| Posted on Wednesday, January 14, 2004 - 09:12 pm: |   |
It seems so very long since I've added to this Journal! With hopes of Spring drawing ever closer I have two shopping trips which have brought some joy and hopes of things to come. Last week I bought my first seeds and today I purchased some garden accoutrements:
For my newly planted clematis - I purchased two garden arrows - one about 4-1/2 feet high and the other about 4 feet high - both from a discount home goods store:
This one from the same store - a little bird bath:
What simple pleasures! |
| Posted on Thursday, February 26, 2004 - 08:12 pm: | |
It's been a busy week of seed starting preparations and actual sowing. I made lots of little newspaper pots (3" x 3"):
which were filled with the first round of indoor sowing:
- Morning Glories (Blues Band and Flying Saucers - which were nicked and soaked overnight first)
- Salvia Victoria Blue saved from last year's plants
- Ammi - from Monique
- California Poppies - from Monique
- Lupines - from Jodi (sowed some outdoors last fall too)
- Nicandra Physaloides
- Penstemon 'Shock Wave"
- Italian Parsley
- Verbena bonariesis and
- Aquilegia (which are both in cold storage for 3 weeks)
I'm feeling very satisfied and already have some "babies" to care for!
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| Posted on Tuesday, March 16, 2004 - 01:32 am: | |
Are we having fun? Yes! More "Happy Work" - this past week seeds were sown
of - convolvulvus
- cerinthe
- nolana
- lavender poppies (from Monique)
- purple cleome (from Julie),
- white cosmos-(I'm afraid maybe too early),
- agastache,
- basil and
- two varieties of tomatoes.
Also planted some dahlia and caladium tubers.
It's becoming a wonderful jungle inside! I'm running out of space!
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| Posted on Thursday, March 18, 2004 - 11:28 am: | |
Started a few more seeds yesterday:
- ageratum - the tall ones
- anagalis
- flax
I took the aquilegias out of the basement frig too.
Here are some of my babies looking outside
on the snow we are getting yesterday and today
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| Posted on Saturday, March 20, 2004 - 09:49 pm: | |
March 20 - The first day of Spring! Yippee! Early this afternoon the temperature reached almost 60 degrees F but with blustery winds! Got out the rake and started clearing leaves off of the daffodils and crocus, some of which were so buried that their leaves were yellow from lack of sunlight. It was wonderful to work outdoors and I have the blisters to prove it!
So far, I'm very pleased with the progress of my seedlings. Today, I found that the seeds of my blue aquilegia have sprouted after bringing them out of cold storage last week!
The salvia guarantica that I dug up and kept in the garage over winter are looking very good now that they're getting water and sun.
I also transplanted seedlings of tomato, basil and annual Woodruff seedlings. |
| Posted on Sunday, March 21, 2004 - 01:37 pm: | |
Hello SusanQ
Just noticed your newspaper pots,what a good idead I have never used this method and good for the enviroment.
How successful do your seeds grow with this method and can you give me step by step of how to make one of these pots.
 |
| Posted on Friday, March 26, 2004 - 01:14 am: | |
It's been a wonderful birthday! Potted some dahlia tubers, placed the seedlings outdoors all afternoon and had a wonderful "family" day. The first crocus bloomed for me outdoors today - very special! The daffs should be following soon - hopefully. Many Gardenbuddies have sent wonderful greetings. I am blessed with friendship. |
| Posted on Thursday, April 08, 2004 - 12:21 am: | |
April 7 - the daffodils have just begun to bloom today and the scillas are going strong but the crocus are all gone - they came so early this year. Last year the crocus and daffs were blooming at the same time! I think the spring bulbs are 2-3 weeks earlier this year than last.
I put the seedlings and transplants outside for a bit of fresh air again today. Our beautiful weather (65F yesterday and 57 today) is coming to an end soon - snow is forecast for Easter Sunday.
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| Posted on Wednesday, April 14, 2004 - 11:41 pm: | |
Today, I worked in the yard almost all day. The temperature reached a high of 70F today - here, away from the lake! I removed the mulch from the roses and cut them back. Also scattered seeds of Nemophila "Baby Blue Eyes" and "Five Spot" in the border of the rose bed. Also scattered some poppy seeds. Dug and moved some hefty rocks for the rose border. Hope my back doesn't hurt too much tomorrow :)
Took a few cuttings off new growth from the dahlias to root - something new to try this year.
I raked the impatiens bed under the pine trees and removed all the needles and pine cones. Tomorrow I hope to spread compost for rototilling. I noticed the soil was VERY dry.
