This AM I went out and did things with Bobbie, so no work in the yard beyond watering. After a quick lunch, we went out to plant the camellia. The digging went fairly quickly and I was able to get the camellia positioned in well. I also decided that I was going to plant the two Stella D'Oro daylilies I had bought on either side of the camellia. I think they help give the whole area a more finished off look.
While I was out working on the camellia, some boys from a house up the street came by to see if I needed my grass cut. After barginning with them just a bit, we settled on $15 (what I had paid the guy who cut my phlox) and they came and got it done in about 1/2 the time he had. I told them not to worry about trying to edge it, as I could do that myself. The whole yard looks so much better with short grass. Also, I had done some more weeding this morning and spread some of the seed soil, then seeded in some grass. The grass being cut almost but a little mulch over those areas, so hopefully that will help conserve water a bit. After the grass was cut, I could see a big section in the center of the yard that was just bare dirt. So, I spread some of the seed soil, trying to spread it a bit heavier than I did in the shade area as the underlying dirt in this area is awful, then seeded in some of the grass seed I bought that is for sun areas. This area is going to be much harder to keep moist, it will require at least 2x per day watering, but again it is a relatively small area and should be doable by hand watering.
After the grass work, we went over to Bobbie's to have supper and get some lirope. I am not good with a mattock and Bobbie ended up whacking it out for me. I also stopped by Lowes, where cyprus mulch was $1.69 instead of the usual $2.00, so I got 8 bags.
I got home about 7:15 PM and needed to get the lirope planted around the edge of the newly extended foundation bed and also around the Bradford Pear and then spread the mulch. The lirope planted went really quickly because the dirt had all been worked before. I had enough to finish out the foundation bed and then some small pieces that I used to start planting under the Bradford Pear. Spreading the mulch around the newly planted lirope was a bit time consuming to try to get it to look good, but the rest went quickly and 8 bags were just enough to do the job.
I am quite exhausted after a very busy but productive weekend. I didn't get to the poison ivy though...
Monday, May 26, 2008
Sunday, May 25, 2008
preparing the area for the camellia
This morning was a watering morning and it took me about an hour to water the whole yard thoroughly. Once everything was watered, I got out and got some decent pictures taken, but of course first I had to come back in and delete some photos from my full memory card.I worked a little bit on doing away with some of the pansy pots. I transplanted one bush bean seedling into its own small pot, moved the leatherleaf sedge into its own terra cotta pot and set it by the 'Limelight' hydrangea and finally potted up the one 'Ponderosa' tomato seedling in the big green plastic pot. I hope the seedling will make it out there in full sun. That variety has not been my strongest grower from seed. I also put my two now rooted hydrangea cuttings outside in pots for the first time today. As of this afternoon, they seemed to be doing well.
During the heat of the day, we went out and did errands, then ate dinner. After dinner, I went out to start to tackle the project of getting the camellia planted in the foundation bed. I used a garden hose to lay out how I wanted to extend the bed, then used the mattock that Bobbie gave me to try to cut the path of the bed into the grass. That was actually a bit harder that it seemed it would be. After that, it was one long project to dig out all the grass in the area. I finally finished just as the sun was setting. Now, I have a nice area of bare dirt to get started tomorrow morning digging the hole for the camellia and getting it planted. Then, I will really need more mulch!
Saturday, May 24, 2008
planted limelight
I got off work early yesterday and my three day holiday weekend started today. I had not been feeling well earlier this week and I ended up sleeping in until 10 AM. This was not entirely in the plan. Before we could go anywhere, I had watering 911 as my front hanging basket was badly wilted and I wanted to get the veggies off to a good start for the day.
Yesterday we got a sasanqua camellia to put in the foundation bed and while looking at other things, I realized at Limelight hydrangea might be the perfect thing to go between the small beautyberry and the pieris. So, it was off to a few stores today, as well as Sams Club for 2 bags of potting soil.
When we got back home, I spent some more time on the neverending project of pulling plantain weeds. I was working near where I planned to plant Limelight, then weeded out the area between the two plants. I was pretty hot while I was digging and it really took a lot out of me today, but I got the hole dug and Limelight put in. I think it looks great! I may put something small on either side of it to sort of finish out the bed a bit more.
My dog did a number on my Double Pink hydrangea, knocking a whole branch off. I cut the end and am going to try to root it in watering. In rooted cutting news, I potted up the Blushing Bride and Merritt's Supreme cuttings and will start transitioning them to the outside world. My one biggish Ponderosa tomato seedling finally seems to be growing and it may make it after all. I am going to start moving it out to full sun with no roof overhead. The other tomato seedlings seem to be coming along very slowly.
