Marlys' Gardens ~ What's Happening

This is a place to focus on what's currently happening in the gardens. I want to share fun seasonal garden stories & events with you. Josh is going to archive the posting as seasons evolve. We hope you will embrace it with a fun-filled spirit.

It is better by far at the rainbow’s end

To find not gold,

But the heart of a friend.

One day, one friend asked another,
"How is it that you are always so happy?
You have so much energy,
and you never seem to get down."

With her eyes smiling, she said,
"I know the Secret!"
"What secret is that?"
To which she replied,
"I'll tell you all about it,
but you have to promise to
share the Secret with others."

"The Secret is this:
I have learned there is little I can do
in my life that will make me truly happy.
I must depend on God to make
me happy and to meet my needs.
When a need arises in my life,
I have to trust God to supply
according to HIS riches.
I have learned most of the time
I don't need half of what I think I do.
He has never let me down.
Since I learned that 'Secret', I am happy."

The questioner's first thought was,
"That's too simple!"
But upon reflecting over her own life
she recalled how she thought a bigger house
would make her happy, but it didn't!
She thought a better paying job
would make her happy, but it hadn't.
When did she realize her greatest happiness?
Sitting on the floor with her grandchildren,
playing games, eating pizza or reading a story,
a simple gift from God.

And now I pass the Secret on to you!
So once you get it, what will you do?

YOU can tell the Secret, too!
That GOD in His wisdom will take care of YOU!

A day designated to play practical jokes on unsuspecting and / or gullible friends / acquaintances.

For gardeners, Mother Nature is the prankster. She delivers warm wonderful early spring days making it tempting to plant too soon. Iowa's last frost date is May 15 and was right on schedule, spring of 2005.

The entire month of April had been unseasonably warm & mild & quite wonderful. (temps in 60s-70s-one day 82 degrees F) It was a really dirty trick for April to coax unsuspecting perennial plants out of dormancy way too early. The month of May however, delivered the painful, freezing blows to tender foliage. Perennials stuck out in the open had no hope for surviving the sting of hard frost. It was enough to make a gardener cry. The plants of course, recovered, just in time to be plummeted by hail. They of course, recovered from that too.

Late April may be suitable for planting cold-weather crop. The peacefulness of being out in the garden gives us time to contemplate 'life-issues' unique to none. DIGGING IN THE DIRT! IS GOOD THERAPY! All the day's frustrations fade away among the plants, with birds singing, and sunshine warming our shoulders.

Plant three rows of Peas;

Peace of mind, Peace of heart, & Peace of soul.

Second, plant four rows of Squash;

Squash gossip, Squash indifference, Squash grumbling, & Squash selfishness.

Next, plant four rows of Lettuce;

Lettuce be faithful, Lettuce be kind, Lettuce us be patient, & Lettuce us respect each other.

No garden is complete without three rows of Turnips;

Turn up for meetings, Turn up for service, Turn up to help one another.

To conclude our garden we must have three rows of

Thyme; Time for each other, Time for family, & Time for friends.

April first - warm weather - a nearly, perfect early-spring day. Time for Spring Cleaning! No, not the house, but the potting shed!

Petite daffodil; first to show off its bright yellow petals with a slightly golden yellow cup; grows only 5-8" tall. They're the sweetest little things. And a fun story of how they found a home in Marlys' Gardens. They were given to my mom in little plastic pots all wrapped up in pretty paper by her very lovely, only daughter, who had never seen miniature daffodils before. When the blooms were all gone, daughter pirated the little things away & planted them into the ground. She just couldn't bear to see them tossed away. She never thought they would really live. The next spring the daughter was totally amazed when she realized what they were, peeking up out of the soil in bed #7. The perfect minis are truly little gems, multiplying each year. They make me smile.

Tete-a-Tete

Miscellaneous (12)

5 - 8"

slightly reflexed (bent back) buttercup yellow petals and a long slender trumpet; usually has 2 flowers per stem (in French "Tete-a-Tete" means "head to head")

early spring

4 - 9

the most popular miniature daffodil for indoor forcing; easy to grow; blooms prolifically; excellent for naturalizing

My garden friend, Jan & I cooked up a plan to involve our entire Master Gardener group in round table discussion: "The Best & The Worst".

Theme #1 - to discuss those beautiful plants you bought that turned into invasive monsters in the garden and you end-up wishing you had never seen the ____ things.

