| Posted on Monday, February 13, 2006 - 12:39 am: |   |
I promised myself I would start a journal at the first of the year. Well better late than never. It's still early huh? I want to mainly record important events in my garden including bloom times, planting times, plant purchases, etc. Today was the first day this year I have worked in the garden in earnest. Temps were in the high 50s and no rain. I have pulled a few weeds and planted a few stray bulbs, but today was the first day I was able to spend some "comfortable" time outside.
I took the opportunity to plant two dwarf Irises that my Dad bought me when he was here. They are already in bloom, three to a pot. My favorite is a Purple Gem, which I think could be described as a violet purple, which lighter colored veining and a touch of white. Its just such a bold statement for such a small plant. The other one is called Harmony and is more bluish purple and also very nice. I planted the Purple Gem by the arbor near the lavender and the Harmony at the front of the bed near the blue geranium (one day I hope to know its name).
I also wintersowed 34 different seeds in my little plastic take out containers that I used last year. This year it was a much easier job since I had already poked air and drainage holes in them. I labeled them with numbers (on duct tape,adhered under the container) and made a list in my notebook. I did mostly perennials today with a couple of tender annuals. The annuals I sowed early last year sprouted, then froze. I had to sow more later in the spring. So this year I will save myself the trouble and heartache. I think I will do the rest in March. This is always a time of nervous anticipation. I have never been much of a seed starter and its always a revelation when the first little green pokes through. Getting excited just thinking about it. Last year my biggest success was by far several different types of Cosmos. I have heard they are very easy to grow and self sow, so that might not be saying much, but since I had never grown them before I was happy with them! I also had lots of marigolds (surprise!), malva, columbine, chinese forget me nots, candy tuft, bluebeard. I am sure there were a few other things. I did lose a lot, and some things were pretty disappointing, but still alive...just VERY small. Could be that I expected too much. A lot were perennials that probably take a while to mature. Here is the list:
1. Calendula - Pacific Giant Mix
2. Poppy - Double pink
3. Poppy - Ragmop
4. Lobelia - Color Cascade
5. Carnation - Chaubaud Mix
6. Carnation - Valentine
7. Delphinium - Dwarf Blue
8. Columbine - William Guinness
9. Columbine - Nora Barlow
10. Aster - Super Blue
11. Bluebeard - Darknight
12. Delphinium - Dark blue
13. Columbine - McKana Giants
14. Marguerite - yellow (from Multicare garden)
15. Cardoon
16. Cosmos - Chocolate
17. Shasta Daisy - Ester Read
18. Lobelia - Crystal Palace
19. Lobelia - Riviera Lilac
20. Shasta Daisy - Becky
21. Campanula Medium
22. Delphinium - Pacific Giant Mix
23. Hollyhock - Dwarf Majorette
24. Poppy- Heavenly Angels
25. Shirly Poppy Mix
26. Cockscomb
27. Pansy - Swiss Giant Mix
28. Poppy - Tall Salmon
29. Coreopsis - Sunrise
30. Chrysanthemum Tricolor
31. Daisy - Clara Curtis (Pink)
32. Aster - Crego Mix
33. Hollyhock - Country Charm
34. Coreopsis - Double Sunburst
I had planned actually on starting this journal when NOTHING was blooming in my garden, but I am happy to report there was ALWAYS something blooming in my garden even when we had snow and ice. It might have only been heather and Johnny Jump-ups, but they count too! Currently I have those plus a purple Wanda primrose, English Daisies, pansies, Bergenia- the big one on the far fence, vinca major, some other kind of vinca..very tiny, but I have been told its not vinca minor????, some pulmonaria are beginning to bloom. One looks white (in the little cubby corner by the lilac), and one (on the far fence) looks bright pink!! COOL! Purple, white and yellow crocus (yellow is always first), the iris I just planted. Daffodils are almost open, but not quite. Lots of things budding out like the hydrangeas, raspberries, pink flowering current and lilacs. I saw the bleeding heart breaking through the ground today too.
