sunday's solitude

lo and behold- i finally got it!

Much to my surprise while shopping a competitor for vegetable supports, I found the plant I have been looking for- a butterfly bush. But this is no ordinary buddelia, it was cultivated here in NC two years ago at UNC and is called Lo and Behold-Blue Chip. It's a true dwarf variety only reaching 4' tall, unlike other varieties that can tower at 8-10' and is a prolific bloomer. I actually had to make a second trip back once I figured out where I could place this gem. It will take a prominent place in my "once was a butterfly/hummingird garden, but now has morphed into my just because I like it and I live in the south southern garden." This circular raised garden in my front yard houses a mix of sun/shade plants due to its proximity to a very mature sugar maple. I have gumpo azaleas, dwarf variegated gardenias, blue balloon flowers, salvia, sedum, rain lilies, corkscrew grass, and happy returns daylilies. I will move an astilbe to a shadier spot and place this buddelia in a front corner near the upper driveway. Oh it is the little things....

Footnote: I added yellow sweet onions and carrots to my square foot garden today from set and seed...will keep their progress posted.

sunday's solitude...(a lil early)

summer garden

Sorry for the lack of posts lately, as spring has sprung and balancing work and life has been a bit of a challenge. All of that aside, I am bursting with excitement to finally practice what I preach! I am an official square foot gardener! Based on the theory by Mel Bartholomew, I was able to take advantage of the only full-sun area of my property, one of my two driveways. I got a great deal on an amazing tiered raised bed and with many trips to get multiple bags of compost and vermiculite (got lucky and found an entire bale of peat moss in the crawl space...Thanks Lois!), I was finally able to fill it up and plant. Because I got a bit of a late start for here in the South, I am limiting my planting to sweet banana peppers, jalapeno peppers, cucumbers, and zucchini. I will decide tomorrow if I want to dabble into carrots as I keep finding contradictory info on their success in the summer. I have also planted a lemon tomato, catnip, basil, and oregano in a pot using the same planting mix recipe. In addition to tripling the yield potential, square foot gardening cuts down on weeds, watering, and improves overall plant health. I'll try to post more frequently as my experiment matures. Next project in the works, chickens!