Novice gardener in NC

Flowers make my soul happy. I can feel the happy endorphins in my brain being released when I see and smell a beautiful fresh flower. There is nothing else quite like it. I have dreams of growing my own garden despite the fact that I do not have a history of having a very green thumb (I may have killed a cactus my husband gave me). Still, I long for it. We are fairly new homeowners (1 year in), and my modest yard is like a blank canvas to me in desperate need of some color and life. I decided some time ago that I wanted peonies and a lilac bush. I am hoping to grow beautiful fresh peonies that I can cut and bring into my home to enjoy. As for the lilac bush, it is sort of a family tradition memorial to my late mother. No pressure keeping that alive, right?! Several weekends ago the family and I went to Homewood nursery in Raleigh. We had such a great time there! It was a warm rainy spring day and the atmosphere was so peaceful and green. My husband walked around with our son under an umbrella touching different plants and just enjoying nature while I picked out 2 peonies and a lilac bush. The staff was very helpful, and plentiful. There were quite a few people shopping despite the weather. I can only imagine what it’s like on a sunny day. I picked out the following:

A staff member recommended planting that day if there was a break in the rain while the ground was soft. While this seems like logical advice, I probably wouldn’t have thought of it on my own. From this day forward I will only dig on rainy days! It was still hard work, but the ground was much softer. The 2 peonies ended up on the North side of the house, however I misjudged how may plants would fit in that space and now I need a third one. The lilac bush ended up in the front yard. I just picked a spot and planted it there. It will stand alone and be a focal point of the front yard since there are no other bushes or trees in the front yard. Wish me luck in my gardening adventures! I would love to hear your stories as well and I am always open to some friendly advice on the subject. 

http://www.homewoodnursery.com/home.htm

Update: My third plant ended up being a beautiful blue hydrangea from the local NC state farmers market ($15!). I also purchased vegetable plants from the farmers market to start my garden. Tomatoes, peppers, cucumber, and I’m trying lettuce for the first time.

http://www.ncagr.gov/markets/facilities/markets/raleigh/

My lovely husband built me a raised garden box and this is the first season I get to use it. It is made from recycled pallets. It is approximately 4ft by 6ft. 

Future plans include jazzing up our mailbox, creating an edging along the front walk way, and planting some bug/mosquito repellent plants in the back yard along the screened in porch. Big plans! Probably over the next year or two. Stay tuned!