Cold weather and a few showers for the coming week, so not sure when I will get back in the garden. They are even saying maybe snow, but I doubt it. Oh ya also wanted to make a note that I also bought a Clematis 'Arabella' that I plan on putting against the back of the house in the new bed. At $1.99 I couldnt resist! Got a dinner plate dahlia called Kelvin Floodlight. Bright yellow also for $1.99. Both from the McChord BX. I checked on my stored dahlias and a few were a little mushy....GRRRRRRR. I must have done something a bit wrong. Some were fine though, so maybe those that were mushy started out that way??? Oh well, hopefully I will have a few to plant come May. They surely would not have fare any better in the ground since it has been so incredibly wet, even for Washington.
Jigsy helped in the garden today and when I was sowing my seeds behind the shed he found a sun spot and kept guard. What a good boy! He is now using his doggie door and no accidents in the house in a LONG time.} |
| Posted on Monday, February 13, 2006 - 07:35 pm: | |
Just got back from Wal-Mart and made a few garden purchases I'd like to record. I got 20 beautiful little primroses. At 69 cents a pot I couldn't resist the instant color. I put a few in the urn out front and the rest in the front bed. WOW!! What a pickup! I also got a cute little light pink English Daisy. I just can't resist them. After years of just seeing them in catalogs I get excited buying one. So common to some I am sure, but to me a treasure. My other purchases were two bags of 24 gladiolas. One a pretty lilac color called Blue Tropics and a white/pink one called Blossom Time. I also got a bag of 3 dahlias called Hawaii. White with pink tips and some yellow in there. It says 3, but by the looks of it, there could be several more than that if they have eyes. I also got a few seeds...bad bad girl since I have tons I probably won't plant. I just love looking at the seed displays though and they were only 25 cents a piece. I got portulaca, Candystripe zinnias, cups and saucers and another that is escaping me at the moment. I will add later the name. There really wasn't much out in the garden center that was blooming except for a few heathers. I guess I am trying to push the season a bit. The rain is back and its suppose to get cold this week. Well..not much colder than it has been at night, but its not suppose to warm up AT ALL during the day. So best to not get too excited about planting much. |
| Posted on Saturday, February 18, 2006 - 11:24 am: | |
BRRRRRRRRRRRRRR is all I can say. Though I should record the temperature day as I hope it to be the lowest my garden sees in a while. 14° by my thermometer. I took a walk around the yard while Jigs was doing his business and it was sad..very sad. Maybe when the sun comes out and it warms up to 30 something things will look better but I doubt it. The butterfly bushes look bit where they have been fine before. The little pink geranium in the pot is going to die back now and the big pink geranium straight out of the sliding glad door looks like it might die some too. Up until now its looked fabulous. And of course like an idiot I didn't even think of the plants I have in pots. I am not sure my rose cuttings will survive. When they were covered in snow that was one thing, but this is a bitter cold. Also I had a jasmine cutting that looked good and its looking rough now *Sob sob sob* Well live and learn. Because they are behind the shed its out of sight out of mind. I did cover the Hot Lips salvia with an old mattress cover, but I don't know if that helped or not. We shall see. We are suppose to have one more night of this, then the temps will get more normal.
I have to go in an hour or so to pick up the tree seedlings to replace the trees the HOA had cut out of the common areas. Who would have thought I would have to go out on a day like this. Its crystal clear though, so it doesn't really feel as cold as it could. I am more worried of the road conditions on my way to pick them up (at the same place where the Master Gardener courses are down on Pioneer where it turns near Alice's). On my way home last night was like an obstacle course. Trees and branches down everywhere and nearly ever major(and minor) light out. It was like a maze trying to find a way home. An hour and 45 minutes later I arrived and couldn't have been more relieved. There must have been a big tree down Canyon or possible a wreck due to no traffic light, because they had it blocked off and what little progress I had made I had to back track and find a new route. I came down ..hmmm...cant think of the name now, but it starts with a B and it parallels Canyon for a while then comes out as 152nd. Turned out ok, but there were trees in the road that way too. Just terribly hazardous. I think they said there were 12 houses that had trees on them just in South Pierce County. There are suppose to be other plants at the tree sale, so maybe I will find something that interests me. I would bet their turnout wasn't so hot yesterday and today with these temps. |
| Posted on Saturday, February 18, 2006 - 05:28 pm: | |
Note to Self: These are some Clematis that you aspire to have:
Abundance
Avant-Garde
Clair De Lune
Doctor Ruppel
Fujimusume
Hagley Hybrid
Henryi
Ice Blue
Jackmanii
John Paul II
Kiri Te Kanawa
Liberation
Madame Baron Veillard
Matka Siedliska
Multi Blue
Patricia Ann Fretwell******
Piilu
Rouge Cardinal
Royalty
Ruby Glow
Scartho Gem
Violet Elizabeth****
Voluceau
Walter Pennell
Ok...so I will have to aspire to having a much bigger garden to fit all of those in too!! Just dreaming while looking at this site posted by a Gardenbuddy. Its south of me.
