tee Pee"

It work well...

until my peas were literally taking over the entire structure...

but at some point I just let it all go 

and just kept snipping and enjoying 

 You can buy your seed packs in a variety of color choices 

but I happen to love the purple and pink varieties

there was burgundy and red in this mixed packet of seeds too

I look for seed packets with clear bags,

 where I can actually see what I am buying

and choose the biggest most plump seeds

 This year I picked up a packet that has salmon in the mix...

can't wait to see that

 This was my  Pea structure from last year 

which I am using again 

I have moved it to a slightly different location  because it just didn't get enough sun. 

My preference now is a Southern exposure 

but Sweet Peas are pretty hearty once they get going 

in about any location with decent sunshine 

 Soak the peas seeds for a day or two before direct sow planting and give them plenty of water 

to prevent the seedlings from drying out

 The peas are a beautiful addition 

to other Spring blooms and bulbs

via

This year I planted yellow Daffodils...

I found a really bid bag of 50 bulbs at Home Depot for $15 dollars 

and the bulbs were huge!  

White and Purple tulips got planted too

and a  special Darwin hybrid tulip variety called 

Worlds Favorite

which I have planted before

 The Tulip flowers are huge!  

And it's a beautiful shade of orange with streaks of yellow

I lucked out and found large quantities of Tulips on Sale

 here

right around Christmas time 

and all the big sacks of bulbs were 1/2 off 

 I have a big yard so the bulbs really get lost 

unless I plant a large quantity...

 I planted while it was raining 

so my soil was super soft which made the job much easier

via

 And the English roses start to bloom in April too

It all sort of happens at once 

and the variety and scent is amazing

via

So what ever you choose for your garden....

you can plant seeds, bulbs and bare root roses right now...

rain or shine 

 the end result 

is nothing short of beautiful!

Happy Gardening

~Kelley~

Sweet Pea Trellis

These are such a favorite of mine!

 I got a really late start on my sweet pea garden this year 

and thought I would try a new approach to trellising the peas

 Sweet Peas are so easy to grow and they are one of the most wonderful wildflower 

you can use in arrangements

 They happen to smell heavenly too

 I'm using a store bought trellis system with these nice  metal supports on both the top and the bottom of the trellis 

 Running string up and over each rod will give the pea tendril's 

something to grab onto

 You can find pea seeds in a variety of colors in the nursery 

for around 4 dollars

I typically buy the "mixed"  packets 

because you get a bit of every color 

I like to soak the peas over night before planting...

it sort of gives them a jump start

 The peas need consistent moisture in the first few weeks of planting

If they dry out...they're gone 

 I had so many peas last year at this time 

but the up side it that I will have peas 

in the early summer this year

Peas Please....

have a wonderful weekend

kelley

Sweet Pea's and Spring

Ojai Sweet Pea's

Flowers

I brought all of this home with me on Sunday afternoon from Ojai. 

It was starting to rain and I knew if I didn't pick the tulips and a few of the other gentle flowers they wouldn't last through the storm.

I have so many lemons and oranges right now, I wish my dog Millie could eat them!

I am not very good at arranging flowers but I enjoy doing it.  

Maybe I should take a class or something....?  

My preference is always to use the same flower type and color in a single vase because  I like the simplicity of the single color.  

But the garden gave me so many beautiful things today.

I planted quite a few sweet peas and mixed in some edible peas too. 

 The edible peas look fun hanging over the side of the little vase.  

I threw a few in a salad this weekend and they were sugary sweet.

The blue stalks are a perennial called Pride of Madeira,  

very drought tolerant and great in an arrangement.

  

The bees love these guys.

The little pink guy below is called Cistus or Rock rose, again very little water required.

This bright flower is from another wonderful succulent

I planted quite a few ranunculus in orange, which in addition to purple is my favorite color in this garden.

Iceland poppies were my first really pretty annual grown in my garden when I was newly married. 

I remember being so proud of these when they ended up in a bouquet.  

How time flies!

My favorite bulb, by far, this spring in the Ojai garden is  Tulip Perestroika.  It's a reddish orange and came up early and just gorgeous.  

The yellow tulip is called Mrs Sheepers

 

This is how the Perestroika Tulip shines in the garden...amazing!

 

Hope you had a restful weekend

&

Thank you to every one who left comments on the last post.  

I had a crazy week and wasn't able to respond to everyone but I laughed at the fact that we all love to stalk furniture...too funny!

~*~

Kelley