After the round table discussions ended it was time for work. We got out drills & hammers & mallets (boy toys) & got busy preparing our next Senior Center project - Wind-Chimes made with old silver-ware. It was noise & challenging & I guess, fun. We visit Senior Centers throughout the county twice a year & do a hands-on project with them. It really is fun.

April 4
This absolutely perfect spring afternoon I took my mom down below the dam (Red Rock Dam) to see the pelicans. Enthralling (to hold spellbound) only begins to describe the sights of the pelicans. Each spring, when I see pelicans soaring so very high in the sky, my heart skips a beat & swells to bursting with the anticipation & pure pleasure. Spring surely arrives on the wings of the pelican migration.

My local garden club - Knoxville Federated Garden Club sponsors / supports the Bessie Spaur Butterfly Garden by holding an annual spring Garden Gala. Attendance grew again this year. Thank you to all that attended.

Our speakers were great! The vendors did a fantastic job! Lunch was delicious! Fun door prizes! And the decorating committee outdid themselves again this year! I'm proud! Thank you, everyone for a fantastic job, well done!

My dad loved Easter Lilies. I tried to give him an Easter Lily each year. I never see an Easter Lily without remembering him. The beautiful Trumpet-shaped pure white flowers symbolize purity, virtue, innocence, hope, and life - the essence of Easter and spring (renewed life). Two hosta names are in my garden just for my dad - "Remember Me" and "Peace".

Church in small town, Iowa was a big deal on Easter Sunday when I was a little girl. I'd wear a pretty dress, black patent leather shoes (that pinched my poor little toes), white nylon gloves, and an Easter Bonnet. My little brother was so handsome in his little suit jacket & his bow-tie. It's a good memory.

"Each holiday is marked by cherished traditions that bring joy, comfort, and warmth, and provide continuity from one generation to the next. Easter has its share of traditions: egg decorations and hunts; gift baskets and chocolate bunnies, sunrise church services, parades, and, of course, the Easter Lily. For many, the beautiful trumpet-shaped white flowers symbolize purity, virtue, innocence, hope and life - the spiritual essence of Easter."

"In 1952, the lily flower, which is a symbol of spring, was chosen to be the official new logo for the National Easter Seal Society (the name today), and it has appeared each year on the seal since then. Money raised by the society aids the one in every five Americans who suffer from some type of physical disability. The goal is to help those persons have a wider choice of freedoms for themselves."

In your Easter bonnet, with all the frills upon it,
You'll be the grandest lady in the Easter Parade.
I'll be all in clover and when they look you over,
I'll be the proudest fellow in the Easter Parade.
On the avenue, Fifth Avenue, the photographers will snap us,
And you'll find that you're in the rotogravure.
Oh, I could write a sonnet about your Easter bonnet,
And of the girl I'm taking to the Easter Parade.

Written by Irving Berlin

Here comes Peter Cottontail,
Hopping' down the bunny trail,
Hippity, hoppity,
Easter's on its way.

Bringing' every girl and boy Baskets full of Easter joy,
Things to make your Easter bright and gay.
He's got jellybeans for Tommy,
Colored eggs for sister Sue,
There's an orchid for your Mommy
And an Easter bonnet, too.

Oh! here comes Peter Cottontail,
Hopping' down the bunny trail,
Hippity hoppity,
Happy Easter day.

Here comes Peter Cottontail,
Hopping' down the bunny trail,
Look at him stop, and listen to him say:
"Try to do the things you should."
Maybe if you're extra good,
He'll roll lots of Easter eggs your way.

You'll wake up on Easter morning
And you'll know that he was there
When you find those chocolate bunnies
That he's hiding everywhere.

Oh! here comes Peter Cottontail,
Hopping' down the bunny trail,
Hippity hoppity,
Happy Easter day

1. Don't leave the water running

2. Flick off the light when you leave the room

3. Print on both sides of the page at work

4. Wash your clothes in warm or cold water

5. Ditch the paper cups

6. Use the right settings on your appliances

7. Turn off your computer at the end of the day

8. Join the Wildlife Rescue Team

9. Look at labels - recycle

10 Share your love of gardening / nature with others / become a Master Gardener / join a garden club / share plants with garden friends / organize a plant sale / take your chilren / grandchildren fishing or on a nature walk