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I mentioned in a previous post about the moss that I am trying to help along on the creek banks. I have been diligently weed-eating the top to keep weeds out, about 1-2 x a week. The work is really paying off! I remembered to lug my camera up there the other day and here is a nice shot of the bank:
I love the way this is filling in around the arbovitaes:
Last night I also got back there, WAY back there - to an overgrown jungle that is not even part of our property and tried to snip out as many grapevines as I could. Its great and all that I cleared my jungle, but the trouble with grape vines in that the grow straight up to the light and then spread like wild fire! This means that where the neighbors aren't taking care of their yards....their grapevines are starting to grow into the canopies of our mature trees. Really presents quite a situation. So, I am hoping my jungle adventure did a bit of good.
The veggie beds are really enjoying the heat! Lots of things are producing and I am loving the look through the arbor:
I didn't even plant any of the orange marigolds. They have reseeded themselves freely! Wish I could get poppies to do that too - but, hey! I should take what I can get, right?!?
Speaking of reseeding....The daturas love their home and give me a better show every year! This is the bed to the left of my driveway (neighbor's house in the background)
And finally, I will leave you with a shot of the front yard as seen from the street:
Happ
y Gardening!
-soapHOUSE
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
I received the most wonderful belated Mother's Day present today - 5 Sweet Anise Shrubs to plant along side the fence area where our neighbor has been clearing his land. He tells me that he plans to clear this area next - so I am proactive and getting a head start on a nice hedge screen. I have delayed planting things here for some time, b/c this is the area that hubby hopes to one day build a wood shop. However, that could be a ways off and with the cost and growth rate of the anise, I figure I can't go wrong. Here is a nice before shot:
And after:
I also plan to put some eleagnus in the back corner there for a fast growing "anchor" to that area.
The oakleaf hydrangea in the left of those pictures is looking really nice right now:
I am also happy to report that most of my newly planted goodies from the mail are doing great! Of most note is the white feather hosta that has already produced a few leaves:
Some great germination has taken place in the veggie beds with our nice rain and hot weather combo of this past week:
I have even harvested a couple of batches of strawberries! This is the first year that I have been able to pick more than a couple at a time (3rd year in the garden for the plants.)
I noticed a very interesting seed pod on my decidious tree peony:
My container by the front steps is really filling in nicely. I have noticed that the variegation on the coral bells has decreased a bit - I think due to the amount of sun. However, the lime green color is great with the purple petunias.
A rose that I have in the front is starting to bud out. I have 2 of these, given to me a while ago by a friend who did not know what they are called. They really are great and have gotten quite large. If anyone knows the variety - do tell!
A nice close up shot of the sweet blooms:
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This sweet veronica is looking great this year. It hasn't done much in the past:
The daturas in the front side bed are starting to burst with buds:
I am truly amazed at the size of the harry lauder's in this same bed! We purchased it 6 years ago and it was only about 1-2' tall (still paid a small fortune) - well, I would say it is happy here:
That house in the background is my neighbor's house - the one who is doing all the clearing out. He said he may join up with my side bed there and create his own plantings :)
And last, but not least - The ice plant is covered in blooms, just in time as the phlox just finished:
After our visit to the nursery today to get the anise, I keep dreaming of all the wonderful things I saw, but did not buy - so, I may have to go back tomorrow!
Have a great gardening week!
My wonderful parents took our kids for an overnight yesterday and I took the opportunity to go shopping for veggies and work in the garden! I haven't been able to spend such a concentrated amount of time in the garden for a long time - it was glorious! I started my adventure by hitting several local nurseries and big box stores to find my desired assortment of veggies. It was especially nice to have a record of last year's plantings as well as the successes and failures - all things I had written about in previous posts. So, I pulled up the old entries, printed them off for reference and took them with me to the nurseries. Here is a picture of the beds all planted up: (Doesn't look like much yet - but it will soon!)
From back to front, left to right here is what I planted:
BED 1
Sweet 100 Cherry Tomato
Principle Borghese Heirloom Tomato
Brandywine Heirloom Tomato
Ichiban Egglplant
Mammoth Sunflower (seed)
Nasturtium "Fordhook Favorites Mix" (seed)
Marigold "Crackerjack Mix" (seed)
Italian Choice Basil (seed)
Red Burgundy Onion (Seed)
BED 2 (this is the bed that I had put artichokes in and they appeared to be coming back, but seem dead now :( )
BED 3 (this bed stays the same as it contains the bee balm, purple asparagus and strawberries, I did top dress it with a mixture of moonure and topsoil)
BED 4 (also still has some brussel sprout plants from winter)
Black Prince Heirloom Tomato
Cherokee Purple Heirloom Tomato - 2 plants
German Queen Heirloom Tomato
Purple Basil
Jalapeno
Mammoth Sunflower (seed)
Nasturtium "Fordhook Favorites Mix" (seed)
Marigold "Crackerjack Mix" (seed)
Italian Choice Basil (seed)
Red Burgundy Onion (Seed)
BED 5 (still has parsley, spinach and swiss chard from winter)
Crookneck Squash
White Eggplant
Ichiban Eggplant
Cucumber "burpless bush"
Carrots (seeds)
Mammoth Sunflower (seed)
I also bought some fennel seed but can't figure out where to put it. I think I will let everything germinate and then see where I have room for it. According to last year's notes, I wanted to grow cucumber and carrots this year for the kids and crookneck squash to make casseroles with. I also noted that we only enjoyed the asian eggplants and only wanted to grow heriloom tomatoes this year. And, finally that I wanted an entire bed devoted to sunflowers so that i have some for cutting. So, there we are and here we grow :)
I was so excited too to find a purple datura plant at the local nursery!