http://www.clematisdebbie.com/default.asp |
| Posted on Monday, February 27, 2006 - 12:51 am: | |
Temps more mild now. We had a couple of days this week where it got in the 20s overnight, but back to the 30s and 40s now thank goodness. There were some set backs for sure, but just as many more things are making progress. I have a daffodil that is on the verge of opening, all colors of crocus are blooming with the white being the latest. Vinca Minor is blooming. And Pulmonaria is started to bloom all over the yard. It will be fun to see them bloom because none did last year. So far one is reddish pink and I believe its Raspberry Splash from Andi and another is white or maybe light blue hard to tell.
One thing to note is that the bergenia had been blooming but the 14° weather got it. Both blooms and leaves went to mush.
I forgot to record that I bought a bleeding heart (native variety) and a false solomon's seal at the tree sale. The trees themselves got planted today after much heehawing from the treecutting guy who had way to much work to do to worry about our piddly little tree planting job. We ended up with 120 various trees. I haven't planted them yet and will try to do that tomorrow if it isn't raining too much.
Today I planted the Clematis 'Arabella' and Randy put the trellis in at the back of the house. I cannot wait to see it covered in blooms. I hung the package that has a picture of the blooms on the trellis just to see the effect. Ha....a girl can dream. I think its going to look great. I also planted a small hydrangea that has spent the winter in a pot. It went over on the dining room side. I also potted up several things for the Green Elephant Exchange, which incredibly is next weekend. I don't have much to bring. Maybe a few more things will poke out between now and then. If not I will have more to bring to the May 13th trade at Bonney Lake. I spent the rest of the day finishing up with my perennial seed sowing. I think I will wait to do the annuals for a couple of weeks. Here is what went in today:
35. Cupids Dart (My yard)
36. Hollyhock Double white/salmon
37. Hollyhock Double Peach
38. Hollyhock Double Chater's Pink
39. Hollyhock Double Scarlet Red
40. Snapdragon Red/Yellow (My yard)
41. Salvia Cobalt (My yard)
42. Candy Tuft (My yard)
43. Pink Aster (From Multicare garden)
44. Heliopsis Lorraine Sunshine
45. Canterbury Bells
Tomorrow I hope to spend some time in my beds cleaning up and poking around. If not there will be time for that next weekend! I will come home with lots to plant. I need to check on my dahlias and see what I can bring to the trade. |
| Posted on Wednesday, March 01, 2006 - 11:50 pm: | |
Wooohooo Seed success!! It was a beautiful day today. So mild and relatively warm. I think it was about 60 here and a bit warmer in Tacoma. When I got home I went to survey the yard and looked in all the seed boxes. Two victories!!
1. Calendula - Pacific Giant Mix
30. Chrysanthemum Tricolor
I also dug through my dahlias to search for those that Jacqueline was wanting for the Green Elephant. I will wait to bring the rest to the May 13th trade at Bonney Lake.
