I have taken my own advice this past week, and have loaded up with summer color and summer vegetables.
I haven't heard of vegetable shortages, but ornamentals are moving out quickly with few replacements ready to take their place in a month. I may have gotten a tad ambitious, so I spent Sunday planting. I still have many more to get in the ground. Now the forecasted low in Little Rock is 34 degrees on Wednesday morning. Those of you who live further north or in outlying areas may see a frost, and it is a possibility even for us. Right now they say skies are supposed to be clear. Clear, still nights are usually worse than overcast, windy ones. Let's keep our fingers crossed that they are wrong. I feel so sorry for all our nurseries having to worry about protecting all the plants, once again!
The news has definitely been out about plant shortages this year, but if you have been to local nurseries, you may not believe it.
Many nurseries and garden centers ordered as much as they could in preparation. If you were out and about this weekend, you know plants have been flying out of the lots.
I hope you saw the article this past Saturday on the Arkansas Diamond plants.
I saw some nice displays at many of the nurseries I visited this past week. It is nice to see so many people gardening. Now lets just hope all the plants survive. Pay attention to the weather, and protect what you can.
I pulled almost all my cool season plants this weekend. I also got all the dead Confederate jasmine off the wall and out of the garden. I did some major pruning and weeding as well. So many of my dead-looking plants are kicking into high gear. I was even shocked to see some new growth at the top of one of my figs--the other two are dead to within a foot of the ground.
This past week was another busy one. I got to see so many MG's on-line for a native plant advanced MG training Wednesday and Thursday, hosted by White County.
I also saw quite a few native plants for sale at local nurseries, including these amsonia
and baptisia plants.
I also went to the MG tool sale to pick up my garden tools at the state extension office on Saturday.
You can never have enough gardening tools. I put them to good use already that afternoon and Sunday.
After I planted and fertilized Sunday, I turned on the sprinkler system for the first time. Not to jinx it I hope, but it all worked beautifully--no leaks in sight.
I am leaving town on Saturday, and I need to be prepared. My husband is not a gardener, and he doesn't quite get the whole watering thing.
A friend and I are headed to the beach for a week, and to say I am excited, might be an understatement. Lots to do in preparation this week.