Hopalong Hollow....

Hopalong Hollow, where the Blueberries grow sweet, and the moss feels soft beneath your feet.

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Fancy planting a small garden bed for Easter?

Easter Greetings from the Hollow! I have been very busy these last 2 weeks, and so have a few others:
The lovely Mathilda has been trying to become a mommy for 7 years, according to her former mistress; but to no avail. Alas, sitting on unfertilized goose eggs will not produce goslings. Since she moved into the Hollow, we had hoped that the GANDERS would help out a bit... but they are confirmed bachelors and have no amorous inclinations towards her. Nevertheless, she built a nest and proceeded to SIT on 3 plastic balls she found in the yard a red ball, a blue ball and a yellow ball...poor dear. I removed the balls and replaced with fertile duck eggs. In about 3 more weeks, we expect dear Tilly will become the mommy she has always wanted to be.
The winter weather has at long last relented and Peggy and I have been cleaning the messed up gardens... Peggy only picks up the weed seeds and the grubs; I do all the hard work.
I am doing a series of Garden Videos for beginner gardeners and those interested in cottage gardening.  I  have SO many garden beds, I decided that filming each one will encourage me to tidy and renew  each bed and perhaps I can impart what little I know of gardening through my own trial and error. I had bit of a cold and kept sniffing throughout the entire video, please excuse me for that.
Perhaps you may wish to plant a new  garden bed for Easter, or resurrect a less than perfect garden, as I have done in this video. Have fun and get your hands dirty! Much Joy to you all.

27 comments:

  1. Oh Jeri, it looks so beautiful at the Hollow. Tilly looks especially happy. What a beauty. Love you garden video. At 20 yrs. gardening, I think you are pretty close to a pro. I think one of the most important lessons you gave for new and old gardeners a reminder, that mass plantings of the same type of flowers do look much better than a hodge podge of different flowers. I have to remind myself over and over. Shasta daisies are the best since they come back every year. My chickens would be taking dust baths, even with a fence. Great job.

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  2. I always enjoy your videos Jeri.... This one was especially enjoyable.. It took me years to control myself when buying flowers... I knew I should buy one type for mass plantings, but sometimes I just could not help myself.. Me in the garden shop is like a kid in a candy store... I want them all.
    Tilly will make a wonderful mum.. She looks so beautiful.. I love it here in the Hollow.
    Your voice is so calming (even with your cold)
    Happy Easter,
    fondly,
    Penny

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  3. JERI LANDERS! Your voice is so soothing and has a crisp, beautiful tone to it. How I'd love to hear you do a video as a reading from one of your books! I'd listen to it on my porch on a summer night, under the moon.

    TILLY IS DESPERATE, the lovely lady she is! Sitting on balls! HAHAHHA I love animal antics. I wish her much happiness as she sits and waits to see the eggs hatch! So good to see you here and with our dear Penny. Much love dear friend and artist of life! Anita

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  4. Jeri, what you did for Mathilda really touched me. Poor thing....to be so desperate as to sit on colored balls! I look forward to your video of the ducklings following their goose mother. :-) As for the gardening video--it is really stirring MY need to nurture my garden. We've had night-time freezing temperatures so I've put off working in my gardens other than to remove the winter debris. We had a warm spell that brought all my perennials shooting up through the dirt, but there are a few I'm still waiting to see if they made it through our winter--just like your dead-looking plants. I have ajuga that just showed up in our yard years ago. I dug it out of our lawn and started a whole new garden on a hill with it. The same with the ox-eye daisies. They come up in the cracks in the walkway even. In fact, the gravel walkway is where I usually mine my new plantings--lambs ear, columbine, evening primrose, ferns, lavender....all these self seed. It's wonderful! I loved your video and look forward to the next one.

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  5. You are a wonderful person helping Tilly be a mother. I'm going to cry when I see her ducklings. Thank you for the video

    I realize as I look at your banner, I feel my childhood Easter returning with smiles.

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  6. Jeri I very much enjoyed your gardening video. You are so wonderfully articulate and have a great voice . The video kept my interest all the way through . Great tips and great job making an informative video !

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  7. Oh Jeri - what a wonderful gardening video. It was really almost as good as being right there with you. I love to garden as well and this was so inspiring. Great tips on thinking about how to place plants etc. due to size and texture. Can't wait to see more of your gardening endeavors. Thanks so much for sharing. Have a wonderful Easter.

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  8. Oh what a sweetheart you are! Making sure that Mathilda will finally become a Mother! How very, very sweet.

