I haven’t been blogging lately, but I’ve certainly been busy, with garden stuff and lots of family events (visits, new baby, graduation, birthdays, Mothers Day…) being my main focus. So much fun; I’m feeling blessed! I’ve also started reading a couple very thought-provoking books. The world feels interesting and alive when you’re connecting with loved ones, growing things, and growing your mind. (On the book note, I decided that this year I need to get away from short clips of internet “info” (for anything other than plants, lol) and dive into some deeper examinations via full-fledged books. It’s quite invigorating!)

When it comes to gardening, exciting things have been happening! I probably put my dahlias into the ground a tad bit too early. For one whole week, May 10th to 16th, the weather app on my phone felt like an appendage to my body. I was checking it every ten minutes, wondering if I’d made a monstrous mistake with all those dahlias I’d been babying since early March. Fortunately I wasn’t hit with a cold drop, but next year I’ll probably go the less risky route! (But they were SO ready to be planted; maybe I need to start them a week later.)

Either way, I’m thrilled with my dahlias this year! Transporting each plant outside every day for weeks before planting (being mindful of how much sun, wind, rain, and heat they could healthfully manage) was hard work, but it gave them strong, sturdy stems and hardy leaves. I was a bit worried that they were going to grow too much in their pots and run out of space and nutrients, so I did give them a couple rounds of fish fertilizer and some makeshift manure tea just in case they didn’t have enough growing juice from the tubers alone. I’m not sure if that was needed or not. I don’t know how long the new plants can feed off their tubers. It probably depends on the size, and how nutrient-rich the soil was.

Anyway, the plants took off like champs when they hit the soil. I’m excited to say I didn’t lose any of them in the main patch, and (after the initial groundhog damage some of them sustained) they’re growing like crazy. (The boxes are a different situation. I’m being attacked by slugs, ants, and groundhogs or rabbits. Grrr. I’ll talk more about that later!)

This is my main flower patch, 1000 square feet. The planting space went from THIS, on May 9th (snaps and strawflowers not visible in this photos):

To THIS today, May 27th: (The garden’s edges are cut off, but the compact view gives a better sense of what’s growing.)

It’s amazing how quickly everything is taking root and shooting up!

This is usually the hardest time of the gardening year for me because I’m past the stage of worrying about whether the plants will live, and ready for some flowers…and flowers are weeks and weeks away!

But thanks to the greenhouse, I’ve got an incredible jump on the season. Dozens of cosmos are already blooming or in bud! They’re early bloomers, so I’m delighted, but not entirely surprised. Aren’t they perfect?

But the next flower in line to bloom was an unexpected plot twist! I never would have guessed it, but only two weeks after planting, I have dahlia buds forming!

And I don’t just mean the microscopic beginning of a bud. Nope. Full-fledged buds. One clearly has tinges of petal color visible as the baby flower develops.

These two are the furthest along, but there are others following closely. I was hoping for dahlias in early July, but I may have a few by early June! I cannot wait.

This is coming together, folks! Can you believe it?

Before I go, here’s a quick overview of the main garden layout:

The snapdragons and strawflowers are in the first row.

Rows 2-4 are double rows of dahlias, which total up to around 130 plants.

Row 5 is a mixed packet of cut flower wildflowers that I’m growing from seed. (I haven’t got a clue what to expect from this row, but it will be a fun way to try a variety of flowers, have some extra filler and variety for bouquets, and decide which ones I like without stressing too much about it.)

Row 6 is cosmos in several different varieties: Afternoon White, Apricotta, Apricot Lemonade, and Cupcake Blush.

Row 7 is celosia, basil, tomatillo (for greens), wheat, and empty spots for succession sowing of sunflowers.

Row 8 is Hot Biscuit amaranths and sunflowers.

I tried to arrange things so everyone gets enough light, but I won’t know for sure until further into the season.

Now I just have to wait…and water, and weed, and stake, and pinch plants, and experiment with how long blooms last when they hit the fridge, and plan how the colors/textures/types look together in bouquets…

After the planting rush, I’m entering a bit of a lull, but I assume things will pick up fast in June!

I know it isn’t much compared to a lot of growers, but this little garden brings me so much joy! I can’t wait to share more as the days go by.

Sunshiny garden wishes to you!