greenputterer's Blog

Out on the edge of the potato patch the lovely zinna's are starting to compete with the cosmos for color. Before they were waiting in the wings,  waiting for their own to muster up.  We finally had  .15 of rain yesterday, wow in 2 weeks, we flowers eke out a living here in the garden. Thank goodness for hoses and water to augment.  This summer is going down as the coldest and dryest on record for our area.   This morning 5 doves were patiently waiting on the line again,  for their food lady to come out.  Little cheerful  yellow finches came in to eat, so they deemed it safe to come down then and dine.  Have worked hard to fill my strawberry planter with soil. It is about ready to transplant the plants into now. Need to work a bit of compost into the top soil and wait for any seeds to claim it, and remove them before they become invasive. As always we all have much to do to keep busy in the gardens of our lives.  Have a great week-end.

50 degrees this a.m. and only to 75 today. Feels like summer is slipping away so fast.  So dry, the trees are already dropping a lot of leaves on the windy days. Natual pruning so to speak.  Nice to be picking beans every day. We love fresh green beans.  If we want more vegetables, I did a potato or carrot too. Wish this season would last a few more months. Hubby mowed yesterday, then sat outside in the a.m. to read the paper, still soaking the winter out of his bones, he says.  Wish the berries were in the brush around here, like by 3G's.  I planted raspberries a few years ago, they are finally taking hold. It is drier here so they take longer to take hold. Not as many berries, because we don't get as much rain.  The four o'clocks are finally starting in, we just love them. Some reds, some striped ones of red and yellow, lavender. I hope I get another white one, they are lovely too. I save the seed from year to year, mixed, so it's always a suprise what color come up. I let a few volunteers in the garden too. Nice to have flowers out there to enjoy while I harvest a bit of food. Ah, the great days of summer. Have a great day wherever you are, and enjoy the day, for we know not what comes tomorrow.

I walked today amongst the evergreens, the only place out of the wind, when I overheard the flowers whispering. "Windy, did I mention wind"?  "At least 30 mph today".  "Yes, and we flowers stand here looking pretty, just for her". " Do we get a drink today"?  "Not likely, she was watering in the orchard this morning".  "Well I saw her picking on the beans today".  "Yes, and I saw her come by here and pull old onion out by his green hair". " "She dug up the potato's she buried in May"!  "Well, I am drier than an old parched potato chip".  "Did you see her pull the gray seed tops off a few of us today"?   "When she comes back, be sure to duck down".  "Here she comes now with the sprinkler, and it's time for our Saturday night bath". 

It was pretty quiet on the patio side of the house last night, Mitzilou. Everyone looked innocent when I checked on them.  Had the water on the dwarf evergreens  and dogwood last night. Looking kinda parched, look much better this a.m. Looks like some of these intermittent clouds could give us a break and just rain. Like mudpies, love the look of plant silhouettes, grounding us to the earth.    55 degrees this a.m. looking for a high of 75.  This is more like spring or fall than summer lately. Happy gardening to you all this week-end. 

Mitzilou-2 you had me worried. Who was rioting in the garden, what mayhem was going on, who was creating the disturbances. Well, I went out and about and checked for myself.  Nary a thing, they all looked so innocent.  But then it isn't midnight yet... The alyssum looked all snug in there sleeping sacks beneath the cosmos. Thanks for the heads up Mitzilou-2, I will just have to keep checking. Have a great evening.

Out in the new garden patch the cosmos are towering over the potato's. A few zinnias and marigolds jumped in the garden and alyssum around all the feet. Love the fragrance of it all.  Hope everyone has a great day.

Finally tonight, I was able to wander in the cosmos. They are about 4 1/2 feet high.  Higher than the potato plants next to them. This little plant has had flowers in triplicate as it blooms. Some are singles, some are doubles, and all unique. Put up 4 canner loads of cherries , in quarts this a.m. Picked fresh beans for supper. Hubby mowed, so we had a gorgeous day outside this afternoon. 84 degrees with a nice south breeze.  The poor flowers could use some water tonight, but needed more so on the trees tonight.   Dry, no rain in sight.

The scattered showers that were to be intermittent found us last evening and in the night. Guage had  .31 in it. Not a lot, but wow does it help plant life.  Plants look more green and stand at attention.  I moved the rhubarb yesterday.  After watering it in, I had to mop the floor from some mud that stuck on my boots. Made one last rhubarb crisp from some that I pulled.  Now for the filling of the strawberry bed, which may take me awhile.  My melon plants have vined well and there are lots of blossoms, but no melons yet. They better get with the program too, there isn't that much summer left here. Frost is usually around Sept 1, later if we get real lucky, and with the nights cooling down to 50 and less, it may well be early this year, especially with how dry it is. Happy gardening to you all.

Yup, the rhubarb has to move.  With husbandly advice,  the new strawberry bed is done but needs a bit of soil.  Then I will be able to put the plants in it. Never made a raised bed before, but after leveling the soil as best I could, put the little blocks in place one at a time.  Now I won't have to sit on the ground to pick, guess I'll have to see how that works next spring, as I have June bearing plants.  Summer returned today, 48 this a.m. and 78 now.  Hope summer sticks around awhile, my garden needs some sunshine.

