Coffee Break #100!

rosemary it is the same thing a nursery would use to roll a large tree in a root ball.

http://www.amleo.com/product.aspx?p=F20GP

That dolly really IS a truck! That's a serious piece of equipment.

yup - big rocks here

DH is relenting and he may hire the dingo to move the soil for us into the back yard. I wonder if it's because I might hire the guy to dig up some of our huge buried rocks while he's here. I'm serious about getting them up because you can't plant anything where they are, and they'd look quite cool as garden accents. Some of these boulders are really big, even for a nice hand truck to move. Final word will be when we get the landscaper's price for a one time only job hauling up and around several steep inclines. Tree planting services for an 8 foot tall maple by the nursery are expensive!

got 4 notices of plants in transit - spring is like xmass :)

Rosemary our conifers are supposed to arrive on Saturday.

Yay! I'm around. Should I come and get them, or do you expect to be driving around 128 any time soon? My house is the one with all the plants and delivery boxes in front :)

lets see when they arrive - pick-up will be required as I am a pretty busy with finishing up the big rake and then tackling the 20 yards of dirt to spread - need to edge before that as well - then I can think about planting.

I'm in a funk. Snow has melted enough I can get around the deck, and some rodent has girdled my new Korean maple and my paper bark maple (which has been 5 years in the ground at least and was really looking good). I've never had trouble with this in the past. I lost my cat last year and I think this never happened because she was around. Should have wrapped the trunks...little late to think of that now.

This message was edited Apr 17, 2014 6:42 PM

sorry to hear that!

I put the brown plastic raps at hd on most of my trees, usually cut them in two for use on jm's until they get a large trunk and then they are on there own. Of course there is only one the is on its own.

That's unfortunate, Gneiss. Even though I wrapped a lot of my baby trees and tasty shrubs, many of mine are sheared off at two feet above the ground where the wrap stops. My innocent looking dog is under suspicion because it's just his height. A number were broken by the tree removal company also.

After the latest cold snap, I have doubts about the baby hollies pulling through, also. I heard from Rarefind that they lost most of their holly crop, so the situation for hollies doesn't look good. The local nurseries were doubtful about ordering any either.

Granite, 2 of my roses & my camellia were gnawed by mice? this winter....I never had that happen before, & I haven't had a cat in 20 years.......Do we have a new breed of chewer out there? Sad about the hollies, Rosemary!

it may because of the hard winter and everything were hungry. sad news.

Undaunted, I am ordering ilex opaca from Forest Farm. I got another Dan Fenton and a male, David Leach. Rarefind was kind enough to call and tell me the hollies would not come in the order. At least Washington state didn't get the arctic vortex. The baby conifers on the front steps are looking just fine also. As the shade tolerant ones grow, perhaps they can offer shelter for some hollies to take hold. Fingers are crossed for the deciduous hollies and the viburnums and flame azaleas to come back.

I think the landscaper saw my slope and didn't want to call back. DH may be my only hope for getting soil to make a berm near our back fence. Our tree guy sticks with us, though, as he came this am for a quote. As he trims our branches, it looks like we can also trim the neighbors' trees near our property to bring in some sun to the back boundary.

Trees will be trimmed here as well, the landscaper will come in 2 weeks. Also have to have my garden tilled.

It's so nice to have freshly tilled ground and to not have to worry about branches falling on one while workfing in the garden.

20 yards of dirt in the driveway - big pile

finished raking the way back and came out with 7 or 8 ticks - the little bad ones - all of off and gone.

had some more deliveries today - not real happy with the size of the conifers from conifer kingdom

And the 'BG' dig begins!!! You amaze me, wha

Gosh, the two bonus picea orientalis trees they sent in my order were huge. This was my first order from them, so I haven't known what to expect, The conifers from Kigis came in plastic bags that are hard to cut open. My fingers are sore tonight from potting the conifer babies.

Found one little tick on me as well.....starting early!

Ugh! That seems early.

put a good dent in the dirt mtn. got out there early and broke for easter dinner with the in-laws and back at it when we got back. no ticks today.

After Easter dinner, I had a chance to continue potting the new arrivals. As of tonight, I have transplanted 25 conifers into larger pots. Majority of these are miniatures. I don't know how hardened off they were, though so I'm gradually covering them less at night. Feels like being a surgeon separating all the roots so they don't choke themselves. All the patients look very healthy.

Wow....both of you make me feel like a slackard.....I have a bunch of plants that need planting....maybe tomorrow....

Hehehe, me, too RD. I'm very impressed with their gumption. All I am doing is attacking some quack grass that I let invade one garden and am now paying the price. I can almost hear the real plants gasp thank you as I free them from the clutches of that grass's roots. Slow going cuz I am digging down pretty deep to TRY to get all the underground stems.

Went to a niece's yesterday for Easter dinner. Very nice group. 14 kids and a dozen adults. All the kids were in the hot tub at some point. A couple actually were in the pool, too. BBBRRRRR!!!!! It was nice sitting in the sun. A little chilly.

Ooh...hot tub sounds wonderful to me! I weeded today....walked MaggieMae 5 miles....I'm pooped!

Finally transplanting tomato & celery seedlings........last week, I totally forgot about the flower seeds I had put on the furnace to germinate....I thought they'd be cooked......they had actually all sprouted, & other than being leggy, look pretty good......

Whatever works is best!

DH and I took an early evening drive yesterday to pick up the seedling conifers and visit Bill's exquisite garden. Even though it is early in the season, it has a lot of interest. The thought of slowly moving all those rocks makes it all the more spectacular.

Love the name MaggieMae!! Hugs, dear!!!

Yay, they were only a bit leggy!

I am sure wha's yarden looked wonderful!

My peas are up......rest of garden has to be tilled this week.....I'm not digging it by hand like I did last year!

Too many trees here to want to plant more. Our house was snaked onto the lot of old 'conservation land' in the fall 40 years ago. the problem is getting sun. The tree company sprayed out hemlocks fall of 2012 & they look good. A large trunk section of a pine tree which came down & got caught in the crotch of an oak tree was removed this week. A relief for safety.

Valley of Fire in Nevada

Pretty amazing stone sculptures there.

Did you bring any rocks home?

Glad tree issue is resolved, Lucy. Awesome sculptures, Bill....love the bridges!

did I bring any rocks home :)

Different colored rocks from New England.

Bill will need to start a red rock garden, then a white granite garden, then...

silly question. Wha seems to love his rocks, lol!

I like the idea of a white rock, white flowering garden!

LOL!!!!!