Need Flowers?

[dedavis]

Here's a quick project to add color and fragrance to your life if you are suffering from spring fever...

You will need:
A container (I used a galvanized trough lined with the cut-off bottoms of a couple plastic mulch bags)
Grocery store primroses (the yellow ones smell good)
Potting soil
Moss, rocks, etc.

Water the primroses and let drain before replanting. Prepare the container with liner (if needed) and some potting soil. Pop the primroses out of their pots and arrange. Add more potting soil and top with moss, rocks, etc. Mist with a sprayer to clean off the bits of soil. Keep the soil damp but not soggy. Pick off the old blossoms as needed to encourage new buds.

I put mine by my front door inside the enclosed porch. When I come home, I smell flowers. In a month or so, I will transplant the primroses to a flowerbed outside.

Enjoy,
Deb

[dedavis]

Here's the picture that didn't make it the first time...

[Lisa S]

That looks so nice and fresh! Thanks for sharing it with us.

[Memmey]

I'll have one of those please..primrose are so pretty. Nice accent by the door:D

[Chyna]

I can't believe it but I think mine are coming back from last year.:confused: I know they can be a perrenial but lets be serious here Im in zone 4 about the only thing that is a perenial is evergreens and some trees. It is pretty protected over there so I'm guessing I've got more of a zone 5 in that spot, pretty surprised and pleased. Now if my fernleaf bleeding heart comes back I'll be happy. I think my mom in one of her fits pulled it up thinking it was a weed. Or one of the other flowers that flourish over there. LIttle purple bells, long stalk? Just one state away from being a weed? One of the few plants that came back from the abuse the previous people did to the yard so I feel I should treat them nice. If they fought that hard to continue on then why should I viciously rip them out. :o

[RoseMary]

It's always a nice surprise when something comes back unexpectedly. Year before last, all of my petunias came back, which had never happened before. Guess it was a mild winter or something. So far, there's no sign that is happening this year:( .

[Lisa S]

Yeah! We had enough sun and warm weather yesterday to send my daffys into bloom. Rainy and cold today. Happy March!

[Memmey]

You should see the leaves in my front yard because of the trees...OMG it's horrible it's gonna take forever to get them up. I've been using the blower and I won't be able to hear for a while..LOL... LEAVES EVERYWHERE:eek:

[Lisa S]

I cheated. I ashamed to say that I had bark mulch delivered last fall and I'm just now getting around to spreading the last half of it. It's doing a great job of covering the fall leaves that blew into the yard. You would think I had a plan or something!

[RoseMary]

I could use a lot of mulch like that. We are thinking about investing in a wood chipper. Any of you have one and like it? We could make lots of wood mulch just from downed branches alone.

[Lisa S]

We have one, but it's not powerful enough. We're always clogging it and my husband is always cussing at it.

[dedavis]

I used to have an old chipper I bought from a neighbor. I liked it, could grind up leaves and twigs and cornstalks. For branches, you need a really powerful one. Mine was loud, and sometimes threw the cicuit breaker. Every time I used it I had to take a shower--would end up covered with leaf dust and filth that came spewing out of it. But it made great mulch. Now I compost leaves and take branches to the county recycling pile.

I'm pleased to report that the western bluebirds are back, there are some bugs for them to eat, and the sagebrush buttercups are blooming. There's a snow squall at the moment but also blue sky...Ah spring!

Deb

[RoseMary]

I was glad to hear your comments on the chippers. We have a DR mower/trimmer and it is very powerful and works good. We would like the DR chipper--which is very expensive, but we are thinking it may be worth it when we get ready to buy one.

Out here in the country we are too far to take branches and things to a recylcing center so we just have to burn them. We're thinking that turning them into mulch would be much more productive and help improve out gardening area as well as make some walking paths using the chips to cut down on mowing certain areas.