Note to self when you look back at this next year...have you made blueberry pie recently? Randy really likes it :-) |
| Posted on Saturday, March 04, 2006 - 08:49 pm: | |
Went to the Spring Green Elephant today. The weather was perfect. Probably the nicest since I've been going to them. I came home with than in the past, but that is to be expected since before I would just take everything! As I fill in, I guess I am learning to be a bit more selective :-). Lots of neat things though including a beautiful little variegated Hebe from Michelle. I am going to put it in front of the smoke bush in the corner bed. I also got a hugeeee Aloe Vera plant. I thought Randy would say ARgghhhh, but he seems to like it. I also got a Jade plant and one of those christmas cactus like plants but bigger and hairier..I will have to figure the name out so I can call it something. It will have big pink flowers Tom said. I got a rose call Pink Simplicity. I have put it in a large planter for the time being until I can make a plan for it. Two rugosa roses from Patrick also. I put them behind the red hot pokers. Will see what happens this year. I got a few irises including one special one from a lady named Ellen's garden. The lady who gave it to me will be having a trade in May in Shoreline. This Ellen died recently and was from Ireland. her family was fighting over her property in California and her gardens will be destroyed soon, so this trader got many of her plants out first. She said Ellen would be happy to know her plants would be living in lots of different gardens. Nice story. Looking forward to seeing the bloom. I got some other bunch of stuff...have no idea what it is. Kind of like a bunch of irises, but the leaves are thicker. No clue. I always do that...think I will remember later..then poof...the information is gone! Oh well, I like surprises. Sangeeta also brought be somethings that I had asked for at the fall trade and she hadn't seen my post in time..lavender (I think I have enough now) and candy tuft. I also go campanula takesimana and geranium bohemicum orchid blue from Michelle. They both look like they will be very nice. Michelle said the campanula will take over and to be careful. I planted it near the rhody thats by the arbor. I will keep my eye on it! hehe. I know theres more, but can't think now.
Two new seed boxes with green
24. Heavenly Angels poppy woohoo
25. Shirly poppy mix
So far so good!
Nice gardening day....its been a while since I spent so much time digging and planting. I am out of shape! (duhhhhh)It feels good though to be back in the dirt. I will just take a nice long bath this evening.
Jigs came with me to the trade and was Mr. Scaredy baby..no surprise. I just figured the more he is exposed to people the better. There were a couple of other dogs there, but they were a little yappy at him and he wasn't having any part of that. I eventually put him in the car and he curled up and went to sleep. It was all too much! He is a good little companion in the garden though. |
| Posted on Sunday, March 05, 2006 - 01:57 pm: | |
Ok here are a few more sprouting up..woohooo.
2. Double Pink Poppy
3. Ragmop Poppy
5. Carnation Chaubaud Mix
6. Carnation Valentine (I hope this one makes it!!)
41. Salvia 'Cobalt'
Here are a few things I forgot to mention that I got at the trade yesterday.
Tiger lilies (how could I forget!)
Scabiosa
Christmas cactus leaves to start (yellow and white that turns pink)
I put the leaves half way in dirt as Tom suggested. He also said to keep it moist so I will try to remember that. I've never tried this before so if I have success with one piece I will be happy.
Its so nice to be able to walk around the garden first thing in the morning again and actually SEE something! I am finding so many new things every day. All of my pulmonarias are beginning to bloom. Some of them I've had a year and a half, but this is the first time I've seen their flowers. I am sure now that the plant under the darmera is pulmonaria and probably Blue Ensign..very blue and has no spots. I think I will leave it there since its happy, although I can't see it in the summer. In general I like the foliage and flowers of the pulmonaria, but I think I need to find better places for several of them. They are just stuck out in the bed by themselves, and I can see how they would be better as under plantings of larger plants. But then again when you get 100s of plants at one time like I did...there was NO PLAN! I did some rearranging in the fall, but that will be an endless job I'm sure. But thats part of the fun :-) I certainly did get a variety though as far as flower color goes. There is a reddish one, white one, blue/pink one, all blue and some I haven't seen bloom yet. |
| Posted on Sunday, March 05, 2006 - 07:20 pm: | |
I took one last look at the seeds this evening and lo and behold. More sprouts! I seem to be doing better this year than I did starting early last year...but could be I just had a shorter wait because its warmer. Either way its more satisfying this way I think.
