Regional garden bloggers' spring 2011 report

Aggressive deer browsing, soggy ground and seasonally low temperatures were some of the topics our regional garden bloggers wrote about in late April. So this month, they're ready for a warmer, drier, spring! Here's what else is happening in their gardens …

Carmel Booth (Georgia): Booth loves springtime – and gardening – in Georgia, where the growing season lasts from Tax Day (usually April 15) till late October.

Carmel: Three years ago, I decided that the very wet and shaded area off my deck was the perfect place for a shade garden. I have different types of hosta planted along with ferns and heuchera, bordered with two Flower Carpet^® roses and a hydrangea.  Recently, we had to cut down the shade-providing maple tree and now this little garden is getting much more sun. I added canna lilies and a peony in hopes that they will get tall enough to shade some of the other plants. Sure hope I don’t have to move all those hosta to more shade!  Spring has certainly sprung here in Georgia.  I can’t wait to share more about my garden and how it grows! Now go play in the dirt! 

Shirley Gardner (Boise, Idaho): A passionate gardener for almost 50 years, Gardner more than lives up to her last name – spending three to four hours a day maintaining her greenhouse full of veggies and half-acre of gardens and flowerbeds. This year, she also planted 200 gladiolus bulbs to provide flowers for the tables at her granddaughter's wedding!

Shirley: Mother Nature is making it difficult for us gardeners in Boise this spring. We’ve seldom had sunshine for more than a day at a time between rain storms. The plants are loving it, but the ground is still so wet on those few sunny days that digging in the flower beds has been pretty mucky. The temperature has also been below average. The growth rate of the tomatoes and other veggies in my greenhouse has been slower than usual, due to the lack of sunshine. Since our last average frost date here is around May 10, we’re going to need lots of sun between now and then to help these little babies grow!

Becky Dziarnowski (Southwest Colorado): Dziarnowski tends her acre or so of gardens 6,800 feet up, on top of a mesa in Southwest Colorado. She has gardened for as long as she can remember, with most of that time spent in southern California. So the last 10 years in Colorado, she says, have definitely been a new learning experience.

  
Becky: Spring has been trying for most gardeners in our area and we’re all waiting for better conditions. Everything planted here gets a three-year trial with our lovely rainfall of approximately 15 inches a year (and that's including the snowfall). We were at 20 degrees in late April, so obviously we're ready for some warmth to bring the garden back to life. The daffodils and tulips are up, and (unfortunately) several of the fruit trees have already blossomed. The absolutely amazing part is my Flower Carpet^® roses – they grow here, wonder of wonders! In late April, they were already leafing out (see pic, above). I never would have believed it, and am so pleased that first off, they survived and that since then, they've thrived.
  

Catie Anderson (Willamette Valley, Oregon): Anderson, who gardens a little less than half of her 4 acres in Oregon wine country, started gardening with her grandmother at age 5. She went through her local master gardener program a few years ago and now works at Carlton Plants, a wholesale nursery.

Catie: In the Willamette Valley, the biggest problem is deer. They’re tame and they eat everything. Daffodils, peonies and cedar are all on the deer resistant lists – but they eat them anyway! Stinky sprays don't work – they're like a delicacy to them! They jump over 8-foot barriers and crawl under 2-foot ones. They knock down cages, “climb” fruit trees and push over bird feeders. I’m not giving in yet! This year I’ve enclosed a small, 8-foot-square area with 5-foot garden stakes and fishing line (see pic, above). I’ve heard this is effective because they can’t see the line. The first one is 1 foot off the ground, the next are 3 and 4 feet high. Maybe this year I’ll find out what color my 8-year old tulip bulbs are!!