I still need to do something about the poison ivy. When we were running errands today, I forgot that I wanted to get a big box to use as a screen in some of the areas I am going to have to spray.
Yesterday we got a sasanqua camellia to put in the foundation bed and while looking at other things, I realized at Limelight hydrangea might be the perfect thing to go between the small beautyberry and the pieris. So, it was off to a few stores today, as well as Sams Club for 2 bags of potting soil.
When we got back home, I spent some more time on the neverending project of pulling plantain weeds. I was working near where I planned to plant Limelight, then weeded out the area between the two plants. I was pretty hot while I was digging and it really took a lot out of me today, but I got the hole dug and Limelight put in. I think it looks great! I may put something small on either side of it to sort of finish out the bed a bit more.
My dog did a number on my Double Pink hydrangea, knocking a whole branch off. I cut the end and am going to try to root it in watering. In rooted cutting news, I potted up the Blushing Bride and Merritt's Supreme cuttings and will start transitioning them to the outside world. My one biggish Ponderosa tomato seedling finally seems to be growing and it may make it after all. I am going to start moving it out to full sun with no roof overhead. The other tomato seedlings seem to be coming along very slowly.
I still need to do something about the poison ivy. When we were running errands today, I forgot that I wanted to get a big box to use as a screen in some of the areas I am going to have to spray.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
rain this evening
The weather report was again calling for rain all day, so I made no garden plans. Bobbie and I went up to NC this morning to work with the dogs, then hit Cracker Barrel for brunch and went to Bloomfields to see if they had anything we wanted. No luck there, and we also made a fruitless chase out to the Ingles in Travelers Rest to see if they had the Forever and Ever hydrangeas (looking for a 'Together' for Mrs Phillips) like the site claimed, but no luck there.
After I got home, my mom and I went out and I got a new terra cotta pot for the rosemary on the front porch that has outgrown its pot and also got a ceramic pot for 'Blue Mouse Ears'. On the way home it finally started raining, but then stopped fairly quickly. I used the break in the rain to pot up 'Blue Mouse Ears' and finally water the potted hydrangeas with aluminum sulfate (2 tbsp per 2 gallons) and then water them well with plain water. I also pulled up some more plantain weeds.
After I got home, my mom and I went out and I got a new terra cotta pot for the rosemary on the front porch that has outgrown its pot and also got a ceramic pot for 'Blue Mouse Ears'. On the way home it finally started raining, but then stopped fairly quickly. I used the break in the rain to pot up 'Blue Mouse Ears' and finally water the potted hydrangeas with aluminum sulfate (2 tbsp per 2 gallons) and then water them well with plain water. I also pulled up some more plantain weeds.
Friday, May 16, 2008
hostas dug up- 2, hostas planted- 1
The forecast changed and we did not get any rain today. That was good as it allowed me to work in the yard, but due to the forecast for rain, I didn't really have any plans for the day.
My first task of the day was to finally dig up the one 'Julie Morss' hosta by the 'Generale' hydrangea that is looking pretty terrible. When I got it dug up, it was surrounded by other roots and some of its own roots were dead. This plant had been planted bare root straight into the ground, so I don't know if those roots were ever alive or if all the root competition killed them. I potted it up and will eventually give it to someone.
Despite thinking that I did not want to waste my day pulling plantain weeds, I got started on that again. This time I was working back closer to the camellias, trying to pull them in areas where there actually WAS grass, so that those would stay grassy areas, not get taken over. I probably spent over an hour doing that.
I called Bobbie just before noon to see if she wanted to get together. We went to lunch at Stax, then over to look at Mrs. Phillips' yard and have dessert. Bobbie was thrilled with the 'Ponderosa' tomato I gave her. I do hope it grows well for her. Mrs. Phillips' yard looks really nice. She also lost a lot of the old wood on her hydrangeas this year, she thinks the late freeze and the super cold night early in the year might have done it. So, its not just my plant, it was just a bad year for hydrangeas. She does have a HUGE hydrangea that is quite exposed and covered in buds, I might see if I can take a few cuttings off it later this year. She also gave me some tall irises, some are two shades of blue and others are two shades of brown. I have to figure out where to plant them now. I might plant a few along the house where I have the two daylilies now.
