New Container Gardening Area

Wow. Aww geez Speedie - you've got a tough job there. ;)

Speedie, you should clone your hubby!

We are doing some of the same things, but mine is not quite so tough. I had to dig out dozens of ditch lilies, about 30 hostas (the aggressive, ugly kind) and now I have dug out about 300 lily of the valley, with about 100 to go. I could certainly utilized a speedie hubby clone!

The fun part is putting all the new plants in. My old yard was mature, so I could take dozens of plants without making a dint. Arranging them in my new beds is a blast (oh, my aching back!)

Amanda, yes, it's a tough job, but somebody's gotta do it! < =D (I vote for DH! heeheeheee)

Donna, YIKES, that's a LOT of stuff to have to dig up, WOWEEE!!! I honestly wouldn't mind taking some of those ditch lilies off your hands, I wouldn't even mind digging them out myself to 'earn' them. With as unattractive as my back yard is, ANYTHING out there would be better than the scraggly over-grown trees-and-nothing-else look I've got out there. (well, nothing else except for funky under-growth too). < =/ As you look at that picture I posted, off to the left is nothing but a MAJOR slope of a hill (way worse than the one we're working on for the 'bed' for the tables) covered in random trees and under-brush-growth stuff and tons and tons of leaves. I never did anything out back because until recently, I never knew anything could grow on purpose in so much shade. LOL!!

Yesterday I came home to find that DH had stacked the second layer on top of the first, and it totally looks just "WRONG". We both agree on that, so after all the back-breaking moving of all the ties, we're only going to use one layer of them. I think what we're going to do is "shave" off some of the slope from the right leading downward toward the left, and use that dirt to fill in the inside on the left. Yeah, we'll end up with a sloped-looking 'wall' of railroad ties, but then we talked about finding something low, about a foot tall or so, evergreen, to plant all along the front to hide the ties, and give a tiny hedge-row look. Any ideas of what I could put there? What about a Mediterranean Heather?

By this weekend, DARNIT, I am GOING to have my tables and trellis planters and bird bath in that bed!!! Heeheee, DH told me last evening that, when it's all in place, he's not doing any more, other than to tell me "Put that plant there, and this one should go over here..." LOL!!!!!

Honeybunch, you don't want THESE ditch lilies.

Here is my neighbor's yard. The brick house. His yard is mostly gorgeous, but the ditch lilies get out of hand after one season.

Pic 1. The neighbors ditch lilies under a tree, from where they spread into my yard before I offed them.

Pic 2. My neighbors ditch lilies as they have spread through his property and, incredibly, onto another neighbor's property.

They will take over the entire yard in a couple of years if you don't stop them.

Ditto to what Donna said. They are horrid and can wipe out nearby good daylilies.

And everything else - LOL!

I am replacing them with species geraniums. I discovered one in my yard and was enchanted. I just ordered a mix of seeds from JL Hudson. This plant is about 18 inches across. It requires NO CARE!

Just beware if any plants from those ditch daylilies manage to emerge, Donna. They have a creepy/nasty way of doing it to me though I cleared the area and sifted the soil.

Found a photo of the roots on the ditch daylilies. They have runners and therein lies the problem. I put a pink flag by them to outline the problem area but I won't be shocked if they return.

Yes, some of them have already reappeared. Much smaller. And been dispatched. Unless you can get the runners with those bulb-like structures they can return. I police the area. Nasty devils.

OK, I give up, I DON'T want any!!! < =O GREAT GOOGLEY MOOGLEY, those things really take over!!!!! Do they get flowers on them like the "nice guys" day lilies do? I mean, with as invasive as they are, there should be at least **some** saving grace, no?? < =/ Garsh, they are little bullies, aren't they?

LOL! You really are fun!

There is no saving grace with ditch daylilies. They do get orange flowers but they are underwhelming.

When the daylilies show their buds the ditch daylilies are easily spotted by their shape (first photo). They are very long and narrow compared to the usual buds (second photo).

Pirl, that's great information! I moved into an older community, and it's amazing how many people have dutch lilies that have taken over their yards. My neighbor (brick house above), who is lovely, by the way, was out with a weed wacker removing the tops of the plants. I almost wanted to go over, pull one out of the ground, and show him the bulbs at the bottom. Some of the ones I got in their entirety had 15 or more of the bulbs, and unless you get them all, they come back. There are cases where I missed one or two and they are growing back. The dandelion digger is a great tool.

I now recognize the real daylilies because I used to snap off the spent buds on my neighbors plants.That was back when I was weird and thought it was fun (OK, I'm still pretty weird!)

This message was edited May 5, 2012 4:38 PM

"... just small clumps of 'em in many places, along road-sides n' stuff."

Allow them to stay at the side of the road. Generally that's the big tip-off that they are ditch daylilies and may appear darker in shade. You'll save yourself a lot of grief!

I will look but NOT touch, I promise!! < =D I can be a good girl, contrary to DH's popular belief! **giggle**.

