By guest author Jamie Hanley
As we know, Spring comes late to upstate NY and all the gardeners I know are anxious to get their hands in the dirt. Last month, we embarked on a journey of constructing a backyard greenhouse…..a long and arduous journey, but one that will provide (we hope!) years of use and entertainment. As the sleepy perennials started poking through the cover of leaves, we were hard at work making a new home for their annual friends. While it might be too late this year to get all my seedlings started, it is a sanctuary for my houseplants and a peaceful place to sit and enjoy nature – even in the rain!
It’s been a very rainy spring so far, with some hot days sprinkled in for fun; and regardless of what we think, the plants welcome it. With that phase behind us, we are watching the plants grow by leaps and bounds as each day goes by. The hostas are thriving, the bleeding hearts are loaded with flowers, and my tubs of cannas and dahlias are full of tiny sprouts.
And even though my gardens are full, I cannot pass up the opportunity to browse at a garden center, or admire plantings and gardens as I walk in the neighborhood. Sharing is an intrinsic part of gardening, and perhaps one of the most fun parts as well. I have been blessed with generous friends who are gardening gurus, and some of my favorite new plants have come from sharing….native ginger, beautiful double iris, wild geranium, and the aptly named beautyberry bush.