    I look forward to lots of photos of her and "her" darling brood. :-)

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  9. I loved the video too! And Tilly's beautiful photo-my, I can see that mother love look in that eye....I had 2 Toulouse geese that wanted to be mommies so badly! They would even sit on potatoes!
    Your voice is beautiful, and I know you are too, so make sure you show your pretty self next time!
    The gardening advice was great. Wish we could dig together-I've got lots to do!!!
    Have a lovely Easter.
    ~Debra

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  10. Dear Jeri,
    Thank you from the bottom of my heart. You are so generous with your words.
    I am waiting with excitement to view what you have been doing with your needle felting.. I know you well enough to know it will be truly amazing..
    Bless you dear friend,
    fondly,
    Penny

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  11. teeehee....SILLY TILLY! Laying on balls....I hope you hatch some lovely adopted babies sweet Tilly, and you give Mr. Hamish a big goose hug for me! Thank you Jeri for coming on by! I will be posting once a month just for a while, but it sure is great to visit you when you post something new. HAVE A SUPER FUN EASTER WEEKEND! Anita

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  12. What a lovely thing to do for Mathilda, Jeri! And she really looks so pretty and is bound to be a good mother! Have a lovely Easter. Lesley x

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  13. Greetings Dear Jeri!
    It was wonderful to see your message at my post as I slowly get back to the blog world I love so much...thank you! I hope you are having a beautiful and peaceful Easter...

    Oh dear, Mathilda's story made me so sad, but you are a dear for giving her some eggs she can love. (well, love the little ones later) :)
    She is so gorgeous.

    And Tilly, your sweet helper...
    I love your videos, (you have a beautiful voice), and I am learning from you...
    Although I only have a balcony, it does have Southern exposure. I would love to get creative with some container gardening.

    Be well, and I send love and blessings to you and all of the darlings in the Hollow!
    xoxo,
    - Irina

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  14. April 20, 2014

    I wanted to thank you for your words of; "...you are funny and likeable and have an inquiring mind." But could not find an email addy anywhere. You show up as a no-reply-blogger also. So, I am saying thank you, in a comment on your blog. :-)

    Your words make me so happy! To come across as funny, likeable, and with an inquiring mind, on my blog...... Very happy! Thank you.

    Tessa~

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  15. Oh Jeri! You are the kindest mother to Mathilda! I can hardly wait to meet her new little family in a few weeks. I shared your story with my family and friends and they were all touched by your sweet, steady devotion to your animals.

    I really enjoyed your first garden video and you've spurred me on to get started with a new small bed. As I look outside this minute there are many blue and white wild violets blooming. I'll have to hurry and dig them up before the yardman (aka my husband) mows them down.

    I so enjoy your blog. It warms my heart every time there is a new entry.

    Thanks much.

    Diane in North Carolina

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  16. Jeri, your video was very well done. I always love to hear the voice of a person I've been reading. What a soothing voice you have. I am an avid gardener and love to see what other gardeners do with their beds. Yours are going to be just lovely with the combinations of colors you have chosen. ♥

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  17. Dear friends, I thank you for your comments. It is especially nice to know you took the time to watch an 11 minute video ( that's a long video, I know!). I usually cringe when I hear my recorded voice, so it is surprising to hear your opinion on that matter... Mathilda is diligently sitting on her little duck eggs, I am surprised that her huge weight does not crush the small eggs, but I check them each day and they are warm to the touch with nary a crack.

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  18. Beautiful post ,really enjoyed the video . Thank you Jeri.

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  19. YOU ARE THE BEST! Oh my gosh am I so excited for Tilly!!!!! That was such a wonderful thing to do Jeri!
    I enjoyed watching the video. I still think I stink at gardening though. I'm better at making wool flowers. ;)

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  20. Sweet Jeri, thank you for coming to visit a few days ago. I am always so happy when you come by, knowing you are so busy. Give my big HELLO to Hamish and his friends!

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  21. Oh, that pulled at my heartstrings, poor Mathilda. I do hope she will be a mummy soon. x

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  22. I'm sure Matilda will be a wonderful mom! What a nice gesture. Loved the garden video - you motivate me to get out there and clean it up!

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  23. Message for Dimity Doormouse
    Watch out! There is a bear in the woods
    love,
    Bebe

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  24. Mamsey bear! Thank you for wandering out of the woods to meet Bernard.
    Jeri, thank you so much! Yes, the claws were made individually, and it was a pile of work indeed! Thank you so much for your encouraging words... I thought you would appreciate him..
    love ya!
    Penny

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  25. I think that the picture of Mathilda could or should be a painting so tender and pretty.And Peggy is quite the looker herself!
    Blessings, Linnie

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