blueyedkitty04's Blog

Feels like it's been forever...
May 29, 2009 | 4:22 AM PST
Tags: seeds , pansy , veggies , clematis Dr. Ruppel , clematis Multi Blue , moth , cow manure , bell flower
It feels like forever since I wrote last, but it's only been 2 full days.

I want to thank everyone who has been commenting on my posts lately. I have been slacking in my regular chit-chat responses I normally do and don't quite know why. I think I have just been so busy trying to keep up with the housework and get my share of "playing" out in the garden. My husband will be home in a few weeks and I want to be done with my "spring" cleaning and organizing by the time he gets home. There is still a ton to do, then we'll have my daughter's eye surgery on the 17th to add. So, I will be busy, but I will be sure to keep writing!

I felt better later on in the day after having that terrible headache. Thank you all for the "feel betters"!!

Now, on to gardening....

So many of my seeds are coming up! I am so excited! I planted so many seeds I can't remember where I planted them all. I marked most of the seed with sprinkles of peat moss over the areas and that has helped. Some of them I didn't think to do that with so I have to be careful when digging.

Most of the seed that is coming up is the smaller seed like Alyssum, Brachycome (Swan River Daisy), Matthiola (Night Scented Stocks), and Baby's Breath.

I planted a ton of Morning Glory seeds that I soaked for the recommended 24 hours, but they haven't come through the soil yet and I am wondering if somehow they dried up. It's strange that they haven't, but I will have to be patient.

My "stump planters" have quite a bit of seed coming. My sweet peas are coming in nice as well as what I believe to be sunflower seeds (the ones I sprinkled in from last years seed head this spring). I can't wait to see how nice turn out.

I made a new flower bed (well, sort of) to spread my cut flower mixes, Shasta Daisy, Delphinium, Baby's Breath, Bachelor Buttons, the rest of my Black-Eyed Susan's, extra Phlox, and mixed Poppy seeds. I raked out an area, pulled out the loose rocks, used all those rocks I pulled out to line the perimeter. After pulling out the bits of grass and natural bushes I spread the seed mixed with sand around the area. Covered it all with a thin layer of dirt and watered it all in. I hope the seed grows in since it will look really cute with the "Gnome Home" and the two little Gnomes admiring the flower area (see below). I will post some pictures later if/when the seeds start to come in.  (Click on any of the images to enlarge and see closer up!)

I planted the two Zucchini plants from the nursery today but decided to place a clear plastic tub over them for the night to keep the cold off of them. They were kept under a greenhouse style roof/area that protected them, so I figured it wouldn't hurt (I just have to make sure they don't overheat in the morning). I spotted the Zucchini seeds sprouting that I planted and I am so excited. I do hope they grow! I love fried Zucchini and seasoning salt as well as Zucchini bread! Any suggestions on how to eat Zucchini?

I also planted some Broccoli seeds, but don't know if it will make it before it get's too cold. We'll just have to see.

My peas and radishes have come through the soil which is good too.

I also decided to plant some Cosmos and Zinnias for the first time and they are coming in nicely too. I chose to plant them in my wild rose area since the wild roses I transplanted are not doing to well yet (if at all). My daughter helped me plant them and it was so cute. She would squat down and tip her hand attempting to spread the seed around, but really just dropping them on top of each other so I had to spread them out afterwards.

I love letting her help me, it makes me so happy to see her learning and enjoying nature. I show her any bug I come across, frogs and toads and especially birds. We listen to cricketts and frogs at night. She knows what Woodpeckers do and can explain it (she's only 2.5 years old). She says "they peck, peck, peck....", "The trees", "Looking for bugs and going slurp, slurp, slurp!" and "using their beeks". It's so cute! She's so bright and retains so much. I want her to be able to look at the little things around her, to be able to step back and see things in a simple way, enjoy it and value it. Kids these days are so wrapped up in materialistic things, video games, t.v and computers. None of those things nurtures the soul, none of those things can do what mother nature does for a person. I believe those things can enjoyed in a healthy amount but that other things need to be taught and learned. Simple things. How many kids go through school having the only experiance with nature be the "plant unit" taught to them by their teacher? Sad.

Anyway......

Above: The tags from my new Clematis. I really like them, but now am not sure where I want to put them. When I bought them I figured I could find a place, but now I am getting pickier and re-thinking where they should go. When I really like a certain flower I take forever finding a place for it to go since I am scared of killing it...lol.

Above: My Mother-In-Laws Gazinia (? I am guessing the name because I can't think of it off the top of my head right now...) Really pretty.