After I got home, I dug around in the area where I had dug up the hosta and got rid of as many roots as I could. I then planted the 'Abiqua Drinking Gourd' hosta there. I'm not sure if this will be a good place for that hosta, but for the time being, I'm giving it a try. I dug up the 'Elegens' that was crowding the carex. I'm going to give Bobbie and Mrs. Phillips each an 'Elegens'. I don't think either of them has a blue hosta. My final task of the day was to get the water sprouts cut off the bottom of the Bradford Pear. It no longer looks like it is wearing a skirt and now looks like a tree again.
My first task of the day was to finally dig up the one 'Julie Morss' hosta by the 'Generale' hydrangea that is looking pretty terrible. When I got it dug up, it was surrounded by other roots and some of its own roots were dead. This plant had been planted bare root straight into the ground, so I don't know if those roots were ever alive or if all the root competition killed them. I potted it up and will eventually give it to someone.
Despite thinking that I did not want to waste my day pulling plantain weeds, I got started on that again. This time I was working back closer to the camellias, trying to pull them in areas where there actually WAS grass, so that those would stay grassy areas, not get taken over. I probably spent over an hour doing that.
I called Bobbie just before noon to see if she wanted to get together. We went to lunch at Stax, then over to look at Mrs. Phillips' yard and have dessert. Bobbie was thrilled with the 'Ponderosa' tomato I gave her. I do hope it grows well for her. Mrs. Phillips' yard looks really nice. She also lost a lot of the old wood on her hydrangeas this year, she thinks the late freeze and the super cold night early in the year might have done it. So, its not just my plant, it was just a bad year for hydrangeas. She does have a HUGE hydrangea that is quite exposed and covered in buds, I might see if I can take a few cuttings off it later this year. She also gave me some tall irises, some are two shades of blue and others are two shades of brown. I have to figure out where to plant them now. I might plant a few along the house where I have the two daylilies now.
After I got home, I dug around in the area where I had dug up the hosta and got rid of as many roots as I could. I then planted the 'Abiqua Drinking Gourd' hosta there. I'm not sure if this will be a good place for that hosta, but for the time being, I'm giving it a try. I dug up the 'Elegens' that was crowding the carex. I'm going to give Bobbie and Mrs. Phillips each an 'Elegens'. I don't think either of them has a blue hosta. My final task of the day was to get the water sprouts cut off the bottom of the Bradford Pear. It no longer looks like it is wearing a skirt and now looks like a tree again.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
planting under the pecan tree
Yesterday was my day to go in late to work, so I was out in the yard early trying to get some things done. I got the whole place watered first, then set to work on a little planting. I planted hosta 'Orange Marmalade' back under the pecan tree between the Teller Red hydrangea and the astilbe. Then I planted the golden spiderwort kind of between the hosta and the hydrangea, but set back a little. The hope is that the spiderwort will spread out and fill in that area, kind of making a (20" tall) ground cover in this area. It has little blue/purple blooms and is supposed to bloom all summer.
I cut back some of the junk privet near where the 'Orange Dream' Japanese Maple is so that it shows up a lot better. It is still a tad close to the hydrangea, but until I can get the shack repaired/torn down/whatever I want to leave the junk privet in place to block the view of the falling down shack. Speaking of privet, several of the largest privets are in bloom right now. While it is pretty, blooms mean seeds and seeds mean more of that garbage in my yard. It is never ending...Once the planting tasks were complete, I felt compelled to tackle the grass a bit more. My yard is being taken over by plantain weeds. I picked an area in the shady part near the fence and pulled as many plantain weeds as I could for about 2 hours. My fingers are still red and sore from this. Then, I spread Black Cow (my bag is sort of waterlogged, so I need a new bag) over the newly seeded area, spread shade grass seed and watered well. I really wanted to get this done yesterday as the forcast was for several days of rain and I figured that would help get the grass seed off to a good start. My *latest* plan for the grass is to pick fairly small area each month and weed it and seed it in the same fashion. I'm hoping by sticking to a pretty small area, I can maybe get it watered well enough with the hose while I'm doing my other watering and will be able to get grass to grow. I'm going to get some of the sod and seed soil to spread over the bare areas before seeding, as that seemed to work well in the two area where I used it last year.
Today (Thursday) it was supposed to rain all day, but was just cloudy until late afternoon, when it finally did rain for a few hours.
Hydrangea 'Together'
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
hung up the rest of the porch baskets
I got up early this morning so that I could water and avoid the wilting tomatoes I came home to yesterday. I got the potted back yard plants watered and then swung around to the front. My big basket on the shepherd's crook was looking horrid, but seems to have perked up this evening.
