Garden Projects 2011 #3

Bill, I agree with Pirl for doing over the northeast. You could start up here at my place and bring plenty of rocks (lol) :)

patti i have liners coming for the most part as well. well probably pot them up for a season and plant next year.

Wha, Mine came a couple of weeks ago and so they have been potted up, and they already seem plenty big to plant in the beds soon. Keep hoping to hear the delivery truck in the drive with my Davidsan Jmaples in it. Want to plant and they would have been here on Thurs, if this wasn't Nantucket. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr. I have a zillion little guys mostly sedums, heuchera, primula, sib iris, etc to go in the same beds, but want to plant the trees first. Chomping at the bit. Patti

Bill, here in the north astilbe can take full sun as long as they have adequate moisture. They can't dry out if in the sun. Even in the shade they don't like it dry. Don't see why you can't plant out all your liners in the ground instead of pots, unless it's because you have way more coming than you can plant in that bed.

Patti, I have never had rabbits eat my hosta, though they eat a lot of other things here. Deer, on the other hand..... Don't get me started! At least they have stayed away for the past few years.

Hope you get your trees today, Patti.

Well, I gotta get out there and get some work done.

Karen

Great job, everyone. Whew! I'm tired just reading about it all.

LOL, I am too, Jan.....my projects are wimpy compared to everyone's......

I am beat! I spent a good 5 hours just taking care of orders for my customers, digging, cleaning, trimming foliage, packaging, taking to the post office. And I found out I'm not charging enough for postage. ****SIGH!***** Oh, my, I'm not sure if I'm liking this mail order business. If I only worked part time it wouldn't be so bad. I have little enough time as it is, and this cuts into time I need for other things.

Finally I got to my own gardening work. I cleaned out another bed and worked on cutting my forsythia bushes waaaaay back. They were just getting out of control. I'd get rid of them, but they're so pretty when they bloom. Did some weeding and potted up some more stuff. What a gorgeous day it was today. I was in shorts!

Karen

Went to work on curving the berm after gettting back picking my son from school, going to Barnes and Noble to get him a book for his history book report, worked on it for about 2 hours....man that's a lot of dirt...I'm getting there though

Karen, Shorts? I haven't worn shorts in a million years. I had on sweats and a long sleeve shirt and a fleece vest. We are way cooler. Sounds like you got a great deal of work done. Hate that you are loosing on postage. You need to rethink your prices as you can't give away your profits.

flowajen, be sure and post a pic of your berm in progress. I loved what you were thinking about planting.

I had visitors to the garden this morning from the American Daffodil Society. Bob Spotts, Past President, Sally Nash current Secretary plus a couple other daffodil people who were here to judge the Nantucket show over the week end. They will be doing the Tower Hill show next weekend.

I had met Sally Nash at the show and extended an invitation to her to visit our garden, but hardly expected them to show up ever. They spent a very long time and where amazingly interested in our garden and unbelievable knowledgeable and helpful. Just before leaving, Bob said that one of my favorite ones growing in a prime spot was his own hybrid. We took a picture of him with his Narcissus Kokopelli. He found a narcissus growing that he loved and didn't know, so I am emailing him the information, if I have it in my journal. It will probably be one that is a noid.

Our Japanese Maples came, so after the daffy gang left, we got the veggie bed rototilled with a rented monster. Then we planted all the maples except one as well as all the little guys going into that bed. I also got our Lazy S order and planted most of it before being too tired to think. Tomorrow I will finish those up and plant hosta and work on getting the veggie bed paths laid with weed block and do some planting. Yippee.

I will post pictures tomorrow of the new Japanese Maple bed and stairs and veggie bed. Just no time today. Patti

You don't wear shorts?even in the summer?

If it doesn't rain I'll get pics tomorrow.

That sounds so cool, having the society over and even having the very hybridist(is that the word?)of one of the daffs that you have...very cool!

Pics of you in shorts, Jen? ^_^

I finished that last of my major plants. Still have some small B&B ones to do. Still have lots of cleaning and cutting back! So far behind this year.