Above: A really pretty purple/blue flower in my Mother-In-Law's garden with her Columbine. Really pretty, I will have to ask her what it is. Do you know what it is?

Above: A GIANT moth my little Brother-In-Law caught today to show my daughter and I. It was huge! He said that it looked like Nike swooshes on it's wings and feathers for antennas.

Above: "No Name" Cow Manure....cracked me up! I never would have thought there was "No Name" brand cow manure....had to share....lol!

Above:  A few of the Pansies....

 

Above:  My blue/purple Bell Flower blooming!  I just LOVE IT!

Above:  One of my favorite flowers in my garden.  It's a succulent (I believe), supposidly flowers but has wonderful green/red colors and grows in so nicely in my garden.  I don't know what it is though.  It's easy to transplant and spread, you just have to clip pieces off and stick them into the soil.  It's great!

Well, that's all for today.  I hope you all have had a wonderful week so far!  We've had just beautiful weather!  More to come in the next few days. 

Oh, I have been meaning to ask.  Some members commented on my daughter and the little frog pictures and said I should submit it to G&G, what is that?  I cannot for the life of me figure it out.  LOL.  It's been in the back of my mind and I have been trying to figure it out, but can't and it's making me curious to find out what it is.  Thanks!

Have a great day and an even better weekend!

~M~

Beautiful seed day...
May 18, 2009 | 1:13 AM PST
Tags: vegetable , vegetable patch , veggies , seeds , flower seeds , sunflower seeds , vegetable seeds

Well, today was a truly beautiful day!  It was so warm out, and just a really enjoyable day. 

My daughter and I played out in the garden in the late afternoon after the storm clouds rolled in.  It didn't storm - only a bit of wind, and was still pretty warm, but the clouds were definitely the kind that some with storms. 

I decided to try and get some of my seeds into the back flower garden since I was thinking it was going to rain tonight (not happening yet...).  I have a few interesting things popping up in the back garden.  I think I have spotted 2 morning glories (from last years seed) and some sort of other flower from seed.  It is a big leafed sprout (like the size of a bean, cucumber, zucchini, etc.) and is possibly a sunflower but I am not sure and have no idea how it got there, unless I planted some out there and I don't remember (which is possible). 

I planted: 

Sweet Pea - Royal Family Mixed
Four O'Clocks - Marvel of Peru
Nasturtium - Jewel Mixed
Stocks - Giant Imperial Mixed
Cosmos - Sensation
Zinnia - Giant Dahlia
Sunflower - Lemon Queen
Sunflower - Velvet Queen
Sunflower - Helianthus Mixed Varieties

I still have a TON to get into the ground and am starting to feel way behind the eight ball now.  Before I felt I was way ahead of the game so much so that I had planted some seeds inside way too early, but now it's getting down to the wire and I HAVE to get them in for their fullest potential!  Especially the vegetables!

Vegetables I have to plan out and get in include:

Carrots
Bush beans (Green Pod Stringless)
Broccoli
Zucchini (oh how I want these to grow this year, I LOVE fried zucchini!)
Peas (Lincoln Homesteader)
Lettuce
Radish
Pumpkin (NO idea where I will be putting these, probably closer to my daughters "play area")
Tomato (4 different kinds, I don't know if any of them will successfully grow since I am planting them directly outdoors and not planting indoor starts because I am so behind, but it's a learning experience isn't it?  If they don't work out I will buy some extra tomato plants to fill the void...lol)
Dill (will probably plant it in with my mint, lavender, and lemon balm area, but not positive since it tends to look "messy" compared to flowers.)

The good news is that the vegetable patch is pretty much finished with soil amendments.  I think I want to mix in another load of horse manure (yeah, that is what I am trying this year, I will have to see how bad the weeds are and learn accordingly). 

When  I "draw" out my basic layout in the vegetable patch (tomorrow hopefully), I will post a picture up of it.  I hope to start planting seed tomorrow though, so I should have a layout planned by then.  Fingers crossed for me, I have to get this done!!

Anyway, more tomorrow I am sure.  It is supposed to be warmer than today even!  Oh-what fun!  I love spring/summer!  Sorry, no pictures today....

Have a wonderful week!!

~M~

P.S.  Thank you to everyone how commented on my last post about Wildflowers!  I just love sharing my pictures and love hearing back from you all!  Thank you!  I will look up the "Solomon's Seal" to see if it looks like it.  Also I will post another picture once it flowers (I think it flowers...).