| Stormdancer Posted on Monday, April 28, 2008 - 12:17 pm: |   |
I just read in the Annuals forum that you are holding out for White Four o'clocks...I'll look and see if I still have the seeds I collected several years ago... they may still be viable. Ours self hybridized...had stripes solids and splashes on same plant...bright reds and yellows...pinks and whites...the candy cane stripe was one I hoped would take, but didn't. Anyway, I'll see if I still have them... |
That was another part of why I was writing one, but... *sigh* I need a change and I guess this is just the first step.
LOL! Sure, so now you're giving them away after you've told everyone how they plan to take over the world... LOL! We are onto you. LOL!!  Actually, that's a good skill for them to have, or else they probably wouldn't make it around here. HAHA!! |
| Stormdancer Posted on Tuesday, April 29, 2008 - 11:57 am: | |
DARN!! You found me out!!!LOL... haven't had a chance to look yet, still trying to find things I haven't needed since we moved...must not really need them then huh?...they can be tough because they develop a large tuber type root that will continue to send sprouts even if you cut the main plant... we had one I ended up digging out that had a tuber bigger than my head...looked kinda like a gigantic Sweet Potato... But I love them and have only the hot pink color at the moment...until I can find the white seeds. Butterflys and Hummingbirds love them too. BTW, the cuttings from these will also sprout and fyi, when they go into shock from transplanting they usually look pretty crappy for just over a week then they seem to snap back to normal. Against a wall or fence, they will grow to six feet around here...usually have them in bloom until we get colder weather in January. |
Wow! CREEPY!! Haha! I hope I never have to dig any up. My Dad pulled up a dandelion root once when I was about five years old. It was evil, did a 90 degree angle. I was so freaked out that I did a little involuntary dance. Roots have made me shudder ever since. HAHAHA!!
That's amazing. They certainly don't say anything about that in the catalogs. Haha! I wonder what they would do here? Probably six inches. LOL!! |
| Stormdancer Posted on Tuesday, April 29, 2008 - 01:25 pm: | |
I dug that one out because it grew to over five feet and never put one bud anywhere.
Seems the "average" height of most of mine is around two feet. They grow fairly wild around our area, probably because of the climate. My mom lived in IN and hers grew around the two feet mark. I think it has much to do with the longer growing seasons we have down here. Love the "old bone" look they have once they die off..bout flipped the first year I saw the "bones" in the bed. LOL |
Huh, I wonder what the story was with that one?
That sounds funny. Haha! Sounds better than the "head" you dug up, anyway. LOL! |
| Stormdancer Posted on Wednesday, April 30, 2008 - 01:55 pm: | |
LOL...it was, I'm sure the look on my face was "rich"...I couldn't figure out what had "died" in my flower bed...lol...DH laughingly pointed out that it was the dried four o'clocks...the "bones" look like long leg bones to me, complete with the "joints"...lol |
Huh. Today I stumbled across an article discussing pesticides used on lettuce, corn, and cruciferous vegetables. Apparently Oxydemeton-methyl is one of the pesticides used and can cause cancer, but what struck me as most interesting is that the article describes the various pesticides in general as causing abdominal cramps and neurobehavioral disorders, among other things. It is interesting to me not only because of the reaction that I have when I eat broccoli, but also because I developed my annoying memory problems during the same time frame that I developed a reaction to broccoli. Hmmm. |
Ok, I give, what is a "farm tulip"? (one that was there when you bought the place??!)
That is too funny-- I think like that all of the time!
oh, I am jealous! I love hollyhocks...do you dig yours up each year?
Please do stop back here to post!! You inspired me to start my journal! Speaking of which, I really need to head over there & catch up to myself! lol  |
They are the tulips that I planted to sell in bouquets. The deer and probably the woodchuck ate them down to the ground over and over, no matter what I tried. I dug them up to transplant once, but they drowned before I could get them out of their temporary holding container and into the ground. Some survived, but I don't remember where I moved them to. LOL! I apparently didn't dig up all of them, so the lone "farm tulip" is growing in the grass that I allowed to take over. It has four friends without blossoms. LOL!
Nope, I leave them in the ground and they come back.
It is inspiring to read everyone's journals, isn't it? I get a kick out of how we all seem to have similar experiences. There are lots of great tips and it's just fun to get new ideas and see how other people live. Sometimes I think maybe I should just keep posting my journal... maybe skip the formatting to save time. I don't know. I do know that it's good to see you around again!! |
Well, for the sake of continuity, I'll try running my journal through May 7th, my GB anniversary. Afterwards, who knows. LOL!