We had one of these a couple of years ago, but it never re-seeded itself like my white one do - so I am excited to try it again!
And, I picked up several things to fill our container by the front steps:
I found that gorgeous Heuchera, "Tiramisu," then added a purple fountain grass in the back and put a purple wave petunia and hot pink petunia in the front. I am excited to see how this mix does through the season. This is a weird spot as it is under the eave of the porch and get either Full Sun or Full Shade, depending on the time of day. I may leave the heuchera in the pot to come back, or a may transplant it into the azalea shade bed at the end of the season - I am not sure yet.
Speaking of the azalea shade bed - it is only the 3rd season in 7 years that we have lived here that we have gotten to enjoy the azaleas in all their glory. They usually get zapped by a late season frost:
I picked up some white caldium bulbs to put in the other shade bed to the left of this one. I have never grown caladiums from bulbs before, but they were on sale, 3 for $1. I got 6 - I figure even if they don't make it, I will only be out $2. Here is a shot of the bed where I put them:
The hydrangeas in this bed are looking great - as well as the hellebore seedlings that a neighbor gave me season.
My dear sweet hubby trampled my hostas in the front yard the other day during a play time with the kids:
He felt so bad that he went and bought be some new ones after work yesterday!
S
o sweet of him! I will wait for all my hostas to fully come up and then I will asses where to add these in.
I am so super excited that my "globe master" alliums may actually look like something this year! I got these on sale through the mail a couple of seasons ago and they are finally starting to look promising:
M
y mail-order tree peonie that was planted from bare-root and said to be purple, looks like it is going to pop soon - in pink! I know it will still be pretty :0
The madame alfred cartierre roses on the arbor in the back are starting to bud out and they are just the pretties blush rose color - even though they were sold as being white! I still love them!
Here is a nice shot of the arbor and the bed to the right of it that has all of the peonies and alliums in it:
I am loving the virburnum in that bed as well, so pretty this time of year!
The coral bark maple really leafed out nicely and looks pretty with the blue grass under it:
I plan on that grass filling the majority of the bed and acting as a nice mulch/ground cover for the maple.
Here is a wider view of the back yard:
Here is a shot of the front of the house as you are coming around from the back:
I just love the way the japanese maple is looking! We call her "Jane." My husband used to work for a "white-glove" moving service in Atlanta and they moved Jane Fonda at one point. Her designer had purchased this tree and had it potted for Jane's new place, but apparantly, Jane did not approve, so she gave it to my husband! WOO HOOO! We kept it in the pot until we bought this house 7 years ago - it was one of the first things we put in the ground:)
And finally, here is a nice shot of the front porch bed:
Hope you are all having a great weekend in the garden!
It is VERY hot here lately...feels more like july than early june. So, I have mainly doing light futzing in the garden and took some time yesterday and this morning to get some picture updates of recent garden happenings...
We haven't had rain in a while, so I am having to keep up on the watering. Mostly of the veggie beds...they are looking good:
Things are growing fast and everything has flowers so I am looking forward to big harvests soon! Yesterday, my 2 1/2 year old ate a sweet gypsy pepper right off the plant. She ate the whole thing! I bet if I had put that on a plate and served it to her she wouldn't have even touched it - HAH! We also enjoyed the first 3 cherry tomatoes...very tasty!
The Blueberry seems to be happy in its new home, so we may actually have a harvest this year!
I thought this lavender was big last year...but this year, WOW!:
The gardenia bush that I bought very small for $5 , 3 years ago is blooming this year for the first time...smells SO good!:
The Easter Lily that we dedicated 2 years ago at church for my daughter's first Easter is now happy in the garden and blooming away:
The datura bed looks amazing this year. Hear is a pict of what it looked like this time LAST YEAR:
And this year:
What a difference a year makes! The only bummer is that the purple datura that I added last year didn't seem to reseed this year, so I am hoping I can find another one at the nursery this year to try again...
Last year:
THIS YEAR:
Also, the new berm is filling in nicely. Last year pict:
THIS YEAR:
I love looking back at old picts and seeing progress!
