Good Friday was such a pretty day that I decided to plant flowers.
A friend gave me a bunch of flower bulbs—Lycoris, Freesia (double and single), Dichelostemma, Ixia, and Anemone. I planted most of them in grow bags around the front of the greenhouse. The rest I scattered in the flower beds outside my kitchen window. I can’t wait to see them grow and bloom!
I took five cuttings from my begonias before the first hard freeze last fall. I’ve kept them in a vase of water all winter. Two died right away, but the other three survived and grew long roots. A friend sent me a small lamp to shine on them. I used the lamp part of the time and sometimes left them in my kitchen window that gets a little sun each day.
I planted the begonias all together in one pot. A friend at church gifted me with a small tropical flower and I put it in one of the pots by the greenhouse too. Since cold weather has moved back in, I’ve moved both the pots into the greenhouse.
The friend that gave me the bulbs also gave me a white rose in memory of Granny’s birthday. I planted it at the end of the long flower bed in front of the kitchen window.
Last summer I bought small blooming dahlias from Betty and Pat at Satterfield’s Briarpatch Nursery over in Robbinsville. I planted them in two large planters. They bloomed all summer long and were just lovely.
I ordered a few large bloom dahlias and planted them in a large grow bag out the backdoor. They too bloomed for most of the summer.
When fall of the year came I decided to try digging up the dahlia tubers or taters as some folks call them, and saving them for this year.
I brushed all the dirt off and layered them in a pasteboard box with mulch. Everything I read or watched said to store them in a cool but not freezing area.
Our basement stays very warm, but that was the only place I had that would prevent them from freezing.
I placed the box right by the garage door. The furtherest point from the woodstove. The door isn’t air tight so it stays cooler there and we often leave it propped open for the cat.
I doubted I would be successful, but it worked! All the dahlias stayed firm with the exception of one or two small taters sticking off a large one.
Knowing how much I enjoyed the dahlias I planted last year Corie bought me a few packs to plant this year.
I planted all the dahlias I saved and the ones I was gifted.
Folklore says anything planted on Good Friday will thrive. I hope all my flowers do well. I can’t wait to see the blooms.
Norman’s brother Bennie passed away yesterday. Please pray for Norman and his family.
Tipper
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Your grief will be healed when you think of all the wonderful memories of your Bennie and remember where he now resides, with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It just takes a little bit longer than we knew. God bless you and your family. Comfort and Peace to y’all today , tomorrow and always.
Norman, lifting you and your family in prayer. May the Lord give you peace and comfort during this time. God bless
Hello Tipper, Acorns, You Are So Sweet, Thoughtful Tipper. I Hope Your Flowers, Garden Are Bountiful, Beautiful. So very Sorry For Mr. Norman Loss Of His Brother Bennie. I Don’t Live Too Far From Dahlonega, Georgia. I’m In Gainesville But Close To Murrayville, Dahlonega. I Live Close To The North Georgia Mountains. Gainesville Is Known As The Chicken Capital Of The World. God Bless Y’all
I can hardly imagine the splendor of all of the flowers you’ve planted, Tipper. I’m looking forward to seeing their colorful display in a few months on your garden videos.
Once again, my deepest sympathy in the loss of your brother, Norman.
Norman, so sorry for the loss of your brother but knowing you will see him again one day is such a comfort. Continued prayers for you and your family.
Tipper, I can’t wait to see all of the beautiful flowers that you planted. I know they will be beautiful.
May you all have a Blessed Day Acorn family and Tipper. I hope this is the best garden year for us all. I can’t wait to see all the videos of your flowers Tipper. I keep everyone here and up Wilson Holler in my prayers. TY all for prayers for my son and me. Ed had another bad night. I love y’all.
I’m sorry! I will keep praying for him and you!
I can’t wait until to go to Satterfields this year. I enjoy it so much, love the people there and love to see all the plants. God bless
Norman-I have been praying for Bennie and you too. I will pray you and your love ones find peace and comfort. May your memories fill you with love.
thank you Carol
So sorry for the loss of your brother. I know it hurts so bad for you & your family, but he is merely asleep & you will see him again.
thank you Cheryl
I’m looking forward to seeing your flowers blooming! They will be so lush and beautiful!