21. Campanula medium
26. Cockscomb
32. Aster Crego Mix
42. My candytuft
I wills start the annuals next weekend weather permitting! That will be a chore. I seem to have collected too many! Well..can there be too many???
I caught Jigs eating one of my daffodils..he actually bit a piece of the opening flower off! When I told him to stop he just looked up at me with the sweetest face like..oh??? Was that not put there just for me??? hehe Then I caught him eating the carrots we didn't pull...can I get mad at him for eating his veggies?? Need to till those under. |
| Posted on Friday, March 10, 2006 - 11:55 pm: | |
Well note to self...it snows in March in Washington. My first daffodil opened on Mar 7 and we had snow yesterday morning when we got up and again this morning. The temps themselves haven't been too bad (32° this morning) yesterday was actually much warmer. So I don't think the snow hurt anything. The ground didn't freeze. It just dampens the spirits a bit since it seems like my garden will never be back to its summer self. This winter kill is really new to me, because it just so rarely happens in Louisiana. We do have some things die down every year there, but so much stays green and grows right through winter. Last year here it also didn't get as cold, but this winter is an eye opener for me.
Having said all that, I did check the seed boxes and I have two more kinds of seeds sprouting.
27. Swiss Giant Mix Pansy
28. Tall salmon poppies
The weather is suppose to be nice this weekend. Cool and clear is the forcast. So hopefully I can scratch around in the yard. I am really anxious to go to a few nurseries around here, which I didn't do a lot of last year since I had so many plants given to me it seemed over kill. This year however I have more of an idea of what I want to fill in my empty spots. I have been thinking of getting at least two hardy fuschias. I am also making a list of taller shade plants for the dining room side of the house. These are all hardy:
  
No name brand Fuschia Madame Cornelissen Fuchsia Magellanica Ricartonii
Fuschia magellanica as mentioned above
Camellia
Mt. Laurel
Epimedium
Tall phlox ? Not sure if they like shade
Astilbe
Not necessarily shade possibilities:
Flowering Quince
Daphne
Eucalyptus - research smaller varieties
Escallonia - research
Susie has said I can come dig up her two roses and the clematis (silly woman). She also has a huge jasmine I should try to dig a piece of now before it gets out of hand.
Derek says there are extra Blue Angels and he will be sending me some. Looking forward to planting them and seeing them sprout. |
| Posted on Saturday, March 11, 2006 - 06:50 pm: | |
Well its not exactly a spring day, but its not raining and the sun has shone for a few moments at a time. I took this opportunity to sow some of my annuals. Here is the list so far:
46. Cactus Zinnia
47. Zinnia California Giant Mix
48. Impatiens Tom Thumb Mixed Colors
49. Marigold Ragged Reggie
50. Scabiosa
51. Marigold French Vanilla
52. Petunia Dolce Flambe
53. Marigold Whopper
54. Statice Rainbow Mixed Colors
55. Salpiglossis - Painted Tongue- Kew Blue
56. Petunia Horizon Coral Halo
57. Euphorbia Summer Icecycle
58. Morning Glory Flying Saucer
59. Zinnia Peppermint Stick
60. Datura Mauve
61. Cerise Queen Yarros
62. Sunflower Double Dandy
63. Love in a puff - Balloon Vine (Old Sturbridege Village -2000)
64. Marigold Falstaff
65. Purple flower by MBHC
66. Cosmos - light pink with white center (my yard)
67. Gaillardia Arizona Sun
68. Marigold Harlequin
69. Cosmos Lg Pink (My Yard)
70. Cosmos Pink/Picotee
71. Zinnias Large Red/Pink (My yard)
72. Red Vine on arbor at Multicare
73. Petunia Pink Wave
Still a bit chilly today, in the 40s. Tomorrow should be the same. Rain back for the coming week.
We are going out to eat tomorrow evening at Katie Downs. Late birthday outing for Randy, his choice. I need to make phone calls for the HOA violations. UGH I dread it. Why I signed up for this I will never know. I hate rules! :-) Meeting with the board on Monday, so I need it done before then.
