Wha, That plant combination all sounds great. I knew you would use those rocks somewhere. I need some red buds. But that will happen perhaps in the fall, unless I trip over one in May. I actually want two, cercis 'forest pansy' and a white one. I like your stand of burning bushes. Mine have never self seeded and are lovely as a backdrop to one of our beds. I love the winged bark on them and the fall color. I love seeing all your pictures of the your ambitious works in progress. I keep meaning to take some, but at the end of the day, I am too tired to push the snap button or lift the camera. Maybe tomorrow. Patti
New Project #2
Nice tiles in your kitchen, Jo Anne. That's looking great.
Bill, you've done a lot of work, as usual. I guess you got more rocks for your projects. That's a lot of roots you got out of there!
Bill and Patti, I could never measure up to the amount of work you two are doing. I'm just me with a little help from my sister. She has here own agenda, so doesn't always help out with what I'm doing. My Dad helps out some but he is very limited as to what he can do. I am way behind on clean-up chores. I have so much going on that it's hard to keep up. And I sure haven't planted nearly as much as either of you have planted.
Patti, I'm trying to get better at taking before and after pics of my project. I've started taking the camera out with me and keeping it out there so I can snap as my work progresses.
Karen
EEK! This is the deck being riiiiiiped out. I'm giggling at the hammock talk cuz plunk in the middle of the ripped out deck is the frame for the hammock that we never use and keep moving around and I'm not sure why it's there but since my DH is the ripper-outer I'm going with the flow. Look at the poor nanking cherry smuck in the middle of the mess :(
Oh, I hope you're saving the cherry, Cousin Nut! I have a hammock. Don't get to use it all the time, but it's nice to have when I do get a chance to relax.
Karen
Candyce, I appreciate your sympathy about the MICE who are very loud little horrible rodents! However they inspired me to write a short, gimicky, mouse-length symphony for a middle school string ensemble, which is the kind of thing that sells. (You know, mice have such short attention spans when listening to music. It's when gnawing through furniture that their perspicacity shines through.)
Good work (and admirable perspicacity) everyone else!
Patti, do you want my burning bush, or both of them? Come and get them -- PLEASE!!!
Definitely Cousin Nut!!! I didn't prune it last year as you can tell just cuz I knew this was going to happen. I don't think we will disturb the roots as I have designed a swoop around it in the patio. The big bummer is there is a colony of wasps that lived under the deck beside it that will now move :( I'm a big bee fan.
Sorry to hear about your meese problems Carrie. I just have Mickey (a field mouse) living in the garden shed and other than chewing up some peat pots (which we had a serious discussion about) he has been very polite.
Oh, I usually spray wasps around here, unless they are in a spot where I don't worry that they will bother anyone. Actually, most are rather docile and don't sting unless disturbed. I hate it when I'm weeding the gardens and am suddenly stung by a wasp because I came too close to a nest I didn't see. Once I got stung about 4 times be yellow jackets when I came to close to a nest I didn't know about with my lawn mower. Oh, they were madder than heck! I never did find the nest. That's the worst I've had with wasp encounters. I'm happy we don't have killer bees around here. If I move to Texas, well, they have killer bees there. I read a ghastly article my sister showed me while I was visiting her. Horrible!
Karen
My bees and I cohabit. I usually have 4 colonys in the garden every summer. The only time it's a little scary is if there's bee wars cuz they are mean when they are fighting each other. I don't get stung. I always check early in the spring to see where everyone is living. I do have to weatherproof the cedar fence this summer and there was a colony living there last summer so that might be interesting. No killer bees here WHEW! The hornets are the most agressive but they nest high so not a problem once you know where they are. They prey on my green ash caterpillers so I luv them.
I don't know what the wasps and hornets here prey on. I have brown wasps and yellow jackets mostly. Something black, also. I haven't seen mud wasps in a long time. I don't disturb anything like honeybees, bumbles, carpenter bees, etc. I have never seen their nests at my place. Across the street in the cranberry bogs they have honey bee hives, which I assume then rent every year.
Karen
Wasps and hornets are great predator goodguy bugs Cousin Nut. Prey on alot of badguy bugs and larvae. Mud wasps do have to be relocated. They are not people friendly. I don't have those. Miner bees are nice ground bees as they are one of the most docile bees and you can work quite close to their holes and they just buzz you. Of course you can't dig them up LOL. Bumblers are my favorites. They are in my garden but I don't know where they nest. They sleep in my dahlias in late summer and fall.
Bill Great job.
Patti we are pleased with the whole job, workmen were superior and as a professional crafts woman for 30 years I can spot a gapped joint from a mile away.
a couple pics of the finished bed
a different view - there is room in here for more plants once everything i have on order arrives it will be filled
Wha, Nice job as always. I did nothing outside today. Blowing too much, and a house to clean. Patti
and patti must have powers
took down a small wall and i am enlarging it
pic
from the other side - this wall backs a bed and is next to my horse shoe pits - i decided to raise it another layer so it is easier to sit on - oh and you do not have to bend to low to grab your beer:)
What is your brew of choice? Patti
Probably Sam Adams. Greta work, Bill. No pyramids planned??
I cut my clematis today and my back hurt!!
sorry Victor... take care of that back
actually i brew my own at a local brew place - german/irish/brit ales
currently have a english ale called bishop's best and a german marzen
hope your back bounces back tomorrow
Thanks. It's a lost cause! Need a total back replacement.
Nice work, Bill! Looks like you will have less and less lawn to mow. It's always a good thing not to have to bend too low to get your beer. You already work so hard, you might as well be a little lazy when it comes to grabbing the beer! LOL!
Your back hurt just from cutting clems, Victor? Oh, you poor thing! I hope you are feeling better soon.
Karen
No - did not hurt it per se. It was just sore after all the bending and squatting. I have over 60 clems.
Well, no wonder your back was killing you!
Karen
Bill, You're still working?? I think you should go give Victor a hand.
and a back...
Goodness gracious, I have not yet begun anything! I feel so far behind everyone else. Such great work, Bill. I'm in awe.
sorry Dave i have many projects that need to get done - victor is on his own - imagine hurting yourself trimming a clem - old age is a bit--:)
i'll post the latest project at the end of the day
I have the answer for long hours in the garden
The "never leave the garden self feeder"
Tee hee ge1836. I need one of those
i need one to hold 22 oz. bottles!!
ha ha I was waiting for you Bill.
Guess Victor is in the garden
Jo Ann
what did i do today? here is a before pic - there are 4 vib's on this bed and the back two are crowding out the two in front. and sedum i have in front of echi's does not have enough room and good soil to grow - solution make it BIGGER
this only took 14 barrels of dirt - unfortunately i had to go up the steep incline on the side of the house which made this harder than it needed to be.
no before and after on this pic - need to get ready for the jm's that are coming so i decided to delay work on the rock wall in the back and do this one along the side hill be the driveway.
and another view - i think i can get 5/6 jm's in here - two tall ones by each side of the rodie- maybe another in front of it and three smaller ones along the wall that can weep over the edge.
showed my wife how the rock wall connects to the other walls behind the sugar maples - asked if i should continue the wall out to the other sides - she looked at me - told me i was certified - and asked with a straight face "why don't you try and spell something and see if anyone notices - where is the love?? what did Jackie Gleason use to say to Alice??????
