Archive for the ‘plant it’ Category

I’ve been in my garden pulling weeds.  It’s such a big job.

I’ve tried to set manageable goals, this bed today, this bed tomorrow.

I have lots of big garden beds and some of the weeds, I think, are bigger than me.

But despite that, I’ve decided there’s one thing I really enjoy about weeding.

It’s certainly not the sore muscles in my back when I’m done.

I realized that I just can’t properly enjoy the beauty of all the little things in my garden- the buzzing bees, the small blooming things, new little plants coming out of the earth, the smells of lilac, bridal wreath, and Spring Snow crabapples in bloom…

until I’m out in my garden, on my hands and knees, hard at work.

Did you know Fall is the perfect time of year for planting hollyhock seeds?

If you have a friend who grows hollyhocks, it’s easy to gather seeds from their stocks.  Hollyhocks are one of those old fashioned flowers that are as generous as they are sweet and lovely.  Simply pick the spent flowers from the stems… each flower has seeds aplenty.

These seeds came from my mother’s garden.

• To plant hollyhock seeds choose a location with well drained soil that gets at least six hours of sunlight each day.  Make sure the location has a little shelter from the wind.  Hollyhocks look wonderful at the back of the border.  My mother grows them in a narrow bed along a walkway.

• Weed if needed and turn the soil is over and rake it smooth.

• Sprinkle the seeds out evenly over the planting area.

• Spread a thin layer of top soil (about 1/4 inch) over the seeds.

• Water them in and keep them moist until the seedlings have sprouted.

• If they grow high enough, cut back the stalks after the first frost.

• It’s a good idea to mulch them before Winter to give them some protection.

My mother used to make hollyhock dolls with me when I was little.  Now she makes them with her granddaughters.

When I spotted this hollyhock doll on Pinterest… it tickled me to pieces.

You can find the step by step for how to make this doll here.  We never made a face or arms on our dolls.  This one is delightful!