Garden Projects # 9

Bill:I agree,done right means done once then we can move on to other things.

Gardeners obsessive? never heard of such a thing......

Tee hee

Time to vacuum the garden, Bill...^_^

If you posted here, believe me, you are among the obsessed. But Wha, may be the leader of this pack of trowel waving greenish group. We all have empty pockets due to this obsession, but we also all have a yard full of rooted treasures. Though all of us seem to be on a constant look out for the next great plant or tree which will surely come with yet another set of new garden problems and woes as well as another backache and a blister or two. But I doubt that any physical pains, blight, bugs or bankruptcy would deter any of us from this incessant pursuit to dig holes in the ground.

I am about to go out into the wind and rain and plant some new annuals. Point made. Oh, I nominated Wha as he also has rocks in his head. Patti

The preceding was a pre-battle pep talk from one of the generals!!! ^_^

So many dang weed vines in my garden. They are the worst. Grape and bittersweet.

noticed a typo in my post - so much for done right the first time:)

Yes - I did not want to point out that irony, Bill.

I was being polite.

You guys are bad, bad! I saw a segment on local TV the other night about a group trying to eliminate mile-a-minute vine.....it's a horrible invasive, as evil as bittersweet.....

Marilyn, that's good to know I can just move my pot of cannas down into the cellar. No watering in the winter while they're down there, right? Do you re-pot with fresh soil in the spring when you bring them up? Glad they caught your reaction to that bee sting and got you a shot.

Jen, try using a systemic spray for those bugs. Then you won't have to worry about the rain washing it away.

Noreaster, I get thrips on some of my darker daylilies, too, but not all of them. This year I'm trying that systemic spray on them. We'll see how it works. I've never seen the darn things, either, but I know they're there by the damage they've done. Same with leaf miners, which I get ruining the leaves of my columbines every year. I never see them, either. Hit them with the systemic, too. I'm done with organics. I've brought out the big guns this year. Only using it on what needs it, though.

Glad to hear your clems are doing so well without having cut them back, Victor. I never cut mine back. There's always so much to do. I never have a problem with them blooming each year, and most bloom quite prolifically. You're right, nature does do well all by itself. I never fertilize my plants in the beds, and I still get great blooms year after year. Go figure. Victor, if I had more time, I would be a type AAAA gardening personality myself. I like my gardens to look neat and orderly. Some do and some don't. Just not enough time to get it all done. Well, if I didn't have more than one person can take care of, then I wouldn't have a problem.

BTW, Victor, be glad you don't have swallow wort vine. Those are really horrible. And some kind of vetch, as well. I don't have too many of the bittersweet and grape, but I do have some. That mile-a-minute vine sounds much worse than bittersweet. Or how about kudzu? I've heard you can actually watch it grow!

Patti, how did your planting in the rain go? We had it intermittently here, with periods of it being quite heavy.

Karen

I am not obsessive, I do not obsess, I am not a plant aholic, I do not spend too much time in the garden, I am not a plant obsessive...

Calm yourself Rosemaryk. We are all in the same boat.Whats worse we even obcess in the winter-down season.
Its safer than hanging out in bars.

Good one, Jo! I'm ashamed to say, Karen, that I haven't put new soil in the pot....I did put Shake & Feed in though.....I don't start watering until March.....

Wet, too wet to do much, but had a full day today of serious work. Patti

Isnt your garden tour coming up soon?

got a lot done today - finished the first big weed of the year - moved three jm's, moved out to old vib's that did nothing for me and got bent out of shape by the storm last oct. , planted several hosta, a hydrangea, and a conifer, and cut a large piece of grass out to build a small stone wall.............

Too soon, ekkkkkkkkkkkk! June 21. I have to be away from Thurs to Sunday which isn't going to help me get all the work done that needs to be done. So the garden will be what it is, a work in progress. Plus everything is blooming way too early so the Iris and peonies will be gone by which is a pity as they look fabulous now. The lilies should be mostly OK, though I have a few out already and I assume we will have some DL's out.

The good thing is that we are getting some things done which have been on the "Victor" list for years. Progress. We put in a stone path yesterday in an area that always needed one. Looks good. Today I began to tackle a pine that was suppose to a low growing mugo, however it grew into a wide, spreading one that is about 12 feet high and as wide since planting it in 1983. Another one we bought and planted at the same time is just what it was suppose to be. Fortunately we kind of like the big guy though it needed some serious pruning and I must clear out a lot of unwanted growth of all kinds of crappy volunteers that have grown under it which I have been ignoring for far too long. Bad. That will be on the list for tomorrow as well as some chainsaw work to remove some cedar limbs that people might walk into while in the garden. I know where and when to duck, but these intruding branches should be taken down, so we will do that too. I have a bed full of nut grass which has to be weeded asap. I am also digging a new bed in front of one of the veggie gardens to plant some decorative veggies in that should make that area look better. I had some things in that space last year, but not in a properly dug bed. So it is half done already and should be a quick improvement. I hope we don't get more rain.

I divided a mess of stuff today to use as fillers such as Hosta, Astilbe, Epimedium, Heuchera, Hellebores, Primula, and Ferns and stuck them into spots that were wanting. I added more impatience, salvia, and some begonias, but not many as I don't want the place to look like a Victorian bedded garden.

