Did you know that Mother's Day weekend is the biggest gardening retail weekend of the year? We just go crazy buying flowers...and don't even tell me it's all for your mom! Grocery stores, Mega Hardware stores, roadside tents and even gas stations are selling us flowers right now. That doesn't make it time to plant, it makes it time to sell (where I live, Northeast PA, there is a chance of frost until May 15 this year). Let me qualify that, though. You can still plant perennials and hardy annuals, but leave the impatiens and other tender annuals alone for a bit. What I usually do is plant my containers now (because I can easily move or cover them if there is a chance of frost) and hold off on the rest until after threat of frost.Many of you may have early planting success stories; if so, you were lucky. My advice is to wait. Just say no.
One reason people, me included, planted early this year (besides the warm weather), is because the vendors have put the plants out so early that unless you buy them now, you're gonna be out of luck. Okay, so I didn't actually have to plant them, but they looked so sad in their teeny little containers ... and I did put them in pots. Ahhh, they look so lovely placed around my yard, porch and deck ... all 22 of them!!! Lynda
ReplyDeleteI too, am guilty of planting those pretty little flowers. I have many more to plant but I shall hold off and wait a couple weeks. Your Niece, Kristy
ReplyDeleteI am GUILTY...ever single year. When the weather finally gets to the point where no winter coats are needed, I feel an acute PANG for flowers. But I usually do my pots first, so that's good. I don't get to planting later for no other reason than I put it off or other things call for my attention. This year after such an awful winter, I PINED for pansies...so I bought way too many. I gave some to my girls for Easter. I planted my pansies and johnny jump ups in pots and I still have some that are slowly dying in their little starter pots.Need to free up their little roots soon!!
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