Zach's Flowers

I mentioned in a previous post that Zach helped me plant my garden.

http://homewithmommy-fran.blogspot.com/2012/04/gardening-with-mommy.html

Man how things have come full circle. As I mentioned in that post I got pregnant the day I planted my Hyacinth bulbs. Now I might have a future Botanist. As I mentioned in that post, both then and now I am using gardening as a distraction but it's something I am passionate about. Zach is along for the ride and loving it.

Yesterday I finished recreating a binder I created back then that I got rid of when pregnant. In it, is a ton of research about various local and familiar named plants, shrubs, trees, herbs, and vines. It's now 81 pages long. When I take my walks now I try to name what the plant is that catches my eye. During that time I discovered the name of the tree outside our window. It's a Tree of Heaven

http://www.garden.org/plantfinder/index.php?q=view&id=22294&type%5B%5D=TR&light%5B%5D=&moisture%5B%5D=&sort%5B%5D=common&sort_order%5B%5D=common&keyword%5B%5D=Heaven

With help from the Arbor Day tree finder I got it! The key is the bloom which is green with a small seed in it. I've seen those blooms all over.

http://www.arborday.org/trees/whattree/?TrackingID=908

While I created that binder, Zach was looking over my shoulder and asking about certain plants. While doing this search we went to Hillcrest Farms, the garden center in walking distance to us. The family that owns it are from the town and the Mom/Grandma knows me well. It's where I buy everything. Zach went with me after his nap on Thursday to research what the bush is outside our door. It's a Japanese Holly bush.

http://www.garden.org/plantfinder/index.php?q=view&id=24309&light%5B%5D=&moisture%5B%5D=&sort%5B%5D=botanical&sort_order%5B%5D=botanical&keyword%5B%5D=Holly

While there, we were looking for the name of the flower below. It is one my Mom has. They didn't have it so I couldn't get the name but Zach started asking for his own flowers. It's late in the season to buy them but I got him Begonias (they come in 3 packs but one hadn't bloomed) and two small pots for them. Those are the primary flowers my Mom uses. When we got home he planted them with minimal help and decided where to put them in the garden, next to my crab decoration. There is a picture below. He has been watering the "sythia" bush (Forsythia) so he loves these.

Lobelia

http://www.garden.org/plantfinder/index.php?q=view&id=24831&light%5B%5D=&moisture%5B%5D=&sort%5B%5D=common&sort_order%5B%5D=common&keyword%5B%5D=lobelia

Begonias Zach's are White

http://www.garden.org/plantfinder/index.php?q=view&id=22640&light%5B%5D=&moisture%5B%5D=&sort%5B%5D=common&sort_order%5B%5D=common&keyword%5B%5D=Begonia

And he wasn't surprised by Mommy yesterday. Josh hadn't slept well Friday night and wanted to sleep late. I had planned to plant more Pachysandra when my shaded Marigolds died and I needed to fill the space under the Japanese Holly.

http://www.garden.org/plantfinder/index.php?q=view&id=25196&light%5B%5D=&moisture%5B%5D=&sort%5B%5D=common&sort_order%5B%5D=common&keyword%5B%5D=pachysandra


While Daddy slept, Zach and I snuck to Hillcrest and got one flat (I had to send the boys back for a second flat when it wasn't enough). Zach loved digging and helping store the rocks that were in my way while digging the holes. He's really getting into Gardening too, just like Mommy and it's something we enjoy bonding over. Zach still loves his Begonias and loved talking about it at family dinner last week. Our USDA Hardiness zone is 6a and 6b by the way.

Here are pictures from my Garden:

Forsythias have yellow flowers starting in Early Spring as I mentioned in the other blog post but this is what they look like in Summer

My Marigolds. They get tended too so there are less bloomed flowers at the moment but they are healthy. The small pots next to the crab are Zach's Begonias.

You can sorta see the buds on my tended Marigolds. They will be beautiful flowers.

Pachysandra and Japanese Holly