We are so glad to have become members of our Landscape Arboretum. What a great resource to have so close at hand. With all our snow gone now the bulbs are emerging. First to bloom are the dwarf iris pictured above. Such a beautiful color! The snowdrops are also in bloom. I am going to be doing quite a bit of planting this year; mainly digging up an old perennial bed and replacing it with all fruit and vegetables. I want raspberries, blueberries,strawberries and blackberries for jam making and cucumbers for pickles. I am researching the blackberries for one that will be hardy for our zone 4. I am also going to help put in a large fruit garden at my mother's way north of here and she's a zone 3. I know I won't have problems with most of it except for the blackberries. This is where the Arboretum will be invaluable. I will do my tomatoes, peppers, etc. in pots, this always works best for me.
This is the only spot out there that still has a bit of snow as of last week- the woodland area near a babbling creek. We take the 3 mile walk first every time we go and then get off on some of the other walking paths- the Forest walk, Bog walk, Woodland walk- and then take a look at all the demonstration gardens. I am amazed at the variety of plant material there.
In addition to my fruit and veggie garden I have plenty of other areas that need attention. I am planting shrubs along the street front for more privacy and would like to add this tree to the front yard- a Prunus Maackii or Amur Cherry. It is the bark that I just love, it shines in the sun as though it were wrapped in copper. Apparently it has creamy white flowers in the spring and fruit for the birds that I can also use for jam! I will keep taking photos out there and post them- the hillside of crabapple trees should be spectacular!
We are so glad to have become members of our Landscape Arboretum. What a great resource to have so close at hand. With all our snow gone now the bulbs are emerging. First to bloom are the dwarf iris pictured above. Such a beautiful color! The snowdrops are also in bloom. I am going to be doing quite a bit of planting this year; mainly digging up an old perennial bed and replacing it with all fruit and vegetables. I want raspberries, blueberries,strawberries and blackberries for jam making and cucumbers for pickles. I am researching the blackberries for one that will be hardy for our zone 4. I am also going to help put in a large fruit garden at my mother's way north of here and she's a zone 3. I know I won't have problems with most of it except for the blackberries. This is where the Arboretum will be invaluable. I will do my tomatoes, peppers, etc. in pots, this always works best for me.
This is the only spot out there that still has a bit of snow as of last week- the woodland area near a babbling creek. We take the 3 mile walk first every time we go and then get off on some of the other walking paths- the Forest walk, Bog walk, Woodland walk- and then take a look at all the demonstration gardens. I am amazed at the variety of plant material there.
In addition to my fruit and veggie garden I have plenty of other areas that need attention. I am planting shrubs along the street front for more privacy and would like to add this tree to the front yard- a Prunus Maackii or Amur Cherry. It is the bark that I just love, it shines in the sun as though it were wrapped in copper. Apparently it has creamy white flowers in the spring and fruit for the birds that I can also use for jam! I will keep taking photos out there and post them- the hillside of crabapple trees should be spectacular!
