Well BJ, we might have to stop bringing Lola with us, whenever we pick up the shop's supplies every morning. The box truck has no airconditioning...I swear she needed an extra tongue for relieve...she couldn't pant fast enough.
This is a collarette dahlia, 2 years old. Growing alongside a giant EE...a natural support.
Do you have some other mail folder?
Those petals look painted on... gorgeous.
No... don't think so... just that one that I always had.
A related Kwanza lily I think, but multi layered
Yea BJ but since I still had some tenderness in my jaw and throat he wanted to give the antibiotics more time, so its wait a while again!
Ah hah... I see
Last year I had a few collarettes, pulled them out except for that one. Should have left others inground. They'd made it...I didn't know!!
This I was told is Justicia. The old folks around here call it pineapple flower.
The mail will return to you. I get that too..a houdini mail!
I've seen those before, but in orange I think? I like the pink much better!
Does he give you some stuff to rinse each morning with? Forgot what it is called..but it helps numb the pain too....
hey I got mail...
some DGer loves me!!
BRB
LOL we all love you Jaye!! Whatcha get?
Oh and no he didnt give me any rinse, I told him I was using Peroxyl so he said that was fine.
Ehmm.....just some bills from the DG marketplace!!
Dang, that's another temptation that got to be removed. And they take Paypal too Jojo!!!
LOL I know, been trying to stay away. It's making it easier that I have to finish my front bed before I can buy anymore plants. I have to water pots every day as it is. Its a huge bed in the middle of our circular drive and its all rock and sand base. I'm raising it lasagna style, and its taking a while to collect enough stuff to build all the layers. But on the bright side once I get it built its gonna take a lot of plants yo fill it!!
This came out blur..not about to go out and take another shot...
mosquitoes!!
My first yellow plumeria.
Go for it Jojo. I made lasagna beds in November and planted all my Asiatics, Orientals and dahlias in them and big pay off!!
Got to start doing my own compost. I paid a fortune in compost last year. But got some free pine straws. This is pine country!!
It's taking a while. I go every week and pick up shredded stuff from the recycle center, and I do make compost, but it's taking sooo long to fill it and raise it. I wish I had the money to just bring dump truck loads in, but alas the kids like to eat LOL, so its one pick up load at a time...
Ok, now you got me stumped... what's a lasagna bed?
Okay, I'm down off the ladder for the day, have torn up a perfectly good finished wall--sob! sob! and tomorrow it goes to the trash. Son stopped by to check on progress--the wall, nothing about his poor dragging Mom!!! This is absolutely the LAST change I am going to let him do!!! Someone remind me of that later, please.
Jaye, who beautiful flowers!!! Where to you have your Jacobenia (Justicia) growing--sun or part shade? I have the pink ones but no blooms. Haven't seen the orange ones but have seen the yellow ones--really nice shade of yellow. HUmmm thinking about doing me a lasagna bed in the back 40--hate sending the cardboard to the landfill.
Its a no till method of making beds. It works great. I did it for my veggies this year nd the plants in my lasagna bed were sooo much bigger than the ones grown in purchased garden soil. This will explain it better than I can
http://ourgardengang.tripod.com/lasagna_gardening.htm
If you want rich raised beds, this is the way to go.
I started mine in the fall.
First you lay out stacks of newspapers, to kill the weeds. I use cardboard boxes.
Then alternate with
Pine Straw
Top Soil
Peat Moss
Compost
then back to pine straw again, till I get the desired height.
Some cover the bed to speed up the 'cooking'...I didn't.
Yup thats it in a nutshell, cept I layer
Shredded leaves
Grass clippings
leaf mold
leaves
weed tops(no seeds)
Compost
compost
grass clippings as mulch
That was my garden bed, the one out front is being layered a little different, but same idea, just mix up the carbon and nitrogen. It's 80/20 I think? Something like that LOL
Oh thanks for the site. Yeap, I have plenty of newspapers , cardboard and leaves! Ohmy yes to the leaves.
