I've been busy, getting ready to plant here. Last Fall, when I should have been working on it, I was in the hospital and missed the entire season. So, there are lots of regrets and lots of work. At least I managed to save all my glass 'sculptures' and all the birdbaths that would have frozen and broken. For now, I cut down that Magnolia sapling and I'm saving it. I want to get out the post hole digger and make it into a bottle tree. As you know, I HATE cutting down healthy trees, but, it was growing right next to the driveway where I unload groceries and cat food. It's heavy, drooping branches were hitting the car, causing me not to be able to open the back passenger side and Hawks were shitting on my car. It's bigger than it looks here. Magnolia is very soft wood, but, it still took me two days to get it down with my hand saw. I can't drag it alone either, so it's a project. I apologized to the Elementals for it's destruction in a small ceremony and I will make restitution to them. This is part of Pagan belief as well as my own personal belief. One cannot take from nature and give nothing back. Not if you expect to live in peace and harmony with the Elementals of Nature.
The Crabapple trees are ready to bloom, so I'll wait for that to trim them. I cut all the suckers though. Three wheelbarrow loads. I do not apologize for cutting suckers, no matter the size. That would be like a doctor saying, sorry, I fixed your broken leg. I found that angel in the rubble. It was laying down and buried. I don't care for religious ornaments, but, she's pretty. She can stay. I'll pretend she's a fairy.
The old Magnolia tree is blooming. That huge old tree! Is it normal that I like it when the blooms die better than the blooms show? I love it when they carpet the ground. It just thrills me. I'm strange that way. Well, they don't last long either way.
I'm finally ready to just watch the show come on! And to add to it here and there. I know it doesn't look like much to you, but, to me, it looks sooooo good. I finally got it all cleaned up. It took a long time and much hard work and I have to work slow, with patience. This year, I decided not to clean up the leaves, opting to uncover new plants instead. Let's see how that works. I think it could be good. Leaves make good compost, why not compost right in the beds? I did pile the most of it around shrubs and trees, like mulch. It should cut down on the few weeds I have, plus help get rid of unwanted flowers like Daisies, Morning Glories and Black Eyed Susans. I am tired of those bullies. They can live out back. As you can see, I still have the fence lines to do, but, they should go quick with some pruners. That's all old Sunflowers and my beloved Poke weed. Which is now spreading really well. Heh heh.
I had a whole bag of Sweet Potatoes this Winter. I couldn't eat them all, so I started shoving them in jars of water to sprout. Now I have about 50 of them I can use in hanging pots. I love them in pots, they're so beautiful and they cost so much in the nurseries. Most people don't recognize them in hanging arrangements, but, they're real common. I figured it out one year while dumping dirt from hanging pots and I found a small potato. A duh moment. You can easily get 6-12 good plants off one potato, so why buy them?
Baby Pumpkins ready to plant. Pumpkins are so easy and quick to spout, but, these are white ones. I wanted to make sure I got some white ones. There are random cherry Tomatoes in there too. (Of no importance.) My Rosemary seedlings haven't sprouted and it depresses me. I couldn't find Rosemary plants here at all last year. This damn tiny town! I am completely out of Rosemary and I use it constantly. Plus, the scent just makes my Summer days better. It's like herbal Prozac to me. They'd better sprout or I'll be so disappointed. Oh, and no, I don't thin seedlings. I just cut them apart and plant them all. It works fine as long as you do it early in their growth.
So, that's it for now. Today it's 57 degrees and cloudy, like a rain is coming. Perfect. A perfect Dirty Disher day for yard work. I've been out there off and on all day. I may mow the lawn. At least the front where people can see. Oh, I forgot..the vegetable garden, which I covered in garden fabric last year as an experiment, looks great! No weeds still! No need for tilling or much digging. I am loving that! It's always an AWFUL chore, but, not this year. That fabric is great and I bought more, in bulk, on sale, during the Winter clearance. I still have a ton of it. Did you know the dollar store sells it now? Yeah. Fricken' A.
What are you doing in your yard or garden?
I almost forgot..the variegated Dog Wood, one of my favorite plants. Yesterday, there was not one single leaf on it, only red twigs. Look at it today! I can't believe how it opened in one day. Those variegated or Red Twig Dogwoods are the single investment anyone should make for a garden. I am not kidding. You cannot believe the amount of compliments and questions I get about this one plant. It's because the white tipped leaves contrast with everything else and it demands your attention. If you don't have one, you need to get one. Seriously. You can let them be a shrub or grow as a small tree.
13 comments:
I left all my fabric down from last year too. I just need to re stake it in a couple of places and I'm good to go for my vegetables.
I'm waiting to see how many, if any of my annuals come back. Many do every year. Except this was a much harsher winter than usual. I'm sure the nemesia will come back 3 fold. It always does. It smells nice but man it is so invasive. My giant red salvia also reseeds everywhere. I even have to dig it out of the cracks in the sidewalk.
I had some gorgeous zinnias last year. I hope some reseeded. If not I saved some seeds.
