poeticpeony's Blog

GROUNDHOG ALERT
Apr 28, 2007 | 9:23 AM PST

I thought it was amusing when I looked out my bedroom window and saw the groundhog rom the barn sniffing my son's truck tailpipe intently for about 5 minutes. I thought it odd when it went over to my streetlight in the yard and stood up against it like it was going to start climbing it. I don't know what the heck it was doing there. But when I glanced out my kitchen window while doing dishes and saw it munching through my astilbe and primrose I dried my hands, pulled on my tall rubber boots, and grabbed the animal repellent. It ran for the barn when i scolded it as I went out the door. I sprinkled all through the flowerbed and a few scattered small ones til it was gone. I'll see if it works. It didn't look like it ate any of my flowering plants, but just some of the grasses around there, but it'll learn what's my territory and where it can eat. It's still cute, but we'll see how cute!

 

Wandering the yard
Apr 24, 2007 | 7:26 PM PST

I found some mystery plants that I think might be asiatic lilies, but I guess I'll find out when they get bigger. They weren't there 2 days ago. My hostas are popping up all over the place and 2 pink trillium are up although only one has a bud so far. The other usual odds and ends are popped up.

Blooming now- Double and single daffodils and pheasant eye narcisuss that are both older than I am,  grape hyacinths, primrose (yellows and reds), johnny-jump-ups, quince -just starting, forsythia ( I think the flowers got frost damaged as they have brown on them ), white violets.

My mother's yellow primrose are thick and taller than mine and they're from MY PLANTS! Oh well, they're pretty and I can see them from my house, too.

Jacob's Ladder
Apr 22, 2007 | 1:50 PM PST

I found a clean milk jug when I was cleaning my back porch so I just had to start some more seeds in there. Jacob's Ladder this time. I had one several years ago and somehow I killed it so I'm in hopes I get a couple at least.

I was strolling past my big flowerbed and was pointing something out to my son when I looked by my feet and found a bright patch of red primrose screaming for me to not step on them. I almost did that's why I think I looked down. Pretty little faces there for sure. I think I should put a couple out front by my yellow johnny-jump-ups. They'll make a nice combo and be where hubby won't mow them down, too.

Another outdoor project we may undertake this year is to paint the barn. My dad and grandpa covered 3 sides with fiberglass panels years ago, but they never did the front. I'm not sure if it was because of illnesses or something else because there's still panels left, but since the barn is almost 100 years old I'm doing the test on the paint for lead. I've tested other parts of the house and have been very lucky that I haven't found any so far. I hope I'm lucky with the barn, too. The test will be complete tomorrow.

Wintersowing first attempt
Apr 20, 2007 | 11:06 AM PST
Yesterday I stuck some red oak leaf lettuce seeds in a cut milk jug ala wintersow method even though it's spring now. I'm just experimenting to see if I can do it right. At least blogging should make it easy to find what I'm doing! Maybe I should blog everything. Don't worry. I won't.