Gardening

Tucked In

April 7, 2009
French Pussy Willow, Daylilies, and Blue Liriope Grass

French Pussy Willow, Daylilies, and Blue Liriope Grass

My mom loves Pussy Willows, so when I found them at our local Lowe’s garden center, I couldn’t pass them up. I planted one in each of the two back corners of our yard, along with daylilies and blue liriope grass.

We’re experiencing one more winter blast here in Central Arkansas. I watched the weather faithfully last week, and after seeing sunshine and warmth forecasted for the next week, went ahead and put in 18 tomato plants and all my seeds on Saturday except the squash, zucchini, watermelons, and pumpkins. And now, we’re experiencing one more cold snap – albeit hopefully the last.

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Garden Beds

What to do when an unexpected cold snap hits? I did not purchase frost blankets or floating row covers last fall because I planted a winter garden, and I foolishly did not expect to need them this spring. Unfortunately, there are none for sale locally, and I’m a novice gardener, so I called the nursery I bought our two Sungold tomato plants from. They recommended cheap dollar store sheets. So, here’s our garden, all tucked in with $5 twin-sized sheets. Both the sheets and the plants have held up remarkably well.

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Blue Dwarf Curling Kale

One of our kale plants is blooming. I totally didn’t expect it to, but aren’t the blooms lovely? I planted kale because it was cold hardy, and it has really thrived in our terrible soil. I’m becoming a master at zuppa toscona. 🙂

Rustic Arugula

Rustic Arugula

Last but not least, our rustic arugula is absolutely thriving. We have more than I know what to do with. Recommendations are welcome!

Happy Gardening!

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2 Comments

  • Reply Lea April 8, 2009 at 8:04 pm

    Awesome! Love the kale blooms–how cool!

    [Reply]

  • Reply Dee Wilcox April 9, 2009 at 4:05 pm

    Thanks! Unfortunately, the tomato plants didn’t make it. When I uncovered them yesterday, I thought they would be okay. Then we had almost a forty degree temperature spike between 6 am and 7 pm, and they were fried by the end of the day. Bummed. 🙁

    [Reply]

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