Wow, me and my flower friends are wondering what happened to the sunshine.  45 degrees this morning and we all wanted to sunbathe here in flower garden.  Have been working on my strawberry bed the last few days. Have some more stones to unload today. Then I will think about finishing up the raised bed.  The rhubarb that is currently residing there,  will be moving soon. Hoping for a high of 70-74 today, maybe. The garden could really use some heat and sun. Mother nature knows best.

Us ants wandered today in Asslyum forest. It's a beautifully fragrant place to hang out. The trails are wonderful. Someone planted these trail edges just for us we think. There is some very pretty lavender scabosia above us, and up there in the Cosmos, I saw a bit o' sun. Ah, but the zinnia's towering about, pretty neat indeed, me thinks. An old man sunflower, he was there too. You meet the nicest friends there on the trail. See you next time near Ant Crossing, and please slow down, my friends all hang out here too.

Ah,  finally a bit o rain today,  .76 isn't bad, washed everything off and such wonderful nutrients in the rain for the garden plants.  A month ago, we had  .75 so other than the .3 in between, moisture has been a bit sparse. Picked green beans again today, enough for lunch and supper.  Then outback I found a cup of raspberries.  We had banana spits for dessert, with lots of blueberries and raspberries. So delicious and nutricious, may have to try that again for supper:)  Hope the peppers and tomato's pick up, we're still awaiting them :( 

Opening up the petals, removed the covers from my eyes, I was standing in the flower bed, underneath the skys. There on  my left sister Zinnia was standing by, and looking at my feet, Alyssum was fragrant and sweet. Up and down the row, flowers grow to meet, fellow sunflower is there, he's stately and takes the heat.  We'll meet again another day, but for now that's it, that's all I'll show, later on, you'll meet the whole row.

There I was in the cosmos, right here on earth, in the garden, the scent of asslyum underfoot was pleasant indeed. This row seems happy to watch from their side of the garden. Happy little flowers waving to one and all in the breeze.  63 degrees this a.m. and overcast with the hope of sprinkles to come.  Will continue to water the yard as I await the rain, and the trees breathe a sigh of relief at any moisture.  Have a great day where ever you are.

    Meow,   "I was just passing through".  This is a frequent water dish visitor.  Doesn't come any closer, and has a collar, but it appears to pretty wild now.  One of several that pass through now and again.  We hope they do some mousing on their way through.    Yesterday, I gave the sedums all a haircut.  They get top heavy, but this way they spread out a little more. Usually there is some rebloom, but not as heavy as the first bloom.   Then I dug some of the gold potato's for supper.   We prefer the red pontiacs, but will eat the gold ones too, and next year, will plant just the reds, our favorite.  Time to get some summer air and a vitamin D treatment.  Something was biting on my zinnia leaves last night, have to give them some special homemade organic medacine today.

  Well it was 4 springs ago, that I planted these black raspberries. My husband wanted black caps like Grandma raised.  Ordered 12 plants thinking, well if they grow, there will lots of berries. The black caps didn't seem viable in zone 3-4, but black raspberries, maybe.  But they puttered along and a few died, then there were only 3 plants.  So last fall I sprayed the area with roundup thinking to plant something else this spring that would "produce" something eatable.  But this spring 12 plants sprung up, and they all have a few berries. So I guess they decided to get with the program of survival. I'm not saying this is fertilizer, it isn't. But the plants knew this gardener meant business.  Funny thing this gardening thing.  

   The lily plants beside the potting benches.  They seem to like it here. Morning shade, due to large cotton wood trees, until about noon.  They are near the garden.  A couple of years ago, I moved them from the north side of the house, where they received about 3 hours of sunlight. They were overlarge, top heavy  and the wind would break them off before they all opened. So they appear to be able to tolerate a large varience in moisture and lighting.  Now they get watered when the sprinkler is on the little orchard or overspray from the garden. Maybe a little rain, not much this year. Last fall my brother in law wanted some. I dug up a very large clump, couldn't separate it for him.  I took it to him in a 5 gallon bucket, and I believe he planted it whole as well.  Several smaller lily plants on the ground around the base of these. They do not appear to ever have any bug problems. They bloom after the iris that are in front of them, providing another period of perenial blooms, which is my goal, to have some flowers blooming somewhere, most of the summer.  In front of them, I have moss roses that come up volunteer, which are coming along nicely, but not in bloom yet.  52 degrees and heading for 85 again today.  Happy gardening this week to all.  JJ

Happy 4th of July to all. We have so much to be thankful for today, as we celebrate the 4th with picnic's, parade's, rodeo's, and family get togethers. I thank my son's for going to Iraq when they were called in 2003-4, my father for serving in WWll, my uncles for serving in Korea, my grandfather for his service to Mexico.Thank you to my husband for service during Vietnam, and brother for naval service in the 80's. We wouldn't be celebrating our freedom today if they hadn't served their country when called. God bless our country, as the military service's hold our country together, when others would tear us apart.  Thank you God for a safe place to live and garden.

   Wow, such beautiful weather. 61 degrees this a.m. maybe a high of 80 again today. The flowers are filling in nicely to provide some yard color. By the time these Sweet William plants are done flowering the Four O'clock flowers behind them will bloom. I save seed off these every year to put where I want some summer color, the hummers love them.  The columbine are still blooming gorgeously.  No rain in sight, so we continue to water somewhere in the yard.  Well it's another berry picking day awaiting me.  Enjoy your summer day.