thirdgeneration's Blog

The sun calls
Apr 21, 2009 | 7:05 PM PST
Tags: sun , slugs , weeds , joy , yard art

Oh...the call of the sun...it seems no matter where you are or what you are doing it calls to you...seems to infect you with a joy and need to escape. Nothing is more satisfying than giving in and going out to enjoy, if only for a few minutes. I remind myself it is healthy to give in...even just for a few minutes. In order to get the right amount of vitamin D you need 15 minutes of sunshine 3 times a week, and this week I think I am working on excess...which is all right by me.

 Of course now the outside looks better than the inside though. I have kept on top of weeding, I have all the plants I have received, swapped for and divided planted and they are rejoicing in their new homes. The holes caused by the plants that didn't make it through the terrible winter are getting smaller. I still have a list of plants I want and a list of plant sales coming up. 

I need to make sure that the garden is full and beautiful before July...our local garden club is scheduled to tour my garden in July. Everyone considers me a plant addict and I can't let them down.

After I get the plants filled in it will be time to fill in the yard art. Right now I am working on new slug traps that are art as well. Once I get them perfected I will take a picture. I have 2 tests ones in the yard now, and the concept seems to catch those little suckers. In just one night one of the tests had more than 10. I need to do some garage saling this weekend to pick up some more stuff.

Hope everyone has a great day and gets some vitamin D.

Wonderful gift from mother nature
Apr 20, 2009 | 5:15 PM PST
Tags: sun , warm

Oh...the wonderful warm sun...what a fabulous day...best we have had so far and it was just a gift. I got my plants planted and some weeds pulled and spent some time just enjoying the sun.

Our backyard is a hill, and we have a flat spot between the hill and the house, and it is what I comply refer to as the bowl. Because of the bowl effect the backyard gets 10-15 degrees wamer than anywhere else when the sun is out. So this afternoon the thermometer read 82 and it really was probably only about 73...but it felt like a wonderful summer day. Me and my tank top and shorts worshiped while we could.

 Hope everyone had a great day!

More weeding to do
Apr 17, 2009 | 12:16 PM PST
Tags: horsetail , weeds , sun , winter weeds

So yesterday it was a nice day and I went and weeded for about 3 hours outside...and I have very little to show for it. I have to blame my husband, when we were looking for houses he wanted a big yard...although by most standards this isn't big. We do live in the city, but have 9600 sqft. So compared to the new construction we have a farm, and compared to the farms I grew up on I have a pea patch.

But we have a lot of garden space, and the silly horsetail is coming up. I always figjt with it in the spring. Those silly prehistoric weeds make me crazy. I know people who have used fire, chemicals, digging, and anything else you can think of and they still come back. 

We have found that if you pick them in the spring as soon as they are high enough to get a hold of, they come back 1-2 times more in the season and then they are too week to come back. Then we are free until the next spring. Each spring there seems to be less, but everyone in our neighborhood still has them, no matter how hard they try.

So it is off to do battle with the prehistoric weeds that will probably survive a nuclear bomb...

Hope everyone has a great day in their gardens.

Glorious Sunshine
Apr 16, 2009 | 9:39 AM PST
Tags: sun , birds , tulip , weeds

Oh the sun is blessing us today. The plants in the garden seem to be signing in unison with the birds. I am hearing a lot of bird calls I am not familiar with, we must be getting some migrating birds through. My finches are starting to get their color back...nice to see the yellows and reds. Most of our summer birds are back already. 

I really wish there was a "facebook" or "gardenguides" for birds. I would like to make some of them my friends and refuse others. Some of them are such a nuisance, make big messes and drive other birds away. Alas mother nature doesn't seem to play by the technology rules...

More tulips are open today, and I heard that the Tulip Festival in Skagit County, just north of us finally has a bunch of tulips open, so it should be busy there this weekend, although it will be very muddy. If anyone is ever traveling to W Washington this time of the year, it really is a site to see.

http://www.tulipfes
tival.org/

I have a couple of things to do this morning, but then I am off to the garden this afternoon and tomorrow. I have guests coming on Saturday, and want to make sure the dandelions are under control. Don't want the guests to miss the real flowers blooming for the weeds.

Happy gardening to all!

No Dutchmans britches
Apr 14, 2009 | 2:16 PM PST
Tags: grandma , hollyhocks , weather , blue sky , sun , one blue sky

My grandmother has to be one of my favorite people in the world. When we were little she had a line of hollyhocks along the fence. We used to go pick the flowers in various stages and bring them in and use toothpicks to make ladies that danced on a shallow pan of water. It was so fun.

Well my my grandmother is German and Dutch. She always told us what the day was going to be like by the clouds in the sky. She said that if you look at the sky and there is enough blue sky to make a set of Ducthman's britches then it would clear off and be a nice day.

I always thought it was a cute idea, and growing up in Iowa, midwest farmers all have their little weather rules. Although as I watched the weather yesterday and today, there would get some good sized blue patches, but none big enough for Dutchman's britches. Both days we have had sun breaks and rain off and on.

So I am just watching the sky to see a day where there is enough blue sky for Dutchman's britches. They weatherman "claims" high pressure is supposed to be building in tonight for a nice day tomorrow. I can only hope he is right, because it would be nice to get back out in the garden, since it has been a couple of days.

Since my property is no where near flat it is very difficult to get out when the ground is really wet. I find myself slipping and sliding and taking out plants I don't mean to. I have some paths, but they are getting to just be main ones, as I removed other paths because I needed more plant space.

I think I see a nice patch of blue starting so I might sneek out and feed the squirrels, but I am hoping tomorrow I can spend most of the day outside.

So happy gardening all...and that you may get some Dutchman's britches where you are.

Still a nice day
Apr 9, 2009 | 4:45 PM PST
Tags: new plants , sun , snow

So the weatherman said that it was supposed to be raining with scattered sun breaks. However there was rain early and as the day went on there was more and more sun. It ended up being a really nice day.

My plants came...hellium lollipop, and asclepias tuberosa and I got them planted since the weather was so nice. I still have more plants on their way.

Although every time I have planted plants in the last few months it has snowed. So here's hoping no more snow, although they did say that there might be 2 days where the snow level gets down to 500 feet, which is pretty close to where we are.

Here's hoping mother nature decides we don't need anymore snow...

Another pretty day
Apr 7, 2009 | 8:51 AM PST
Tags: veggies , flowers , spring , sun

I am so excited that we are going to have one more nice day. I along with my plants are rejoicing in the sun and warmth. It is pure amazement how quickly plants grow with a little of sun. 

 I guess a little cooler weather and moisture is welcome...only because this weekend I was able to plant some seeds...peas, kolorabi, and squash. They join the parsnips, lettuce, broccoli, garlic, and shallots planted last November. I still need to get in carrots, potatoes and cauliflower. Then when it gets warmer, hot peppers and tomatoes.

 After growing up with a garden as a child, it is nice to be able to plant a garden and have my own fresh veggies. I also got the herb garden cleaned out, the rosemary didn't like all the snow that sat on them this winter and they needed some pruning, but I think they should be fine.

Oh the joy of spring...it makes all other worries seem more manageable.

Spring sunshine
Apr 6, 2009 | 12:31 PM PST
Tags: enjoy , sun , birds , bees , butterflies

Sitting here on my deck in the nice spring sunshine is so bittersweet. I got most of the weeds pulled this weekend and the garden looks good. Although by midweek we will be back to below normal temperatures and rain. I guess the motto of enjoy it while it is here is very true today.

As I sit here my mason bees are emerging from their box and butterflies are flying around. A chorus of birds are singing in the trees. Really it is an almost perfect day.