I learned that dusty miller can also be rooted. I keep it in the kitchen by the window all winter.
Mr. Norman, I’m very sorry for the loss of your dear brother. It’s hard to lose a loved one here on earth, but knowing they are even now in the presence of our blessed Savior gives us such comfort. Imagine the joy to be with Him! I’m praying for comfort for you and yours, and that the services go well.
thank you Annie
My buttercups did not bloom this year. I have 100 bulbs planted. Five came up but did not bloom. I don’t know what happened this year. We built our house in 2022 and I have not planted any flowers yet. I have potted plants sitting around outside. If any of the readers have any suggestions why my buttercups did not come up or bloom, please let me know. They have in the past. Saying a prayer for everyone that loss some one recently.
Diane, I planted a lot of buttercups but I think squirrels (or some other animal) dug up my bulbs and ate them.
Praying for you and your family, Norman.
Sounds like your flowers are bound to be beautiful Tipper !
thank you Lori
I have beautiful grape hyacinth growing beside a big oak tree in the front yard. My daffodils froze before they bloomed, except for one. Our apple trees and dogwood trees are about to show off their beautiful pink and white flowers…just in time for a couple cold nights. Maybe it won’t get down below freezing. I have some sweet Williams and a couple other flowers my hubby got me last year sprouting up in my flower garden—and purple iris popping up in a big patch in the woods beside our house. Spring is such a beautiful time of year.
Norman- please accept my sympathy and prayers. I am very sorry for your loss.
Continued prayers for Norman. May he be comforted in the loss of his brother, Benny.
Tipper, I am sure you will have many beautiful flowers. Those shared by friends are always special. I grew up hearing anything planted on Good Friday would flourish.
thank you Lynn
My paternal grandfather always grew gorgeous dahlias. Growing dahlias is a lot of hard and time-consuming work, but so worth it!!! He always stored his bulbs in bushel baskets in his basement. I grew a few dahlias many years ago that were also gorgeous. I can hardly wait to see yours in full bloom!!!!!
I’m so sorry Norman, my 4 yr old grandson loves to play pretend and he often has a buddy and his name is always Benny.
God bless your grandson Lorie, thank you and God bless you
condolences to Norman on his brothers passing – Bennie has been healed even if not the way we wanted and is in pain no more.
thank you Wanita
More excitement here in the Backwoods Ghetto! Another man in stripes! No Bond!
We shall sing on that beautiful shore
The melodious songs of the blessed;
And our spirits shall sorrow no more,
Not a sigh for the blessing of rest.
~Sanford F Bennett~
This was meant for Norman!
Good job on saving those dahlias from last year, for they do indeed rot pretty easiliy if kept moist! It sounds like you will have a beautiful flower garden and those minor bulbs will give you a wonderful show. Can’t wait to see pictures!
Good morning everyone, or maybe I should say ‘Merry Christmas’! It’s snowing like crazy here this morning in Alberta, Canada. I’m like Tipper, I love my dahlias and have been collecting several over the last couple of years. They’re such beautiful flowers.
Norman, I’m sending condolences to you and your family, I pray you’ll be comforted knowing Bennie isn’t suffering and find peace in the Lord’s promises. I’ll never leave you nor forsake you!
Have a great day everyone!
thank you Linda
every year, just about, i try something in the “garden” and every year (just about) everything just dies. too hot, torrential summer rain, and too much shade canopy. i put out several of those raised beds in ‘23 and never even got them filled (yet) as all the roses, gardenias and jasmine i’d gotten for the front died almost immediately and discouraged me. last year i went indoors for hydroponics, but i haven’t really done anything in the yards since ‘23 when $$$$worth all just died on me. but yesterday i went out to the side yard to see what superhardy natives (bleeding heart, vining philodendron and Boston fern) might be weeded and encountered a strong jasmine scent! the two jasmines in urns around the front have bushed out and now smell wonderful! they’re waiting for me to put up the arch connecting them on either side of the entrance from to the side yards that i, like you, bought a year ago and never got put up yet. the locally bought jasmine i deliberately put in the urn at the turn from the side to the back yard died that same year, but i just ordered another jasmine from amazon—where i’d bought the two that now smell so wonderful—and will try moving that urn from the side onto the patio itself, in hopes more sun will get to it there…hope springs.
