Good morning, Rural Sprout readers, It’s a rainy day here in central Pennsylvania. The skies are overcast, and the daffodils have begun blooming. Much like the colorful leaves of fall, I prefer to view my spring flowers on days such as this. With the gray background, their vibrant colors almost seem to pulse. It’s not too long before I’m out in the rain, cutting a few of them to bring inside and brighten up my home. And hoo-boy, does it need it right now. Unpacking is taking forever with this move. The wood floors were refinished before I moved in, which is lovely, except that everything is covered with a fine layer of dust. Beneath that is the dirt of eight years from the previous tenant. I have quite a bit of cleaning to do as I set things up. Of course, to clean it, I have to get to it beneath the boxes.📦 My charming kitchen, which is quite roomy, was clearly designed by a seven-foot-tall person who had no desire to cook. I can only reach two out of the four shelves in each cabinet. And there are few cabinets to begin with. I’ve picked up a few pieces of flat-pack furniture to expand my
storage needs. But that means spending an hour or two putting them together, then cleaning the dust and dirt so I can put them to use. All in all, the process is slow going. A friend asked how unpacking was going, and I said, “You know that old saying, ‘How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.’ Well, I’m sick to death of having elephant for dinner.”🐘 As we head into the weekend, I’m looking forward to ignoring every unpacked box and dusty windowsill! Instead, I plan on spending my time outdoors in my newly acquired flower beds. I think this is going to be the perfect weekend to do some early spring pruning. And if you grow any of these flowers, you should join me. (Her timing is perfect. I’ve got #4 growing by my backdoor, and I’ve been trying to figure out what it is.) While I’m at it, I’ll probably knock out Mickey’s spring hydrangea to-do list over at my sweethearts. He’s got a massive
Hydrangea arborescens that positively buzzes when it’s in bloom. The pollinators absolutely love it. I’ve discovered that quite a bit of my new yard is in the shade. I can still grow plenty of vegetables, but it certainly throws a monkey wrench into things when you’re trying to plan a vegetable garden. Too many gardeners give up hope, thinking that a little shade means they can't have a garden.
Yes, you absolutely can grow vegetables in the shade.👍 I’ve even got a few tips for growing sun-loving veggies like tomatoes and peppers if you've got a shady garden. Oh! Have you folks, seen this? Fawn has the internet buzzing with her piece about how to grow 30 different plants for free,
which is no surprise. Who doesn’t love free plants? If you’re looking to save money this summer (and who isn’t), you can easily fill your entire garden with new plants by following her advice.
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Spring is a busy time for dedicated gardeners. Seed sowing seems to take up most of our time, as we…
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I've never been a big fan of super tidy gardens with nary a leaf out of place. I like looking at them…
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If you've got a shady garden, growing sun-loving vegetables can be tough. But there are still plenty…
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Give your hydrangeas a little love now with these five simple spring jobs and you'll have beautiful…
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I'll see you all on Sunday, hopefully, with tidier flower beds and just as much elephant to eat as I have today. Did you miss a newsletter or want to go back and read a few for inspiration - Click this link. Don't forget to check out our Facebook page for daily updates. That's all for this week, Rural Sprout Readers.
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