Poetic Cursings for Gardeners?
Oh, what beautiful writing! “Threadbare sayings” and “poetic cursings,” such great phrases by Karel Čapek, the Czech writer in 1929. I agree with Karel’s sentiments, especially after the cold and snowy winter that we have had here in Southeast Pennsylvania this year. I will be thinking of some of my own “poetic cursings” if the weather doesn’t improve this month!
March is a tricky month for gardeners. Karel describes it as “the busiest month in the garden, which should be prepared for the coming spring.” We want to get started, but the weather may be against us. He continues by saying that the gardener “is powerless to assist in defeating and beating down the tyrant winter. If only he could attack it with a hoe or spade…” In addition to the written words by Karel, there are apt line drawings of the gardener in action. These are by Karel’s brother, Josef. They are simple and right to the point.
One of the reasons that I am anxious to get started outside, is that we are in full flower production this year. We are growing the flowers for a garden wedding at Northview this September. I have known the bride since she was a baby, because she is the daughter of one of my best friends. It is a pleasure and an honor to host, and provide the flowers, but it is also a big responsibility. The dahlia orders are in, the seeds are ready to be sown, and the vases are being procured.
If you have ever tried to time your garden flowers to be in full bloom for a party, you may want to follow along with the newsletter this year. I will show you the plants that we are growing for the wedding, and how we are aiming to have flowers at the right time. While the “merciless North Wind” is blowing outside, I am sowing seeds inside. Growing flowers from seed is such a delightful way to get lots of plants for very little money. If you have never delved into seed sowing, maybe you can try it yourself this year.
I will describe what we have bought, the methods we use, and then show you photos of the flowers as they grow. I am hoping that this will give you the confidence to sow your own seeds and plant your own bulbs like dahlias and gladioli. There is nothing like walking around your garden with your favorite scissors, snipping a bit here, another bit there, and then bringing them inside to arrange them in a fun vase or jam jar. Let’s do this together.
Out and About
Upcoming Lectures
If you get in quickly, you can register for the National Garden Bureau’s FREE book Party on the evening of March 12th. I will be speaking about my bulb book, and there are breakout rooms for each author where you can ask questions. There will be drawings for book giveaways – one book from each of the speakers. Did I mention that it is free?
Friends of Old Bulbs Gazette – Thank you for the shout-out about my Bulb Book, The Essential Guide to Bulbs – I have had several emails from people who saw it – word is getting out about how wonderful bulbs are for gardens and containers, especially old-fashioned ones that have graced our gardens for generations. Old House Gardens is a great source for historic bulbs. I have been buying from them for many years. This is the link to their newsletter that has the book review.
In February, I went to West Virginia Botanic Gardens in Morgantown to be the keynote speaker at the 2nd Annual George W. Longenecker Symposium. I had lots of cold fun, especially a snowy walk around part of the garden with the director, Philip Smith. I particularly love the Moon Gate, which looked magical in the snow, outlined against a crystalline blue sky. Thank you for inviting me to speak.
The next trip was to Seattle to give two lectures at the Northwest Flower and Garden Festival. It is a vibrant show with an excellent educational series. It is such a treat to connect with gardeners in different areas of the world and to find out what they love to grow.
The Philadelphia Flower Show was the next big event. I have been going to this show for 38 years (with one year where I couldn’t get there because of snow). It is one of the highlights of my gardening calendar. It is the largest indoor flower show in the world and has been going since 1829. If you didn’t get to a flower show this year, put one of the these on your calendar for 2027.
Visit Northview
Please come and see my garden here at Northview
Open House dates
All dates 10am to 12 noon.
- April 24th
- June 5th
- September 25th
$20 each or $40 for all three. Please carpool and wear garden-friendly shoes. Pink or flowery outfits are encouraged, as well as floppy hats and refillable water bottles. You can also bring a snack to eat in the garden. Painters and photographers are welcome. Children are free.
Plants of the Month –
Annual plants to grow from seed inside in March
There are two main groups of seeds that we will be sowing inside in March. Learn more in the Blog – link below.
The first group are cool-season annuals that flower early in the growing season, while the air is still cool. We start one set of these seeds indoors. These baby seedlings are then acclimatized to the outdoor conditions gradually, and planted outside in April. We will then be sowing another batch of the same types of seeds, directly outside into the soil in April or early May. The flowers from this second seed sowing will bloom later than the indoor seedlings. These are plants like Pot Marigold (Calendula), Borage, Sweetpeas, Cornflowers, and Love-in-the Mist.
The next set of seed-grown plants are the warm-season annuals. We sow these seeds inside because they would be killed by frost if you sowed them outside now. These are flowers like zinnias, cosmos, and French Marigolds, (Tagetes) which are some of the best flowers of the summer garden. The seedlings are grown safely inside until the soil has warmed up. Before planting in the ground, we carefully adjust their growing conditions, so that they will not be shocked by moving outside. We will plant another set of seeds directly into the soil in May. We are growing lots of warm-season annuals because they will be producing flowers to cut for our September garden wedding.
Book of the Month:
The Gardener’s Year, by Karel Čapek
Karel Čapek (apparently pronounced ‘chop-uk’ – I do not speak Czech or any other language very well) was perhaps known best for his non-garden writings, but I love this tiny gardening book for its astute observations of life and gardening, as well as its pithy sense of humor. It has been reprinted many times, and looking down my bookshelves, I have found at least three different versions.
There are many words of wisdom contained within, but it is well worth reading the whole book yourself – it will take very little time. The first time I read it, I laughed out loud. We need more books that make us do that.
I leave you with some words of encouragement in this in-between month of March – where we are no longer really in winter, but it definitely is not spring. Karel says, ‘We gardeners live somehow for the future, if roses are in flower, we think that next year they will flower better, and in some few years this little spruce will become a tree…The right, the best is in front of us.’ Keep those positive thoughts at the front of your mind, appreciate the here and now, and look towards a better future.
If you like this newsletter, please tell your gardening friends about it. It is easy to subscribe by contacting me via my website.
If you would like to see photos of my garden at Northview and images of my garden travels, please follow me on Instagram @NorthviewGarden and @JennyRoseCarey
Bye for now,
Want More? Check Out My Books!
While shady areas can be a challenging area for gardeners, Glorious Shade shows you how to make the most of it by helping you chose the right plants for the space and sharing key designing and maintenance tips.
The Ultimate Flower Gardener’s Guide gives gardeners the confidence needed to create the flower-filled garden of their dreams. Instead of concentrating primarily on color, it brings flower shape and texture to the fore, helping homeowners to create cohesive, yet unique, flower gardens.
The Essential Guide to Bulbs is a gorgeously photographed, comprehensive, and inviting resource. While many gardeners may be familiar with the early show of spring bulbs, there are so many more to choose from that provide three-season color, drama, and spontaneity in the garden.
Not only are these books an excellent addition to your gardening book collection, I personally sign every book purchased directly from my website as a special thank you.
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