any gardeners?

“"Q, I have a book of all the claptrap ol' Henry wrote in to some newspaper or magazine."


Is that his famous rambling about how "we" didn't need Jews around?

I bet the Henry Ford would love to place that upfront and center at their "Museum". lol!”

“

Lemon Queen Trollius, a.k.a. Globeflower









Azalea time





Can you identify this flower?”

“Yes.”

“usa they look like bluebells to me.”

“Perhaps.”

“Looks like a bulb marketed as Wood Hyacinth.”

“Close.”

“got the seed potatoes planted yesterday (in the tire rings of death). I hope they do well, never tried em before. Hopefully the veg garden will get planted in the next 10 days, just gotta move a bit more dirt and let the soil dry a touch.

Fresh rabbit pooh arrives on wed so that will help everything out. Gotta love spring.”

“Anchored in the corner posts of my garden yesterday. I shan't install the fencing until I can spread some manure and til the ground. No idea what I'm going to plant, likely spuds (tires), corn, beans, peas, lettuce, carrots, peppers, 'maters, cantalope, onions and summer squash. It's going to be a busy summer.”

“I finally finished pulling all the weeds and getting the rest of the mulch down. I found 4 hostas that appeared - I don't remember them being there last year. The other hostas I planted seem to be doing well. No sign of the liatris bulbs I planted, though. And the grass isn't growing yet - its been a week since we sowed the seed. I don't think we're keeping it watered enough.

Anxiously awaiting Mother's Day so I can get some annuals in and the veggies too!
last edited: 4/29/07 9:03:53 PM”

“We tilled in new beds and planted cucumbers, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, lots of onions, raspberry bushes, and have a mars grapevine in a holding pattern until the trellis for it gets put in. I just wish we had a fence to keep out any unwanted wild or domestic animals.”

“Me too, treebait. I finally confirmed it is a bunny eating my crocuses, and my stupid cat just sat at the screen watching it for ~30 min. As soon as I turned the porch light on, the bunny took off. Stupid cat! Didn't even meow at it! LOL!”

“I did a lot of work this past weekend, but it sure as hell doesn't look like it. Too many outstanding projects due to a year of neglect.

Everything is ready and busting out of the sprout box. The main bed it tilled, needs grading, but should be ready to go after I work on it after class tonight.”

“I have lots of (what seem to be) fruit trees and grape vines on the north end of my property. Neglected for years, it will be interesting to see what they are as the seasons change.”

“Smiley, my liatris aren't coming up yet either. They take a bit more time.

Nothing to do today so I will dig, dig, dig. Yesterday I came home from my folk's house with two leopard frog pollywogs, two goldfish and 6 lupine my dad started from seed in his sun room, five yellow foxgloves, and three huge chunks of sweet wood ruff. Got it all planted and comfortable in the pond yesterday evening. Finished weeding my raspberry patch. Two out of three new ones I bought are dead. The blackberries are looking rough too. They may come back though. Pruned them and the climbing rose. The rose took off last year, after three years in the spot and four years in a different spot. It's now seven feet tall!

Enjoy your dirt today everyone.”

“Oh, an interesting/odd thing. Yesterday I dismantled a strange sort of gazebo made of a huge satellite dish and 4 landscape timbers. It looked like something Tilt would sit under whilst wearing his tinfoil hat:)”

“I winter sowed liatris seeds this winter outside in milk jug containers....they have sprouted a while ago. I need to get some new dirt and transtplant them into seperate pots :)”

“Hey Violin, Thanks for bringing up your thoughts on the fading of the concrete steppers. It prompted us to measure more carefully and add it all up, it will be almost the same cost so yeah, flagstones it will be.”

“Saturday is the third annual world naked gardening day-”

“The Autistic 19 year old who lives behind us would have a meltdown! =D”

“It's supposed to cool off for the weekend here, to the low 70's. I'm not doing any more naked gardening until our fences are up. :P

I'm going to try putting sprouting potatoes into a large planter and layer dirt around it that way. I should get a few 'taters that way.

Nothing has eaten our plants yet, so that's good.

My Japanese maples are recovering from the 20 degree nights we had a few weeks ago. Glad they aren't dead. We finished acquiring plants for the big fancy pots we put out front, over the area that had flooding issues. We dug that out, put in a bucket drilled with lots of holes and a small water pump and backfilled it with gravel. It drains quickly now and the grass around that area has already improved. COol.”

“good mornin'...

it's supposed to warm up to the 50s here today, we set the plants we started outside this morning.”

“I ae my first radishes outta the garden this morning :) They are an heirloom viarity called 'Lady Slipper'

I shared some with my Bearded dragon too who loves veggies---

But he's lazy so I have to hand feed him...LMAO”

“Have not even dug my garden yet, been too wet, maybe this week.”

“I'm going bike ridin' Screw the garden.”

“

”

“Yeah, SC, especially screw "your" garden (looks great;)”

“SC, beautiful! Is that flox in with the daffys?

Had some chives with the corn tonight...I'm gonna like having some herbs around! We've got chives, oregano, and sage. Any other recommendations? We'll plant some cilantro, too.

How long does grass seed take to start growing??

One more question - we got cypress mulch from two different sources and its definitly not the same color. Think the sun will fade it over time so its not noticeable?

WAY too soggy out today to do anything but check on the plants. I'm still deciding how many annuals I'll do. We're on a fairly tight budget, but dang, I love my annuals!”

