Summer is coming. . . .

May is blowing by at an unreal rate! The garden is doing well- I have small 'maters that are the size of grapes...Ha!! Beans and corn are growing , squash is forming too. The star jasmine is covered with blooms and the fragrance is almost overpowering, but I can live with it. The Annabelles are ready to bloom and so are the Oakleafs. Remember, for LOCALLY grown shrubs come see or call us and we can set you up. You will not find better hydrangeas anywhere else. Need a little privacy- a place to decompress and catch your breath? We can create that space for you- whether with plants/shrubs, or a combination of hardscape and plants, we can meet your needs. Contact us, you will be glad you did.

Another month gone. . . .

Wow!! Time is flying by. April is over, and here comes May. I have been eating lettuce, onions, and radishes out of the garden for several weeks now. The corn is 3" out of the ground; things are happening! The wegelia are at their prime right now, and the hydrangeas are fixin' to start blooming. All the wegelia are on sale right now at $12 each. Hopefully the pictures will load. . .

Random thoughts, Stuff for sale, etc. . . .

Well, another Tax Day come and gone. . . the buggers got their pound of flesh for another year.We need to go to a National Sales Tax, but that is an issue for another day. Time for more pleasant things. . . April is almost gone, and things at the Nursery are alive and well. How is your veggie garden coming along? There is nothing like seeing those seeds you planted come to life, grow, and then reward you with fresh HEALTHY produce. I will be posting pictures in the future of the garden(s) and if anyone sends me some pics, I will post them also.Gardening and yard work is a great way to get some exercise, Vitamin D, and fresh food- why wouldn't everyone want to do it? The wegelia here at the Nursery are starting to bloom right now and would be a great way to put some early Spring color in your yard. We have them on sale right now -3 gallon pots at $12 each- and have the following varieties: Ghost (pale green foilage, with red blooms) Red Prince, Carnaval( red, pink and white blooms, a personal favorite), and Wine and Roses ( a Color Choice selection with a beautiful maroon/pink bloom and dark varigated foilage) These plants love the sun /partial shade and will give you years of enjoyment! Too often we dwell on what we think is wrong with life, instead of being thankful for the blessings (big and little) we enjoy each day: our spouses, kids, freedom, good ( or even decent) health, a beautiful sunrise/sunset, a good cup of coffee ( thank you West End Coffee), good music ( Vaughn Williams, Dave Brubeck, Chet Baker, SRV, Claude Debussey,Chris Duarte, the Who, etc), good BBQ, a good cigar ( CAO, Drew Estates, Perdomo, etc), I could go on and on. I guess I just want to say "Thank you, LORD, for all you have given us.May we never take anything for granted, our get so used to what we have , we lose our appreciation for all we have.

Ramblings and Ideas

Wow!! Here we are in March, and I am nowhere near getting all the things done I wanted to before Spring arrives. Today AJ and I built another raised bed and started a rhubarb bed. Tomorrow, Lord willing, we will finish the rhubarb bed and maybe plant some lettuce and onions. If you are gardening, by now you should have planted potatoes, beets, onions, and leafy crops like spinach, lettuce and chard. Plant them in small rows (all but the potatoes) in 7-10 day intervals for the next month, and you should be enjoying fresh greens before you know it. If you haven't yet, you need to start tomatoes, peppers, squash, and cucumbers inside in peat pots right now, so they will be ready to go out in the garden in mid-April. Is your garden soil ready for Spring? Add composted manure and organic matter, and till or spade it in before you plant. Take all your old plant debris from last season and put it in your compost heap -you do have one, right? Want to try your hand at raising fruit? Try blueberries- they are fairly low maintainence and dependable, and once established should provide you with fresh fruit every year. Plant at least three different varieties, and use those for the Southern planting zones (7-9). Peach trees are also a good bet, but make sure you plant a later bloomer, so it doesnt get bit by the late frosts we seem to have here in Greenville. I am becoming more and more a believer in preparedness-do everything you can to take care of your family because it is for dang sure the government can,t take care of much of anything, except for wasting our tax dollars on entitlements and giveaways. . .comments,feedback...anyone?

Global Warming and other random thoughts

Has anyone other than me seen the wheels coming off of the AGW train?The big name scientists who backed it are starting to back away. More and more is coming out about all the flawed, or in some cases faked data. The Medieval Warming Period has thrown a wrench in the works, because, gee whiz, things got warmer and there were NO cars back then; not much heavy industry either.Meanwhile those that are making money on this scam(like AL Gore) are nowhere to be found. The network TV stations still play the (untrue) ads about polar bear decline and people are still worrying about costal flooding. I predict that within 5 years the same folks who are screaming about AGW will be screaming about the coming ICE AGE. . . .Anyway, it is about time to start those tomato, pepper, sguash,cucumber,etc. seeds in your kitchen. They need a good 6 weeks to grow large enough to transplant outside after the frost is over( usually April 15th here in the Greenville area). I am trying a few heirloom varieties this time so we will see.I will post pictures as they ( hopefully) grow.With Spring approaching there will be deals in the Nursery so keep watching. . .The Breath of Spring/Winter honeysuckle are blooming right now, and don't they smell great! We have a few for sale, contact us if you are interested. . They will take sun/partial shade,grow to a height of 6' and a width of 5' and flower from now through February. Looking to the future-The Piedmont Plant and Flower Festival will be happening the last of April/first of May. Come check us out!

Random thoughts

Looking out my den window,watching the sleet/snow blow over the sheet of ice covering the front yard makes me (1) GLAD for the heat coming from the woodstove, and (2) wish that Spring wasn't so far away. Took my boy out sled riding this AM and we both had a good time. Yeah, even I went down the hill once or twice. Still want to build some more raised beds for the garden. Still planning what I am going to plant and where I will plant it. I am sooo ready to start picking fresh veggies. . . Here is a thot: If you live in a apartment/condo, and don't have the room to plant a garden, try to find a friend or relative that does have the room and offer to do a shared garden. Or find a community gardening site. I wish there were more of the community gardens around. If you know of one let me know, and I will spread the word. . . Any political topics to rail on or comment on ? let me know what you think. . . tell your friends. The more people that read this blog, the more information that gets out there.

Random thoughts and Kudos

What a beautiful past couple of days!! Spring-like temps and warm sunshine. . .BUT Winter is not over. There are more cold days and nights coming and maybe even snow (my son hopes so). Plenty of time to enjoy a firepit. . just like the one in the picture. We can build one for you.. .The Nursery is mostly asleep right now, but I am eagerly awaiting Spring and selling plants and shrubs to all. We will have some new Color Choice selections as well as some old favorites. . . at prices that will make you smile.Keep watching, and tell your friends. . get on my followers list. You will save money and get great plants!! Time to send a shout out to Marty Hartman, a real friend who has been an encouragement and a great help getting this blog going. . . Also to Daniel Vervaet for my BlucasStoneWorks website and his friendship through some tough times. . . Thanks, guys!!