Follow Us!
† Requires Javascript
Copyright © 1997-2009 Demand Media. All rights reserved.
|
I have had a wonderful week in the garden. I am so completely addicted – of course, I already knew that! I can’t stop going to nurseries – most of the time I don’t even by anything – I just like to look and see all the beautiful things. I did end up buying a few treats this week…
Eleagnus ("Glenn St. Mary") – 3 of them – for the back corners. I put one in each corner and then the third made its way onto creek’s edge where I just need something to fill the space. Then, not too long after I bought and planted them, my wonderful Mother In Law called to tell me that she had 3 from her yard potted up for me! But, no problemo – I will put the extra 3 at the creek. I think they will provide great weed suppression with how large they can get.
I also purchased another small "Purple Diamond" loropetalum that found its way to the mixed sun border. It will grow up nice and hide more of the chain link fence, I hope.
Then – On a completely different trip, I was seduced by a “southern comfort” heuchara. The nursery that I purchased it from had one growing In a pot as a display that had leaves up to 5 inches across. Needless to say, I have high hopes for mine!
That same trip also afforded me a little purple hyacinth bean vine and a moonflower vine. I used to have these and they would reseed freely, but over the years they have gotten fewer and fewer and after this harsh winter – well, I didn’t see any come out this spring.
I stuck them by the front porch column and will collect seeds this year to put out next spring.
I have had the luxury of the past couple of day to do nothing but garden! My parents took the kids to the beach and hubby and I took vacation time at work – we will join them at the beach mid-week, but until then – we are enjoying having the house to ourselves to work on our projects.
I have made good use of the time and really enjoyed just puttering in the garden. I have done a couple of “garden art” projects with things I had laying around.
Hubby decided to move a bunch of wood he had by his wood shop and I decided he should move it into my garden!
See it there - behind the hostas - 
This one is my favorite:
I am loving the hydrangea bed right now:
I am so excited that one of my clearance caladium bulbs is peeking out:
I also did some weeding in the vegetable gardens – and
pulled some spent items. The brussel sprouts couldn’t take the heat and
humidity and got the yuck – so they had to come out.- too bad, their foliage was pretty with its slight blue tint.
Also pulled out the
parsley that was starting to go to seed. This swiss chard needs to come out,
but it is still just to pretty – so I am leaving it for now. 
With the new space, I put out the fennel seeds that I didn’t have room for before. I am pleased to see that the “black prince” tomatoes are already fruiting. AND- the basils have germinated! I decided that the nursery charges way too much for basil plants – and I want a lot! SO, I decided to grow from seed this year, which I have never done – and I am very happy that its working!
I decided that this strawberry pot full of volunteer daturas
would look better in a more visible place – so it is now in front of the knock
outs in the front yard. I like the spot of blue.- and once the daturas get big and do their things, it will be like they are floating above the mint.
In terms of progress and updates of my new plants from the mail: all looks pretty good. However, the rice paper plant is showing no signs of life, the may apple keeps sending up new shoots, then they die back and then another one comes up – not sure what that means, the columbines are growing, still no signs of life from my petasites – which makes me very sad But, some good news – the Grecian pattern plant on the creek is coming back!!! I thought it was dead.
I also spent some time moving clumps of things around – dotting things here and there; creeping jenny, white false asters, lams ears, liriope, var. ivy, elija blue fescue....most notable is a clump of elephants ear by the creek – we had such a harsh winter with lots of rain, that only 1 out of the 3 that I put back there last spring made it.
Whew – perhaps I should blog more than once a week – didn’t realize how much I had to say! Perhaps my weed eater is done charging now – BACK TO IT!
-soapHOUSE
This past Sunday I planted up all the veggie beds! I learned a lot from last year's garden. The main thing I learned was that we could not get enough of certain crops. So, instead of planting a lot of different things, we decided to plant more of our favorites. Also, I am still using the companion planting system - primarily with marigolds, onions and nastursiums. I had to go to 4 different stores to find all the varieties. While at Lowe's, I found a Fireworks Clematis (Clematis Fuegos Artficiales) for $5 that I could not pass up, it looks to be purple and red striped and I planted it by some knockouts in the front window seat bed. I also picked up 2 annual potato vines. One went in the back sun bed in progress to act as a ground cover and the other one went in a container by the front steps.
So, I planted 10 tomatoes:
5 Eggplants:
Various Basils:
And, one token Mammoth Giant Jalepeno ( I love to make stuffed jalepenos)
I spread this all out between 3 beds and in the center of each bed I planted Mammoth Sunflowers and then planted a variety of items to grow up the sun flowers: sugar snap peas, Yard Long Asparagus Beans, Burpee's Tenderpod Garden Bean, Peas, Sequoia Purple Bean and Golden Wax Bean. I also sprinkled around marigold (crackerjack) and nastursium seeds (alaska mix).
In one bed I also started Emerald Green Artichokes. I interplanted them with Oriental Poppies and Lady Bird Poppies. Since these are perennial/self seeding items, this bed will be a permanent planting.
In my asparagus and strawberry bed, I stuck in someStuttgarter Onion Bulbs.
One of the three beds that got the tomatoes still have kale, lettuce and parsley that we have been enjoying since spring. I think they will die back as the tomatoes are ready to take over.
It was a fun day in the garden for all the ladies!
We are excited for our veggies!
† Requires Javascript
Copyright © 1997-2009 Demand Media. All rights reserved.