I haven't decided on which vegetables this year. I know I need to rotate my tomatoes. I would like to try butternut squash again but I've had no luck with it in the past. The damn vine borers or powdery mildew always does me in.
I had to look up nemesia, it's not common here. That's pretty! Is it a ground cover? What colors do you have?
I have white, pink, lavender and plum. It grows about 12 inches tall and it gets thick. If you cut it back it blooms twice as thick and blooms all season long. It would remind you of mini snapdragons. The pink smells like of Lilly of the Valley and the purple are a little spicy smelling. I'm constantly pulling it up to thin it out because it chokes out my other plants.
I'll see if I can find some pics of last years garden and send them to you.
I haven't done anything much. I let things go from mid-summer through the end of the year because of my mom, and then my doggie-girl. I had lots of weeds and thick tallish grass. The best thing I did, was to let the chickens loose out in the yard. They ate all the grass, weeds, etc. Literally. No more weeds, etc. in the back and few in the side yard. So, without doing any work, I and my little feathered minions did the weeding.
Other than that I haven't done anything but try to plan what to do next. My old raised beds are completely rotted out, and need to be replaced, and this is the year that I want a small back deck and patio. I have my work cut out for me, but at least some of the prep is done.
I lost my rosemary bush this year, too. I think it might have been the weather, but I am not going to try seed. I'll probably go to a garden center tomorrow and get a start for the pot by the front door.
I was going to do some yard work today, but kept talking myself out of it. It is my son's 22nd birthday, and since I was only lucky enough to have one child, and he refused to participate in the family party last year, I have focused on my own role in that day, today. I've been thinking about my labor, and how his birth changed everything about our lives.
Christina
Damn, blogger ate my comment. Oh well, it was too long anyway.
We just started clean up this past weekend, it snowed again on Sunday morning but it was gone by lunch. Stupid Alberta weather. I have seedlings on every windowsill. I'll be damned if I spend any money on annuals this year!! I love the sweet potato thing, I have to try that. I have petunias, impatiens, pansies and three different kinds of sunflowers on the go. Decided no veggies this year, I will have an army of sunflowers instead. Different colours/heights.
I was looking forward to this giant patch of creeping bellflower I have but the city has decided it's a noxious weed and they'll fine me $250 if they see it. Damn, it was the only thing I could count on coming back every year.
I planted 4 hostas last year that I bought on clearance, but I think the winter got them :( . I don't even see a trace of them right now.
If I could have everything green, I would. Just green perennials everywhere would make me happy.
They are encouraging people to plant common milkweed this year. When you read what's happening to the butterfly population it's sad. I think I only saw 1 monarch last year. Pat, one study says 60 to 90% of Iowa's milkweed and natural habitat has been wiped out thanks to monsanto.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/30/us/monarch-butterflies-falter-under-extreme-weather.html
If I can find true milkweed I'll plant it. I had some bright orange flowers that they call butterfly milkweed, but it wasn't true milkweed which is what the monarchs need.
How do you make a bottle tree, Pat?
I have pretty much done all i need to my garden - I needed to keep it alive (we had a really really hot and dry summer). Managed to keep most of it alive, with very few casualties. Just need to keep the weeds at bay, to allow my groundcovers to do their thing.
Xelia is getting into the whole garden thing too. So we will be planting some seeds (carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes) to expand her vegie patch. We had pretty good success with the strawberries and cherry tomatoes we grew last year.
I just googled - It is a tree made from bottles??
I thought it might be some special way you grow some trees - LOL
I think I'll plant some dickweed.
Our winter hit suddenly and hard. I didn't get anything trimmed back. Which means, it's all probably dead. My beautiful Russian Sage bushes and lavender garden might be gone. Our winter was especially harsh. I think I will have to start over. I have grass in my flower beds, thst not good. I have been so ill I haven't even cared. I think I will be going for a less complex garden from now on. My health is not the best either. Slowly but surely, we will get it done, girl. Our cold winters are very expensive killing good plants. We didn't even get all our onions dug up. The snow was insane.
Pat, I saw your trellis. Did your grapes make it?
I think this past winter was hard on everyone. I lost all my plants. Even the things that usually make it through our winters. I got out the tiller and did 2 little areas. And now I'm feeling it. Every bone in my body is aching. But it's a lot faster and better than digging. Now if I can just keep the damn weeds out.
Christina, my neighbor has chickens. I wonder if he would loan them to me. How are the girls doing?
They are doing great, but someone in the neighborhood complained about them to the city, so I am on high alert for any behavior that may disturb folks around here. When we called the city about the notice, they downplayed it , and essentially said not to worry, so maybe we are okay. I sure would miss them, so I hope we are good.
I have to say they were very efficient with the grass and weeds. They looked so cute out in the yard, too. I can highly recommend chickens for landscaping help. All the grass and weeds make the eggs even better, too. Win win win!!!
Christina
I think it's going to be a cactus and sand only spring and summer where I'm at. Drought and water use restrictions really limit things.
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