| Posted on Friday, August 29, 2003 - 03:42 pm: |   |
Woke up to dark skies and the thunder started a short time later. Lots of rain. It stopped by noon and the sun came out. Had to rake the acorns off the lawn as they were getting caught in the drainage swale. Lots still blooming. The garden is still pretty. Started yesterday bring in slips for rooting. |
| Posted on Saturday, August 30, 2003 - 07:03 pm: | |
Went down to 48 last night and not that warm today - about 65 but sunny. Spent the day with DH's sister & her family at their cottage and had a nice walk on the beach. |
| Posted on Sunday, August 31, 2003 - 04:49 pm: | |
Spent the day puttering in the garden and making decisions on what to move and what to thin in the next week. Replanted the urn out front with some pretty mums. The pansies were looking pretty tough. I can't believe that Mrs N Thompson clematis is still blooming. So it Polish Spirit and Sunset. Very nice. The pots are beginning to look a little bedraggled so they will have to be trimmed up. Brought in more slips for overwintering and the spider plant as it's quite sensitive to our cool nights now. The carpathian bells are putting forth another flush of bloom by the arbor. My climbing rose is in bloom again with about 40-50 buds. Must pick another batch of rhubarb and freeze. Both the miniature rose bushes are back in bloom. Must dig up the calla lily and dry it before storing for winter. Have to move lupine and poppy to make room for hibiscus shrub. In the house I'm starting to strip rooms to re-claim after ignoring them all summer - can't be in two places at once. Got the guest room striped and will start cleaning tomorrow. |
| Posted on Monday, September 01, 2003 - 09:39 pm: | |
Last night we had company in for dinner and the neighbours from across the street dropped in. Nice evening just visiting with friends and chatting. Late to bed and had good intentions to get a good days work done today but we all know where good intention lead. Slept in til 10am. Skies are overcast and it was cool all day and damp although we got no rain. My dahlia that the groundhog ate the buds from is pushing out a ton of new buds. I don't expect to see any as he is still around so I'll lose these also.
Todays garden tour brought an unexpected treat. The peony poppy pods had opened and were ready to harvest. I sprinkled two pods around and through the rockery. I hope they grow! No rain forecast for this week so I'll be spending lots of time moving, spliting and relocating plants. Got a great deal today - all the hosta I can use for next spring on the stairs gardens. Mustn't forget that so wrote it as first entry in next seasons journal. Also got my split rail fences for free but must go and pick them up tomorrow. I have a plan for their use but that will have to wait for next year I think. We spent the day with some friends playing dominoes and had a great time. Had an ALBERTA BEEF bbq and the burgers were so good. Late home tonight after another game of dominos. So there is my day gone to hades in a handcart. No gardening or cleaning done. The girls were all busy this weekend and I must say it was nice to have a long holiday weekend to ourselves. |
| Posted on Wednesday, September 03, 2003 - 09:48 am: | |
Did nothing in the garden yesterday except water everything including the lawns. The sprinkler was going all day. We've got tons of clouds today but no rain and probably won't get any. It's all around us but none for us and we really do need a good rain. Everything is so dry. Got 2 rooms housecleaned. Productive days but oh my aching body. |
| Posted on Wednesday, September 03, 2003 - 07:00 pm: | |
I took a walk around the garden tonight after dinner and noticed that all the nicotina plants in the garden are blooming their silly heads off. I think I may do a little transplanting tomorrow - out of the garden and into the patio pots. The nicotina in the patio pots got eaten by potato bugs and they look dreadful. Perhaps I'll get another week or two out of them before the frost comes. We got the rain - not much but it is drizzling. Now if that will only last for a few hours - say 12 or so.............. |
| Posted on Thursday, September 04, 2003 - 05:00 pm: | |
Cinderella, Cinderella...... I hate housework!!!!