After all the watering was done, I still had plenty of time, so I was able to pot up the other three hanging porch baskets and get them hung up. I also repotted, yet again, the one 'Ponderosa' tomato seedling that I'm trying to nurse along for myself. It had finally been doing well, then all the wind of the last two days really bent its stem. I'm hoping that this latest REALLY deep repotting into a trade gallon pot will do the trick.
I also had time to pot up the spider plant cutting that I had been rooting, so I was able to take that to work with me for one of my co-workers. Now that warmer weather is here, I need to ramp up my coleus production, so taking some cuttings will be on the to do list for tomorrow.
After all the watering was done, I still had plenty of time, so I was able to pot up the other three hanging porch baskets and get them hung up. I also repotted, yet again, the one 'Ponderosa' tomato seedling that I'm trying to nurse along for myself. It had finally been doing well, then all the wind of the last two days really bent its stem. I'm hoping that this latest REALLY deep repotting into a trade gallon pot will do the trick.
I also had time to pot up the spider plant cutting that I had been rooting, so I was able to take that to work with me for one of my co-workers. Now that warmer weather is here, I need to ramp up my coleus production, so taking some cuttings will be on the to do list for tomorrow.
Monday, May 12, 2008
trip to Atlanta
I went down to Atlanta this weekend to see my friend act in a play, but of course I hit a few nurseries while I was there.
First up, my mom had wanted 'Blue Mouse Ears' hosta and found it on ebay, but I told her not to bid on it because we would just buy it locally. Sure... so, no luck finding it locally and of course it wasn't on ebay anymore. So, I decided that as Mother's Day present I'd get it for her. A quick web search turned up Bloomin Designs, a hosta and other plant nursery north of Atlanta, pretty much on my way down to my friend's house. I got in touch with them and though they would not be open on Saturday, we made arrangements for me to pay for the hostas, then pick them up while the nursery was closed. I was able to walk around for a little bit and all I can say is WOW, I really need to go back and bring my mom, because I pretty much wanted one of almost everything. I also was a bit scared when I saw how big 'Elegens' and 'Guacamole' can get. I think I may have a few too many 'Elegens' in my yard currently... They will make lovely gifts. While at Bloomin Desings, I also got 'Orange Marmalade' which we had both fallen in love with from its photos.
Since I was in the Atlanta area, I also stopped by the Pike Nursery out on Pleasant Hill Rd. Pike is unfortunately in bankrupcy currently, but they have been bought out or something. I did notice that there was a whole section that had been full of plants when I was there last fall that is now empty. Still, I did find some good things at reasonable prices. I initially got a mini hosta 'Sitting Pretty' and some black mondo grass (decent price and I needed at least one more for the area I've got planned). Then while I was walking around looking at things, I saw two Japanese Maples in the neatest octagonal boxes. I thought that I would like a box like that when my 'Tamukeyama' gets bigger, so I took a closer look. I was looking at 'Orange Dream', which just so happens to be the one other Japanese Maple I really want (after realizing I had a red dissectum, a regular red and a variegated one, the only thing really left was orange). Then I looked at the price. Wow... I will not repeat it here, but considering the tree was as tall as I was... However, due to the size of the tree, I was sure there would be no way I could get it home, so I left without it.
Once I got to my friend's house, I told her about my shopping trips and the tree and she said if it wouldn't fit in my car, we could get it in her van and figure out how to get it to my house later. We didn't go back on Saturday, because we had to meet friends for dinner, then the show, both of which were lots of fun. Sunday AM we headed out to Pike again to look at the tree. While there, I picked up a second mini hosta 'Golden Prayers' and also an Ostrich Fern that was marked $2.00 instead of $12.99 because it looked like someone was trying to kill it. I selected one that looked like it had some healthy but not yet unfurled fronds and will hope for the best. Of course, I got the tree, but not before triple-checking the price. I was even MORE amazed when we were actually able to fit it in my car. WOW!!
I got back home around 2 PM but was totally exhausted, so pretty much all I did was pot up the two mini hostas. I'm going to look for a really special pot for 'Blue Mouse Ears'.
Today I was still worn out and didn't do anything this morning. I regretted that decision when I came home to wilted tomato plants and had to hurry up and do a bunch of watering before my yoga class. Tomorrow I'm going to try to get up early and water the front porch plants.
