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April 8, 2025

This Week's Garden Gab:
​The Garden Is Slowly Awakening

Hi Reader!

I love this time of the year. Everything is waking up. Let's take our first tour of the garden this year.

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Education:

At the end of each gardening season, I tell myself that the garden for the following season will smaller because many of my plants will not survive the winter.

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However, this is never the case. MOST of my plants survive! Once again, as the 2025 Spring season unfolds, I am surprised by the peeks of green that show up around the garden.

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Application:

Let's look!

Dwarf Pomegranate Tree

I purchased this little tree late in the season last year with little hope for it's survival over the winter. It lost all its leaves, however, just this week I started to see tiny leaves. I probably won't get any fruit this year but it's still alive.

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🌿🍃🌿🍃🌿🍃

Dwarf Elderberry Tree

I started this little tree from a broken twig off the larger tree. I simply placed it into water where it grew a few roots, then I placed it into this bag late last summer. It lost all its leaves but as soon as the temperatures warmed these new leaves showed up.

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🌿🍃🌿🍃🌿🍃

Pear Trees

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When I started gardening five years ago, it seemed quite normal to grow a tree in a growbag ... so I did. Three of them actually. They were tall twigs at purchase. I cut the top third off and put them into a 20-25 gallon grow bag. They grew for 3 years before bearing fruit.

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🌿🍃🌿🍃🌿🍃

Sedum (Autumn Joy)

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This is not food, but the toughest little perennial plant I know of. I friend gave me a piece from her mother's yard and I have shared pieces of it with so many people. This is what it looks like in the Spring. It grows to about two feet tall and in the Fall it produces beautiful clumps of pink flowers that bees love! Here is a picture of what it looks like in the Fall. The bees get drunk on its sweetness.

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🌿🍃🌿🍃🌿🍃

Strawberries

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I wasn't having much success growing strawberries in multiple small containers so out of frustration I plant all of the strawberry plants into this one large container. Lo, and behold, the plants in this container started to grow and product strawberries. During the winter months I did absolutely nothing to it. They survived freezing temperatures and all. Then last week, it started flowering. Try growing strawberries... so easy to do!

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🌿🍃🌿🍃🌿🍃

Blackberries

These plants are the one that first made me feel like a real gardener. I started them in the 2nd year of gardening. They were in smaller bags so I could move them around easily. I babied them over the winter by wrapping them in warm blankets and covering them with lots of mulch. This past winter I didn't do that as they are in bigger bags. I just huddled them together and they did fine. Blackberries need chill hours and they definitely got lots of chill hours so I'm expecting a great harvest.

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🌿🍃🌿🍃🌿🍃

Lenten Rose (Hellebores)

I always wanted one of these so a friend gave me a few pieces and I planted them. They bloom during late winter. It's so nice to see their flowers when everything else is brown or dormant.

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Selection:

As the season progresses I will share more photos. I plan to start the summer plants as soon as it gets a little warmer.

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Hope you enjoyed seeing my garden wake up. More to come!

Edification:

You know I like fun facts so here you go.

Fun Facts about Spring for your enjoyment!

​15 Invigorating Spring Facts to Lift Your Spirits​

That's all I have for this edition. Feel free to write me at jangardener@gardenease.org if you have any questions or comments.

Forward this newsletter to anyone you think would be interested in gardening information and to SUBSCRIBE HERE.

I'll see you in the next edition!

Jan🤗

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If you have questions, comments, praises, complaints, or ideas about gardening or about the newsletter, you can reach me at: jangardener@gardenease.org