Time to plant the flowers?

[media-credit id=3 align=”alignleft” width=”300″][/media-credit]Now that Memorial Day is over, everyone in New England knows summer is on its way.

A lot of homeowners and renters have been hankering to plant flowers along their walkways, in garden beds and in window boxes.

As tempting as it is to plant early, it’s risky in New England.

One night of unexpected frost can wipe out the most potentially beautiful flower garden.

So “patience is a virtue” is a good cliché to adopt when it comes to planting flowers. Diehard gardeners almost always warn to wait until May 30 to plant.

Some people plant the same color flowers year after year and that’s fine -different strokes for different folks.

Others, more daring, prefer to change colors every year.

The preferences of flower-planting people are as varied as the kinds of flowers one can plant.

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Some years, pansies stretch their necks up to the sun in front sidewalk planters. Other years, geraniums take center stage.

Or if eye-popping red begonias catch your attention, they may end up in flower pots this season. They will certainly draw attention to your front yard or porch.

Impatiens and pansies are both very generous flowers. Their blooms go on and on into the season.

Some of the impatiens have two colors in every flower. They make bright and especially picturesque container displays.

If you’ve never planted herbs, this may be the year to give them a try.

Some spearmint leaves, chopped up in ice-cubes, are refreshing in summer drinks. Or just add them to a pitcher of ice water in the refrigerator. That makes a nice summer thirst-quencher.

Fresh parsley and chives added to summer salads make a huge taste difference.  Throw in some cilantro, too, or some tiny snips of hot oregano.

Local farmers markets and big brand stores as well as plant centers all sell herbs, so you’ll have a huge variety from which to select.

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A good summer salad dressing, by the way, can be made by mixing olive oil with freshly squeezed lemon juice. Before you juice the fruit, however, grate the rind and add it to the oil.  Finely chop some garlic and mix with a sprinkling of sugar.  (This is based on a Rachel Ray lemon dressing.)

Add some freshly grated Parmesan cheese and mix everything together.  You’ll get rave reviews for this fresh-tasting dressing.

Have you been patient in waiting to plant flowerboxes and containers on your patio or in your garden?

Well, by the time you read this, May 30 will be here, so throw all caution to the wind, get out your soil digging tools, and plant away!

Posted by Susan M. Wicker Guerrero on May 30, 2013. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry