What I am doing in my garden now!

Laurie

By the way.................. my name is MARK not Mike.................... LOL

Mark

Wow...all this talk about horses again, reminds me of the trail we all wandered down on some other thread at some other time! Let me throw in my two cents worth. . .I swear by my (recently past tense) paints ~ Quarter horses with chrome! I'm with Sofer ~ good minded and great butts! We used ours for trail riding and fun (gymkhana) in So Cal, and trail riding, search and rescue and parades and such in Arizona. I was there when all my babies were born, hands on from the beginning. I started them all and finished most of them. My last boy, Shine, was the best ~ absolutely reliable. Would go anywhere I asked him, was quite sure-footed and trusting, but still had enough spunk and play in his heart that he certainly was not dull. Fortunately for me, he would always let me know when he was going to kick up his heels and never unloaded me (although we did slip together on a banana peel in the parking lot of the high school once. True story).

I am heading off to Wells Medina for my one hour lunch and I need some Jap barberry, and some zone 5 unique bush not sambucus with color or texture in leaf. What do you think?
I always enjoyed swimming with my horse in a large river on a hot day. We pastured our Arab next to it. I would ride bare back into the river and slide off her rump hanging on to her tail. She would paddle for 10 to 15 minutes with me floating behind. I miss her.

Sofer ~ Awesome memory. My only water memory was when my mare was scared to death to enter the river, so we grouped all the other horses around her and just kind of herded her into the water. Once she got it, she loved it and decided to plop down and have a roll in the water with me on her back! Saddle and all. Couldn't keep her out after that! Have fun spending all your hard-earned $$ today! = )

lots of shrubs out & more to come at WM. I did not check zones when I was whizzing through there on my lunch hour. But I can go everyday for lunchtime viewing & discovery. Enjoy your lunch!


This message was edited Mar 22, 2008 10:00 AM

Mark, mark, mark, mark - okay got it.

ROFLOL..................

LOL........................................ yep you got it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And how was the weather up there today? We had an incredible wind and hail today - at one point it was blowing south nearest the house, and north 2mtr further away from the house, at the same time! Just blanketed the garden, and then stopped, sun came out and it was 'all better'. Nothing like living on an island.

It was about the same here Laurie.........
One minute there was wind and snow, then no wind and the sun came out, then it would go very dark and hail. Wonderful isn't it.............. NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wanna get in the garden and get some work done!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We lived on the waterfront over by Keyport when I was young. We rode in the salt water on the horses, they loved it. They sure get slippery when wet.
We had a fruit tree pruning class at St. Andrews this morning with the Master Gardeners. Had a great time and learned alot. Then I went into Shelton and purchased some more neat shrubs for St. Andys. Fun. They are outside and I am tired so if you want to know what they are I will tell you tomorrow.

Willow (Weally) ~ would love to know, but I can wait.

No, Patricia, get up!! I want to know right now. LOL

The weather was great here today - 50's in the foothills and dry. Probably a little warmer toward the sound. I dug and hacked and sifted and hauled - made a lot of headway on my "new" bed. But oh my - the bent grass. It's amazing. And it seems to like rotting wood. There are a few rotting roots from a very old fir tree that's long gone - and I swear there were bent grass roots that I pulled out as I dug through. LOL

Living in amongst a bunch of confiers is just plain messy. I have stacks of limbs of every size and a few trees that have fallen from the neighbor's woods that just didn't get cleaned up. And that's just on this side of the yard. Anyway, a couple more 8-hour days and we'll be good to go - I'll send a picture of the bed when it's ready and you all can help me decide what to plant.

I think I'll be a little sore in the morning tomorrow. But thank goodness for my trusty mattock.

I was either doing flowers for church, getting ready for company, or having company all day - didn't get to enjoy the weather. But I did enjoy the family . . . especially the babies!

Nothing like good, crazy family energy. So how do you think it was for Steve? Too much or just enough to make him happily pooped and ready for tomorrow?

Kathy, a very wise question - in fact, it did wear Steve out a bit, but he understands I need my family (and he could have gone upstairs if it really got to him). He got brave and called his dear friend in Hawaii and they talked for a long time - did Steve a world of good (he said he only got emotional 2 or 3 times, and his friend only once!).

Emotional is good, though. When you're panicked, you can't get your brain to quiet enough to really experience anything and when you're dead-exhausted and not feeling good, you can't muster up the energy. So it sounds like he was happy that you were happy and that things were "normal" (aren't kids great and forgetting to tiptoe around carefully?). And it made him just brave enough to venture out into a good conversation.