Must remember to take the Deja View photo tomorrow!
Also took the "children" outdoors to play:
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| Posted on Thursday, May 20, 2004 - 12:41 am: | |
I've been a very bad girl and have neglected this journal for too long! My goodness, it's been over a month and so much has happened in the garden.
"The Daff and Tulip Show" has been seen in the Garden forum and can still be seen in "My Garden" Gallery:
The "children" are finally outside for good. The 10-day forecast for evening temps is close to 50F so I feel it's safe, finally. All of the perennial seedlings have been planted and I've started planting the annuals in the last few days. Many more to go! I will wait a few days to plant the dahlias.
The blue garden was planted yesterday and today (convolvulous, salvia 'Victoria Blue', nicandra, a new blue penstemon, anagalis and morning glories). I might be able to fit in a few more.
I planted out the tomatoes and peppers 2 days ago. I used the red plastic sheets this year - hopefully it will prevent leaf spot disease.
Clematis Markhams' Pink and Macropetala Blue were the first to bloom this year. Guernsey Cream is half open and Elsa Spath is getting ready. I saw the first buds on Betty Corning today!
The peonies are getting ready - soon, I hope. My first tree peony bloom is fully open today. I love these -must add more this fall.
New perennials additions so far:
Campanula 'Birch Hybrid', campanula glomerate "Acaulis', veronica rupestris 'Blue Eyes', lobelia siphilitica (blue cardinal flower), monardra 'Blue Stocking', sedum cauticola, sedum 'Angelina', geranium 'Rozanne' (2), geranium 'Jolly Bee', clematis Royal Horticultural Society offer (4), H.F. Young (2).
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| Posted on Wednesday, June 02, 2004 - 12:41 am: | |
TGI-June! It was a VERY rainy May. Records were set in Wisconsin for highest rainfall since records have been kept! Needless to say, I haven't been out in the garden much in the last couple of weeks. I'm so happy I planted most everything before the deluge.
My first-ever poppies have begun to bloom today - a year-and-a-half wait from seed! I didn't have the time to get any good photos of them yet. Also, lots of geraniums have begun to bloom this past week.
Clematis 'The President' has begun to open. I was sad to find that a ready-to-open Ramona bud (the only one) was eaten by something in the last day or two.
Looking forward to drier weather! |
| Posted on Wednesday, June 23, 2004 - 08:29 pm: | |
Susan, I'm planting a pastel garden and must have 2 of your plants that I covet.. LOL Sidalcea"Little Princess" and Poppy "Pizzicato".. Do you recall where you bought them? They took my breath away when I saw them in your garden album.. Thank you,
Hilary |
| Posted on Friday, June 25, 2004 - 11:15 am: | |
So far, June hasn't turned out how I had hoped when I made my last journal entry. We've had more than our share of rainy days in the last three weeks. The weatherman says a dry week coming up - yea!!!
The peonies were quick to come and go because of all the wet weather. I still have some buds and blooms on rose Morden Blush and William Shakespeare just started blooming, but the rest of the roses are done too - suffering from too much rain.
The delphiniums are beautiful right now - bigger than ever. King Arthur has become positively huge - probably 5 feet. Hosta sieboldiana has beautiful white flowers now too.
The clematis that are blooming now are General Sikorski, The President (still), Fujimusume, Pink Fantasy, Hagley Hybrid, Madame Julia Correvon, Elsa Spath (still), Betty Corning (very few) and Venosa Violacea. I see buds on Blekitny Aniol, Emilia Plater and the newly planted Huldine. I also found Mrs. Cholmondeley and Arabella two weeks ago.
I'm still waiting for my annuals to get going. I feel like I've just planted them. They've been set back by all the clouds and rain. The convolvulvus are just starting to show me something and Victoria Blue is so slow this year.
To add insult to injury, a baby rabbit is having breakfast, lunch and dinner in my garden! I hate to say it, but I wish a cat would find it. I don't have the heart to poison it. I'm trying Liquid Fence which seems to do nothing but perhaps the rain washing it away is the problem.
New perennial additions in the last three weeks: Chelone 'o.rosea', camassia 'Orion', nepeta x faassenii 'Walker's Low', sidalcea 'Little Princess', some varieities of sempervivums, lilium 'Pink Pixie', primula japonica, rhododendron 'Cunningham's White'. |
| Posted on Wednesday, October 06, 2004 - 12:11 am: | |
Where do I begin after such a long absence from My Journal? I needed to make note of the season’s first frost – October 4. I think our first true “Indian Summer” will being tomorrow – temps over 64F after a first frost. The forecast is wonderful. Other than this last cold snap, our weather for the last month has been nothing short of fabulous.
