Portland Nursery – Dear Liza

A Fun, Delicious Birthday

Dear Liza,

I turned 66 on Saturday and had a fine time doing it. I woke up early and did my French lesson as usual, then Auntie Bridgett and I took the red wagon and walked to The Portland Nursery. I was looking for tomato plants, but was told that it was too early to put them in the ground and I should come back in April or early May.

Oh, well. Patience is a virtue. And we did find lots of potting soil, herb plants and other things we could use now.

Back home, I opened presents. Auntie Bridgett’s Momma Donna sent me a beautiful and useful bag for my gardening tools. I will be the gardening Queen!

Auntie Bridgett had found an adorable Amelia Opie painting called Therapy Cats at SideStreet Arts Gallery, and we got it hung on the wall. I felt like the richest woman in the world, but the day wasn’t over yet.

That evening, we headed down to La Moule for a delicious French dinner. Duck Confit, Tuna ceviche, absinthe, red wine from Bordeaux and a chocolate mousse absolutely topped off the day.

And after dinner, we walked a ways through the neighborhood to enjoy the magic of lights in darkness. I am now older, richer, and a little heavier. And very, very happy.

Love,

Grandma Judy

And the Planting Madness Begins…

Dear Liza,

On Monday, our weather is predicted to get above, and stay above, freezing. That means it’s time to start planting!

First, I watered the peat pots from Portland Nursery and planted zucchini, cucumber, pumpkin, and sunflower seeds. They are sitting in the sunniest window in the house and should be ready to transplant in a few weeks.

I went up to the Blair Community Garden and worked on the soil a bit, breaking up the clumps. This will be an ongoing project as the soil dries out enough to crumble.

Then, using what I learned last summer, I laid out the hardscaping for my vegetable garden. Tomatoes, pumpkin and squash will be on the side that gets the most sun, and the lettuces, radishes and carrots will be in the partly shady bit.

Pumpkins and zucchini will be planted by the ladder for support off the ground, and the cucumbers can use the slanted trellis. Tomatoes will have five cages to climb up.

The next day, I did my ’service’ hours, weeding, then laying burlap and bark mulch down on the pathways. This keeps them from getting muddy and makes everything look fresh.

This is going to be a busy summer… once it starts.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Back to the Nursery

Dear Liza,

Auntie Bridgett and I had a busy day on Friday, heading back to the Portland Nursery for more spring things. In just three short weeks, the place has gone from winter to spring! Bedding plants are out, with signs that say “Protect from frost”, because we can have frost as late as April. All sorts of plants are on display, enjoying the sunshine.

And it wasn’t just for my garden plot! Bridgett has become obsessed with houseplants. Her latest Art-O-Rama zine is all about them, and she is letting her own green thumb blossom. To see this zine and all her others, you can go to b.spicer.art@gmail.com. She got a potted coffee plant and twenty pounds of potting soil. We spent quite a bit of time looking at pots and indoor plants.

From Bridgett Spicer’s latest Art-O-Rama zine

We also got the last seeds and plants we will need for the allotment. Nasturtiums and marigolds will make the garden pretty and keep the bad bugs away and the bees happy. A “Thumbelina” English lavender will smell nice and stay small. Tomatoes and basil will be yummy, come July.

And, with my birthday coming up, I got presents! This process was emotional, choosing three trees to plant in my Hundred Acre Wood bonsai forest. The fires last summer put so much smoke in the air that the Wood lost its leaves and went into dormancy, only to ‘wake up’ mid-December, putting on new leaves that didn’t survive the winter. I have had this tiny forest since my first summer in Portland, and am sad that it has died away. But spring is all about renewal.

So Bridgett and I picked out a small bunchy cypress, and a wonky, leaning cotoneaster and an upright latch to re-forest my forest. This was my project for Saturday, gardening that is a little easier on the back.

Spring was always my Momma’s favorite time of year. New beginnings, helping the earth wake up and come to life after the cold winter is healing for all of us. I think I will get out Francis Hodgeson Burnett’s “The Secret Garden” for my reading this week.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Blooming Lovely

Dear Liza,

Our spring is certainly springing along nicely. A lot of rain and a little sun, and our neighborhood trees are popping with blooms!

On Thursday, Grandpa Nelson and I walked down to Zach’s Shack for hot dogs and French fries for lunch, and then the two miles to Division Do It Best Hardware Store to fetch the new garden wagon we bought. It is red and strong and handsome, rolls well, folds up to store easily, and can carry up to 150 pounds. I have named it Dickon, after my favorite character in “The Secret Garden”.

We had a bit of rain last evening, and the showers will continue this weekend. But Monday, when it clears up, I will head over to Portland Nursery with Dickon the Wagon and fetch some stepping stones to use in our garden plot.

Then I will head to our plot, lay in the stones, and plant some radishes and lettuce. They like the soil a little damp and the air a little cool, so this is the right time for them. Of course, I will save some seeds for later, just in case of weather-related disaster.

I hope there are lots of flowers blooming where you are.

Love,
Grandma Judy

Hoofin’ it to the Nursery

Dear Liza,

You knew that it was only a matter of time before we headed to the Portland Nursery, right? With Spring only a month away and a spot in the community garden waiting for us, Auntie Bridgett and I headed off to see what we could see.

A little bit of snow doesn’t stop The Portland Nursery!

It is still cold here… it was jacket and gloves weather as we walked the mile and a half to Portland Nursery on Stark. Patches of snow still shivered, bunched up under trees and beside stairways, and even in the nursery itself!

Portland Nursery has had a year to get Covid protocols in place, and have done a fine job. One way traffic lanes, arrows on the ground, and limited people inside the buildings help keep everyone safe while letting us gear up for garden season.

Of course, most of the nursery shelves are empty at this time of year, but everyone was finding what they wanted. These folks choosing a quince bush were happy to tell me about their spring expectations. “It is grafted!” They said. “It has red, pink and white blossoms on each branch!” I am excited for them!

We hunted up seeds for our garden plot, trying to find small species so we can have more variety. Little Finger carrots, Black Beauty zucchini, Salad Bowl lettuce, tiny Parisian Gherkin cucumbers, Cherry Belle radishes, and Sugar Pie pumpkin seeds all came home in my sack! We didn’t buy tomatoes or sunflowers yet…. I want to do more research and find the best growers for our damp city.

On our way home, the wind was picking up, bringing us rain for the coming week. We saw a crow up in her last-year’s nest, plucking out leaves and getting it just right for spring.

See? I’m not the only one who is anxious for winter to be over!

Love,

Grandma Judy