Oh boy oh boy oh boy, it's done!!!!!!!! Now all I'll have to do is just add to or take away from what's on the tables. Wheeeeeeee!!!!!!

Got a little "Before" and "After" action going on here, WOWEEE, that's just a wee little bit of a difference, eh? ;)

I wanted to readjust the plants a little bit according to afternoon sun, but just my luck the sun went away this afternoon. =(

Wow, that is wonderful! Great job! My orchids would love it there.

That really is an awesome job. I'm getting a little dizzy though, looking at the "after" photo. :D

What an impressive transformation! It all came together so nicely, and making that level area for it made a huge difference.

Thank you guys, I'm really happy with how it all came together, and now I can't wait for all the babies there to grow and grow and totally FILL it in! =)

Amanda, sorry about the dizziness, that "after" pic didn't come out really clear, huh? And I can't help but notice the "optical illusion" thing goin' on there, with the benches being level, and against that fence that actually follows the slope of the hill that we live on. Now you can **really** see how bad that slope really is. It took a LOT of back-breaking work to get that right, and it was all DH's back!! < =/ While we were out there yesterday giving the beds the finishing touches and putting all the stuff in it, it was raining pollen on us!!! I mean really, we were watching the pollen fall down on and around us like rain, AAHCHOOO!!!

Today, I get the rest of the stuff off of the deck (Winter Sown babies, and random things I've collected there), put the WS stuff in the ground whether it's ready or not, and get out the power washer for that deck, Wheeeeeee!!!!!!!! =)

Here's a couple close-ups of each side of the bed. You can tell by the lighting that it REALLY gets shade back there most of the day. Took those pics at about 11:00 in the morning or so. And it was sunny out!

Koshki, bring the orchids on over, I promise to treat them well!! ;P heeheeheee

Oh, it's great, and look at all your babies! They will love their new home.

O you know I was just joking. That is some nice digging to level your platforms. I had to dig a trench like that a bunch of years ago. Interesting what you can do when you put your mind to it. :)

Amanda, and your back to it, too. =P That's some seriously hard work!

I moved several new things out into and ONto the bed yesterday while getting the deck cleared of all the Winter Sowing stuff I'd done. NOT a stellar year for winter sowing, bah humbug! Lots of the 'successes' got transplanted into containers, they're still just too darned little for a real bed... not to mention, the bed I wanted to put most of 'em in still isn't weeded out yet. **GASP!!**

I hope those 2 shelves full of Chaste Trees does ok back there, they're not gonna get much sun there (if any at all), but I just HAD to put them somewhere.

Hey girl - I liked your idea on the WS forum to pour your dud containers into one and spread that soil in a bed.

I only had a handful (out of dozens of handfuls!) that did not sprout at least 1. Thought I would go back and try to start some again of those where only a single or 2 or 3 sprouts came up, but I thought better of it.

Once I get all these seedlings planted out I can start on the next round of seed starting. Maybe I won't wait - it will never get done, and there are a couple of things I obtained recently that I'd like to see bloom before November frost. :D

A.

Speedibean..do you have saucers under all those pots? You might want to consider buying some because if left on your bench, it might stain it, when the soil and water start sifting through. I have a spot on my patio/breezeway that I have to try to use jet spray or clean it up with a stiff brush.

I've found that once the seedlings have gone into the ground(flowerbed)they seem to start growing better. Just my two cents..a different type of soil to grow in.

It's going to be a busy week for me..getting everything together for the plant swap and helping Friday with a Memorial service reception after the funeral.

My daughter and grandchildren came over this afternoon and bought me two 5 gal. buckets full of coreopsis "Zagreb" that she had dug up because it had grown so big. She gave me my first start a few years ago and I've already divided that once and it's getting ready to bloom in a week or two..I can see the little yellow buds all over it. I cut off the
foliage of what she gave me today, divided it with a flat blade shovel and planted it where I could find a bare spot. The gnats about eat me alive outside. Must have lost a few pounds swatting at them. I figure if this don't bloom this coming summer, no big deal, they will in 2013..and later on this fall I can deal with the plants more and maybe dig up and divide some more.

Hoping for rain tonight; we actually need it. Bet that is why the gnats were so bad today.

Betty, Oooops!! No Ma'am, I do not have saucers under all of them, just **some** of them have built-in saucers. YIKES!! Thank you for bringing this up, I'll get some at work today!