First up, my mom had wanted 'Blue Mouse Ears' hosta and found it on ebay, but I told her not to bid on it because we would just buy it locally. Sure... so, no luck finding it locally and of course it wasn't on ebay anymore. So, I decided that as Mother's Day present I'd get it for her. A quick web search turned up Bloomin Designs, a hosta and other plant nursery north of Atlanta, pretty much on my way down to my friend's house. I got in touch with them and though they would not be open on Saturday, we made arrangements for me to pay for the hostas, then pick them up while the nursery was closed. I was able to walk around for a little bit and all I can say is WOW, I really need to go back and bring my mom, because I pretty much wanted one of almost everything. I also was a bit scared when I saw how big 'Elegens' and 'Guacamole' can get. I think I may have a few too many 'Elegens' in my yard currently... They will make lovely gifts. While at Bloomin Desings, I also got 'Orange Marmalade' which we had both fallen in love with from its photos.Since I was in the Atlanta area, I also stopped by the Pike Nursery out on Pleasant Hill Rd. Pike is unfortunately in bankrupcy currently, but they have been bought out or something. I did notice that there was a whole section that had been full of plants when I was there last fall that is now empty. Still, I did find some good things at reasonable prices. I initially got a mini hosta 'Sitting Pretty' and some black mondo grass (decent price and I needed at least one more for the area I've got planned). Then while I was walking around looking at things, I saw two Japanese Maples in the neatest octagonal boxes. I thought that I would like a box like that when my 'Tamukeyama' gets bigger, so I took a closer look. I was looking at 'Orange Dream', which just so happens to be the one other Japanese Maple I really want (after realizing I had a red dissectum, a regular red and a variegated one, the only thing really left was orange). Then I looked at the price. Wow... I will not repeat it here, but considering the tree was as tall as I was... However, due to the size of the tree, I was sure there would be no way I could get it home, so I left without it.Once I got to my friend's house, I told her about my shopping trips and the tree and she said if it wouldn't fit in my car, we could get it in her van and figure out how to get it to my house later. We didn't go back on Saturday, because we had to meet friends for dinner, then the show, both of which were lots of fun. Sunday AM we headed out to Pike again to look at the tree. While there, I picked up a second mini hosta 'Golden Prayers' and also an Ostrich Fern that was marked $2.00 instead of $12.99 because it looked like someone was trying to kill it. I selected one that looked like it had some healthy but not yet unfurled fronds and will hope for the best. Of course, I got the tree, but not before triple-checking the price. I was even MORE amazed when we were actually able to fit it in my car. WOW!!
I got back home around 2 PM but was totally exhausted, so pretty much all I did was pot up the two mini hostas. I'm going to look for a really special pot for 'Blue Mouse Ears'.
Today I was still worn out and didn't do anything this morning. I regretted that decision when I came home to wilted tomato plants and had to hurry up and do a bunch of watering before my yoga class. Tomorrow I'm going to try to get up early and water the front porch plants.
Friday, May 09, 2008
several busy annual planting days
My work schedule has been different this week, so I had Thursday morning off. I decided it was time to get rid of some of the pansies in pots that really were not doing well and start seeding in some other things. But, before I could do anything, disaster had struck my cilantro. Apparently my dog managed to not only knock over the pot the cilantro was in, but also break the terra cotta pot. Impressive...
I did my best to salvage the little cilantro seedlings and repot them in a new pot. I then planted out some patty pan squash seeds in the windowbox where I have been growing lettuce. I dumped two pots of pansies and one pot was planted with Bush Blue Lake 274 beans. I'm hoping they will not require trellising. I didn't soak the bean seeds, so I hope they germinate alright. The package didn't say to germinate and this is my first attempt at growing beans.
I saved seed last year off my 'Peppermint Stick' zinnias and the seed seems to be okay, not moldy or anything. I spread this seed behind the two salvias along the front fence. If they do come up, the zinnias should be tall enough to peek out over the salvias, which should look pretty.
My final seeding for Thursday was to seed the basil in the herb barrel. This year I'm not growing as many different herbs in the herb barrel. I still have curly leaf parsley in there, as well as a few chives and apparently one dill. I divided the remaining area in two and planted one half with 'Purple Ruffles' basil and the other half with 'Lime' basil. I did leave room around the outside edge to plant nasturtuims, which I can never remember to soak overnight, so I tend to get them in quite late. I need to plant out more basil as I'm afraid 'Early Girl' tomato is pretty much shading out the basil I planted around her. I may start a few pots just of basil. In other herb news, I finally decided that it was time to dump the stevia and bronze fennel. Neither has shown any signs of coming back this year. When I dumped the fennel, I could see that the roots were totally rotting. Guess it got too cold for it in the pot last winter.
