Garden Projects #5

Lets go on with plans and changes in our gardens.
Opening photo is how this spot has changed since April.

We were here:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1178946/#new

Patti, you sound quite busy.

Louise, I am redoing a bed with LOTV right now. I will never get all the roots out. I know they'll just keep coming up here and there, and I'll have to just keep digging them up. Digging them is the only way I know to get rid of them, and the roots can go pretty deep.

Responding to posts in previous thread:

Jo, yes, columbines are short lived. About 4 years max. Mine do reseed a lot. So do my foxgloves. My lupines not so much. I believe lupines are short lived, as mine never seem to last more than 2 or 3 years. And, of course, foxgloves are biennial except for certain varieties.

I think delphs are short lived, too, though I have some white ones in front that are on either their 3rd or 4th year. We will see if they will go another year for me. I'm planting 3 Cherry Blossom delphs in that bed this year.

Lucy, I'm surprised you don't have enough sun for lupines, as you grow sun-loving irises. Maybe the irises are getting all your sun.

Karen

Oh, btw, thanks for the new thread Jo. You did good!

Louise.. tarps might be better... might cook those suckers under there.. wonder if you round up them first and then cover em.. let us know how it turns out.. the pachysandra will grow under things as we have learned.. garbage can or whatever... just looks yellow and weak.. but never killed it.. hope it's not as strong as that

Mess #1 was redone yesterday, 6 hours for this puny thing. The yellow hollyhock survived w/ no care for a full year. The Siberica Caesars Brother is going to go find a new home after the flowers totally go away. I planted red MG's so they can take over the patio again. Going to go get a six pack of something to put in the front. I know your going to say - I dont like the red mulch. Its been sitting here for 3 years so why not use it up as it cost a good deal of dollars by the truck full.

I have 4 major messes to either try to fix or have Jim dig them up with his tractor and start fresh. I think there is too many plants to murder and at least try to move them - SOMEWHERE!

Most of you know my thinking. If its not edible, Im really not into it. My next mess I will tackle and probably ask for some help.

Louise, I think I would do RU, then after a couple of days of letting it work, put down a thick layer of cardboard and then cover it with a black plastic and top that with mulch so you don't have to see it, and let it be for at least two years. I think you might win. There is a new more lethal RU being advertised. I hate that stuff, but we are going to have to use it on the PI which is rampant this year in our woods. I end up in the hospital too often with it. The only other ways that I can see is to dig up the whole area and cart away all the dirt and replace it with fresh soil or try to keep the LOV constantly scalped to the ground with a weed whacker from early spring (as soon as you snowbirds get back) until fall. Good luck.

I am about to finish the last veggie garden planting today. I keep getting sidetracked with weeding and pruning. I found some dead branches in shrubs so I took those out and then I pruned out the dead lilac heads as they looked horrible, but I can't reach many, so they have to stay until I get out a tall ladder. I then I got out the weed whacker and did an area that the lawn mowing guy forgot to mow.....grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. I weeded around a bunch of shrubs and transplanted a few more things.

Yesterday, I planted calla, caladiums and canna. The winter storage of the calla was great last year as all where firm and showing buds. The caladiums not so much, but I had ordered new ones of those so I pitched most of the old ones. The canna didn't look great, but should produce something. I had thought that I had order more of those too and had dug a new bed along the front of the Veggie bed for some bright canna color, but I apparently never sent in the order. Dumb me. I had extra red kale and some other that is pretty too so I planted that there along with extra eggplant and 2 cardoons. I planted the old canna in a sparsely planted mostly DL bed, so that should work. Raspberries must get planted today too. Need to go to the dump and to the farm for a few snapdragons, portulaca and marigolds. Can't not have those. Out to work.

I am a Lupine loser too. Can't grow them. Patti

schickenlady, looks great. I know you are the veggie queen, but am jealous of your lupines. Patti

Karen the irises are in the sun out in the old pony pasture. We keep that area free of other plants as we both hybridize & must have the space to line out seedlings. Even then we have very few TBs as we like the smaller ones. the old iris beds near the house are getting shaded over by the trees. Our house was put in old conservation land which had been colonized by trees & shrubs, except the tulip tree which we planted and a Nova Zemba rhododendron.

Patti, you've been busy....again! Sherrie, I love those lupines....you're fortunate to have them....

I dont know how I am fortunate as I did not try.

Patti, I love the collages you post, very pretty.
Self seeding flowers drive me crazy, always trying to remember not to weed them out in the spring, and they turn up in unexpected places, not where I want them.
My project for this year is to start a shade garden at the edge of the woods. Haven't gotten far enough to post any pictures of that.

We finished both veggie beds today. Long last! Well I do have some cherry tomatoes (Sweet 100's) to plant if the netting for the trellis arrives tomorrow at the PO as expected. But DH made the bamboo trellis for them and I put the little aluminum collars on them for the cut worms so it will take only a couple of minutes once the netting goes up. Anyone else use this method? Seems to work.

Realized that we had no zucchini and a bit short on Cukes and broc. so we picked some of those up at the second nursery we went to as the big one is selling nothing in 6 pks and almost nothing in 4 pks and I refused to pay 2.00 bucks a plant for a veggie start. I did buy from them some Lime Thyme, a bay leaf plant, 2 geraniums, some snaps and portulaca plus some non stop white begonia. I need a bunch of the begonia, so I am going to do some quick cuttings in vermiculite and water and hope they root fast with a little rootone.

While cleaning up to plant I pulled up a wandering horseradish and DH just ground it up and made a lovely horseradish mayo. I also found some old leeks from last year so I took them out and braised them in butter. Yummy.

