Hello, Maddie back at the fence.........

I just can't stay away from the back fence.......not having the luxury
of internet drives home how much I wrote and chatted to my friends out
there who garden regularly. This is something I always appreciated
but never realized how much until I didn't have it. So.........it's
the end of the first week in May, some gentle rains have moved in from
the west, and as I walked to the library with the young manchild who
is the apple of his dad's eye (Patrick to those who don't know I'm now
the mom of a 16 1/2 year old) I held the large umbrella over the two
of us because it wasn't a pouring rain, but not a warm one either that
I'd been more tolerant of arriving at the library wet. I'm already
wearing what I consider garden attire (ie: halter top, wide brimmed
garden hat, the newest one is blue, cargo shorts and sandals) so being
soaked in the time it takes to walk to the library wasn't my first
option..........the walk was nice, though, with the smells of damp
soil and watching the many parental flying dinosaurs frantically
snagging bugs and worms for their fledglings. (robins are the
dominant breed here apparently)

I'm amused and relieved to see that there are wrens here, since as I
stood gazing out the west window that overlooks the yards and is a
nice view, I spotted a resourceful wren who had located the small dog
dish full of water I've put out in the yard next to the fence for when
Sugar and Smeagol are out and need a sip of water. it made me laugh.
this is not a tiny dish, but not the largest one either. I was
reminded that I desperately need to retrieve my bird baths that are
currently at karol's house..........sigh.......

As I walked the sidewalk, looking at the roses that are opening up,
seeing the bowl peonies, veronica, and the irises that are already
bursting open due to warm weather, I reminded myself to rejoice in
each moment and have even stopped to take pictures of other's
flowers. The redbuds are finished and are quietly making seed pods,
and all the sugar maple trees are now dropping the motherlode of
winged seeds everywhere. Dogwoods are finished in the mid 80o weather
recently, and the leaves are now plumping up nicely. My eastern
neighbor has a nice Fringe tree that is completely in bloom and there
is something wonderfully fragrant that comes inside the kitchen window
that is over the sink.

Todays walk was more leisurly as the library is open until 7 tonight.
spring is in full throttle here and I am slipping back into city mode
more and more. Thankfully it's not too hectic here that I am appalled
at some people's yard routines. the smell of cut grass is very
welcome, and I now realize now how much I missed the comforting sounds
of the trains clacking in time on tracks a few blocks away. I grew up
not far from an old wooden railroad tressle in Nashville and was
lulled to sleep more nights that I thought about. Returning to where
the trains are so audibly noticible is a comfort to me now. and as
quiet as the neighborhood is, I can rejoice in the choruses of bird
songs. Maybe not the many varieties I had in Dandridge, but enough to
make me smile and recognize.

Yesterday I planted nasturtiums around the tomato plants, and then
located some of my more beloved wind chimes. The large ones had the
wrong sound and I sat on the porch stoop and peered through the brass
tubes and discovered that they were full of dirt daubber nests from a
few years hanging undisturbed........so knowing the clarity would ring
better once cleaned out, I retrieved the garden hose and was able to
hose each pipe completely. .It's now in the western side of the large
front porch hanging over the balcony railings. That another blessing
with this house besides the huge windows that are EVERYWHERE.....the
front porch is huge and has not only railings wide enough to put the
largest pots on on three sides, but there is nice wide boards to hang
all my assorted wind and sun catchers on that I didn't even have
places for in Vinca Ridge! Before I hung things on the gutters and on
the few places that were available, even using some of the larger
shrubs and such. My hopes had been to eventually put windchimes and
suncatchers on limbs down in the woods, and one day if there is places
like that in my final home, I will. but I feel more at home now with
the glass suncatcher and Woodstock chimes I've gathered over the
years.

Soon I will go and get "Brenda" my 150 pound Cerius cactus that is
visiting Gloria where she lives and the neighbors will realize just
how insane I am when it comes to plants. They already have a clue
since the first load of containers appeared. I suspect they don't
REALLY know until I have everything positioned out front until I find
places to tuck and plant all around the house. LOL

I'm busy now recognizing the surroundings, taking notice and figuring
out how to deal with the insistent wood boring bees that are
determined to chew holes in the landlady's railings on the porch and
are now eyeing my wooden swing that is 25 years old........and where
did I put that rope chair?? I now have a place for the first time
since buying it six years ago to hang it and sit in it! While it's
overcast, I intend tonight to return to the house and sod up a strip
along the south portion of the back fence and plant the pole beans and
okra seeds. the beans will support themselves on the fence, and the
okra will not mind sharing a little upright space. I'm still
searching in vain for the bag of seeds I have of squashes and other
things to nibble.