My helper
 |
| Posted on Sunday, March 12, 2006 - 07:04 pm: | |
The weather was wonderful today. Not extremely warm, but warm enough to play outside in the yard. Still had to wear a jacket though because in the shade it was cool. I did some clean up, kind of raked the soil to get some of the brown leaves, etc up. Was nice to work the soil up a little bit too. It made it look nice and dark. I did find at least 4 peonys...I had kind of misplaced 3 of them hehe. No telling what else is coming up. I was able to get most of the rest of the annuals sowed. I don't know what I'm going to do if half of these things come up. Silly girl. The gravel is almost covered by the garden.
74. Pink Wave Petunia
75. Marigold Jolly Jester
76. Petunia Tidal Wave Purple
77. Marigold red/yellow (my yard)
78. Calendula orange/yellow
79. Marigold - white
80. Zinnia Cut and Come Again
81. Zinnia Cactus 2005
82. Nigella (my yard)
83. Sunflower Italian White
84. 4 O'clocks (Multicare)
85. Multicare pink aster like flower ferny gray foliage
86. Impatiens Balsamina Peppermint Stick
87. Impatiens Balsamina Blackberry Trifle
88. Zinnia (Mystery given to me)
89. Nasturiums
There are still probably 10 more I could sow. I just need more potting soil, vermiculite, perlite and peat moss!!!!
Going out to eat in a bit. It would be nice to sit outside on the patio (at Katie Downs), but I don't think its warm enough even with the heaters. Either way the pizza will be good :-)
Made as many of my HOA phone calls. It ended up that most didn't have numbers listed. Only one was a bit tense (there were only 3!). All that procrastination for nothing. |
| Posted on Tuesday, March 14, 2006 - 01:04 pm: | |
I stayed home for work today. I woke up in the middle of the night very hot and had a hard time going back to sleep. Woke up this morning just feeling weak and a bit queasy..a little tummy upset. I haven't stayed home sick in a long while and just felt like I needed a rest day. Not like I couldn't have made it into work, but I just feel better puttering around here. Call it a mental health day :-)
10:00 am and just went out to look at the garden. I now see evidence of 5 peonies. Yeahhh! Maybe I will get a bloom out of one of them. More Wanda primroses are opening and more daffodils finally showing their faces. I have 4 different kinds of pulmonaria blooming with one more waiting to open. They are so dainty. My little Harmony iris is still blooming. I didn't realize they would keep going. I can't wait to see them next year after they get more established.
I found two more seedboxes with sprouts.
43. Pink Aster (Multicare)
44. Heliopsis Lorraine Sunshine - Oh I hope so!
Its been over a month since some of them were sowed...but I will be patient. Its a lot of the Hollyhocks, lobelia, delphinium and some daisies. Maybe they are just slower...I will research. |
| Posted on Thursday, March 16, 2006 - 10:01 pm: | |
More sprouts to report. I am not sure if I have ever put this one down:
20. Shasta Daisy Becky
and
7. Dwarf Delphinium blue
11. Bluebeard Darkknight
13. Columbine McKana Giants
18. Lobelia Crystal Palace
34. Coreopsis Double Sunburst
Today was pretty dreary, but not too cold. In the low 50s I think. I had an "attack" last night so made an appt with the doctor today. She has ordered an Ultrasound and kind of agreed it was probably gallbladder. If it is, she will send me to the surgeon. Hopefully it can be done before our vacation in May. I ordered Randy pizza for dinner and I don't even have a bit of desire for any. Sick to my stomach all day and TIRED!! The weekend is suppose to be nice. I hope I feel better by Saturday. Right now I am energyless.