April 25, 2008 (Friday)
(continued from before)
I thought that I was supposed to plant lettuce today, but I'm actually not supposed to until May 23. That way it will be ready when the tomatoes are. I should plant some lettuce for personal use soon, though. I can't stand to buy store bought lettuce because it's always reported in the news as making people sick. That and spinach. Which reminds me, I've been forgetting to water the spinach seeds. I hope they didn't die out there.
April 26, 2008 (Saturday)
It is 48 degrees this morning (6:30 AM).
Some of my tomato plants were wilted when I checked the plant room before bedtime last night. I hope they turn out okay. I should probably go back to checking the plant room twice a day. It gets pretty warm in there for some reason... maybe because of the plant lights being on, the weather being warm, and the attic still being closed because of not having window screens on the house.
I did a little weeding in the seed beds and along the coop path yesterday evening. Roo climbed his fence again while I was at it. I really need to come up with a permanent solution. It's going to be chilly for a few days and nights, so I think I will spend that time thinking about a solution and then implement it when the warm weather returns.
I'm pretty sure I saw a 'Wando' Pea shoot yesterday when I watered the veggie beds. That's exciting.
I almost forgot to mention that a bug bit me on my forehead while I was weeding yesterday. It left a huge welt and I had to put Ivarest on it to make it stop itching so much.
I sowed Mesclun in the hummingbird salad patch of the veggie bed. I can't find the Mesclun that was actually pollinated by the hummingbird, though, which is odd since I've been seeing its packet all season long as I've gone through the seed bags in the crisper. I sowed both baggies of self-collected 'Kniola's Purple' Morning Glories along the east wall of the new yard. With any luck, they will be coming up there all on their own for years to come.
It is a dark, cold, and dreary day. Roo is staying inside today and I think I will move the truck into the garage soon.
The peach tree and pear tree have flowers. The pear is mostly flower buds, though, but it is on its way. I hope the cold night temps this week don't ruin my chance of getting fruit from them. I disentangled and removed the deer net from the peach tree. Now I need a system of keeping the chipmunks away from it. I have considered building a dog pen around that area. I'll have to think about that some more.
I moved the truck into the garage, then I mowed the north field. It looks so pretty. Not perfect, but so much better than when it's not mowed. It felt like it took about 45 minutes, so I figured that meant it took more like two hours. Right on the nose! That included the time it took for me and my husband to get the harrow off and the finish mower on. I would have done it all by myself, but the harrow's top hitch just would not budge. That was annoying, but it sure feels good to be done with the mowing of the hayfield. I even saw a firefly in the field. That's the second one of the season. The first one was the day we had the picnic among the daffodils in the lawn.
I don't know if I noticed yesterday or today that the Oriental Lilies are coming up in the square plot. They are a lot taller than the Stargazers are right now. I can't believe that either one of them is going to enjoy the cold weather coming up.
Everyone went off to Subway to get some sandwiches for lunch. Just enough time for me to finish my shower, update my journal, and browse GB.
April 27, 2008 (Sunday)
It is 50 degrees and grey this morning (7 AM). The Kingsblood Tulips are becoming more and more red. They and the Muscari really stand out in the front flower beds. I'd like to put some daffodils in those beds. Maybe when I divide the daffodils this fall, I can spread some around in there.
It's raining (8 AM). HOORAY!!!
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It's 10:15 AM and it hasn't rained very much. That's not good! We should get a lot tomorrow and tomorrow night, though.
I picked up a copy of Country Gardens magazine at the grocery store because it had some fences in it. I am always on the lookout for fences that would look good with the house, fields, gardens, chicken coop, or whatever. Thought I'd try some fence searches today, too...
Google Image Search
* +fence +rustic
* +fence +cottage
* +fence +"cottage garden"
We took a walk to the hayfield, then down to the pond. The pond area already has PI coming up, so that was a very short walk.
April 28, 2008 (Monday)
It is grey, rainy, and 47 degrees this morning (6:51 AM). I awoke and came downstairs just in time to see a turkey in the front yard. It was good to see someone else appreciating the flower beds.