Seeded on Thursday:
- zinnias with seed saved from last year
- lime basil
- purple ruffles basil
- bush blue lake beans
- patty pan squash
Friday I had to work, but had a few hours of light after work, so with a quick stop for a few plants on the way home, I was ready to tackle more annuals.
First up was the hanging basket (still need to get over to storage to get the other frames) now that I have new liners. I got pretty orangey million bells and black sweet potato vine to make my far full sun corner basket. I got this one planted and hung today. I also found two pots of New Guinea impatiens that I really liked. One is small 4" pot that I'm planning on putting in a hanging basket and the other is a big quart plant that I planted in one of the bronze plastic pots.
Next up was one of the hardest things, pulling out the pansies. In the fall it is easy to get rid of the summer annuals because the frost kills them, but in the spring you have to pull out your living cool season annuals. The pansies in the annual bed were looking pretty rough, so it was definitely time. I pulled out all except the back row, which are in the most shade and therefore look the best. I added some Black Cow to the areas where I pulled out the pansies. The main area was replanted with 'Blue Puffs' Ageratum around the outside edge, then seeded in with 'Peppermint Twist' zinnias behind that. For now the pansies are in place along the back, but they will probably be replaced with coleus in a few weeks. I planted a 4-pack of pink vinca in front of 'Masja' hydrangea. I still have some more areas where pansies need to be replaced. I am thinking I'll use the Ageratum in front of the camellias, as it is a pretty color and will grow in part shade.
I did my best to salvage the little cilantro seedlings and repot them in a new pot. I then planted out some patty pan squash seeds in the windowbox where I have been growing lettuce. I dumped two pots of pansies and one pot was planted with Bush Blue Lake 274 beans. I'm hoping they will not require trellising. I didn't soak the bean seeds, so I hope they germinate alright. The package didn't say to germinate and this is my first attempt at growing beans.
I saved seed last year off my 'Peppermint Stick' zinnias and the seed seems to be okay, not moldy or anything. I spread this seed behind the two salvias along the front fence. If they do come up, the zinnias should be tall enough to peek out over the salvias, which should look pretty.
My final seeding for Thursday was to seed the basil in the herb barrel. This year I'm not growing as many different herbs in the herb barrel. I still have curly leaf parsley in there, as well as a few chives and apparently one dill. I divided the remaining area in two and planted one half with 'Purple Ruffles' basil and the other half with 'Lime' basil. I did leave room around the outside edge to plant nasturtuims, which I can never remember to soak overnight, so I tend to get them in quite late. I need to plant out more basil as I'm afraid 'Early Girl' tomato is pretty much shading out the basil I planted around her. I may start a few pots just of basil. In other herb news, I finally decided that it was time to dump the stevia and bronze fennel. Neither has shown any signs of coming back this year. When I dumped the fennel, I could see that the roots were totally rotting. Guess it got too cold for it in the pot last winter.
Seeded on Thursday:
- zinnias with seed saved from last year
- lime basil
- purple ruffles basil
- bush blue lake beans
- patty pan squash
Friday I had to work, but had a few hours of light after work, so with a quick stop for a few plants on the way home, I was ready to tackle more annuals.
First up was the hanging basket (still need to get over to storage to get the other frames) now that I have new liners. I got pretty orangey million bells and black sweet potato vine to make my far full sun corner basket. I got this one planted and hung today. I also found two pots of New Guinea impatiens that I really liked. One is small 4" pot that I'm planning on putting in a hanging basket and the other is a big quart plant that I planted in one of the bronze plastic pots.
Next up was one of the hardest things, pulling out the pansies. In the fall it is easy to get rid of the summer annuals because the frost kills them, but in the spring you have to pull out your living cool season annuals. The pansies in the annual bed were looking pretty rough, so it was definitely time. I pulled out all except the back row, which are in the most shade and therefore look the best. I added some Black Cow to the areas where I pulled out the pansies. The main area was replanted with 'Blue Puffs' Ageratum around the outside edge, then seeded in with 'Peppermint Twist' zinnias behind that. For now the pansies are in place along the back, but they will probably be replaced with coleus in a few weeks. I planted a 4-pack of pink vinca in front of 'Masja' hydrangea. I still have some more areas where pansies need to be replaced. I am thinking I'll use the Ageratum in front of the camellias, as it is a pretty color and will grow in part shade.
Thursday, May 08, 2008
hydrangea 'Together'
Hydrangea 'Together' is looking great. I am still wondering if it will rebloom as claimed and I am also wondering about how winter hardy it will really be. For the time being, it looks great!
