Sights at the nursery - enjoying the spring

Mini cyclamen just popping blooms

Well it's market day again and they seem like they're coming fast and furious. Thought I had a slow week planned and I wound up working at something everyday. Rest easy though, I did get my naps in! The cyclamen
came through with a couple of pretty blooms for today and we'll see if they sell. We took a lot of pictures yesterday and most of the people photos turned out great. I forgot to take pictures of the honeyberry until sunset and by then I took a few and they're too dark. Suffice to say it is a tiny shrubby plant with soft, medium green leaves - pretty non-descript, so I thought you might enjoy a few shots of the people who make Sage Advice Nursery more than a dream - and turn it into a reality.

Me and Vicki outside her greenhouse

Man I look like a two-ton tessie in this pic, but Vicki looks great. She is healing from cancer surgery and we have both gotten our clean bills of health. Both of us are cancer free! Yay!

This was the first day we put the seedlings outdoors. The low temperatures, which is what I'm more concerned about, are in the high 20s to low 30s now with the lowest of about 24-26F predicted on Tuesday. I think I'll go out and cover the seedlings with some frost cloth then. The plants were getting a bit spindly on the bottom racks so this trip and move outside should be good for them. Now comes the tricky part - keeping all these babies watered.

Speaking of babies, I am concerned about the new seedlings at the big OC greenhouse, if they'll stay wet enough over the Easter break. Can't get in there for four days, the first being Tuesday afternoon. I'll just have to go in and see how they fared. Hate to lose any of that, it is my tomato and broccoli seedlings that are quite moisture sensitive.

Me and Pam outside with the new seedlings

Pam looks great, as usual, in all these pics. She's so funny, she got her bangs trimmed and was pitching a fit about it. She says she looks like a "schmoo". She's such a stitch, I think she looks lovely. Pam filled flats all day without a hitch. Her attitude is wonderful, she takes on all the jobs at the nursery - no matter how grimy - and enjoys every day. We aspire to what evangelist Joyce Meyer says "Never let anyone steal your joy."

My girls - helping me through thick and thin

Here's a great shot of the gals - don't know what I'd do without them. They encourage me and keep me on the straight and narrow. All the plants in this greenhouse lookmg great, but we did have some aphids on the spindly little cumin plants. It really is true - the bugs go for the weakest and cull them out. Keeping plants healthy goes along way to beating the bugs. Just pulled the cumin and pitched it. I'll have to spray proactively - the plants adjacent - to make sure the apids didn't travel.

Uncovering the big cold frame out back

Back to my gardens. Just uncovered the big cold frame out back. We had put arborvitae trimmings on many of the pots for winter protection and they have fared well. The sweet william is the brightest spring green and the potted hellebores even have a bloom stalk coming up. Don't think the pots at Vicki's did well though. We never got around to covering them and there is a lot of standing water in the pots. I think we'll lose quite a portion to rot.

That's the nursery and people tour for Good Friday 2013. Have a blessed Easter everyone!