“Good deal Sass. You just can't match the look of stone with a manmade product - plus it only looks better with time, not worse.


last edited: 5/01/07 7:05:51 PM”

“smiley....thyme and basil :)

cant live without em.”

“I forgot to add G is getting me a peony plant for my first Mother's Day. :))”

“oooo lemon balm. How could I forget that herb???? you HAVE to get a lemon balm plant!”

“Mmmm, fresh sage and especially bay leaves (I have a potted bay laurel) can't be beat!”

“SG, you might want to make sure you plant your oregano and mint away from anyplace you don't want them to spread. Invasive little buggers! And they come back, year after year. I can pick fresh oregano in the dead of winter (if it's not burried in snow).
I have oregano patches in my back lawn now. Smells awesome when I mow. =)”

“you can plant the invasives in pots. I have my mints in old milk jugs except for the less hardy ones, which I have in pots that I can sink into the ground during the winter for protection. I have penny royal living in my lawn sass, but it is so low growing and it smells good and suppoisedly keeps flees and ticks at bay so I don't mind. It usually dies back most of the way during the winter and if lucky, a few pieces survive to continue on the next year. Quite a bit of it survived this winter. I use thyme as a ground cover as well and it is growing around some of my daylillies. I think it looks great!”

“Well, it sure is better than plantains and crab grass! And it does smell terrific. It satys low in my yard becasue it gets mowed.”

““SC, beautiful! Is that flox in with the daffys?"

smiley girl
6:54:26 PM
5/01/07
ignore this user

Yes that is emeraled blue creeping phlox that I bought last summer on clearence at one of the dreaded box stores lol I also have pink phlox that I brought with me when I moved. The narcissus were freebies, that were here when I moved in last year. There were several clumps that were so over crowded they didn't have but a few blooms. When I divided the clumps, I had THOUSANDS of little bulbs and I have tons away to friends. The bulbs were so small I didn't think they would bloom this year but was plesently surprised. They are Poets Narscisus. Anyway they are supposed to be great for naturalizing as they spread fast.”

“score! I just traded some hostas I grew from seed over the winter in the house for some hot peppers my neighbor grew from seed :)”

“

Azaleas, trollius, lilacs, rhodys




Is there a better flower scent than lilac?”

“SG --

I always love to through some lavender in, along with rosemary, thyme and Greek oregano. Those are just the "above and beyond" stuff that goes in along with the standard fare. I've never had the issues with oregano that sass has had, but I have had it with mint and, of all things, parsley. As a matter of fact, today I will be trying to rip out a whole 8x8 area that it took over during the winter. If anyone needs any, email is on profile. lol

Any way, the best way to grow grass is first, get some good seed. Make sure that no annual seed is in there. Most, if not all, of that "quick patch" crap will die off. It's worth it to get some good stuff. Next, get some good soil. Prep the area by taking all of the dead stuff out, and weed it, if needed. Next, scratch the surface with rake and sprinkle seed down. Next (the magic show. works with any kind of seed), stick a couple of tent stakes down the middle of your area, positioned so that they could be a center pole for a tent. Then, take a clear plastic tarp and drape it over the stuff and peg in at the corners, and along the side every few. You could water before to put the tarp down, but you shouldn't need to. This tarp will create a mini "greenhouse-effect" or sorts and your stuff should sprout within three days. Plus, the tarp keeps the bird off of it while it germinates. Works for me and my friend next door like magic almost every time.


Hopefully, I'll have the backyard (and all three main garden boxes) done by sometime this weekend. However, my mother-in-law has hamstrung me, due to the two Red Wings tickets (that are right behind the Wings bench) she got me that are for Saturday night. Boy, I so mad at her that it's beyond words! lol!
last edited: 5/03/07 7:12:02 AM”

“BTW -- Sorry for being so rude as not to give the two of you major kudos, USA and Spirit; I have a very long way to go to match your abilities.”

“Gorgeous USA!”

“5 cu yards of dirt (and rocks for my new fire pit) were delivered to my driveway yesterday! WooHoo!

Now I just have to find the time to deal with it.”

“USA - great garden, reminds me of the one I left behind in Virginia. I did a landscaping gig at Colonial Williamsburg and everything I dug up ended up in my yard (somehow).

BTW, I think the fragrance of a Gardenia will match a Lilac.”

“I almost bought a lilac for the garden a few weeks ago, but it didn't smell nearly as good as I remember them in Michigan. It had a sickly after-smell. Maybe it was just that variety.

Wow, this place is windy all of the time. I'm really surprised.”

“Q------

I don't have much yet in my new garden....I have to do a little at a time. Somday I hope to h ave one giant garden with no lawn (except for maybe the paths) so its not much yet. USA your garden is very pretty!

treebait, Its very windy here. There are few trees to break up the wind at all and I cannot grow tall flowers yet because of it, even with stakes! Its usually blowing between 15-20 mph through here on most days.”

“I was given some pumpkin plants that were about 8 inches high...I think I may have killed them...
I put the plants outside yesterday morning, then got home late last night - it was cold and the plants were limp.
:(

Maybe they'll perk up today.”

“pumpkin killer!!!”

“we drowned the tomatoes too...

am I going to burn in hell???

LOL...”

“As long as the plants didn't get frost on them I think they'll be OK. It's sunny out today so hopefully that'll revive them.”