Sunday, May 04, 2008
Japanese Maple 'Butterfly'
Newly purchased 'Butterfly' Japanese Maple. This was also purchased from Mystic Farms at the Farmer's Market Spring Festival. I don't know much about Japanese Maples, but had never seen a variegated one before and just fell in love with this little baby. This is a small recently grafted plant and it is looking good. Since purchasing the maples, I've been doing some reading and it looks like I made some good choices. I've now seen more pictures of variegated Japanese Maples and I think 'Butterfly' is the prettiest.
Saturday, May 03, 2008
Tamukeyama Japanese Maple
My newly purchased 'Tamukeyama' Japanese Maple currently living in front of the water heater hut. It is sitting in its nursery pot, inside a fiberglass pot.
Friday, May 02, 2008
Spring Fest at the Farmer's Market
Went today on day 2 of the Spring flower and plant sale at the Farmer's Market. There was a lot of so-so, seen it everywhere stuff, but I did find some treasures!
I was looking for a new rosemary to put in the pot with the sage and thyme and after talking to the lady who was selling lots of neat herbs, she recommended I get an oregano for the pot, so I ended up getting a variegated oregano. While there, I thought about Golden Rain rosemary and a pineapple sage, but didn't get either at the time. I also got a phlox 'David' for the perennial bed, where I had planned to plant an 'Autumn Joy' sedum. I already have a sedum on that side of the bed and all the 'Autumn Joys' I've been finding have been in HUGE pots, so I went with the phlox instead. Later in the day, we went back to the Farmer's Market and I got the Golden Rain rosemary, but they were out of the pineapple sage. I can't believe she sold that many that quickly, but the place was a ZOO!!
On the return trip, I also picked up a 'Dolce Creme Brulee' huechera to complete one of the porch pots. Right now its color is on the green side, but I'm hoping once it is in the sun and starting growing out some its color will improve. After the first trip to the Farmer's Market, we went up to Country Boys, were I got a few other annuals to round out the porch plants. We also went to K-Mart where I got a really big hanging basket of purple double impatiens. We stoppped at Lowes to see if they had any cheap hanging baskets that I could repot for the front of the house and I found some annual dianthus. It looks nice and I hope it will keep blooming all summer.
While at Lowes, I found that they had finally gotten in the Forever and Ever 'Together' hydrangeas. All the plants they had were already blooming, but I was able to find one that looked like a decent plant and didn't have all its buds open already. This one is supposed to stay 2 X 2, so I'm planning on keeping it in a pot. I'll need to hit it with aluminum sulfate to keep the blue color though. I also took another look at their 'Peppermint' hydrangeas and I'm really starting to wonder if the tag was switched in the plant I bought and it was just a regular plant with the 'Peppermint' tag in it, as so far the blooms do not look right. ARGHHHH....
My big expense at the Farmer's Market was on Japanese Maples. I've been thinking about getting one for a while and a farm called Mystic Farm was there and had really nice maples at a good price. They had these giant Tamukeyamas that were just incredible and were $300. If they had taken credit cards and I knew where I wanted to put it... They also had it in a really nice $60 plant that I REALLY thought about, but I ended up getting a smaller $30 'Tamukeyama' that we all thought had a nice growth habit. While I was trying to decide, someone I know came by and he turns out to have a bunch of Japanese Maples and said that cultivator I was picking was a good one and that the plant I had picked out was nice too. I also saw this little tiny $15 plant called 'Butterfly'. 'Butterfly' has more maple shaped leaves and they are variegated.
While I was paying I happened to mention that I didn't have much room for maples as all my room is taken up with hydrangeas. Susan (one of the owners) said they had hydrangeas too but didn't bring them because they weren't blooming. I asked if they had '...Paul Doumer' and she said no but that they did have 'Nightengale'. I said I had cuttings, but they had died and that I was looking to replace mine and said I'd email them in a few weeks. Well, on our return trip to the Farmer's Market, I decided I just HAD to get one of the $10 'Bloodgood' seedlings they had. These are seed grown, not grafted, so they might not be exactly true, but he said they are super hardy and I could just toss this small plant in a hole tonight. I also made arrangements for them to bring a 'Nightengale' hydrangea to the show tomorrow and I can pick it up on the way to work.
