I’ve got most of my seeds ordered (and delivered), I just ordered some more willow twigs to start this year and I’ve got my eye on
this dogwood and have come *this close* to ordering it about three times but I can’t think of where I’d put it.
 |
| Cornus kousa ‘Rutpink’ |
This is the time of year that I really have to be careful what I order. I’ll admit that there have been springs when boxes have shown up and I have no idea what I might have ordered months earlier that is arriving and where in the world I thought it might go.
While I cool my heels waiting for spring, here are a few Friday finds for this week.
Why re-invent the wheel? Margaret Roach’s
seed-planting calculator is so helpful, I find myself referring to it year after year. I also consult other sources but this is a great place to start. Unfortunately, the link to find last frost dates is incorrect, and I can’t find a list of them on NOAA’s site, but I have found that you can get straight to the PDF with information for a particular state by using this address and substituting the two-letter state abbreviation for your state where “WI” is (in red) in this one for Wisconsin.
https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/climatenormals/clim20supp1/states/WI.pdf
Deborah is
singing the praises of Garden Design magazine. I subscribed for a year, but didn’t renew. It was pretty, but I didn’t find much that I found informational in it. And most of all, I missed the ads. Is that weird? Some of the best nurseries and garden suppliers I’ve found have been through magazine ads and I look at them and read them right along with the articles. I subscribed to
Gardens Illustrated, which costs about the same as Garden Design (about $45 a year) for 12 issues vs. GI’s four. It’s a British magazine, so it comes about a month “late” (late for a magazine is pretty much on time with the publication date). I like it enough that I renewed. And of course I’ll always get
Fine Gardening.
I think this is one of the best chair makeovers I’ve ever seen. And easy too!
Confession time: I sort of hate a dozen red roses. And I especially hate them around Valentine’s Day because they are artificially marked up in price because of demand. I love mixed bouquets and oh my gosh would I be in love with some of the ones over on the Floret Flower blog. All that said, it’s the thought that counts, so I’m appreciative for any flowers I get any time.
Since it’s Valentine’s Day this weekend, here’s a little DIY that would be a sweet (and maybe romantic) gift. Massage oil candles!
Do you have big plans for the weekend? We don’t. We’re fuddy duddies that way I think. Maybe we’ll do something really romantic and couple-ish like paint something together. 🙂
6 Responses
Hi, I too have had to cool my heels but, can you give me a lead on the Rutgers cultivar of Cornus kousa, 'Rutpink', trade name is Scarlet Fire. I do have a spot for it but cannot locate one at all. Thanks–tim
Hi Tim! She's a beaut, isn't she? So here's where I originally saw it, and it now says sold out, but the folds at Rarefind Nursery are very friendly so I'd give them a call and see if they are really sold out: http://www.rarefindnursery.com/index.php/trees-shrubs/cornus-dogwood/scarlet-firetm-rutpink-kousa-dogwood.html
Otherwise, I'd see if you can't find a really good nursery local to you who might be able to find it. Good luck!
What a nice round-up, Erin. I love Fine Gardening also, but can rarely get it in my area (I buy most of these magazines on a whim). But I do have a subscription to Canadian Gardening which I love – and occassionally I'll even see someone I know in it's pages! Happy Valentines Day! Low key or not, I know you'll make it special. We're heading out for dinner with friends tonight and then having a quiet day together tomorrow – I'll make a special dinner with something chocolate for dessert. There will be no roses – I adore roses, but never at Valentines (too cliche).
Just had to say I sooo agree with you about roses on Valentines Day.
Erin, Thanks for the link to the seed starting dates — very handy! And I know what you mean about ordering seeds and plants so early that I forget all about them by the time May rolls around…. I love Gardens Illustrated, and I also subscribe to Country Gardens magazine and The English Garden, as well as the AHS's American Gardener. I used to subscribe to others, including Horticulture, but didn't seem to read them very often. And our public library has Fine Gardening so I just check it out, usually about this time of year. Enjoy your Valentine's weekend! -Beth
I bought the first 20 or so issues of Gardens Illustrated when it first came out. Just got a good subscription offer so I sent it in. I liked Garden Design best in the 80s. I've had subscriptions during four different eras of that mag. I did not review because it's too high end and the gardens just don't grab me. I have ordered more plants online than ever before. The saving grace is that some are ones I missed out on last year. But every plant has an i.d. card which includes info about where I plan to put it. Hoping it actually works out that way …