New Garden Projects This Year #5

My back was ruined before I became a gardener. I have since decided that a bad back is a prerequisite to becoming a gardener.
Hi all. Here is my siberian/JI/peony garden that some of you saw at my RU. It's mostly a display garden of pollyk's irises. I have 4 of her Borglum sib intros percolating there.
I have a standup tool for bulbs and usually can dig hole with it. You dig it in like a shovel (cylinder shape on bottom ), pull it out, put the bulbs in, and it has places to step on that release the plug back in the hole. I have never seen another like it and can hardly remember where it came from. But because I hand desodded the gardens, I can use it. Prolly in 10 years there will be too many rocks since they reproduce and head for the surface just like Japanese beetles.

very nice Boojum.
Thats a new bed then?
Its nice to set up something to anticipate in the spring

I actually started it in the spring. I put down clear plastic. That's how it looked at the RU. I dug it all in early August. Since this pic, I've put in 12 more irises and 3 peonies in that middle area.

That tool you described is the one I had returned. I think it doesn't work in sandy soil. The soil just fell out before I released it. Leaving me with no hole. Maybe if I had tried it when the soil wasn't dry it would have worked better.

Ha, ha!! And I have to work so hard to push out the plug!!

Very lean, rocky soil here which is why I have raised beds---but the rocks spring up in them, just like Booj said they do!

Great job, Kathy! That looks fantastic!

I've been working on a bed I started last fall but never finished. I'm finally almost done. Got a large section done today, shifted around some daylilies in there, about 6, and planted Digitalis 'Candy Mountain' and D. monstruosa seedlings in there. Put in rocks to step on while weeding so I don't compact the soil. Also put in my new Sunshine Blue Caryopteris 'Jason'. I just have a small corner to dig and plant 2 or 3 DL's in, then I have to mulch and put wood chips on the pathway. That should get done tomorrow. Here are some pics from today.

Karen

This is the new section I got done.

another view

and a long view.....

One more long view. You can see all the weed seedlings growing in the pathway. Gotta get those wood chips down to smother them out.

Karen

Back at the top of the thread I posted a pic of that area where everybody was digging DL's at the RU. I've made a little progress there. In the front of the pic you can see I've planted some DL's. I also put in ajuga there in an attempt the keep the weeds under control. Will mulch there for now till the ajuga becomes established. Over by the ugly looking compost bin (I need one like yours, Bill) I have planted more DL's. I took some older clumps of my late mother's seedling crosses and split them into smaller clumps. I got 4 large clumps of 8+ fans on 2 of the clumps, and 8 same size fans off of just one clump. Obviously I have a lot more to do in this area.

Karen

looking great Karen!

Thanks, Allison!

Karen

your soil looks so much better than mine

:(

Cousin Nut the first bed you showed is grandiflorius!!!! Fie on the weedlings growing in the pathway I say! Your trusty hoe will handle those renegades. Seriously this is gonna be a kickbutt bed for sure. I really think the way to handle a compost is to grow a tree in front of it. Compost piles don't need sun. Perhaps there is a new tree or large shrub that you would like to put there?

Looks great, Karen. My compost lives in the woods with LOTS of trees.

Thanks, Cousin Nut and Kathy. I can't put any trees or shrubs in front of the pile, as it's too close to the veggie bed. I would just like to make a neat and tidy one.

Karen

karen that bed looks like it will be great - and give the compost bin credit to kassia, i just printed the one she posted last year and copied it - btw mine is under trees too

to be posted soon, work on another rock wall - got about 4' done today behind my dal lily bed - which will be a raised bed when done - thinking about ordering more dirt instead of wating till spring - need to roto where the day lily's are now, refill with dirt, replant the day lily's and re-plant the tiger lilly's behind the wall too keep them away for the "good" ones - depends on how fast this wall goes

My back aches for you Bill.
I envy your vigor and balance.

thx Joann

it could be boredom :)

OOOOOHH Boredom.
Tats what bstarted all my gardening.
Semi retired and moved to this big house.
Ive been digging and cuting back ever since july of 2007

here is a picture of the wall i am working on - not happy with it yet - this will be a retaining was as i will back fill where the day Lilly's are - the tall ones in the back are the tigers and they will be planted behind the wall

You sure have an eye for stone. Its great

thx joann - i might be coming back to do this section over if it does not start to get level and flat - running out of good stone which is making this harder.

That's coming along great wha.

Nice work, Karen & Bill--your projects look great---if anyone is bored I'll d-mail you my address!

Thanks, Bill and Marilyn! Sorry, Marilyn, I have enough to do here. :-)

Bill, you've got a good beginning on that wall. I hope you can get more rocks somewhere for that project.

Karen

Karen all your DL's are going to look wonderful next year!
Wha nice wall!

Can I ask when you all plant spring bulbs? I have received my John Scheepers order and wanted to start planting, but my Brent and Becky's order doesn't look like it will be here until the end of next week or later. I wanted to plant them all at once so I don't risk hitting the previously planted bulbs while putting in more. I feel like the third week of Oct. is pushing it?

Dont plant until all your bulbs are here.
I am also waiting for Brent and Beckys. Its maddning but you have until the round freezes or you cant stand the cold ground and wind.
Its OK to plant as late as early December.

That's good to know. I planted some either the last week of Oct or first week of Nov. last fall. They seemed to not do as well as ones I've planted in late Sept. So I didn't know if it was partly because of being planted later. There was a crazy heat wave at the time they came up so that could have been the problem. They started blooming on very short stalks. It was very strange - they had only ppopped through the ground within a few days of blooming.

I have had that happen in an unusually warm fall.The next year they are on schedual
We are talking about tulips right?
Lily bulbs planted in spring will bloom a month later than usual but catch up with themselves in the following year.

Half Daffodils - half Tulips. I am planting some Lily bulbs too. The dafs I planted in early Nov. last fall bloomed in early May. It was just weird because I kept looking for them in spring and had started to think I had lost them because they weren't poking through the ground. Then all of as sudden they poked through and bloomed within a few days. None of the other Dafs did that, not even the ones I had planted the same fall but earlier on. It must have been brought on by the heat wave.

They are always slow the first year

Spring bulbs need to root before the ground freezes solid. For my location that's usually mid December so I have all my bulbs in by end of October so they develop good roots.

thanks everyone - i'll get some updated pic's posted soon - was able to relocate enough large stones for the back - all are in place - now it is time to put the rock puzzle together

Thanks for your help Ge. : )

Dahlianut, that makes me feel good. Since you are in a colder zone and can plant until the end of October, I shouldn't have any problems. Thanks : )

Keep up the good work Bill! : )

I think your safe to plant by mid Nov. in your zone

Great, so I'll stop worrying. I was just looking forward to having a long weekend to get stuff done, but I guess I'll have to wait until next weekend.

I had the same fall project as wha. I'm very proud of my saw and hammer abilities. Only screwed up once.

That's looking great, Venu! I need some good looking compost bins to keep my messy ones in neater looking.

Karen