Once I was home I had a ton of work to do! I planted the phlox 'David' and lambs ears in the perennial bed, added the oregano and a parsley to their respective containers, potted up the rosemary and potted up the Endless Summer hydrangea I had grown from a cutting last year. I also ended up repotting the 'Butterfly' Japanese Maple into a small ceramic pot, using pretty much solid composted pine bark with just a sprinkling of soil on the top like Chip said. It was semi-traumatic for me, as it was hard to get it out of the pot and then the potting soil part started to fall apart, but I'm hoping it was NOT traumatic for 'Butterfly'. The other two were placed inside pots on top of some mulch, still in their nursery pots. 'Bloodgood' is living behind the daylilies and 'Tamukeyama' is living over on the corner of the house where the water heater hut is.
I was looking for a new rosemary to put in the pot with the sage and thyme and after talking to the lady who was selling lots of neat herbs, she recommended I get an oregano for the pot, so I ended up getting a variegated oregano. While there, I thought about Golden Rain rosemary and a pineapple sage, but didn't get either at the time. I also got a phlox 'David' for the perennial bed, where I had planned to plant an 'Autumn Joy' sedum. I already have a sedum on that side of the bed and all the 'Autumn Joys' I've been finding have been in HUGE pots, so I went with the phlox instead. Later in the day, we went back to the Farmer's Market and I got the Golden Rain rosemary, but they were out of the pineapple sage. I can't believe she sold that many that quickly, but the place was a ZOO!!
On the return trip, I also picked up a 'Dolce Creme Brulee' huechera to complete one of the porch pots. Right now its color is on the green side, but I'm hoping once it is in the sun and starting growing out some its color will improve. After the first trip to the Farmer's Market, we went up to Country Boys, were I got a few other annuals to round out the porch plants. We also went to K-Mart where I got a really big hanging basket of purple double impatiens. We stoppped at Lowes to see if they had any cheap hanging baskets that I could repot for the front of the house and I found some annual dianthus. It looks nice and I hope it will keep blooming all summer.
While at Lowes, I found that they had finally gotten in the Forever and Ever 'Together' hydrangeas. All the plants they had were already blooming, but I was able to find one that looked like a decent plant and didn't have all its buds open already. This one is supposed to stay 2 X 2, so I'm planning on keeping it in a pot. I'll need to hit it with aluminum sulfate to keep the blue color though. I also took another look at their 'Peppermint' hydrangeas and I'm really starting to wonder if the tag was switched in the plant I bought and it was just a regular plant with the 'Peppermint' tag in it, as so far the blooms do not look right. ARGHHHH....
My big expense at the Farmer's Market was on Japanese Maples. I've been thinking about getting one for a while and a farm called Mystic Farm was there and had really nice maples at a good price. They had these giant Tamukeyamas that were just incredible and were $300. If they had taken credit cards and I knew where I wanted to put it... They also had it in a really nice $60 plant that I REALLY thought about, but I ended up getting a smaller $30 'Tamukeyama' that we all thought had a nice growth habit. While I was trying to decide, someone I know came by and he turns out to have a bunch of Japanese Maples and said that cultivator I was picking was a good one and that the plant I had picked out was nice too. I also saw this little tiny $15 plant called 'Butterfly'. 'Butterfly' has more maple shaped leaves and they are variegated.
While I was paying I happened to mention that I didn't have much room for maples as all my room is taken up with hydrangeas. Susan (one of the owners) said they had hydrangeas too but didn't bring them because they weren't blooming. I asked if they had '...Paul Doumer' and she said no but that they did have 'Nightengale'. I said I had cuttings, but they had died and that I was looking to replace mine and said I'd email them in a few weeks. Well, on our return trip to the Farmer's Market, I decided I just HAD to get one of the $10 'Bloodgood' seedlings they had. These are seed grown, not grafted, so they might not be exactly true, but he said they are super hardy and I could just toss this small plant in a hole tonight. I also made arrangements for them to bring a 'Nightengale' hydrangea to the show tomorrow and I can pick it up on the way to work.
Once I was home I had a ton of work to do! I planted the phlox 'David' and lambs ears in the perennial bed, added the oregano and a parsley to their respective containers, potted up the rosemary and potted up the Endless Summer hydrangea I had grown from a cutting last year. I also ended up repotting the 'Butterfly' Japanese Maple into a small ceramic pot, using pretty much solid composted pine bark with just a sprinkling of soil on the top like Chip said. It was semi-traumatic for me, as it was hard to get it out of the pot and then the potting soil part started to fall apart, but I'm hoping it was NOT traumatic for 'Butterfly'. The other two were placed inside pots on top of some mulch, still in their nursery pots. 'Bloodgood' is living behind the daylilies and 'Tamukeyama' is living over on the corner of the house where the water heater hut is.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