 |
| Posted on Saturday, March 18, 2006 - 11:38 am: | |
Was expecting to awake to sunshine, but instead it was showering and overcast. Looks like the nice weather is pushed back a day. There is a possibility for clearing later this afternoon. Sunday and Monday are suppose to be nice though...at least thats what they are saying now :-) I am antsy to do things in the garden, but there is really nothing to do except weed...and um..I'm not that desperate yet. hehe. I have more seeds to sow including Marlene's Blue Angels which came in the mail yesterday. I was so happy to see them arrive and plan to treat them with care. The letter sent with the seeds was enough to make me ball all over again. The positive spin Derek has been able to put on her passing is so amazing and inspiring. I know he must feel pain at losing her, but he has not allowed himself to wallow in his own loss. And it seems from my far away view that his attitude has helped him move forward. There are so many that even years after a loss cannot move past the grief. Its probably because they didn't deal with the dying and death when it was happening. If there's one thing I've learned about my own experiences is that its better to get painful things out in the open where others can share it with you, because until you do you internalize it and become paralyzed. Divorce is akin to death in that respect. Okay...moving on from that..
More sprouts!! I am loving this. I have something growing in 65% of the earlier containers I sowed. Thats a better record than last year. I am hoping the annuals will follow suit. I think it might be my improved soil. I need to transplant earlier and begin feeding. Must read up on that. These are the new guys:
23. Hollyhock Dwarf Majorette
35. Cupids Dart
37. Hollyhock double peach
40. Snapdragon red/yellow from my yard - I hope these make it, they were so pretty and short!
I think my anemone that was near the cosmos is about to bloom. I kept trying to figure out what it was, but I think I know now. Plus I think I have another one planted on the garden side bed. I have been looking for the anemone nemerosa I got from Elaine's house, but no sign of it. Might be a goner.
Just a side note...Jigsy ate one of my hydrangeas. It already looked pitiful..a brown stick..he ate the top off which had the buds. Everything goes in his mouth!! I can't get mad at him..he's a baby. But he did get a stern talking to by his father :-). And I gave him a new bone to chew instead. It could still make it, but not sure. Will keep an eye on it.
Oh, one more thing. Lab work shows my liver enzymes to be elevated 10x normal levels. This is definitely pointing towards gallbladder issues. Ultrasound on Friday..then to surgery?? |
| Posted on Monday, March 20, 2006 - 11:35 pm: | |
The past two days have been beautiful. Spring has started and what's amazing is that if even feels and looks like it! The changes in just the past week have been very noticeable. I spent Sunday in the yard. I cleaned and rearranged the garden side flower bed. The dirt tilled up looks so fresh and pretty. More of my earlier sowed boxes are sprouting. I have wayyyy more in the sprouted side than I do on the "waiting" side. Even some of the annuals are coming along. I had to move some of the already sprouted boxes because of the rain. I don't want them to get overly soggy. That could spell death.
Today was very warm even when I went outside for the first time this morning. I could feel the heat of the sun much stronger than any other day this year. I have been wanting to go look at plants, so today seemed the ideal day for it. I left the house around 10 and went up to Alpine Nursery. A lot of their perennials are still sleeping and they had a few on 50% off. Low and behold there was a Monarda "Petite Delight" in the bunch. I have been seeing it in the catalogs and wanted to try it. I ended up dividing the pot...just roots, no foliage yet. I put one part in the corner near the hebe Michelle gave me and the other half went not far from the pink rose bush. I also got a "Mauve Bowles" wallflower which was on sale too. They had some little fritallaria I wish I had bought...Maybe will go back. Inside the greenhouse was another sale table and off of I got a really nice bright french blue large flower pot. Very pretty. Some yellow would look fabulous in it. A little bit of Provence :-).
From there I went to Fred Meyer. I saw the prettiest little container that I just had to have, but once I looked around I saw they had the flowers that went into it for sale individually, so I bought them and made it up myself when I got home. Double red primroses (Rosanna double Mix), blue pansies, and I added to the mix white iberis sempervirens (Candy tuft- Alexander's White). I put it in a terra cotta colored pot. Soo sweet. Jigs likes it too.