Praying for you Norman and your loved ones. Loss is never easy, take comfort in knowing that Bennie is sick no more.
thank you Sherri
Hi Tipper. I hope you are well. I have a little gardening tip for y’all. When rooting plants in water it’s best to not let the roots get longer than two inches. After that they get what’s called water roots and they can object to being put into soil (they suffocate) and the plant will die. Water roots are fragile that way. They don’t supply the proper nutrients to the plant. Of course there are instances where that doesn’t happen, but I’ve pulled dead plants out of the pot and found the roots to be mushy. I’ve also witnessed that those plants with water roots don’t fare as well in their growth should they survive. I’m 77 years old and have seen a thing or two or three, and I continue learning every day. Isn’t life grand! Best wishes to y’all and happy gardening.
We’re getting a skiff of snow here in west central IL. It rarely snows here in April but it’s not unheard of. The white flakes are a stark contrast on my freshly mowed yard. I bought 5 small pots of pansies at Home Depot, yesterday. The cold won’t hurt them and buying them satisfied an itch lol
My sincere condolences to Norman.
thank you Kim
Tipper, you are always up to something-planting, cooking, making, doing….i just know your tubers and bulbs are going to be spectacular in brilliance and beauty! I did manage to plant taters in grow bags and will put the rest in the garden. Yesterday I had a swarm of subterranean termites in a window. Let’s just say these pests have exoskeletons not unlike a cricket or roach-these are bad, bad boys. Since I’m a bug’s worst nightmare of chemical death, it’s on now!!! The old lady I bought this house from stored wood in the basement. She kept up a bunch of meth heads it looks like to me. I’ve found hundreds of nails literally where they think folks are looking in the windows at them and hiding spots most likely for drugs cut out behind the floor trim. I ain’t no fool to dirty doings. I know what time it is. God only knows what I’m going to find behind the walls up here and floors in the basement and I can’t spray there for the juvenile chickens are in the basement, but later this week when it warms up, I intend to get to the bottom of this issue. I can be relentless if given a job or problem… lol I will pray for Norman and his family in this terrible time of the loss of his loving brother. I hate to hear of anyone passing away, but to think of no more tears, sadness, pain, broken hearts, total happiness and perfect health forever, it’s THE PLACE TO BE…as the saying goes if it ain’t one thing, it’s another. TAKE CARE YALL AND HAVE A BLESSED DAY!!!
Sadie, you’re my kind of woman! Keep up the good work.
God bless you Sadie
Around here I mostly just shuffle around some of what is already here. I would like to do way more with flowers but my past failures after lots of effort have discouraged me. Getting the right amount of sun is a big puzzle. And shade is getting steadily worse. Some flowers that once bloomed have stopped. I have discovered one curious thing. Years ago I put river gravel along the foundation on the west side of the house. It has turned out to be a seed bed for what my Grandma called “rat’s vein” (pippsisawa) and violets which suits me. I have planted flowers or shrubs in the various stump holes from having to remove trees. One iris patch is in the stump hole of a scarlet oak and there will be about a dozen bloom soon.
i used to have azaleas at the front of the house many years ago, but they’ve been gone for decades as the tree canopy grew and grew…
Norman, condolences for your loss.
Miss Tipper, I hope your garden turns out as well as you hope and better than you really expect, as I heard it once stated.
thank you very much
thank you for praying for my brother, his body has done been taken care of, it will be transported to the church on Thursday, visitation from 11:00 to 1:00, then burial, New Hope Baptist Church dawsonville Georgia, thank you for praying, I love you and God bless you very much
Norman, I will continue praying to you and your family.
thank you Kathleen
I keep you and your family in my prayers.
God bless you Barbara
Norman, Praying for you and your family. May God comfort you and your loved ones.
thank you Andrea
Norman, your sorry will be healed. You know that Benny is already with Christ, which our consolation.
thank you Robert
Praying for Norman and his family. Benny suffers no more.
thank you Gina