The Sunday Garden

When Younger Son and I left Seattle two weeks ago on our trip, the tulips were budding.

When we returned, a week ago, they were blooming.

As you can see from the photo, I like purple and cream tulips. I also have a few in shades of pink and some that are supposed to be black, but are really a deep purple. I plant them in clumps here and there on my sloping front garden, which has a three-foot retaining wall at the bottom. It's a perfect place for bulbs, because they never get too wet.

And I have more in pots in strategic places.

The biggest surprise in the garden, though, was that one of my poppies--my favorite one, too, a pale peachy pink--is already blooming.

That is way early. Poppies like heat. But maybe the warm weather two weeks ago fooled it. I don't know.

I finally found time to start some seeds inside. I ran out of potting soil before I had everything I wanted in little peat pots, but I started hollyhocks, edamame (I know, I know, not supposed to transplant peas or beans), broccoli, Asian eggplants, and Japanese green peppers.

The Japanese green peppers are much smaller than the kind we eat here, with a thinner wall. They also taste better--not woody.

I have a new bag of potting soil that I shlepped home when I walked Connie on Friday, so once I finish cleaning house (ugh) and paying bills (double ugh) I'll get some more seeds started.

Oh, I have some lettuce seeds that I brought back from Ohio to start also. I'm calling it "Amish lettuce," but it's called deer tongue lettuce on the package.

Read more: Gardening (Click on the link and scroll down.)

@ Jeanne Sather 2008.

Comments

[Carver]

Your tulips look great and I love the poppy. My poppies aren't up and I'm kind of worried that they won't come back this year. Yours looks so pretty. Nothing like new flowers in the spring to boost the spirits.

[jessica]

gosh, those are BEEyootiful! I just finished shoveling 3 inches of snow. hmph.

[jeanne]

Oh, sweetie--you need to move back to the West Coast. Seattle is wonderful. Portland, Oregon, is awesome. If I weren't so settled here, I'd probably move to Oregon.

[jessica]

me, sweetie? move back? i never lived there, but this is getting eerily coincidental or something. have i told you about my, for lack of a better word, *premonition* about the west coast? never mind. will email. this is too weird...