I got a few other pansies and violas there for the front bed. Plus a red anemone (Harmony Mix), arabis alpina rosea 'Compkinle', a pink carnation called 'Annette a purple Grecian Windflower (anemone blanda) and one of those pretty bright purple miniature rhodies Rhododendron impeditum-its a very early bloomer and covered with buds. I put it in the white urn on the front steps until after it blooms then I will put it in the ground. I also go some new pink garden clogs ..yeah! 12.00 not too bad. And some pink gloves..the plasticy kind. Also picked up some fertilizer for the rhodys, and camellia as well as for the roses. Rose spray which I applied and fertilizer for the inside plants. I am sure I'm forgetting something because I was on a roll *sigh*. Then off to Walmart. I picked up a couple of more ranunculus there and a bag of anemone de caen tubers or whatever they are...look like dried up peach pits. hehe Finished my shopping there then came home to plant it all. I did some rearranging in the back..one day it will look right haha. But not anytime soon probably. By the end of the day I was feeling very satisfied and tired.
Randy washed the cars and mowed the grass so he was pooped too. Made grilled club sandwiches and been relaxing since.
More seeds up to report:
4. Lobelia Color Cascade
17. Shasta Daisy Esther Read
29. Sunrise Coreopsis
49. Marigold Ragged Reggie
66. Cosmos light pink with white center my yard
77. Marigold red/yellow from my yard
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| Posted on Monday, March 20, 2006 - 11:40 pm: | |
Oh and how could I forget the Clematis 'Jackmanii' I bought!!! Just for Randy like the one he had in Vernon. Now to decide where to put it!!! Its a nice healthy looking little thing about 4 inches high. |
| Posted on Tuesday, March 21, 2006 - 11:33 pm: | |
Suzyqt1968 wrote on Monday, February 13, 2006 - 12:45 am:Oh ya also wanted to make a note that I also bought a Clematis 'Arabella' that I plan on putting against the back of the house in the new bed. At $1.99 I couldnt resist!
Ok..I am goofy. I don't know what I was thinking..I looked at the tag from the bag and its NOTTTTT Arabella its Nelly Moser. Goofy I tell ya goofy.
Drizzly today but not uncomfortably cold. I think the cold weather may be past...keeping fingers crossed. I forgot to mention yesterday that I pulled the fuschia I hid under the fireplace out this weekend and low and behold there I found tiny green buds on two of them. I kept those in a pot and put the other two in the ground around by the hostas where its warmer. I would be so excited if all four came back.
Cindy called me today to check on me and my Gallbladder :-) |
| Posted on Thursday, March 23, 2006 - 11:00 pm: | |
Seedlings seedling and more seedlings!! Yeahhh!
46. Cactus Zinnia
47. California Giant Zinnia Mix
50. Scabiosa
51. French Vanilla Marigold (woohooo!)
62. Double Dandy Sunflower
63. Love in a Puff - 6 year old seeds!
64. Marigold Flagstaff
68. Marigold Harlequin
69. Cosmos LG Pink
70. Cosmos Pink/Picotee mix
71. Red/Pink Zinnia from my yard
81. Zinnia Cactus
86. Impatiens Balsamina Peppermint Stick
It was in the 60s today...that gave them the boost! |
| Posted on Sunday, March 26, 2006 - 02:52 pm: | |
Sprouts found yesterday
39. Hollyhock Double Scarlet Red
45. Campanula Medium Mixed
The Double Dandy sunflowers are looking really good. I hope that some of them grow up! I think they'd look nice in my new blue pot.
Randy and I put up two more trellises (the ones I'd bought at a garage sale last summer.) Even with nothing planted on them it makes the yard look better. Adds a little vertical interest instead of just the blank fence.
One is near the big geraniums, and I planted the Jackmanii to grow on it.
The other is right in back of the Monarda on the same fence...closer to the arbor. I don't have anything planted in front of it yet. Haven't decide. Maybe either a red clematis or maybe something like Multiblue or Josephine. I like the doubles. The weather has been a bit cool and not so sunny today. Yesterday we saw a bit more sun but not much. So I haven't done much more than walk around and look at things. Tomorrow should be nicer and I will do some more seed sowing. We did see our first hummingbird on Friday. Yeahhh! I thought I had heard him earlier in the week, but hadn't seen him. Its the Rufous, who came first last year too.
I gave Jigs a bath today. He was sooo good (for a change). Not sure if he remembers the treats I give him after, or he is just learning its not that bad. Boy was he happy to get out of the tub though!
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