Google Image Search
* +"picket fence"
* +courtyard
* +"secret garden"
* +scrapbook
* +scrapbooking
On my way to the mailbox, I noticed that the hosta planted on the north side of the front porch is finally coming up. I thought maybe it was dead, but I guess that being in the shadow of the porch and under a pile of leaves has slowed its emergence down some. The ferns are coming up around the porch, as are two of the smaller hostas.
I potted up three or so Russian Sage, a bunch of Delphinium 'Galahad', a 'Purple Beauty' Pepper, and a Cup and Saucer Vine. The three older Cup and Saucer Vines look to be getting their first true leaves now. I have more Joe-Pye Weed sprouts, plus a couple of Lavender sprouts.
I am about 8 plants short of my intended quota for pepper plants. That is disappointing, but some of my eggplant seedlings look really nice, so that makes me feel a little better. I need to come up with something to fill in the gaps, though. I am considering not selling veggies to the public, unless someone just happens to appear and want something. I thought maybe I could try to sell watermelons and winter squash, and maybe some cantaloupe and summer squash, and compensate by selling fewer pumpkins. Maybe I could grow more corn among the pumpkins.
~~~~~~~~
I almost forgot to mention that I had a tick last night, courtesy of our trip to the pond. My husband had one, too.
I found a good link for future scrapbooking ideas:
http://www.scrapbook.com
|
April 29, 2008 (Tuesday)
I set the rain gauges out in the square plot at 4:30 PM yesterday. They read 1.2" of rain this morning. It is 58 degrees and the rain has stopped (7:20 AM). I let the chickens out and saw more pea shoots and lots of garlic sprouts.
Google Image Search
* +"shabby chic"
* +"cutting garden"
* +"cut flower garden"
* +"cutflower garden"
Hmm, I was just looking at some photos of a very nice, formal place in CT and saw a shot of their porch ceiling. White and shiny. I like that. I think I will go with just a plain white ceiling under our porch roofs. That will be much easier than painting them blue and trying to line up all of the lines between the ceilings and trimwork.
I ought to dig up some of my Rudbeckia from the front beds and move it to the gardens in front of the coop. That would give that area a head start on looking nice. I wonder if I have enough Purple Coneflower to bother transplanting some of it, too?
I need to remember to build my son's garden bed... soon!
What I Want
* a cutting garden
* a game garden for croquet, badminton, horseshoes, and just plain old running around in
* a romantic garden, like wisteria hanging from the eaves of the dog room, a bushy reblooming rose hedge leading up to the front door, some crepe paper petalled peonies (like the 'Tamafuyo' Japanese Tree Peony that I saw on GB today), and other pink and white blooming shrubbery, like maybe Weigela and weeping cherry trees, and maybe those peachy hollyhocks that I thought looked so cottagey, plus cascading ground covers
My Venusta seeds aren't doing anything, so I am ordering some bareroot Filipendula rubra from Breck's. I was tempted to buy from Gurney's because they are a lot cheaper there, but I know their reviews are horrible. Not like Breck's ships 100% good products, either, though. ........ Ooooh, aaaah, it occurred to me that I might have a coupon for Breck's and I did. Woohoo! So I ordered 3 Filipendula rubra, plus 2 red Barbarossa Dinner Plate Dahlias (to replace the ones my husband ditched the other time), 2 orange Mrs. Eileen Dinner Plate Dahlias, and 2 salmon-pink Sherbet Delight Dinner Plate Dahlias. I can't wait to see the Filipendula. I have waited for so long to have some.
~~~~~~~~
I dragged one of the spare bales of straw out of the back of the truck this evening and spread some of it over the Stargazer Lily shoots, some other Oriental Lily shoots, and one of the Dracunculus vulgaris that - shockingly - decided to come up from its transplant. I also used the straw on the veggie beds to cover up the pea shoots, garlic, cabbage family, and parsley plants. I don't know if any of them needed that, but I figured I'd rather not risk destruction from frost tonight, or the next couple of nights.
I gathered the rain gauges on the way in and they say we had another 0.4" to 0.5" of rain since I checked this morning. That's pretty good, especially since I didn't set them out yesterday before it actually started raining. I'd say we probably had 2" of rain overall.
April 30, 2008 (Wednesday)
It is 42 degrees this morning (6 AM). Two robins were hopping through the iris bed. The Kingsblood Tulips sure look pretty in there with the Muscari. It will be interesting to see if those tulips return next year. I was happy to see some of the non- pink and white Rembrandt Tulips budding yesterday. It gives me hope for the Kingsblood.
