RKayne's Blog
RKayne's posts about: sage
Feb 10, 2008 | 9:20 AM PST
Tags: blackberry , rosemary , sage , thyme , parsley , coffee grounds , preparing soil , yellowjackets
Last year, when we moved it, I started reclaiming the section of 'gardening space' next to the house. These were fallow sections, with an odd assortment of flower bulbs that were in weird places and a lot of grass. I could barely see the walkway between the two raised beds. Granted, this is a rental house but how could I possibly NOT use them? Well, after the work the youngest and I did yesterday, guess we will have to stay another year, lol.
So, at the end of these beds was a HUGE nasty, mean and thoroughly entrenched blackberry, one of the sorts that makes you understand why they are the bane of the PNW. I figured, go ahead and clear what I could and then cut it back, at the very least. No way, there *is* also a nest of yellowjackets, who knows how long they have been there!
Being the organic gardener I am, and having turned rather a bit of the soil already and seeing all the 'wonderful' (note sarcasm) grubs that were here and there...I had an odd idea. I left the yellowjackets alone! They eat grubs so we had an understanding, I leave you alone, you leave me alone :D That worked out great, I think there was only one time I went around the corner and thought, hey...not today...not going in there! Otherwise, we were out there all the time so it balanced well and I didn't have to go through the trouble of wiping out an entire colony, haha. I know...yellowjackets, and ground ones at that, the kind that if it stung my Mom, she would be dead...but still, didn't want to kill them, especially since they were such a help in the end.
I know they are still there, but they are hibernating so we went ahead and did the clearing. I really don't know exactly were they are, I am not sure they are actually in the garden itself but maybe in some bushes that are very thick at the end, which is actually the top of a rockery beside our very steep and very narrow (pretty much the Seattle norm) driveway. Guess we will find out when it warms up! I really need to take pics, still have one somewhere I can dig up to show where I stopped digging last year. This year our youngest has the gardening bug so he gets to claim he helped a LOT.
So, cutting that blackberry, I started cutting sections and tossing them back to G to put in the yard waste...and cutting...and cutting. The grass was long enough that when it died out for winter there were a couple sections that I just pulled it up with NO weeds below. Of course where there were weeds they were seriously there, and then the bulb thing. Shouldn't you have a rhyme or reason to placement? No...whoever had put these in thought :D
The best thing was, in the corner I *think* the yellowjackets might be, under that blackberry from Hades...was a 2-3 foot tall Rosemary. Healthy, happy...and I had a chicken in the fridge so I sent G out to get some rosemary. He knew which one was the thyme as I had pointed it out between the silver and purple sage, and a handful of parsley and let him stuff them all into the chicken. So, lot of work, but immediate benefits. I will try to get some pics later, it has been raining pretty much ever since we were out there (started sprinkling while we still were but the little trooper has to have that gardening bug, he stuck it out, refused to leave until he was done turning the coffee grounds in!).
Nov 8, 2007 | 3:04 PM PST
Tags: Tomatoes , basil , oregano , sage , thyme , dahlia , hydrangea , radish seed , alpine strawberries , yellow rose , bees , Parsley , cotoneaster , Japanese Elm , Japanese Maples , bonsai , Storm
So we had an amazing wind storm not that long ago. We even cleaned up the yard and battened down the hatches, so to speak. Got all the potted stuff down in a protected spot (will be the winter spot too!) and all the furniture and our bikes nice and tidy and close...
Max is a dumb cat, I love him so but he is CRAZY. The wind started blowing HARD but it was not raining yet so I decided to give him some outside time. Nut job goes running around with the WILD KAT look in his eyes. You know the drill...run run run...mad dash...STOP! look around madly with flashing eyes.
He does not have that collar anymore, little jerk keeps losing them. This time was the worst as it had his license and a name tag. Jerk.
Then he did this and I was thinking 'Ain't he cute!'. As you can see all the brown in him, he snuck in as a regular cat and once he was established he is letting the Maine Coon out.
Then he FLEW over to one of the cedars and ran on the roof. Not happy. Wasn't happy a bit. He had no clue how windy it was, and how fast he could fly off! So I ended up standing in the raised bed while he teased me by coming to the edge when I was whistling and calling and finally came down so I promptly tossed him inside! Jerk. Cute, fuzzy, lovable jerk. My wife calls this shot 'fluffy butt'.
So, on to the destruction,
The dahlia. It took one hell of a beating...
My tomatoes, oh dear, my poor Black Prince...
The radishes I let bolt? So close to get my seed? Not a chance in hell. The wind snapped every single one of them and it was going so well. They would have had SO much seed. Damn. I had a fit and went ahead and cleared them out. They are now mulch. See all those seed heads? I don't even want to look.
So, upset as I was, daunted by the greenery that needs to be cut, tossed...all of the above, I started looking around. I have pretty much missed the nice fall foliage that so many are harping on as our nicely colored leaves have been passing us at about 90 MPH. I looked at my Bonsai and had to take another glance (and pictures!) as they are most gorgeous! Here is one where I took two different breeds and literally wrapped the Female around the Male to create a piece I call 'co-dependence'. hehe. Her color is amazing! He has just started to change a bit.
And one of my favorites, these are all about 4-5 yrs old. Such a nice yellow! Guess we have to keep our trees behind a wall in order to be able to see the colors!
The Japanese Elm has lost most of its leaves so gets to show off it's corkscrew nicely!
And the Cotoneaster is showing off it's berries, the wind took off a lot of them but it still has a few ;)
Then I notice the thyme and sages, how happy they are...it has finally cooled down enough for them.
And yes, I will get in there and weed them!
My herb pot looked a little unhappy, then I looked closer and changed my mind when I saw the flowers :D
The Parsley is happy finally, it does NOT like it hot-hot-hot, haha!
I come out of the garden area and see this, a cool little volunteer. One of the great things about a rental is you really don't know what is there so it is always a surprise
Yes, I know the buggers next to it have to go, lol. I *promise* LMAO!
Heading up the hill I see the dahlia in a different light...and that bush behind it? Never stopped flowering, it was leggy, like 8 ft tall and I cut the bejeezus out of it. So it flowered and has not stopped since early spring. Oh how the honey bees and bumble bees love it!
Then I look over and see that the yellow rose our youngest decided to trim this summer, with a toy sword *eek!* gave us something.
I look to the left and see fall colors on the hydrangea with a guest that really set it off!
Much better mood. What can I say, there is good in everything...I think. Excepting our present government, hehe. I decided to FINALLY plant the alpine strawberries that have been floundering and mocking me continuing to flourish despite my treatment of them. They will be great here, this spot is full of bulbs so is interesting for about 5 minutes then Blah.
So, we lost power, had to toss a blanket over the lizard cage. It was cold and windy, rainy and the power cut off while my non tv watching butt was in the middle of Grays Anatomy. I will not get radish seed this year from my crop. My tomatoes are a mess...the dahlia is half broken and the yard is a basic mess. A basic beautiful mess!