Does anyone in the gang have a chipper? If so, please tell me about it. I have more than my share of limbs, no trash pickup, can't through in woods behind me anymore as it is a lake and can't burn!! Homeowners say no,no--not anymore. Thinking about a chipper then I could have the chips to put on the paths around/through my yard.
I have always been told to let my grass clipping go back into the lawn--such as mine is! Can you say small area with grass? Plenty of leaves and where I can get mushroom compost easily.
This is my Asiatic Lily lasagna bed...
it's about 14 inches high. Did all this by myself...one day at a time!
Oh I am definitely going to start one this fall! Nothing else planned--LOL
More like one layer at a time actually.. lol!
No chipper here Marion....mushroom compost is pretty expensive around here.
Part of the AL bed now...worth the work.
They grow mushroom about 6 miles from me so it isn't here. Cheaper if you take your truck to get the stuff--DS will help when the time comes. Especially since it is my truck. LOL
We'll prod each other along, Marion when fall comes.
With my weak legs and not much strength in arms..I surprised myself last year.
Got 3 beds made. I don't use grass clippings, but I use a lot of the oak leaves..
The justicia is planted in part shade. I have a couple in full shade, and it's just budding. Jojo, I've never seen the orange ones...got to look for them. I love the plumes!
Hmmm... well, it looks like your lasagna bed is my compost pile... LOL
Those are the ingredients I put in my compost bin ... all the stuff I pick up in my yard... Pine needles, pine cones, and all things pine that I pick up off the ground... Leaves in the fall, shredded... grass clippings in the summer... PLUS every now and then I go pick up some cow manure at my son's pasture... and once in a while I buy some top soil and throw it on.
Then in the spring I sift it and top dress my beds, then start all over again for a year.
I had wanted to do this years ago but then life, as I knew it, got hectic. If I am going to successfully have some nice beds I will need to take this approach. Jaye, oh please prod me for sure!! I need it every now and then--more often now than then!! LOL
I do have an area out back we have designated "Dad's Place" with a nice set of lawn chairs--this is where DH would spend most of the day so I want to work on that area--perfect for this method.
BJ, it is actually a working compost pile ain't it? But on the ground. No till, no hoe.
Now for the tomatoes, peppers and eggplants, I use strawbales.
That's tugging my heartstrings...Dad's Place. We'll remind you and cajole you and bark at you!
For compost, I use strictly bags of Black Cow. Wish I have a couple of Betsys here.
Peppers off a 6 inch plant stuck in strawbale.
Sorry, that is what our children dubbed the area. If you missed him you could always find him there reading or just watching the birds and animals around the lake.
I am very serious, prod me 'cause I really want to try this. Perfect spot for a small garden near the sitting area.
Here's 2 tomato plants, same age, the one on the left is in lasagana bed the other was in some very expensive natural garden soil. I'm sold on this method LOL
What species flora and fauna did he like, Marion? .....or maybe turn that small area into a butterfly paradise.
That sounds like such a special place. I want to build a little cabin on my grandmothers old homeplace one day, and rebuild her garden, she loved it so much!
Take a bow Jojo! You done good!
Having clay soil was the primary reason I resort to this simple method. Learnt it here.
Well Jaye, let's just say the kind of plant he didn't have to dig a hole for!!! LOL Sorry but I couldn't resist. He really like the oakleaf hydrangea and lemon grass!! Oh but did he like the lemon grass. The area is shaded to much I will have to be very selective with what goes there. Thinking it will most likely be ferns for now.
Marion, did he have Asian roots?
My late grandmother would crush lemongrass in her bath water. She swore it's refreshing, and years later, we now have lemongrass scented shampoo.
There are some out of the world hostas out there that will thrive besides hydrangeas, foxglove, lenten rose..I'm sure you'd be able to come up with some blooming plants.
Oh yes, let's not forget astilbes.
Unexpected storm just unleashed some torrential downpour. Perfect timing for a good sleep!
Oooh and caladiums and coleus, some of those like shade!! (if the #$%^$ deer dont eat them)
