But She did a fantastic job clearing a goodly stretch of foundation bed while I pruned two large climber roses, five standard roses, and got a good start on the magnolia. I think the end result was something like six large bags of debris, to be composted courtesy of Seattle’s yard waste program.

Frankly, it was balmy. I felt a tad guilty, knowing there are many still under snow, with depths up to many feet, not to mention temps, even w/o windchill barely in double digits I guess.

But Spring has made it to Puget Sound, perhaps something you can take heart in. I’m regretting that those catalogs that have been piling up have not triggered any actual seed orders. We have six roughly 6X8′ semi-raised beds that used to be intensively in veggies but are now less aggressively used – dahlias and iris have been allowed to cohabit, e.g. But there is a good bit of weeding needed there before we think about early Spring starts like potatoes, brassicas, lettuce, peas.

And we do enjoy our porch-potted cannas too.

As someone who loves heirloom tomatoes but doesn’t have the sun or space to grow a lot of them, I would suggest Cherokee Purples. I have had success with them, and they are a deep red with some green in them, not a real purple. Also, Organge Oxhearts are worth the fussy nature of the plant. You won’t get a lot of tomatoes, however the few that get are all meat and very little seeds. Talk a taste of sunshine. I look at heirloom tomatoes as my anti-republician planst since they come in a diverse selection of skin tones.

Also, something you might want to consider is creating your own heirloom garden. By saving the seeds from the flowers or vegetables that you grow, you can plant them the following year. And so on, thus creating a lineage of your favorite plants.

Here’s one of my favorite seed places
http://www.rareseeds.com

I second the suggestion on Cherokee Purples! I’ve been growing heirloom tomatoes for a few years now–our local Tilth society has an edible plant sale every year, with organic heirloom tomato plants in a starring role. The Cherokee Purples have a wonderful sweet, rich flavor and they’re absolutely gorgeous, inside and out.

Susan in Iowa @ 99

Wonderful about your hummers. We love ours too. One male who sets up his harem in our yard every year always announces his arrival by hovering directly in front of the kitchen window and glaring at us till we set up his welcome meal.

Just by way of update, experts are now urging folks to leave those feeders up a little longer in the fall, because the availability of food apparently doesn’t affect the time of leaving on migration. And when those hordes are flying through your yard on their way south, they could really use any extra nourishment you’re offering. You needn’t worry about tempting them to stay by offering the travel-snack, & it just might save a few. ;->

I know I’m way out of the bubble, but if you’re reading, thanks. What’s the rationale? Do they leave with the cold no matter what?

Two faves I’d add to the veggie garden are miners’ lettuce (Claytonia)–very succulent and tasty–and filet beans, really prolific and great taste. They freeze well too.

I saw this quote in a thread that is now closed.

“The philosophy of conservatism is inevitably doomed by its adherents’ willingness to accept bluster as a sign of character and thick-headed devotion to meaningless symbols as sign of moral fiber.” (Albert Einstein)

Does anyone know if this is an accurate quote? If so it bears repeating. Sounds like a lot of people I run across in the course of the work-week.

Punkster @
169

I live in Southern Maine, on the coast, and about a half mile from my house (and I have some beautiful gardens, mind you), is the most perfect little cottage garden I have even laid eyes on. These are hard-core gardeners – everything is perennial and there is always something blooming. We got a foot of snow this week and I guarantee they have interesting grasses and seed heads poking artfully through the snow. I drive by there all the time, just to see it during the different seasons. Appropriately, the house is a perfect little stone cottage! I stopped once to speak to the people who own it – to let them know that I am not actually stalking them, but rather their yard, and they told me they have been working on it since 1956!

This is a great blog and I appreciate the fantastic work that you, Jane and the rest of these fine folks are doing.

Cheers,

Jim

You should check out this site and you’ll find some ways to save wear and tear on the body. The books are no longer new, so you may have to order them.