No shorts for me. Ticks and looks. Those days are over. I hope it rains at night, too much to do during the day. He is a Hybridizer and a Hybridist is one who hybridizes. Sex in the garden. Patti

LOL, thanks for clarifying

I'll try to find one for you Victor.

The only 1 I have on my computer at the moment from 8 yrs ago

Nice boots!

You are approved to wear shorts! LOL. I'm not, but do anyway, because I die from the heat. Patti, so glad you had such distinguished visitors.....your gardens are awesome, with some very unusual varieties!

I had no idea who they were until I goggled them. I would die if I could get some of his green Narcissus Mesa Verde or any of his other green ones. I will start begging soon.

http://www.examiner.com/gardening-scene-in-sacramento/unusual-green-daffodils-at-the-national-show

patti that is great that they visited - looking forward to seeing the pictures of the new bed with jm's!

Awesome, Patti. I'm sure you'll get some of those green ones.

I think the paths in one garden will be redone. I used used brick and just now, when planting, some pretty big roots were kinda pulled out, but of course they dislodged many things including some of the bricks in the path. I will try to remove all the roots then build up the path bed and relay them. Not all today though. hahaha They should be widened as well, so they are comfortable to walk on. Some are pretty narrow that I feel like I'm on a tightrope. Poor planning on my part, but, I surely didn't know that when they were laid.

I like the green daffs.....wonder who sells them?

Jan23, paths are tough. Relaying them every so many years is a giant pain in my back. Ours our stone and they look great but are lumpy and dangerous and the weeds love to grow up around them. I weeded some as I moved around through the garden today.

I planted a whole mess of hosta and a few other things then mostly edged, weeded, raked, and divided plants while DH organized the veggie bed. We will lay the weed barrier tomorrow and put up the trellises and plant. Never had time to snap any pictures. I am starting out with the camera in the morning. Peach tree, shad trees, Bradford pear (Pyrus calleryana) and Pineapple Quince (Cydonia oblonga) are all in bloom.

Robindog, I haven't found Green Narcissus being sold and I am sure the price would be way too high for me. I looked at some of the rare Narcissus in the Mitsch catalog that were over 75.00 each. Pretty, but not that pretty. I have sprung for a few over 3.00 each, but try to spend less than a two dollars each. They only show their pricey ones in their printed catalog, but most of the ones online are still in the 10 to 25 dollars each. Yikes. I am tempted by a couple that cost 12.00 each, but resisting. Patti

Here's the berm I'm still working on trying to curve to the left. So much fun trying to move all that dirt yourself

I can't say what I see.. LOL

but that was a lot of work my girl

Gosh, you know, I did for a second think the same thing...UGH

Good thing the lawn slopes a little to the back so I don't have to make it as high

I must have been tired when I posted the pic of us with our bike, that was 11yrs ago not 8

Freudian stuff at work, Jen??

Oh geez!!!

2 days ago I told hubby I quit, he started getting on me again about something stupid...did I ever mention NEVER work with your spouse!!!
anyhoo I don't take gettting yelled at by anyone esp when I know what I'm doing, so I told him I quit, texted our biz partner and told him the same thing and that hubby was being mean to me again.

So tonight after the invoices sitting on my desk, I see them piled up in a nice neat pile, and ask hubby what he's doing he said he's writing them up and our biz partner is going to do all the paperwork we have to move ALL the files to his house...well I didn't mean I wouldn't do ANYTHING, it's just the invoicing part that DRIVES ME NUTS, he thinks I'm a mind reader. SO I told him I'd show him how to do it, he's goes 'no thanks' I'm not learning how to do it, Danny is going to.
Don't you think if you own a biz you should know ALL aspects????
So as I was looking thru the newly made pile , he did about only 4 of them.....took him awhile and he skipped dinner!!!! for pete's sake!!!!!!!