Tonight we are eating mostly a big salad from all the greens in the garden. Another yummy.

Tomorrow is a major watering day. Dry here.

granitegneiss, great to hear you are doing a woodland garden. I got totally inspired after going to a couple of great gardens up in the Bar Harbor area of Me as well as to the amazing Garden in the Woods near Framingham Ma. So much to choose from. I have gone woodland bonkers...anyone surprised?

Nice ball game on....6 to one, Boston over NYY at the moment. Patti

Wow, Patti you have been very busy! I have not planted any veggies this year. Maybe my sister will get some. I have no energy or ambition for them. I do lousy with veggies anyhow. I have all I can do to take care of my perennials.

I did a lot of watering today. Boy do we need rain. I also dug and cleaned up daylilies to ship out tomorrow for a DG order. Before all that I did some digging and planting of daylilies and irises with 2 of the disabled individuals that I work with. I donated some of my plants to a few of our group homes. There were not beds already done, so I was hard at work digging out an area that had lots of bittersweet roots in it out in the hot sun. At least the humidity was not bad today. The next couple of days it's supposed to be bad.

I have a huge angelica growing in my garden right now that's spectacular. Need to get some pics. This is the one: http://anniesannuals.com/plt_lst/lists/general/lst.gen.asp?prodid=47&rs_start=60 . Last year I got this one from them and have not planted it yet: http://anniesannuals.com/plt_lst/lists/general/lst.gen.asp?prodid=48&rs_start=60 . Need to find a spot for it.

Karen

Karen, so good of you to share your plants and energy with the group homes.

Jealous of your angelica. I use to grow it by the back door and would always candy the flowers. Now I have it too far away to remember to do anything with it. Dumb of me. Mine could even be dead...will check tomorrow. Here is a collage of the veggie beds.

Dinner was great, big salad with spring onions, snow peas and many types of lettuce from our garden along with some interlopers of carrots and blue cheese and some grilled Italian sausage and some of DH's homemade bread. Our carrots are growing, but a long time before we munch on them. Patti

Oh, your veggie beds look great, Patti!

This year I got this angelica from Annie's: http://anniesannuals.com/plt_lst/lists/general/lst.gen.asp?prodid=49&rs_start=60 . Still haven't decided on where to plant it.

Karen

Great pix Patti.

nice garden patti

I agree, lovely!

Karen, that angelica is a beauty, but I don't have the space for such a huge plant! Patti, very welcoming veggie garden....sounds like the menu was perfect......

Fantastic! Wish I had one that size. Please post on the edibles thread what you have planted.

Not much happening here, I see, or everyone is too busy with their projects. Anyhow, tomorrow I plan to continue with that garden I'm working on with all the LOV in it. Hopefully I can get it finished. I'm also going to work on getting my toilet planter done. I also have a sink planter to go with it.

Karen

can't wait to see what you do with them Karen!

mulching is all done - have 5 yds or so left over - amazing how much less you use spreading by hand.

I worked in the LOV garden today for about 4 hours, then I was too tired to do anymore other than some pruning on a few things. Cut back some peonies, pruned my pink flowering almond, rambler rose, a shrub rose. I got A LOT of work on that new bed. It's almost done. There were a bunch of large tree roots in there that I had to cut, and I got tons of LOV roots out. I'm sure I will find more coming up from little pieces of root I've missed. I got 2 hostas planted, Hoosier Harmony and Great Expectations. Also planted an astilbe called Key West and my new heuchera Malachite. I have a little bit more to do and one more hosta, Orange Marmalade, to plant. Will finish it up tomorrow and hopefully get the toilet planter done.

Karen

Love pink flowering almond. Ours is from a friend & still quite small. We had a great one 40 yrs ago in CT.

Mine produces offshoots, and I dig them and pot them up to sell. As with everything else, though, it sells best when it's in bloom. My plant sale that I did back in May I had brought 3 pots of it and sold all of them, as they were blooming. Wish I had brought more with me.

I will take pics of my new bed today.

Karen

I finished my new bed!!!!! Woohoo!!!! I'm so excited, and I'm really thrilled with how it turned out. Here are some pics.

Karen

vertical shot...

Looks good!


Today I worked on adding a walking path next to our new gravel drive...pics to follow when finished

A view from the opposite side. The spots you see that are bare of mulch are places where I have sown seeds. I sowed:

Primula auricula 'Douglas Prize Strain' mixed http://www.tmseeds.com/product/Primula-Auricula-Douglas-Prize-Mixed/Shop_Perennial_Flower_Seed
Prumula denticulata drumstick mixed http://www.tmseeds.com/product/Primula-Denticulata-Mixed-Drumstick-Primula/Shop_Perennial_Flower_Seed
Aquilegia chrysantha 'Yellow Star' http://www.tmseeds.com/product/Aquilegia-chrysantha-Yellow-Star/Shop_Perennial_Flower_Seed
Aquilegia clematifolia pink and purple shades
Campanula latifolia 'Amethyst'.

Karen

Thanks! Can't wait to see pics, Jen.

Here's the path through the bed.

Karen

I put together a new planter to put on one of the birch tree stumps. It has Artemesia 'Silver Brocade', a red dahlia, and a red calichabroa to match.

Karen

Here's the pic.

A closer look at the planter. The calichabroa flowers are closed up. Will get another pic later when there's better lighting and the flowers are open.

Karen

I was thinking of sowing some seeds now, too

I hope mine don't need any prechilling. The campanula I sowed can take 1-3 mths to germinate. Guess I'll be waiting awhile.

Karen

good looking gardens Karen.

lookin good Karen

Nice job, Karen!