Well I got my wish as it has rained all day and not a minute before we needed it. Everything was so dry. DH and I did a tour around the gardens just before dinner and we both feel that the gardens are almost finished for another year. Everything is so....dull. I really dislike the fall season as it precedes winter. My garden really needs some work now for fall blooming varieties. |
| Posted on Friday, September 05, 2003 - 08:33 pm: | |
Haven't done anything in the garden all week except look and deadhead. Aching too much. It's a good thing I've got all my slips inside already as the expected low tonight is going to be 40. Some of the maple trees on the street are showing slight color changes. |
| Posted on Wednesday, September 10, 2003 - 09:40 pm: | |
Took a little tour around the garden today with Gwenn and much to my delight found my climbing rose in bloom. This is the second flush of bloom and this flush is heavier scented than the first. It is gorgeous to bury your nose into! Everything is beginning to look tatty here so must spend some time and tidy things up. Not tomorrow - off to visit with DD and take DGS to foot specialist for his orthotics. So busy day tomorrow with family and won't get into the garden but Friday is looking good to spend with my flora friends. |
| Posted on Saturday, September 13, 2003 - 07:05 pm: | |
I can't believe how hot it is for Sept 13 and very humid today. Not a breath of air anywhere. With these conditions I didn't do much in the garden today - moved the nicotina from the gardens into the pots and at least the pots look better. I noticed that the fall asters are covered in buds so still some color to come. We are watering like crazy to get everything saturated for their long winter sleep. We are being promised rain tomorrow til Tues. but I dont' think so and if it does then it won't be much. Everything is so crunchy. |
| Posted on Sunday, September 14, 2003 - 06:32 pm: | |
Today was spent moving and planting last minute things I've been nursing along for the summer. Clematis Blue Boy, hibiscus syracuse, maiden grass, japanese silver grass and just puttering. It was too hot to do much more - 90 today and 80% humidity. We had rain - about a teaspoon full and that was all. It's still hot outside and no sign of rain so we have the water going again today full tilt. When I was planting the ground is dry down as far as you care to dig. I was down more than a foot and it's bone dry. Our back lawns are just crunchy brown short straw. The only thing green is the weeds. Even though I've been watering the mums in the front ern I think they are done as they are all dried up and there is only a few new buds. Second flush of climbing roses and the rosarie de L'Hay are blooming. |
| Posted on Thursday, September 18, 2003 - 08:12 pm: | |
Awake early today and what a beautiful day. Sunny and warm. We were warned about hurricane Isobel coming tomorrow and to put away everything that can blow away so I spent the morning puttering and getting everything put away. All the patio furniture is safely away. The birdbaths too - one away and one layed down. Pots are not against the garage as it is quite protected. The tomatoes are in the garage. The hanging pots are in the garage too. I'm ready. With high winds coming I thought I might as well cut my beautiful roses before they get destroyed and they look lovely on my kitchen table. I just hope some of the buds open eventually. I took some to my friend too and she loved them also. So we are ready for whatever Mother Nature is going to throw at us. |
| Posted on Friday, September 19, 2003 - 09:52 am: | |
Just a rainy day here with a few little gusts of wind. A lot of media hype over nothing here. On the bright side - Mrs N Thompson clematis is in bloom again. I can't believe this little clematis. Amazing as she has been in bloom since I received her in May for Mother's Day. That is 4.5 months in bloom and if the frost does not come too early or to harshly she will be in bloom for 5 months. Absolutely amazing. |
| Posted on Tuesday, September 23, 2003 - 03:55 pm: | |
This is the time of year when I start to get sad - fall is definitely here. The leaves are starting to turn color, the temp's are much cooler and it just feels and smells like fall. Today there are blue gray clouds in the sky - warnings of what is to come. We have had a lot of rain yesterday and more today but the gardens are loving it and needed it badly. The ground was very dry. There is not much to do but put everything to bed. I can't split and divide my plants because I have no where to put them so I must do all that in the spring. I have to get ready to make the new beds down the sides of the stairs and then work on the bed at the back of the house. I am also hoping to increase the perennial bed on the lower level. Lots of ideas requiring loads and loads of topsoil and compost. Our only nursery will close at Thanksgiving and the small plant outlet at Home Hardware is now closed. Even Walmart hasn't had outdoor plants since mid-August. Living up here in the "sticks" does have its drawbacks. On the bright side - my climbing rose is still blooming and sunset clematis has 3 new buds and 2 flowers already open. It has topped out at almost 8' this year. I am very pleased. The new grasses appear to have settled in well. Tomorrow I will dig up the calla lily and put in the garage to dry before bringing it in to overwinter. The amarillis is already drying in there now. I have a few tulips to plant and must get the bulb blaster on the existing ones. I have yet to cut down the dead stuff but hopefully this weekend I will get some time. |
| Posted on Thursday, September 25, 2003 - 08:44 pm: | |
It's been raining for days now and the forecast for the next 8 days is rain. Tonight our first frost is forecast so today I was outside picking the last of the tomatoes that were showing even a blush of color and cutting the last roses on my climbing rose. Tomorrow I will dig up the calla lily and mound up the roses and clematis. Other than that - not much new here. |
