soaphouse's Blog
soaphouse's posts about: petunia
May 1, 2008 | 6:17 PM PST
Tags: Allium , moss , siberian iris , crossvine , better boy , petunia , lantana , callbrachoa
I spent so much time over the fall and winter working on projects that I forgot that most of spring involves chores and maintenance, while taking time out to enjoy all the happenings in the garden. Over the last week or so I have picked up a few sweet potato vines to plop around areas of my garden that are sparse on plants. The vines grow like crazy and smother all the weeds...making my life a lot easier during the growing season. I put one variegated in the front bed by the street, one in the small berm with the elephant ears by the sidewalk to the front door, and 2 in the new berm with the coral bark maple. I also picked up 3 of the green to put in the area where we took out the tree this winter and I am working on adding plants to. The weeds are already getting feisty in there, so I am anxious for the vine to do its thing. I also got the yard mowed again and weedeated back by the creek. Doing this does seem to be helping the moss along. It is looking especially good on one portion of the bank:
Also, the ferns that I added a few weeks back are looking good and have some nice new growth. And, there are some wonderful little wild ferns popping up here and there.
I am pleased to report that the veggie beds are looking great. Seems like new seedlings pop up every day. The most action is happening in the corn bed and the tomato bed. We even have some baby better boys already growing!
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I am a bit concerned that not much seems to be happening in the flower bed that I put all the seeds out in by the back porch. I am hoping it is due to the fact that it is not raised like the veggie beds...so the soil may just need to heat up a bit more.
Also, the globe master allium bulbs are starting to bloom. They do look rather puny and are only about 2 inches across. They are said to get 2-3 feet tall and are supposed to be 5 inches or more in diameter. Maybe they will get there, or maybe I will have to wait until the next growing season:
But, other things are looking great!
The double knockouts are knockin me out:
The front porch bed is alive with new growth:
The siberian iris are blooming:
The mystery climbing rose and yellow irises are blooming:
The crossvine? is looking great! ( I can never seem to remember if thats what this is really called)
Finall
y, today...my girl and I went to pick out a few annuals to put in the pot by the front door. I have a little miscanthus division in there, but it won't look like much until next year, so I wanted something to fill in this planter for the summer. I got 1 orange lantana, 1 Pink Vein Shock Wave Petunia and 1 Callbrachoa Cabaret Purple. Hopefully they will fill in nicely :)
Jul 23, 2007 | 3:40 PM PST
Tags: kholrabi , pine straw , chores , harvest , purple , heirloom , cherokee , dachsund , petunia , hyacinth , bean , vine , mushroom , wild , annual
Another good productive day in the garden! I pretty much did routine chores. I posted an ad on craigslist this weekend stating that I needed pine straw and that I would rake if someone would let me take. Well, we got quite a few responses and my hubby went to pick up a load for me on his way home from work ( I had to twist his arm and beg a little :) So, I got that spread. I can tell its "used" but hey, beggers can not be choosers! He is going to go get more for me day after tomorrow! yippee!
I also harvested my first Kholrabi:
Susie, the dachshund says "hey, that would go good with hot dogs" So, I took her advice and shredded the kholrabi and will cook with onion to make a relish that will dress our dogs this evening. Yum, Yum!
Looks like I'll be harvesting my first cherokee purple heirloom tomato soon. This guy is huge and I have been watching him for sometime now wondering if he was ever going to ripen...looks like he's startin to!
Looks like 3 tomatoes in one doesn't it?
I also got some more creek clean up done and consolidated some branches and brush to get ready to haul to the curb tomorrow for wed. pickup. Other than that, I did routine weeding. Here are some moments captured along the way:
Mystery crop of shrooms growin out of compost...
Purple Hyacinth Bean Vine against Annual Sweet Potato Vine. I know I took a lot of picts of this one, but I couldn't stop myself...so pretty:
Close up of Liriope Bloom:
Some of the surviving petunias from my "annual saga" They look pretty good when isolated close up! LOL!
'Till next time...
Jul 3, 2007 | 7:26 PM PST
Tags: annuals , petunia , million bell , impatien , impatients , hanging basket , shepherds hook
So every spring I have great ambitions for my garden. Beds to start, plants to move, things to divide...etc. Every year I struggle with what to do with annuals. I have always attempted some sort of combination of Mexican Heather, Petunias and sometimes Lantana. I have had much success in the past with Mexican Heather but thats about it.
One of my problems with annuals tends to be that I always skimp. I usually try to do it on a budget, so I buy the small plants and not enough of them and I don't ammend the soi or mulch. SO, I told myself that this year is going to be different. I am going to spend the money and have some nice annuals that will make me smile every time I pull up to my house.
I proceeded to the store to purchase my shepherd's hook and hanging baskets. Then after visiting a few local nurseries i found a perfect combination of Purple Million Bells, White Wave petunias and Lobelia and of course some bags of high quality fertized soil. I go home and plant up my pretty little baskets, give em a good water, struggle to get the sheperd's hook in the ground, then hand em up...SUCCESS!
All I have to do now is keep them watered and watch the blooms spill over the edge (right?). So, I wait and wait and wait and all that happens is all my little plants slowly die. We are in a drought and have watering restrictions so I even resort to giving them a shower in my bathtub! Nothing improves, I pull out a few plants that are gonners.
THen I decide that I should go get some of the water retaining crystal stuff and repot up whats left of my baskets with fresh soil and that additive. Off to the nursery I go and repeat my previous steps. Plants look better, only problem is that now they are retaining moisture and they weigh more. I hung them on my IRON sheperd's hook and it broke!!!! So, in a last ditch effort, they are hanging on my front porch which gets NO sun and they will surely die!
Don't even get me started on the 2 FLATS of Impatients I planted in the back yard that never bloomed and look like green sticks now. ARG!!!
