chattycarnation's Blog

Japanese Beetles
Jul 29, 2008 | 9:01 PM PST
Tag: Japanese beetles
GRRR Japanese beetles have arrived in our area. The last few years we keep adding more insects to those we already have to deal with! I am so upset with those critters. They are feasting on my roses!! The local nursery tells me there are no known predators here and that the only way to keep them off the roses is to use Liquid 7? Guess I will have to make a choice.. let them eat my roses to the branches or to use chemicals...

How to get rid of Yellow oxalis in my flower beds, driveway, rock garden..??
Jul 25, 2008 | 4:00 AM PST
Tag: Yellow Oxalis
I have been complaining some time about a certain weed I am having trouble with. It has been identified as Yellow Oxalis. Now .. how do I get rid of it?? It is everywhere! It grows on top of the mulch, in the flower beds, in the gravel driveway. the rock garden... everywhere! Help!! Pulling it does no good. you can pull it, lay newspaper on top of the soil, cover with mulch and ... the next thing you know... it is all on top of the mulch and everywhere in between!

photos
Jul 21, 2008 | 5:12 AM PST
Tag: photos
Well, I spent a little time this morning adding a few photos.. right now my camera is down, so most of them are from a week or more ago. Time sure does go by quickly!! In the Custard Candy Daylily photo you can see those ''weeds'' I have been complaining about. They kind of look like clover, but it is not clover.. they show up everywhere.. especailly on top of my mulch! GRRRR

Chased by a black bulldog
Jul 18, 2008 | 8:19 PM PST
Boy did I ever have a scare tonight! I was on the riding lawn mower this evening and all of a sudden a black bulldog came out of nowhere and chased me all the way to the house! He was snarling, barking and nipping toward my leg and foot and I was trying to drive the mower as fast as it would go! I finally turned the mower toward him and finally about the time I got to the house he turned and ran away. Now mind you he chased me quite aways and no one could here me calling for help because of the mower noise. I could not let up on the gas or the mower would die.. so i just kept going! My blood pressure was up and my heart pounding by the time I was able to get into the house. My hubby was watching the Cardinals on TV and had no idea I was having a problem..!! That was a coupld of hours ago or so.. not sure whose dog it is, but I am going to find out and make sure they know their dog gave me quite a scare!

A dry week
Jul 16, 2008 | 5:07 AM PST
Tags: dayliilies , cataracts

So far this week... no rain. The plants dont know how to act! Many of my daylilies are blooming right now a few stiill waiting tho. Today we have Strawberry Candy, Custard Candy, Always afternoon, Abstract, Divertissment, Star Twister..

One of my beds had so much rudbekia come up in it that it took over some of my daylilies, going to have to cut back on all that, but time has been a problem lately and the heat'! I just cant take that humidity any more so the time in the garden on these hot days has to be limited. The doctor also told me to always wear sunglasses.. that I have the beginnings of cataracts!! I was not happy to hear about that!

Wettest 1st 6 months in Illinois in over 100 years
Jul 12, 2008 | 6:14 PM PST
Tag: rain daylilies

An article in the newspaper today says that Illinois has had the wettest 1st six months of the year since they started keeping track in 1895. Last year we were begging for rain and it looks like we got what we did not get last year.. all this year LOL

The rains keep us out of the garden many days, it is just too wet.  Some plants love it... some are just hanging around.. :) The temps this week have been in the upper 80s and low 90s.. so that might be good for some crops. I hope when the corn starts tassling that we get a few showers then, but we could use a break other than that.

I cannot keep up with the weeds..!!! Goodness if nothing else grows.. the weeds and grass do! With gas at $4.09 a gallon we cant keep mowing twice a week.. we have an acre to mow! You have to keep the grass mowed because of bugs and the like, but goodness.. I might have to make my beds even bigger, but I am getting behinder as I write already. Dont know how I can keep up with any more flower beds.

Right now my rudbekeia and purple coneflower are looking good. And the day lilies are coming on pretty good too. Blooming right now are Fairytale Pink, Jesse Warren, James Marsh, Chicago Gold, Mateus, Jane Austin, shoot I cannot remember all their names.. guess I better write them down. I do have some varieties that are not blooming yet so more to look forward to. My liatris is just starting as well as some of the summer phlox.

Hope all is well with all of you. Happy Gardening!!