Patti, I have decided to go up on my postage. Not too much, as I don't want to gouge anyone, but enough so that I'm not paying for any out-of-pocket. I wore my shorts today, and a good part of the day was very nice, but then it got pretty cool towards the end. Put on pants when I got home. I'm no looker in shorts, believe me, I wear them to be comfy and not so sweaty. I can get ticks just as easily with pants as with shorts. Of course when wearing shorts while cutting brush and raspberry cans I really get some scratched up legs. Battle scars! What a treat having the gang from the Am. Daff. Society come and visit your gardens! That would be like having a gang from the Am. Hem. Society come and visit mine. Fun!

Great pic of you in shorts, Jen! You guys don't want to see me in shorts, although you probably already have, especially if you've attended one of my RU's. I'm pretty much always in shorts in the summer, or in capris.

Jen, hope your hubby smartens up soon. Must be aggravating!

You're far behind, Victor? I'm always far behind. I'm never really caught up.

No projects for me today. Just work.

Karen

nutsfordaylily, Postage issues for me when owning bookstores and doing tons of shipping got solved when I started charging a per book price that would almost always cover my expenses, but to be fair to the customers I would do a refund if the amount turned out to be more than the actual flat rate charged to them by at least a dollar. Any overage of less than a dollar stayed with me. It was mostly just pennies and took care of my time to pack and go to the PO. I had to do a fair number of refunds, or issue credits, but didn't get stuck with charging too little which could really mount up. For customers with in-store accounts, I charged them the actual amount after the books were shipped. Those were easy. Good luck.

Today I am trying to make sure I have the right ID on a Narcissus that Mr.Narcissus wanted to know about. I would hate to send him the wrong name. Ironically another of my regular garden articles was just published last week about Collecting Historic Narcissus, but not sure if any of them read it. I think I might send him a copy, but kind of shy. I am pretty sure he was looking at a sweet one called N.Pueblo. Not a historic. But mine seem taller, so I need to go out and measure them this morning and take more photos.

go to it patti

Thanks Patti, for the info on the green daffs....my budgeted cash for plants is gone for the next several months, & $75 for a bulb my airhead might dig up....not happening!

LOL Robin(airhead)!!
Patti, what an honer to have them visit your gardens, but you really do have a lovely collection of bulbeous beauties!! My gut tells me this gentleman will send you some of his creations after seeing what you do with your gardens. ^_^

I imagine my garden and Narcissus collection is child's play compared with many others that they have visited, but,no matter as we like it.

Good thing I checked on his requested id as the one he liked is not Narcissus Pueblo, but one that I bought as Narcissus Gazell, though I am still not sure. I did take photo's today. Like 800 plus to be able to label them correctly. I will delete tons of them, but still have the West Woods, the Dell as well as some of the North Yard. But I needed to get planting so I will take more tomorrow of those beds.

The mulching guys are coming tomorrow to help get the beds ready, though most of the weeding and edging has been done already by me. I see no point in putting mulch down over weeds, so we will do a spic and span on them. I have lilies to plant tomorrow and 10 primula that I didn't get in before it started to rain. The mulch arrives on Friday morning, 25 yards of it. Yikes. Glad I have help. The rain has stopped, but I wish we would get a good soaking tonight. I divided a bunch more stuff today and they need water. I need pain pills and shower.

Robindog, I love your term "airhead". Much better than my enduring term for my DH when he is just "H" which is Jerkbrain. He rarely is one, lucky me. Off to work on my photo's and I will post some later, finally. Patti

Gosh, Patti, what an honor to have visitors of that caliber! Must have been much fun and sounds like they were interesting. Also sounds like you have been very, very busy!

Very busy. Got rain tonight so the new kids I planted today will be happy. I found some dwarf bearded Iris blooming. Here is my favorite combo shot from today so far. Love the oranges and purple together. Patti

Here are the girls. Big hole diggers, but I still like them. Patti

Veggie bed is about to get paths and plants once I finish cleaning up around the fence to keep the dogs out as well as any stray bunnies who might get through the deer and rabbit fence that surrounds the back gardens. Patti

Looking east. Patti

Patti your tulip shot... DROOL!!!!.. love that spot!!!... and the babies are always adorable!!!

Beautiful Patti!!