IT MUST BE THE SOIL

Apart from warmer temperatures and prettier sights, one of the main reasons I so look forward to spring is being able to garden again.   As the weather warms, I begin to think of plants I want to have in the garden in addition to our staples: tomatoes,  herbs, and pepper.  This year, we got broccoli, chard, kale that survived winter, lettuce, and zucchini.

Prior to planting,  my husband and older children tilled the garden soil.  We also  added composted manure  and epsom salt.   Then the fun part began: selecting the plants, digging the dirt, and planting.   I gave the plants what I thought was enough space.   Unfortunately, I always underestimate how big each plant can grow.  Perhaps, it is the combination of good soil and  plant-suitable weather,  the plants on the ground are lush and healthy.  The zucchini plants are producing well – something that had not happened before.  On the other hand, the cucumbers are vigorous and  invading the tomatoes’ and peppers’ territories.

The soil (and weather) must have been that good that the Golden Celebration rose that I moved from our flower garden where it was struggling to stay alive, is also doing well even if it has asparagus, zucchini, and cucumber for company.  I am just so glad that it is alive and healthier.  I have never seen this plant with this many stems and leaves.

The vegetables are flowering and already showing little fruits. Weather and other conditions permitting, I am looking forward to  a fruitful summer and even fall.

DAILY POST:  SOIL

ROSES

There is no rose that I do not like. However, this red, red rose, Velvet Fragrance, is one of my absolute favorites. Its flowers are not only big and luscious and deeply red, they are also very fragrant. Besides, they bloom well in the rather harsh environment that is our garden. The stems are on the thorny side, and the thorns are big, but Velvet Fragrance is a gorgeous rose and could be forgiven for all the blood it draws from me when I tend the plants.

This lovely rose is Westerland Rose. Under ideal circumstances, this rose should be climbing and cascading on the trellis. Our garden, with its clayish soil, however, is hardly ideal for growing roses. Yet, that did not stop this plant from yielding clusters upon clusters of salmon flowers come spring time. The flowers are also mildly fragrant.

 

LAVENDER

I would have posted vanilla for today’s prompt, but the homemade vanilla we have in the pantry doesn’t look so photogenic. I also thought of garlic, which grow abundantly in the garden during spring and summer. But while it is tasty, its pungent smell can be too strong and jarring especially when it is on one’s skin and clothes after a few minutes of stir frying.

I thought of the pleasantly scented herbs and plants in the garden and came upon a sweet smelling plant that grows in our front yard. It started from seed and when I first planted it, it was no more than 3 inches tall. Several years later, it covered a 2 x 2 foot ground. Lavender. I planted it for its little aromatic flowers. When I cut some stems for a vase, I make sure to smell my hand and catch the lingering scent of the plant on my skin. The smell is heavenly, the kind that will make one close her eyes to inhale deeply and savor the scent.

The scent of lavender brings one to mind beautiful places and sweet things.

DAILY POST:  AROMATIC