The hobby (or obsession) of geocaching began in 2000 when military satellite signals were unscrambled, allowing GPSr (Global Positioning Satellite receivers) to accurately pinpoint locations around the world. Someone in Oregon decided to hide a container with a prize in it, post the position on the internet and see if anyone would find it. Now there are over 500,000 caches hidden world-wide and thousands of treasure hunters searching for them.
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The tulips are in full bloom here at 2GTU. Normally I would leave them in the garden, but it’s been a tad bit chilly the past two days, so last night I did the unthinkable and cut some so they could be enjoyed indoors.

Combined with the last of the daffodils and ivy cuttings, these ‘Rai’ tulips make a lovely spring bouquet for the kitchen table.

Tulipa ‘Rai’ was one of two different types of tulips I planted in the fall. The other type was a very beautiful pure white - tulipa fosteriana ‘purissima’. Mom wanted yellow daffodils and I wanted white, so we compromised with narcissus ‘ice follies’ - white outer petals with yellow cups.

Tray after tray of annuals all lined up and ready for transplanting into larger cell packs. Mom hit the nail on the head by saying they resembled farmers’ fields when viewed from an airplane.

There were gardens here, but they had been pretty much ignored and the plants, shrubs and trees within those gardens had been left to fend for themselves. Mom and I spent much of last summer trying to shape things up. Through ruthless trimming, the removal of ancient shrubs, and new shrub and perennial additions, we are finally making some headway.
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My first file box was a shoebox. I would throw in clippings from magazines, seed orders, lists of plants to try, plant labels etc. It was never organized but I always (usually) knew what was inside.

Then one Christmas I received a green cardboard photo box as a re-usable gift wrap. I can’t remember what the gift inside was but I used that box for years! I took it shopping, to the garden, to the greenhouse, on vacation, everywhere, and filled it with useful information. It held 3×5 inch cards and alphabetical tab cards as well, so most of my “finds” had to be condensed or clipped down to the most important information.

I was on my way to being organized! That photo box lasted for many years but sadly, it had to be replaced.
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Grab your bucket, mop and sponge and get ready to clean your way into spring. Use some of the recipes for alternative cleaning products featured in our last Simple Green Ideas post and get ready to tackle those tough cleaning jobs you’ve been putting off until the windows could be opened wide.

Dishwasher - 1 1/2 cup white vinegar and 1 cup baking soda - run through an empty dishwasher cycle

Counter top - several tablespoons vinegar in warm water (vinegar evaporates leaving a fresh smell and no soap residue) - use scouring powder or soft scrub for tough stains (see recipes in SGI#5)
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This is a photo from last summer.

Friday, when we arrived at our final stop, we talked about how at this time of year, the rock garden resembles nothing more than a pile of rocks. Saturday we went to a local garden center and made a few purchases to try to remedy the situation.
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After planting my spring-blooming bulbs in the fall, I covered them with chicken wire to keep the squirrels from digging them up. Now I’m re-using that same chicken wire to keep annoying (and hungry) critters from munching on my perennials while they’re getting started. The sheets of chicken wire have been transformed into wire boxes.

I used a square galvanized planter as a form.

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Connor, my four year old, reports to me daily (and sometimes up to three or four times a day) on the progress of our flowers. He did express some concern this morning that these purple crocuses were no longer beautiful. I assured him that by the time he came home from school (daycare) they would once again be beautiful. It’s so fun to see him reach down and gently stroke a bloom instead of yanking it off its stem.

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I’m not sure I know how to relax and just ‘be’ in my garden. Simply relaxing anywhere is a challenge I face. Working and puttering away in the garden feels relaxing to me. The garden is where I go when I’m stressed or when I have serious thinking to do. After a few hours or days spent in the garden all is right with my world again.

For all the effort and attention I give to the garden, it gives back equally, but in different ways. For some people gardens give food and sustenance. My garden gives me peace, joy, solitude, hope, promises, space to think, a creative outlet, a place to relieve stress, a work out, an escape, warmth, a sense of belonging, a feeling of accomplishment and sometimes even sanity.