What I want now is a good late night thunder-boomer with lightening to
feed the new tree leaves and something to really wash the air with.
The huge rosemary plant is now blooming on the west portion of itself,
I've sown seeds of chives in the bare places, the oregano needs
hacking back or at least cut half back and dried for later meals, and
there's plenty of spearmint to make tea for the next two or three
months! The evening primroses are now opening more and more and I
hunger for a few pots of my garden soil to make a new bed with along
the front of the porch. I can wait. I have a container with Autumn
fern and tassle fern planted in what was home to something that passed
away, and all that remained was the empty fibreglass pot and the ferns
are bulking up nicely and reaching deep into faerie holler's black
soils that I had filled the pot with.

In a huge porceline canning pot, I'd planted three type of heuchera's,
and they've gotten their spring wind and are bulking up nicely, the
textures of the leaves and each color complimenting each other. I
have Amber waves, Pewter palace, Plum Pudding and another one of
forgotten identity growing together in textural compliment. Next to
that pot, in a heavy clay pot is Lime Rickey and it adds the contrast
nicely and has started throwing up spires of flowerstalks.

Another container garden is white and green sedums with the dark liver
colored sedum whose name escapes me now but who I will reveal later
when I find my notes. Raspberry ice, and some sempervivums that add
cute textures underneath their thick, succulent legs. At the corner,
Prince Edwards tiny yarrow is blooming sulphur yellow flowers, and I
see the Swamp sunflower has reseeded in almost every container I've
got. I can prick them all out and give them a place all to themselves
and maybe the finches will discover them later this summer! the
hugeness of the flowers that look like coreopsis on steroids will be a
welcome to my eyes. I now am chomping at the bit for the pot with the
Herbsonne Rudbeckia to tuck into the edges somewhere so it can reseed
a daughter for this house............let me hit the lottery and buy a
truck!! LOL

As you all can see, I have garden madness right now and the only
relief is to get seeds and divisions in the mails from those of you
who have invasives and favorites to share with me. Last year's
purchases are quietly growing and blooming without me 40 miles
away..........I am also wondering how the Ghost and Japanese painted
fern did once I lifted them and put them in pots........only time will
tell how successful things have done with neglect. I will say that one
pot I brought with me gave me a surprise. It's full of perennial
begonia and a June hosta and a little toe of Virginia bluebells. It's
staying planted in the pot of black soils from faerie
holler.........My tree peonies right now are sulking and refused to
give me any buds thanks to the crappiness of the soils I had resigned
myself to putting in the larger pots when I retrieved them from
Ethyl's house. I knew the soil at Lowes wasn't quality, but when you
can't get what you need, you settle. it's enough to protect the
roots, but that's little else it's able to do and it also holds
moisture. Give me time and I will replace the mess with good, black
rich soil from the garden shoppe a few miles away.

Houseplants are thriving and now I've repotted two vining
philodendrums into one pot for the textural effects. Nigra and Brasil
together will be stunning once they get over their snubbing me for
daring to disturb their roots. Nigra is a dark leafed vining phil,
and Brasil is a green one like the older house plant with a yellow
stripe down the middle of each leaf. Awesome combination! I have a
cactus in the middle of birthing it's first flower and it's a magenta
pink one. I hope to find it fully open when I get home. Pictures
will be taken to record it's birth and appearance. Thanks for letting
me ramble. I hope to open my e-mail and see responses and your own
reports of gardening and such or even replies and feedback on the
group.

maddie up in the greene bowl, surrounded by the Cherokee National
forest, in Greeneville, gardening in zone 6b - 7a

lovely to hear from you, Maddy. We are seeing a fight between winter and spring. All
the spring flowers have bloomed and are just standing there, waiting for the fight to
be settled. It is one of the latest and longest springs I can remember. I havent
even seen the poet's daffodils make an entrance yet, this is a month late. Ingrid