A friend sent me over to seedsavers.org and I am in love.
First I saw blue poppies (Meconopsis betonicifolia), Covet. I’ve always loved the shape of poppies, but wasn’t a big fan of red. These are just perfect.
Then I was torn between Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) and Lupines (Lupinus polyphyllus) as a BC girl, lupines are home to me. And I really miss them. And then I go on a mental vacation to the wildflowers I haven’t seen in years, old man’s beard, paintbrush, fireweed… dayum I miss fireweed. New goal, become an amazing photographer and go back to BC for a while.
I think I forgot Johnny Jump Ups last time. They’re also home to me, they grew wild in our lawn and I’m not scared of planting them, they seemed particularly resilient!
Lastly I discovered Milkmaid (Tropaeolum majus), White Cyprus Vine (Ipomoea quamoclit) and the white Cup/Saucer Vine (Cobaea scandens). At this point our new house has a sliding glass door out of the unfinished basement, and a sliding door from the kitchen that enters on to a landing and stairs down to the yard. I think putting in a deck and patio is our first priority, probably using the tax refund for first time homeowners. In the meantime, why not grow some flowers up to the kitchen level? $2.50 for a less-fugly back yard situation this summer? I can’t see a downside 🙂
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One of my goals in starting this blog was to record the process of moving, of experiencing a new living situation and trying new things. One of my barriers to writing here is that I feel I have to be an expert in order to write a post, which just isn’t going to happen. No, the goal was to muddle through new adventures and write about the experiment. That said, here’s an experiment!
I find myself intimidated by the process of planting gardens. As a child we had a vegetable garden, some years it was huge and amazing, some years it was more basic, but each time we kids had our own plot to plan and plant. Generally our plots were successful, but I don’t think I’ve planted anything since 1993? earlier? I can’t even remember at this point. So why the apprehension? My best guess is that I want perfection, on the first try, and I don’t know that much about soil (though I remember soil testing with my dad!), or zones, or proper watering. I’m worried I will start shoveling, give up and never get back to it. Or plant, and then just let it go.
Then again, browsing websites such as the ones linked in these two posts gets me very, very tempted. My parents moved west and built their own first and second house, planted their gardens, raised animals, repaired the car (ok, that was my dad), based on following instructions in books. I have the internet, which has yet to fail me, surely I can plant some flowers?
Honestly, I am excited about the process. I’m enjoying exploring my options, reading more information about the plants that interest me, and mentally imagining what I will choose. Once I move, or the next time I visit, I will check when and where the light hits our house and make a more informed plan. So excited to try! What’s the worst that can happen? I end up with a sad, bare patch of dirt? That’s not so bad really.
Start In The Middle 