soaphouse's Blog

Rain, Rain, Rain
Mar 27, 2009 | 5:17 PM PST
Tags: deck , coral bark , maple , blue , red , rain , weeds , azalea , peonie

We have had SO much rain this week and we are forecasted for more. Of course we pick the week of national flood warnings to build the new deck - LOL! But, I must say, hubby is quite the trooper. He has worked through most of the rain...unless it has been just pouring. He has gotten a lot done and it is looking SO good!

Probably one of the hardest parts was making multiple trips to the stone yard and shoveling gravel to cover the bottom for drainage:

Then he got a majority of the framing done:

He is still out there as I type working by a shop light in the dark - God bless him!

Now that we have gotten both of our little ones on the same nap schedule, I am able to get back out in the garden for good chunks of time during the afternoon. SO, I have been taking advantage of the wet soil and getting lots of weeds pulled.I am also pleased to say that I do believe we will get to see the azaleas in full bloom this year. Usually, they start to bud out and our late freeze zaps them. But, the last freeze we had was early enough that they are doing well now:

And, all 3 of my peonies are peeking out:

Also, the hostas just started to show their little green tips :)

Here is a nice shot of the front. See the dark spot in the front lawn? Thats where I filled a dip in the ground with some soil:

And, the backyard:

See the coral bark maple in the foreground? When I cleaned up the driveway the other day, I took some clumps of the blue grass and put them in this bed. I think that will be so fun come 4th of july to have the red and blue together. I think I have settled on the idea to make this little berm an ornamental grass bed, with some creeping phlox on the edge by the path.

I just love the way everything looks in this rain...like its glowing...and our creek has turned into more of a river, which is neat. we can hear the sounds of the water from the house.

I still have yet to get all the mulch moved, so If we get enough dryness this weekend, I will try to finish that. Happy gardening weekend everyone!

Lots is Happening!
Apr 10, 2008 | 9:56 AM PST
Tags: viburnum , iris , hellebore , miscanthus , tulip , hosta , ivy , fig , autumn fern , frond , birdhouse , solomons seal , bougainvilla , datura , trumpet tree , peonie , allium , oxalis , elaphant ear , coral bark

So much is happening in the garden, it is SO exciting! I took another trip to the nursery today. I was going to pick up my veggie plants to have ready to put in the ground next week, but i forgot my list...so I just picked up a purple bougainvilla. I have always wanted to try one of these up the front porch railing...but have never been willing to spend the money on something that won't come back, but I decided to go for it this year. It will go in next week. We are forecasted for another freeze on monday, so I still have to be patient! When I got home, I took a nice stroll around the garden to admire all the spring happenings and take some picks. Here is a sampling:

The Viburnum is blooming and looking so pretty:

Those Iris in front of it are starting to bud out, the mystery oxalis bulbs that came free with my order from direct gardening are coming up, the peonies are up and have buds on them, the small allium bulbs have formed their buds, the hellebores look amazing, the pineapple lily is coming up. And, the miscanthus that I have been experimenting with lately is looking good. I have some that I always wish didn't grow so tall, so I decided to keep cutting them back in spring to stunt their growth. So far, so good.

The coral bark maple is all leafed out:

The hostas are coming up very nicely. There are some that didn't seem to survive the drought though. I spent some time last night cutting back the ivy so that the hostas can breathe.

The Solomon's Seal clump that I dug up from mom's is looking great and I know I will just love having this in the garden. The cannas are also coming up, the crepe myrtles are leafing out, the euphorbia that i got for $1 b/c it was half dead looks great:

Also, the fig tree is leafing out and so is the wisteria (although I have yet to get blooms off this vine).

I think one of my favorite parts of the garden right now is all the autumn fern fronds that are emerging:

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The 60 tulips that I planted are up and the purple are blooming. Its funny how short they are, but the other ones aren't...

The honeysuckle on the side of the house that is supposed to like sun, but is in shade...looks good:

Another exciting thing is that the birdhouse we put in last year now has a nest in it. We weren't sure b/c we did not design it with housing birds in mind...it was more of an art piece. so, its cool that the birdies are liking it!

The trumpet trees are coming up and the Daturas as well. The daturas made TONS of babies:

I am wondering if some of those seedlings are poppies. I did scatter some seeds out there in the winter. Will have to wait and see, I guess.

Another exciting thing is the deciduous honey suckle start that mom gave me is coming back. I thought for sure it was dead! And last but not least, the Elephant ears are all coming up.

SUCH EXCITEMENT!

Her
e are some broad shots of the garden as of today:

Front:

Side yard:

Back yard: