Presentations and frost death...

Just thought I'd let you all know how my presentations went at the
daycare yesterday...total chaos with that many kids but we had a blast!!
Every single one of the 60+ kids was so totally into the gardening
experience...one little boy a bit much so...he got in one good bite of
potting soil before his teacher could stop him...cracked me up!!! Got
lots and lots of super big hugs...and many invites from the kids and
teachers to come back again.


Took a stroll around my garden last night after I got home from ball
practice...lots of frost damage and a few casualties I'm afraid from the
cold weather we had. My bleeding hearts, miniature iris, tulips,
hyacinths, and other assorted plants are now pretty much all done in for
the season, a bit prematurely but they'll be okay next year. Many of our
younger trees took a severe beating...baby leaves frostbitten to a
crisp. I'm not sure how they'll recover as every leaf on each of them is
dead. Do you think they'll bud again and put out new leaves? Many of the
emerging hostas got the tips of their leaves nipped...curled under but
I'm sure they'll survive fine. The peonies actually surprised
me...little bit of leaf curl but other wise not bad. They are already
huge and are likely several weeks away from blooming yet. Same with the
roses...little bit of leaf curl or droop but otherwise good. Doesn't
seem to have bothered the larger iris, the daylilies, or many of the
other perennials at all. Ceres and Mardi...how did your gardens fare?
Aren't you glad warm weather is on the way again?...supposed to be in
the 70's by weekend here.


Now that warmer weather has finally arrived, I added some new plants
yesterday to the school garden I put in last year. Mostly annuals but a
couple of perennials that are already in bloom just for some
color...because of the cold weather nothing in that garden is blooming
yet and it definitely needed color until it fills in a little more. I
was very amazed at how the soil had improved in just one year...last
year when I dug it it was very heavy clay. I added some amendments and
made sure I worked it in well before planting. Much, much looser soil
structure this year I noticed yesterday...filled with earthworms that
hadn't been there last year. Yeah!


Yesterday I did the school planting, the day care presentation and
softball practice. Today I have Morgan's Brownies, Meg's orthodontia
appointment and Mark's 4-H. I'm glad the school year is about over as it
means the end of 4-H (except for fair week!), Brownies, religion
education, and piano lessons for the summer. Religion education finishes
up on Saturday for the year with our annual party...I must be crazy
because I'm taking 30 kids bowling!!! But with the end of all these
things comes the chance to have more time in the garden...just in time
for warmer weather...yeah!!


Melody 
Hills, IA  zone 5



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