Warm weather makes the hostas go pop, plus plant sale date!

Our recent warm weather has really made the hostas pop!  The picture below were taken over a two day period of time.  It's amazing how fast they grow.

Also, we have set a date for the plant sale.  Mark your calendars for Saturday, June 21st in Appleton!  More details will be posted closer to the date of the sale.

Erin and I are also working on a new episode of Cheesehead Gardening too!

Trying pine straw in the hosta beds

In the Southern states it's pretty common to use pine straw as mulch.  So I thought I would give it a try in my hosta beds this year.  I think the pine straw will keep the slugs out of the hosta beds.  Pine straw is pretty hard to find in this area.  I actually had to order mine, which didn't make my Fed Ex driver very happy.  It was much easier to spread around than bark mulch I usually put down.  I am just wondering how well it will stay down in fall when having to rake leaves out of the beds.  I'll keep you updated.

Signs of spring are all around!

We thought it would never get here, but, finally, there are signs of spring all around.

Chihuly night and day at the Desert Botanical Garden

This past week I once again visited the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix.  I was so excited to visit, since Dale Chihuly currently has a display at the garden.  For anyone who follows me, you know I LOVE Dale Chihuly glass art!  I even had a dream one night that Dale Chihuly decided to tutor me in the making of glass art.  I think the best time to book a time to visit the garden is between 4-8pm, when you can see the art by day and by night.  I think it looks magnificent by night!  The display will be at the gardens through May 18th.  So if you have a way to visit the gardens, I highly recommend it!  Here are a few pictures of Chihuly by day and by night.

Mount San Jacinto State Park

While in California in February I went hiking in Mount San Jacinto State Park.  To get to the state park I rode the Palm Springs aerial tramway up 6,000 feet.  The tram takes about 10 minutes to get to the top and slowly rotates so you don't miss any views.  The park has great views of Palm Springs, the San Andreas fault, etc.

Joshua Tree National Park

In late February I traveled to California for some much needed warm weather.  Part of my travels included Joshua Tree National Park.  The weather was beautiful and so was the park.  So many great rock formations, and, of course, the Joshua Trees!

Start Marking Your Calendars Now! Garden Events for this spring and summer

Wow, can you believe that it's almost March?  I feel like winter is never going to end.  I can't remember a winter that has ever been this cold.  Let's hope for an early spring.
 
There are lots of things to look forward to this spring and summer.  Here is a just a short list. 

• Warmer weather
• Paine Art Center Festival of Spring - May 17.  Oshkosh, WI.  More information here:http://www.thepaine.org/events/festival-of-spring/index.html
• May 17, 2014: Outagamie County Master Gardener Association Annual Plant Sale.  UW-Extension Grounds, 3365 W. Brewster St., Appleton.  8 a.m. - 3 p.m.
• Green Bay Botanical Garden Fair - May 30- June 1.  More information. http://www.gbbg.org/things-to-do/garden-events/id/184/title/Garden-Fair
• Midwest Regional Hosta Convention - Green Bay, June 26-28.  More information here: http://greenandgoldhosta.org/2014-convention.html
• AHS (Daylilies) Region 2 Summer Meeting - Beauty by the Bay - July 25-27.  More information here: http://badbuds.org/Region%202%20Summer%20Meeting.html