After spending seven years living with a tiny town garden, moving to a property measured in acres rather than square feet was an unmissable opportunity, and I certainly have no regrets. I do have to chuckle, though, when I get the comment “Oh, you’re so lucky to have all that space for gardening. You can plant whatever you want!” Both statements are true, but it’s not all fluffy clouds and rainbows, you know. Having ample space for gardening creates ample opportunities for making really big mistakes. (more…)
Back to Black Creek
Text and photos ©Nancy J. Ondra
Ah, the rituals of spring: spotting the first green sprout, finding the very first flower, delighting in the first daffodil. And, best of all, plant shopping! I have a few favorite local places for my regular shopping, but at least once each spring, I take a road trip to a place I consider a plant-shopper’s paradise: Black Creek Greenhouses in East Earl, Pennsylvania. Located about a half-mile off of Route 625 in eastern Lancaster County (also known as Pennsylvania Dutch Country), this glorious range of greenhouses has it all: a beautifully organized facility, incredible prices, and an amazing selection of both old favorites and cutting-edge new cultivars. So, let’s grab a cart and start shopping! (more…)
Shearing Madness
With temperatures in the 70s and 80s in southeastern Pennsylvania this week, gardening has to take second place to a more critical spring ritual here at Hayefield: freeing “the boys” from their year’s worth of heavy fleece so they don’t pass out from the heat. It’s rather early this year: Last year, my notes say, I didn’t start until May 7. There’s always the worry that the weather might turn cold again, and once the fleece is off, you can’t very well stick it back on. It doesn’t look like cold, rainy weather is very likely any more, though, so we have to take our chances. (more…)
Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day – April 15, 2008
It’s (almost) the 15th again, and we all know what that means: Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day! (I think there’s some other significance to April 15th, but well, it’s obviously not as important as Bloom Day.) There’s lots in flower here at Hayefield, so I’ve decided to try out the gallery feature included in the newest version of WordPress, which lets us upload multiple photos relatively quickly and either place them individually in a post or show them off all together. I haven’t gotten it totally figured out, but I think it’ll work well enough this time. (more…)
