It's the day that every gardener in Rowan County has been waiting for—it's Spring Plant Sale Day! I have been not-so-patiently waiting for this day to come so I can trudge through (possibly wet) pathways, peer over plants, and make that tough decision—should I buy this? Oh, wait, as if it's ever really a 'tough' decision. 

Of course, I will want to buy all of the plants. This is why I do not go to garden centers (or plant sales) alone. I need my husband to not only help me choose plants, but to rein me in. I know myself. I'll just pick up plants and say, 'I'll find a place for them.' I already know my husband is asking, 'Where are you going to put that?' Marriage telepathy... true story.

So what if I have plants that I bought a full week ago from a local variety produce shop that are still sitting prettily in their little trays. I will plant them. Truly, I will. I just haven't decided where I want them yet. Maybe I want to put them in pretty hanging baskets that my husband bought me last summer, and promptly lost the newly purchased brackets (so we've never actually used said hanging baskets). At any rate, they'll get planted.

Back to the plant sale. This spring, I'm looking for more plants for our shade garden. It's mostly green, and I would love to add some pops of color. I'm thinking about adding trillium, astilbe, and a few others. We planted lots of bare-root ferns this spring, and a few of them are popping up here and there. I also planted goat's beard, and cannot wait to see if it comes up this year.

My raised beds are pretty full at the moment. We have romaine and broccoli taking up one full bed. Our other bed has dahlia (first time growing it), ranunculus (and it's coming up, but I really waited too long to plant the corms, and they might not flower), bachelor button, and snapdragon... plus, a few marigolds for good measure. I have one empty raised bed, waiting to be filled with compost. This will be our veggie bed, with tomatoes, squash, and cucumber.  My goal is to add a fourth raised bed this summer to complete our raised bed garden. I want to add a cedar obelisk to the center, and arches on each inside corner of the raised beds. Eventually, I would love to put stones or pavers between the beds for a pathway. Fairy lights? You know it! One day, this area will be a magical spot.

I'll still be looking for plants for pollinators. My husband and I have tried so hard to look for and plant things that pollinators love. I'll particularly be looking for salvia (even though I do have some that I need to pot up), and more bee balm. I planted yarrow a while ago, and can't wait to see it crawling with pollinators. My coneflower and black eyed Susans will be blooming within the next month or so (they're off to a great start this season). I have been so pleased to see my milkweed coming back, too. The butterflies love it. I'm crossing my fingers for some monarchs this year.

I'll keep you posted on what we wind up purchasing at the plant sale. I can't wait to show you!

What are you up to this weekend?