Too bad the deer took a big chunk out of many of the Japanese Maples that were planted outside the deer fence after we un-caged them in May. I am going to rethink that location next fall or fence that area in during the winter and leave the fence up into June when the deer will be likely to leave them alone. Or I may move them into the fenced part of the garden with the others which are doing nicely. Always something. Oh, saw a rose bush that I swear I didn't plant where it is and it is clashing badly with its neighbors, so it will get moved tomorrow too. Always tomorrow. too. Patti

Wha, Wow, I could use your energy and expertise to get this place in shape, but the Garden Conservancy wanted our garden as an example of a do it yourself garden, so that would be cheating. And where did you find another spot for more stone work? But less grass is always better in my book. We have too much. Patti

I have been thinking of your upcoming tour, Patti and wishing you strength and good weather. Most of all-enjoy it!!!

Looking forward to seeing the new wall, wha

Just a "small" wall? We'll see, Bill! Patti, sounds like the garden will be lovely...take some photos. a lot of work, but many folks will leave inspired.....

Good luck to you, Patti!

I'm also feeling somewhat frantic. We haven't been able to schedule any extra time up here this spring, and so many of the days we have been here it's been impossible to get much of anything done because of weather. I'm way behind on getting the annuals in, I have lots of baby perennials from co-ops and mailorders that need attention, and then there are the weeds. And the weeds. And the weeds.

Today I finally got the rest of the tomatoes and cukes in. While I was grabbing fistfuls of weeds out of the path between the raised beds and looking ruefully at the weedy mess around the blueberry bushes that went in last fall, I suddenly had an AHA moment. Last fall I amended the raised beds with humus and manure, and covered them with cardboard held down with bricks. Uncovered, there were a few weeds that pulled right out easily, and the top inch or so was all worm castings. Lovely!

Soooo... After planting I put down more cardboard and mulch. Then I put down more cardboard around the blueberry bushes and mulched. Why weed at all?! All the weedy paths, all the messy areas that have been cleared but right now I don't have time or material to fill them in... They are all getting cardboard and mulch. Then I can take my time getting to them, and they won't be a mess meanwhile. And the work will be much easier. Whew!

Of course I've read ton about lasagna beds, but assembling all the layers seems like a major undertaking. Today was so easy and quick, I can't believe it. All spring every time I looked at that veggie area I winced, and now it's fine. Whew!

Love AHA moments

I use newspaper and mulch over weeds a lot.

I don't know what took me so long!

Patti: what type of stone do you use in your paths?
I am having 2 done using" Colonial stone" . This job has been ordered since late April.Landscaper was supposed to come Friday.Its been raining since then.
I have a event here on the 15th and want the moved plants put back and looking like they had been there for years. I doubt I will get that wish.

ge1836, We used some left over stones from terrace work done when we built the house in 1983, then we brought down a few from Vt from a falling down wall on our property and finally DH bought a couple good ones from Country gardens in Hyannis, so no matchy matching going on, but it was a path not a walk. Kind of like we have grass not lawn. I think we have zero stones left now. No more stone projects, ever.

Raining a bit, so I am annoyed, but need to get outside and work. Though I just remembered storing some canna bulbs in the crawl space along with some calla lilies so I can see if they are mush and if not I can plant them up in pots in the GH to move outside later. The wind is suppose to pick up later which I hate more than the rain. I may have to clean the house today instead, not my favorite thing to do, ever. I just heard the lawn mower guys outside, so I should be out there with them. Not a good time to mow, but it needs it desperately. Patti

Not the best gardening weather here, either, but I need to do some mulching....

Patti Thats how I want my paths to look. I have some chunks from the Quartz countertop, sink cut-outs and cooktop cut-out to add to the colonial stone from the landscaper. If I was 20 years younger I would be doing this job now even in the rain.

patti i know you and your hubby get a ton done so i have nothing on you guys. the wall will be on the steep hill to the side as i want to plant many of the small conifers i have on that slope and remove most of the grass and just leave a grass path wide enough to get the lawn mower to the top. it is a pain to mow and will be glad when the grass is gone. might end up being two walls, one lower and one up higher, depends on how it turns out after the first one. it is really a retaining wall 3' wide so you can sit on it, with only one facing side it should only take a day or two to build. will also get rid of the dwarf granny smith apple tree and plum tree over there and replace with jm's that i have waiting for homes. in six years there has not been one apple blossom and the plum just grows to much and needs constant trimming a couple times a year. they have had their chance and failed :) besides the large attaryi jm from topairy gardens would look great at the top of the slope.

Sounds like a great plan, Bill....I like the idea of an upper & lower wall......

Wha, Sounds like a great plan, and I think I now know where it is in your yard. I just went out as it is now not raining, but blowing like stink. So much so that I am being a wimp and not working outside today. Took some shots, but most will be out of focus due to the wind. I will post some if they are suitable for this group of rather good photographers. Loved having a photo tour of Ge1836 garden recently. Patti

This message was edited Jun 4, 2012 4:32 PM

Here is an album of shots taken today between downpours. Raining hard again. Enjoy, Patti

https://picasaweb.google.com/pmc.ack/GARDENTOURJUNE42012?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCMqRiMH7paaI0AE&feat=directlink

Have PI on my left arm and a bug bite on my right leg driving me crazy!

Just lovely Patti! What is the yellow rose in the first picture? Yellow roses are a weakness of mine. :)

They were my mom's favorite also, Pixie.

Sorry bout the PI and bug

Just so special Patti

Patti - just gorgeous. I love your paths, and I love how full your beds are.

The gardens look wonderful, Patti.....the yellow rose is lovely....not many yellow climbers...Victor, sorry about the PI....the Tecnu has been great for me, except when the PI was on my eyelid!

I have had the best results with Tecnu when, contrary to the instructions on the tube of scrub, I use my nails and bust open the sore. I believe that releases most of the oil for good and it is much better after. Did that today and so far, so good. Wish I could say the same for the bug bite.