Oh, YAY on your new Coreopsis!! I love those things! =)

I know I am a bit late to this conversation, but I have a couple ideas/ suggestions

for your fence, i saw a really cool planting system using old guttering. you attach it every couple of feet with screws with washers and hang it on a very slight angle, so you only have to water one end of it. when i first read your beginning to this thread, i was thinking you have the perfect place for that sort of garden. and i buy some cheap plastic watering cans, cut the side of them out so you can tip them like they are watering your troughs and plant something in them in that side cut... not sure i am getting this picture described like it is coming to me, tho

so from left to right it would be:
watering can, tipped on its side a bit like its pouring (with a plant growing out the "top" which has been cut away) a piece of guttering (high point here) filled with potting mix and upright plants... other end of guttering about 1" to 2" lower than the left end... another watering can tipped hanging in a way that makes it look like any water from the top trough is running into the watering can and then being poured into trough #2 (which is about 4-6" below trough #1) and so on...

here, i found a link with images to show the idea of gutter gardening (u would just have to add the watering cans to make it complete)

http://www.clairepotterdesign.com/theecospot/category/brighton/



also, on the pump i would plant a slow growing clematis in the ground by it and use moss rose in the pot on it (they like full sun but do well in shade too)

Wow - self watering - I like the idea. I think Susan may be on to something here, but it would prolly have to be mostly shade tolerant species in that area out back. It would go great with everything being on an angle, but it would (again!) make your container stadium seating look like it was off kilter. :D

Amanda- just saw off a leg on all seating... nobody will notice!

Aww geez, Susan, if it were only that easy. Have you seen the pictures, above, of the before and after? I wouldn't know which leg of the chair to cut off.

The stadium seating I'm referring to is Speediebean's container garden stadium seats. On a hill, on a slope, in a plane on a train . . ... :D

It makes me dizzy just thinking about what the gutter garden would look like on the fence behind it.

I think since it is "the neighbor's fence" she didn't want to attach anything to it. Maybe her handy hubby can figure out how to build a frame to put the gutters in and attach a kick stand to it.

Hiya folks!! Busy busy lately, at work, then coming home and making sure all the babies are watered... gosh it's hot!!

Amanda, you are right, since it's the neighbor's fence I really didn't want to get real aggressive about attaching anything to it. Since the benches are up against that fence now, I don't see any way to get to it, other than clearing away all the pots and climbing up the bench. (like stadium seating, perfect description!!) Then again, considering the height of the top tier, there's not much fence showing anymore anyway. I've got decent sized pots on that top tier and the plants now pretty much go all the way up to the top of the fence... and my onion comes up OVER the top of the fence. There really isn't anywhere to put the gutter idea now. I'll try to get in here either later today or in the morning to share some updated pics of how it's looking now. The Columbines aren't doing very well, I don't think they liked being transplanted. =( I did sow some Columbine seeds, so we'll see how those ones take. I may just pop a few seeds into the containers that hold the transplants, see if they'll just take over. Everyone else out there seems to be very happy though. I think I need more Hostas. < =D

Hi Speedie,

It's been such fun watching what you are doing. I LOVE big projects. They can make you a little crazy, and sometimes you start them without knowing quite where they will end up, but they are worth it! Looking very forward to your pics.

Donna

yea, i tried to read it all, but got this image of gutter gardening in my head and skipped to the end to post it before i forgot! LOL

i couldn't remember the other day what it reminded me of, but I do now - that game "Mousetrap" wasn't it? Where the ball would roll along those troughs and gutters? :D

yes! that is alot like the concept ive laid out... too funny!

Just jumping in here. Ditchlilies here were nearly out of controle.I used Roundup-premixed for poison Ivey. Now the number of lilies is smaller. They will get treated whenever I am using RU on weeds in that area.

No ditchlilies for me, I have learned my lesson (somewhere in here), and now I am careful to warn others to steer clear of them! =) I had a guy (customer) at work the other day suggesting that he might sneakily try to dig some of those "pretty day lilies" up from along-side the road one day and plant them in his yard... I jumped on that one boy, lemme tell ya!! "Noooooo, those aren't regular Day Lilies, those are DITCHlilies and they are EVIL!!!!" LOL!!!!

Well, I do have a couple new pics to share, they are close-ups of my Setcretias who have blooms on them now, YIPPEEE!!! =)

The first pic is the one on the right bench, the second pic is the one on the left bench.
I REALLY need to get those Cosmos out of their pots and into the ground... turns out what I **thought** was Vitex is really Cosmos.. what a NINNY I am!!!!!
I also have 3 little 4" potted Lemon Grasses sitting along the edge of the "bed" (on the railroad tie), that NEED to get potted up into proper sized containers as well.... Gonna have to check to see if I have any more big containers left, and if not, I'll have to buy 3 of 'em at work today. =) (Love a good excuse to shop!) < =D

Here is what I have learned about invasives. 5 years ago I casually planted some thinking that part of the garden would never change so what the ehck.
WRONG.the garden is always changing and I am truely sorry I planted stuf. Ditch lilies ( which were here when we moved in ) are slowly going as I find better replacements.
Anthemis is another one.

That reminds me!! I've got one potted Aegepodium that is currently flowering. I will HAVE to prune those blooms 'cause I don't think I want that stuff taking over the back yard. ... then again, I have NOTHING else going on in the back yard, so it might be nice to have a little something to look at .... no, wait, what am I thinking!?!?!? Pruners will be busy when I get home from work today! =)