Animals

Inquiring Minds....En Guard! (ening)

Janice asked: "Enjoyed your fairy garden. How do you decide on what to put in it each year. And your beautiful flower gardens. Do you save the seeds from the year before??? Thanks, now i know what i have, lack of sunshine and the outside jobs, wow can take a tole on your body and mine."

Rosedel asked "I'm trying to plan flower beds. How do you do that? Take pictures and plan or make a diagram or...? I have been looking on the internet for flowers that would do well in my zone but I don't know if they are compatible with each other and if they will look good together. Anyway, I'd like to know how you do this."

Because my world looks like this...

and this right now...

it might be a good time to talk about gardening...

both fairy gardens and flower gardens.

I hate to disappoint you, but I have to say right up front,

that I am not one for extravagant layout plans when it comes to gardening.

I am also not a "rule" follower.

I garden by feel.

I plant as the spirit moves me.

I love color...lots of color...the more colors all thrown together, the happier I am.

Which is sort of funny for someone as organized as I.

But, when it comes to gardening, I like to consider it more like art...

where anything goes!

Don't get me wrong, I love the look of gardens that are color-coordinated and neat

and ultra-planned.

That just doesn't happen to be the type of gardener that I am.

And luckily, I am never disappointed with my gardens.

I have certain flowers that are my favorites...

ones that I cannot imagine living without.

And so I take extra care to assure there are good places to plant these lovelies that make me smile!

When planting a flower bed, about the only "rule" that I follow is to plant by height...

from shortest in the front to tallest in the back.

Also, I have learned that for esthetics, if you are planting a grouping of one type of flower,

it looks best if you stick with an odd rather than an even number of plants in that particular

same-species grouping.

On occasion, I do save seeds, however, many of the flowers that I love are excellent

self-seeders and come back year after year.

My all time favorite flower is the zinnia.

Colorful, old-fashioned, perfect to cut and bring in the house...

I plant oodles of zinnias that I start from seed each year.

Another favorite...and perfect farm flower is the sunflower.

I love them as big as possible!

And rather than harvest the seeds for our own use,

I prefer to leave them for the birds.

Whenever possible, I try to plant perennial flowers.

You can't beat a flower that comes back bigger and better each year!

Perennials can be split each year and moved into "bare" areas of the garden.

They just keep on giving and giving!

After I have a garden filled with perennials,

then I add in the yearly annuals for more pops of color and all-season-long show!

It is difficult to plant the perfect flower garden the first time around.

It takes a few years of figuring out what flowers thrive best in your soil type.

It is good to know what the sunlight and moisture needs are for the species that you have picked...

making sure that they are similar in those ways.

I have also learned over the years that there are some flowers that are quite beneficial

for planting in and around your vegetable garden.

Some flowers repel and some flowers attract insects and thus can help to keep

harmful pests off of your produce crop.

This is an idea that is central to the practice of integrated pest management.

As for fairy gardens...

an annual trip to a local greenhouse is how I start.

I pick small specimens...

baby tears, thyme, small succulents, and tiny annuals to scatter throughout the garden.

A couple of larger items provide a backdrop for fairy houses

and make it look "woodsy" around the edges of the garden.

Again, I have a very loose plan for how I want the garden to look...

but mostly just jump right in and plan as I go.

Much like a bonsai garden, a fairy garden needs lots of pruning throughout the season,

or your fairies will become jungle fairies!

Normally we take A Walk On The Wild Side on Saturdays...

where I post photos taken by our game cameras during the week.

Because it has been so bitter cold...

(I actually couldn't bear to hike into the woods to place the cameras this past week)

we will be skipping Saturday's post this week.

We will be back with more from the Wild Side just as soon as this weather breaks!

- Spring Fever...the Donkey Way
Spring does crazy things to us all! I am really not sure what was up with Chloe and Daphne yesterday,however... when they came in to their dry lot from having pasture time,they were all wound up. They kept spinning circles...nose to butt... nibbling...

- Spring Fever
All is well with Mama and babes. With the Spring-like weather we are enjoying,the babes have had a chance to venture out of doors. Staying close to Mama seems to be their main concern at this point.Exploring will have to wait until after they have gotten...

- I Am Finished, Finally....i Think!
Happy First of June! I'm not sure, but I think my breathing has returned to a healthy rate.For the past week I have been hyperventilating I am sure....racing around this farm like a madwoman...mowing, trimming, painting, weeding, planting, watering,grooming,...

- Garden Magic
Spring has arrived and once again my garden beckons to me.I have been preparing my garden boxes and planting some cool weather plants.Although, if the present weather trend continues,I'll be able to plant a whole lot more very soon! For now, though,...

- How To Build A Fairy Garden
Wow!As requested, I thought I would just show you how I built my fairy garden. I decided that I wanted a rather large container for mine,one that I could keep outdoors in the spring, summer and fall,and then move into the greenhouse in the winter(in an...

Animals