Last night I gathered all the container plants together next to the house and covered them with with heavy plastic. Also, covered the small rose/rock garden and the cobaea. All came through beautifully – a few tinged leaves here and there. The front garden faired the worse. All the dahlias were lost and the front border browalia. Those that were unaffected – all the perennials, even the blooming Rhapsody clematis. Also proving hardy – Calendula ‘Pink Surprise’ - not a hint of wilt even for its low-lying area. I hated losing the beautiful red dahlias but am happy for what is left – which I will treasure until the first REALLY hard freeze.
In Memoriam:
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| Posted on Monday, November 01, 2004 - 01:16 pm: | |
November 1st. Still no hard freeze but it looks like it's on the way for next week.
Things I have bought at the end-of-season sales and planted in the last month or so are:
- Rose 'Betty White'
- Rose 'Bonica'
- Rose 'Blushing Knock Out' (3)
- Tulips 'Black Parrot'
- Tulips 'Spring Green' (more)
- Narcissi 'Pink Charm '
- Phlox paniculata 'Little Boy' (3)
- Pulmoniaria 'Cevennensis'
- Polemonium 'Bressingham Purple'
- Geranium 'Confetti'
- Lavendula angustifolia 'Hidcote'
- Corydalis flexulosa 'Blue Dragon'
- Salvia daghastanica
- Delphinium x 'Blackmore & Langdon'
I'm sure there are other things I've forgotten - I haven't kept up
with my plant tag book as well as I should have!
All in all, October was a lovely month. Last Friday, October 29,
it reached 73 degrees here. Then, high winds and rain the rest of the
weekend. Most of the leaves have fallen. and the trees are almost bare.
Garden clean-up continues. I cut back the rest of the dahlias
which were still blooming - it killed me to do it. I will dig them
out before the hard freeze next week. I still have most of my containers
next to the house which are still blooming. I'll keep them going as long as I can |
| Posted on Friday, March 11, 2005 - 10:08 pm: | |
Time to dust off the journal! It's been four months since my last post. I've been starting seeds for the last month and here is the list so far:
February 6
Wahlenbergia
February 10
Petunia Flambé Salmon
Sweet Pea Matucana
February 19
Blue Tibetan Poppy
February 21
Pansy, Flambé Red Hybrid
Datura Double Blackcurrant Swirl
Impatiens (pale pink saved seeds)
March 5
asarina vine (blue)
salvia Victoria blue
phlox, Phlox of Sheep
Dwarf dahlias
convolvulvous Blue Ensign
Felicia Cape Town Blue
Also brough up from garage:
dahlia tubers and pelargoniums
March 7
Annual purple poppies
I also started some clematis seeds from Suzy and Brian right after the first of the year. Many more to plant this weekend . I was looking at my journal entries from last spring and see that I had daffodils blooming on April 7 - that's only four weeks away. I so hope that I will see them again by then. |
| Posted on Saturday, March 19, 2005 - 11:09 pm: | |
Three days ago I saw my first Purple Finch at the bird feeder and today DH said he saw a Robin in the park. It's coming...but I still can't smell it yet...only the smell of the moist seed starting mix inside. I've started more seeds this past week.
March 13
Italian Flat-leafed Parsley
Basil, Sweet and Purple
March 19
Verbena Adonis Mango
Dianthus Siberian Blues
Ageratum – Blue Horizon
Potted up new dahlias and several begonias
Swan Lake
Blue Bell
Blue Bayou
Blue Beard
Also took cuttings of my salvia guaranitica and a favorite fibrous begonia. |
| Posted on Sunday, March 20, 2005 - 09:40 am: | |
Forgot to include in my starts yesterday:
Thunbergia 'Salmon Shades' |
| Posted on Tuesday, March 22, 2005 - 11:00 pm: | |
I actually saw my first Robin today!! It was drinking melted snow-water
from the bird bath. Yesterday, there was a Downy Woodpecker at the suet feeder.
Looking back at last year's entries, spring is definately slower to arrive this year :( |
| Posted on Wednesday, March 30, 2005 - 07:53 pm: | |
Two days above 60 and the snow is finally all melted. I
see lots of daffodil leaves starting to pop out, finally!
There's a thunder storm predicted for tonight -
that should help green up the grass a little.
I started some malva and potted up some begonia bulbs
and Sam's Club clematis - Violet Charm. |