That is absolutely great. I'm a believer in wearing people out - as long as it's something they can sleep off. :-)

And you got your baby fix. Yes? I'm going to my nieces tomorrow morning for breakfast with the 2 1/2 and 1 year olds. I'll be exhausted by noon, but will love every minute of it.

Sounds like the garden faeries are out in force in PNW giving all a very nice day, indoors and out (afterall, aren't babies part of the cabbage plant family? Little sprouts under those big big leaves?). Stamp, approved.

Happy Easter everyone...........................

This is the weather today!!!!

This is my lovely Rose.................... or i should say WAS!!!!!!!!!!!

Even the poor old pigeon was feeling the cold.........

forgot the pigeon pic.......

Ohhhhhhhh and here it is about 10 minutes ago............

Good morning Lauri and Mark - think you are getting it much worse than we are - its cold, and the water bowls are frozen over (terrier has gone out and checked each one, returning in disgust! as only terriers can), we have had big feathery floating downs of snow, but nothing is sticking - as yet. But it is cold, glad I did not take the blister wrap down in the greenhouse! In fact, I tucked all the little potted on seedlings under an extra cover of fleece last night. Right now it is trying to coax me out with a bit of lightening of the sky, but I have been smart enough to look the other way where an enormous bank of dark dark clouds are sitting in wait for someone less smart to take the dog for a walk. DH is offering, and I am definately not saying "no, no, I'll do it - love to get out for a bit of striding". Byyeeee, wear your wellies, its wet underfoot.

So all plans have changed - no digging, no planting, and no tilling. Its sunday so I can't even get the shredder out (not to mention Easter - you'd get double horrid looks!) So DG it is, and the looking up of plants.

Trying to work out the layout of your garden - why the picket fenced off area?

This message was edited Mar 23, 2008 11:58 AM

Morning Laurie,
The left side is our garden area...the right side is where all the potted crocosmia are located with any extra plants that follow us home from various nursery's.....hehehehe.
we keep them there until we can find time and space to plant them in our garden.....

LOL if you want we can send you some of our 4 inches of snow....really we have plenty!!!

Lauri

Happy Easter back to you across the pond and to all the PNWers! We had very nice weather here in PA (Port Angeles, not Pennsylvania) yesterday. We stayed outside all day digging, repotting, burning limbs, etc. Today, however, is a different story. Woke up to the sound of rain and sure enough...raining too hard to even go out and play. Easter egg hunts will have to be done inside today unless the little kiddies want to wear foul weather gear and hip waders! And it's supposed to be that way all week. Can't understand why the garden faeries are being so impish! They could at least allow the sun to remain through the weekend. Don't care much if it rains during the week ~ doesn't change workwork, but the weekend. . .harumph!

Hope everyone enjoys the day!

Lauri - thank you so much for the offer, but I am afraid it would be off by time it got here. Perhaps when you get an excess of sunshine I will take the offer, it travels so much better than snow. So, you have to fence in all the containers to keep them from running off, and then once they are dirt trained they get to go in the bigger area. Interesting.

Outta, hipwaders in your area, snowmobiles here - saw in the paper that this is the earliest Easter in almost 100 years - so it can only get better, and certainly not earlier!

ohmigawd - must dash, the sun HAS just come out. Honestly, it is gorgeous.

Not fair, Laurie. . .*sigh*

Yes, it's horrid out here in the PNW - not just "showers" as we often have, but steady hard rain. Yuk!!

But at least it's not snowing (my friend in Olympia, though, told me it is supposed to snow next week - I hope she's just talking HER area, not mine . . . plus I'll be making constant hospital runs (and staying there quite a bit of the time) . . . do not need any of that white stuff getting in my way!!!

At a more decent time of the morning, we have light skies (that's not saying much!) and a steady drizzle. My guess is this will continue on through the day.
Seeding the flats, then out to gather up all the trimmings/branches from yesterday's work (firewood & kindling for winter 2008: hey - that makes it seem rather warm right now. Ooooo - don't want to go there!)
Perhaps this is my way out of the laborious pruning of the Wisteria, which will not look anything like it did last year.
Cornus F. 'Eddie's White Wonder' needs to meet its demise, too - anthracnose, but that will wait until it's dry.
Woke up thinking about Hornbeams, must get 2 more. These are fabulous trees for our region, and horribly underused. Don't know why - no problems associated with them whatsoever. They are stately and have such a nice profile, plus they are good neighbours for the others planted at their feet.

I discovered a cute little Salamander yesterday - he has a tunnel into the border extension that I "lasagna'd" last fall. Don't know where to move him to - but he'll definately need a new residence in the next couple weeks. Ideas anyone?