And, last...but not least....the abelias that were planted 5 years ago (one of the first things we planted when we moved in) are looking great and blooming right now. We planted them to block out the view of the the neighbors yard (or lack their of) across the street. I would say they have done that job!
Have a great gardening weekend everyone!
Well, I have been adjusting to life with my 2 girls and trying to find time to do other things :) Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't...we went to the beach last week and had a wonderful time. We even saw a rainbow:
My neighbor told me that we had lots of rain while we were gone and you know what that means...EVERYTHING grows! And, lots of weeds too! So, we came home to a garden with a long to do list. Yesterday, while hubby was with the girls, I was able to do a good once over everything with the weedeater. I also got the lawn mowed and planted the purple beautyberry and the sweet potatoes that arrived while we were gone. Things are looking good too...Oakleaf is beautiful right now:
The veggie beds exploded while we were gone:
Mom and I took a little day trip today to a fabulous nursery that is a bit of a drive north of our town. We typically go there once every spring. On my list for sure was a hardy begonia. I used to have one of these, but I had planted it with the Vinca Major and the Vinca won the fight last year. I was planning on moving it this spring, but the poor little guy didn't make it, so I needed a new one. To my delight, they had one. SO, i got it and also picked up 3 Astilbe Color Flash Limes (Astilbe xarendsii hybrid). This same plant is usually priced $13.99 at our local nursery, but at the one today they were only $5.75 so I could afford to get 3 of them. Hooray! They are said to get 15-20 inches high with lime green foliage that changes color throughout the season and purplish/pinkish blooms. I planted all my new goodies in front of the azaleas to the right of all the new hosta starts. The shade bed is coming together!
I also picked up some little moon flower vine seedlings. I put some of these seeds in the ground, but they don't always germinate, so I picked up some to guarantee that I get some of this wonderful vine this year. They got planted by the arbor in the back. Once everything was in the ground...I got to watering.
The veggies are looking great! Most exciting is the tomato bed:
An
d, the corn has germinated VERY well:
The blackberries are blooming and we are looking forward to the berries to come:
The peach tree that bloomed in early spring now has little fruits on it! I am surprised b/c I just planted it last year:
The allium blubs are starting to do something:
In the front yard, where I spotted lots of little seedlings in the spring and wasn't sure what they were...well, they are thousands of datura babies!
The feather grass is just beautiful with all its new growth:
The double knockouts are just ready to burst:
And finally, the autumn ferns have some wonderful new fronds and look beautiful as I sit on the front porch:
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:
The last few days it has gotten SO HOT here! I thought it was warm before, but we have had heat indexes at over 105 degrees. So, I haven't been doing too much in the garden. The afternoon showers have stopped, so the weeds have slowed down which is nice, but I am having to water some things. While watering the veggies, I spotted this yellow finch (i think its a finch, i don't know much about birds)
Its not the best picture but it was all i had the chance to get before he flew off:
Its so cool to see creatures enjoying the garden!
I also managed to get a shot of this guy:
Happily, the garden is doing a lot of taking care of itself. We are still working on the creek project...we got some done on sunday:
My plan was to drag all the brush to the curb this afternoon for pick up tomorrow...but its just too hot! Plus, leaving it there to dry out will make it less heavy next week :)
I am also excited because my strawberry plants are finally starting to look like something! So, I might get some berries next year....
I also got some great shots of Daturas untwirling:
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And, very cool shot of opening elephant ear leaf
I guess about all I can stand to do in this heat is have fun with the camera :)
-I got all the mulch moved!!! It looks FABULOUS. I still need another load for the right side of the house and crepe myrtle alley.
-Laid out a new bed for the back yard, I will berm it up with the free city compost and plant a red maple as the center. (All in effort of operation lawn minimization.
-Okra is growing :)
-Broccoli is appearing :)
-Squash coming along :)
-Turks cap Lily Blooming :)
-Purple Datura Bloomed!
-T
he inlaws are in town and for my upcoming birthday they gave me a gift certficate to one of my favorite garden centers in Atlanta! Can't wait to spend it in the fall!
-Went to the nursery yesterday and when the sales guy asked me if I needed help, I told him I was looking for half dead plants for cheap....he hooked me up! 3 gallon double knock out rose for $10, 1 gallon Pink Dianthus for $2 and a guaera (spelling?) for $2. Woo HOOOO. I want 7 double knockouts for the front, so I am going to attempt to propogate from the one I got.
-Tomorrow morning is my watering time, so I will give everything a much needed good drink.
-This week my big plan in the garden is to clear out behind my back fence where there is a creek...it is SO overgrown with privet, wild grapes, and god only knows what else. I think I may try to make a wreath or something out of the grape vines that i pull. I'm going to post before and after picts of this one....
-All in all a great gardening weekend
Happy Gardening to all and to all a good night :)
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