I forgot to mention yesterday morning that when I looked out the kitchen window, a robin was exploring the ground between the lilac and the Rose of Sharon. It spotted me and looked up right at my face. I stood there, unmoving. I didn't even blink. It went about its business, then looked up at me again. It did that another time before it finally went on its way. They are very soft-looking up close. Such sweet little eyes.
The Internet is slow to connect today. No big surprise since it was running so slowly yesterday because of the rain. ........ 2.4 kbps. What a joke.
My tomato seedlings were droopy again last night when I checked them before going to bed. Didn't I just water those?
Google Image Search
* +romantic +cottage +garden
* +ranunculus +"pink picotee"
* +ranunculus +cottage +garden
* +peony +cottage +garden
* +roses +cottage +garden
Ooooh, I must remember 'Pink Picotee' Ranunculus from Thompson and Morgan.
It's so nice to look outside and see red tulips, purpley-blue Muscari, and yellow daffodils... and iris fans, flowering Vinca, and dandelion blossoms.
I think this is about the third week in a row where the days seemed like some day other than what they really were. For instance, today seems like Thursday.
I should order some transparent heavy vegetable net so that I can build a trellis for the Dutchman's Pipe Vines. I thought that I could attach the top end to a rod or strip of narrow wood and mount it on hooks on the back side of the eaves, and do the same with the bottom end, except anchor it to the ground. That would keep the vines off the house and wouldn't be very obtrusive. I wonder how long the net would last in this climate?
~~~~~~~~
This is just too funny. So what do I find in the plant room today? A Filipendula rubra sprout! HAHAHA! Well, who knows, maybe it'll turn out to be a weed. Or maybe it will just die. Isn't that just the way that everything always goes? HAHAHA!!
We might get frost tonight, so I'm going to cover my plants before I tuck in the chickens. I had removed the straw this morning so that things wouldn't get too mashed and could have some fresh air. A few things were a little bent this morning, but not too bad.
May 1, 2008 (Thursday)
It is 40 degrees this morning (7 AM) and I see some frost lingering in the shadows.
It is interesting to note, if I haven't already, that the impostor daffodil down by the mailbox has turned all white. I'm pretty sure it started out white with a yellow cup.
I uncovered the veggie beds and flower beds and everything looked fine, even the two Oriental Lilies that I somehow forgot to cover last night. That's good news, considering that there is still some major frost in the shadows here at 8:30 AM.
The Kingsblood Tulips are actually opening now (noontime). They are very pretty. I hope that they last a long time once they are open.
Streamflow is back above normal now. That's a switch.
~~~~~~~~
I deadheaded something like 286 Carlton Daffodils in the lawn. Looking at the ones that were left and taking into account some that apparently don't want to bloom this year, I think only slightly over 4 out of 5 bulbs actually came up this year. I guess that's still not too bad considering how cheap they were.
After that, I weeded the hollyhock patch and cut the flower stalks off of the old rhubarb. I dumped the daff heads and rhubarb stalks on one of the north compost piles, then came in and changed the hummingbird lick 'em ups. It doesn't seem like anyone has been drinking, so I wonder if they are going to come this year.
I have decided that the creeping lavender flowers must be Moss Phlox (Phlox subulata). I would think that the pink ones are, too, since they look so similar and I bought them at the same time, but they aren't nearly as indented at the ends of the petals as the lavender ones are. At any rate, it's good to have finally solved that mystery.
I forgot to mention that I put the plants out earlier and a big bumble bee homed right in on the Heliotrope blossom and went to work on it. That was nice. I can't decide if I should let the blossom go to seed or trim it off when it is finished since it won't necessarily make seeds that turn into fragrant plants.
|
I didn't have luck w/ mine coming back...I might try them again
Neat! This year was the first year I was able to cut some for a bouquet. All of that planting bulbs in the rain last fall paid off :)
LOL
YES, YES, YES!
Yes, although I'd miss your neat, organized, fancy way of doing things in your journal, it would be nice to still be able to read your entries. They are so fun & enjoyable to read.
Aww, thanks. I am glad I was able to sneak in here for awhile. I am debating on just going with dial-up for now, just so I can have the internet at home :) TTYL |
LOL!
But then when would you have time to garden? Oh, yeah, while you're waiting to download pics. LOL! |
Well I figured that is how you got it all done!! lol
Have a great weekend :-) |
*snort* LOL! Just the other day I went off to do other things for 21 minutes while some cool pics downloaded. I wanted to send them to you in an email, but I figured it would take even longer to upload them. Here's a link to the one I really wanted to share. You'll have to scroll down a bit to see the pic.
http://www.moillusions.com/2008/01/horses-and-tables-illusion.html
LOL!!
Thank you. I hope you have a nice one, too.  |
May 2, 2008 (Friday)
We don't know what happened here last night. The dog room and breezeway doors were not completely closed when my husband went out to walk the dog this morning. My umbrella was also jammed in through the top of the dog's cage. While I might have not closed the doors all the way when I brought in the plants last night, I certainly didn't use my umbrella yesterday. Very strange. I can imagine the dog dragging the umbrella into his cage and chewing on it (that part he did), but I don't know how he would have gotten the umbrella in the first place. I don't remember where I left it the last time I used it, but I'm almost positive that it wouldn't have been left anywhere such that he could have dragged it in through the top of his cage. This is all in addition to two other strange incidents: the car that showed up in our driveway two days ago and turned around and left without stopping, and the pair of gloves that I found at the bottom of the driveway yesterday morning. My husband told me he saw them, too, and thought they were mine. They're not.
Remains of the Day
~~~~~~~~
I finally looked up when the daff foliage dies back. Last year, my son's daff patch was still going strong two months after the blooms had gone. I read in a description of 'Ice Follies' Daffodils that the foliage should be left alone for 6 weeks after blooming. Six weeks from now would be June 13. I wonder what the triangle lawn will look like by then?
Hmph! Continuing to read the 'Ice Follies' description, I am wondering if the impostor daffodil down by the mailbox is an 'Ice Follies' Daffodil because it started with a yellow cup which turned white. That would be funny since I am considering buying some 'Ice Follies' to add to the lawn this fall. ........ Fascinating. The description says 'Ice Follies' face south. Do all daffs do that? That would explain why my Carltons do that.
~~~~~~~~
I ordered some bulbs for this fall: 'City of Haarlem' Hyacinth (5), 'Gypsy Queen' Hyacinth (5), 'Carnegie' Hyacinth (5), and 'Ice Follies' Daffodil (100). The daffodils are for the lawn and the hyacinths are for making a patch either in the front beds or by the sidewalk. I will transplant some of my sons daffs, spreading them out among the front beds to homogenize the view, and spread out the Carltons by the cistern and north rock wall, and spread out the daffodils by the garage. That should be more than enough work for the fall. The bulbs should ship between 9/8 and 9/22, so my son will be in school and I can get it all done rather quickly.
~~~~~~~~
I sowed the first plot of carrot seeds. I FORGOT TO MOUND THE ROWS! Ugh! I also sowed the chard patch and one row each of 'Burgundy' Gaillardia and Baby's Breath 'Snowflake'. I accidentally switched those last two around, so the Gaillardia is among the cabbage family and the Baby's Breath is among the peppers. Not quite what I had in mind, but this is really just to get them to transplant size without having to do it inside. I saw what I think is the spinach coming up. It looks different than what I remember spinach looking like, so I could be wrong. I am wondering if I have already sown anything else in there, like maybe the poppies, because it sure looked weedy compared to all of the other beds.
I just sowed my Chrysanthemums. I'm trying 12 to start with and then I'll do the other 23 either the same way or a different way depending on how well this batch germinates.
|
LOL...don't freak girlfriend...remember, you have to thin the seedlings anyway...by that time you will be able to mound the area like we discussed...glad to see you continuing to write..crazy goings on around your place it seems...keep yourself sharp, way too many kooks out there nowadays...and watch for your son as well...I know it sounds paranoid, but these days it pays to be on your toes.
Have a great weekend...enjoy your garden!  |
LOL, hahaha!! Great, now all I have to do is remember to do it later... I couldn't even remember that for this first short bit of time. HAHA!
MOUND THE CARROTS LATER!
Maybe now I will remember. LOL!
That's for sure. I am still so traumatized from an episode that happened when we moved in here almost 6 years ago that I want to plant shrubs all along the rock walls to deaden the echoes of cars that drive by on the road. My heart races every time I hear that noise.
Thank you, I am happy to share. Have a good weekend. I hope it is warm, but not too warm, for you. |
| Seil Posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 - 08:33 pm: | |
OK, I'll ask. Why do you mound the rows? I just sow the seeds in the ground. Am I doing something wrong? |