I forgot about some of the plants that I ordered online back in January - that was a surprise! Nice to remember the plants, but the wallet dove into the recesses of my purse. He'd better get used to it - I just ordered more!
A very Happy Easter Sunday to all - wishing you lots of... eggs?

Katye, that is absolutely lovely - the entire area!!! What new plants did you get and what have you ordered? I love it when other folks are as addicted to online ordering (or catalog ordering) as I am - makes me feel much less guilty!

Plant acquisition has been given full clearance & is no longer listed under "guilt - inducing activities'.

Oh well, in no particular order:
Actaea 'Black Negligee' & 'Brunette'
Passiflora 'Inspiration' & 'X alata-caerulea'
Caladiums - plenty
Gloriosa Lily
Colocasia 'Black magic'
Dahlia 'Black Wizard' & 'Black Cat'
Thalictrum 'Black Stockings'
Angelica gigas
Gentian 'Makanoi' & 'Cruciata'
Hellebores - lots (and thanks Heidi!!!)
Verbascum violetta
Chimese Tree Peony 'Xiang Yu'
Uncinia uncinata
Bergenia 'Bressingham Ruby'
Primula Beesiana
Corydalis 'elata'
Pulmonaria 'Blue Ensign'
Dodecathion media 'alba'
Berberis 'PowWow'
Phormium 'Dusky chief'
Cephalaria
Daphne Houtteana - my best score (certified Daphne freak)
Muhlenbergia white
Astrantia 'Moulin rouge'
Carex 'Cappucino'
Stokesia laevis 'Mary Gregory'
Dictamnus 'alba'
Nepeta 'Six Hills giant'
Acanthus 'Tasmanian Angel'
and a few more that have slipped from my memory.
Oh, and rocks!

Ooooooooooooooh - that makes my heart sing!!!!!

Mr-C, So sorry for your weather woes, but your pictures are beautiful. It's true it is pouring hard here. The deer came for their birdseed this morning and waited while I put it out right in front of them. Then a squirrel came over and then the doves showed up. Very nice, coffee, paper, and fauna. I'm relaxing today. Amber and I are working on playing. She is starting to take toys to the bed and the couch. So funny.

Murmur - my problem is wanting it while I am planning out new spaces, and BEFORE they get to the nurseries. Plus the availability of some items is better online, and I don't like to be deterred in my goal.
Specialty plants are available locally, but usually the quantities are small as the Nurseries don't want to be hanging on to something that most folks don't know about. I, for one, am thankful for online shopping. =:0)

WW, I knew you were a woman after my own heart! Feeding the wildlife just fills me! And I'm so glad you are enjoying Amber so much.

Katye, I find I sometimes am ordering things just to fill up an empty day, or a sadness in my heart . . . to be able to do so WHEN I am feeling that way, is wonderful. I've been more careful this year, as with Steve's poor health and not knowing what the future holds, I'm a hair more concerned about money. However, it sure didn't stop me from getting some of Heidi's Hellebore - and aren't they fabulous? Mine are in the driveway at the moment, but I can't wait to give them a new home!!

The rain has let up for a moment or two - maybe I'll get dressed (can you believe I'm still in my robe at 12:30???!!!) and go out to at least breathe in some fresh air and walk my estate (hehehehehe . . . isn't the image in the word "estate" marvelous).

Fresh air - alway great for the body & soul. The drizzle has let up for you? Maybe I will have an opportunity to do the same.
Estate: sounds like lotttttttttsssssssssa planting!

LOL walking your estate in your bathrobe at 12:30...............you go girl!!

I will have to see if I can find the picture of a Albino Sparrow from California...he was cool!!!

Helebores............wow Mark has a lot and we are going to buy more!!!

Lauri

Okay here goes my yesterday purchases. I went out in the rain to get these and please excuse my ignorance of botanical terms. Lithospermum "Grace Ward" 6, Cistur x corbarienses "White Rockrose" 2, Chamaecyparis obtusa "Rainbow". Rainbow Hinoki Cypress. 1. Taxus B. "Standish" Golden Irish Yew to match one I've just planted. Buxus Sempervirens, Common Boxwood. It is varigated, green and gold. Berberis Calliantha, 36" x 30", Dark green holly like leaves with a white dusting on the underside. Young shoots have a red tinge with yellow flowers and black fruit. 2. They are going on either side of a Rhody "Raspberry something or othe. I'm going for low maintenance, deer resistance, evergreem and slow growth. No pruning.

Oooooohhhhh ~ so much STUFF! I want. . .I want. But I just did our taxes and I won't get! Not for a long time. I did, however, look some up and just absolutely fell in LOVE with Gloriosa rothschildiana and Habanaria radiata. So those will be two of my first purchases when we recover from our tax bill! *YIKES*