witt's Blog

So High
Oct 29, 2010 | 2:42 AM PST

This is the pineapple sage in the Front Flower Bed. It is almost seven feet tall if not taller. Too bad there aren't any more hummers around to enjoy it. I haven't seen one since October 17. If I am lucky and the pineapple sage makes it through the winter this year, I am going to treat it as a mum. I will keep cutting it until perhaps mid-July to make it branch and fill in better. Maybe it won't grow quite so high.

Mission for today: Enjoy the flowers before the frost.

Mission Not Accomplished
Oct 27, 2010 | 3:16 AM PST
The walk in the front doesn't need much work because I've been working on them all summer. There are no shells in these. Hubby just made them freeform. We call it our Japanese Walk. This picture is from the front of the house to the Butterfly Garden. The walk goes all the way around it and then back out to take you to the Hibiscus Garden, which is right beside.

The marigolds and vincas are still showing out in The Quarteround. My spring blooming rose popped out a blossom. I wish the picture was better, but as most of you know, I can't take a picture worth a flip.

 

My mission wasn't accomplished the other day. I didn't get to rake the front as I had planned because we had 2/10ths inch of rain. We had some gusty wind, so there are more leaves out there to remove now!

Mission for today: Enjoy every moment. You never know what the next minute may bring.

Stepping Stones Part 2
Oct 25, 2010 | 3:08 AM PST

After I edged all the stepping stones on the right side, I did the ones over by the Great Wall of Willie. These stones are long and rectangular. They are decorated with scallop shells instead of olive shells. The zoysia was very thick at the beginning of the New Daffodil Bed.

 

 

For some reason a yellow jacket did NOT want me around that third stone. He kept running me off. I thought I never would get finished with that one!

I finally went on around into this piece of ground that is in terrible shape. It's nothing but hard scrabble. The zoysia is slowly creeping that way with my sprigging help.

 

Heading on back to Aunt Winnie's Garden where we started is the Thinking Bench. As you can see, there is no sitting on it anymore. Miss Rosemary has taken it as her own.

 

 

About all that's left to do in the backyard are the stones along the Back Flower Bed. They are covered with creeping jenny.

This was a fun project, but I will endeavor not to let the stepping stones get in bad shape again if I can help it!

Mission for Today: Rake the front yard AGAIN!

Stepping Stones
Oct 23, 2010 | 7:40 AM PST

I've been spending the last several days edging the stepping stones in the backyard. Hubby made these years ago, using olive shells that we found at the beach over the years. (The olive shell is the state shell of South Carolina.)  All of the steps don't have the olive shells, though. Some have scallops, some have whelks, and some have nothing. A lot of the stones have been neglected for a while, especially around the Back Forty and behind the Rock Garden. After I managed to get the dirt and weeds off some of them, I realized that I could lift them out, add some more dirt to raise them up, and set them back. It's been a chore, but it was well worth the effort. Some of them were packed in by zoysia, so that was loads of fun trying to edge.

Here's the view from the back patio.

 

 

Going into the Cement Garden:

 

 

Behind the Rock Garden:

 

 

By the Rock Garden

 

 

To the Back Forty:

 

 

From the house to the chickens:

 

 

I'll show more pictures later of the rest.

Mission for Today: Walk on the stepping stones and enjoy viewing the effort.

Right or Wrong
Oct 17, 2010 | 2:15 AM PST
I can't believe it is this gorgeous on October16!!  Everything that I did yesterday was either "right or wrong." I raked the leaves from my zoysia patch by the Poison Garden. Yeah, I know. They'll be right back, but as long as the grass is still green, I wanted a pretty view from the front porch. The chickens were happy with their treat.

Next, I decided to prune the aucuba in the Outhouse Bed. Yeah, again, I know that I shouldn't do it this time of year. I should prune it in early spring, but it is huge and covering the wreath on the outhouse. I had cut it back earlier this summer, but that didn't suit me. It was still too big. I whacked it down a foot! 

Then I dug up a small piece of Aztec grass, green and white liriope. Probably not the right time of year here either, but it was under the compacta holly and with the weather still warm, maybe it will take. I transplanted it into Aunt Winnie's Garden.

I still had lots of energy, but I couldn't think of another project to start, so I did a walkabout. There is still a lot of vivid color here even though it's autumn. The pineapple sage is glorious. It's about six feet tall!

The Patio Garden is exploding in pink.

I wasn't done yet. There was a rock growing out of the lawn by the Hibiscus Garden on which I had stubbed my toe. Yeah, we grow great rocks in this area. I decided, right or wrong, that I'd dig that baby up! I really didn't think that I could . . . but I did!! It was about a foot square. I put that on my edging around the New Daffodil Bed. I can't let a good rock go to waste.

I sure got a lot of things done yesterday, right or wrong.

Mission for Today: Relax -- right or wrong.

Yippeee!
Oct 11, 2010 | 4:39 AM PST
Yippee! I did a walkabout yesterday and the spider lily bulbs are still in the ground! Sid the Squirrel did not dig them up as I feared. He also has left the pansies alone this year, too; although, the squirrels have torn up the First Natural Bed, digging around.

I finally found where I saved the name of the mystery plant of my grandmother. It was in one of my gazillion files -- Clerodendrum bungei. My grandmother brought one back from Florida almost one hundred years ago. We in the family are trying to keep the tradition growing. I sure hope that I can get it to grow here. I've tried before, but it didn't make it. Once it finds an area it likes, it will probably take over the place.

Here's my mom, standing by one that's going by. I took this picture Friday.

Here's what the flower looks like.

Here's the fern that I dug up from my mom's fern garden. I have no idea what kind it is. It has a leathery leaf rather than soft and fluffy. I'd love to know the name of it.

Mission for today: Don't forget the memories.

Transplanting
Oct 9, 2010 | 6:27 AM PST
Went to visit my mom yesterday. We had a great time. We enjoyed strolling around discussing all her plants in the gardens, but the best part came when she said, Get what you want! Luckily, Son was with us, so I pointed and he shoveled! The first thing that I went for was a fern that I have been trying to get in my yard, but all I could ever get was a little baby that didn't make it. Son dug a good-sized clump, so I think I may be successful this time. She had some spider lilies growing in the lawn, so Son lifted the grass, and I went in with my hands, pulling out the bulbs. There was only one flower, but the ground was loaded with golf ball-sized bulbs underneath. That was like a treasure hunt. Son couldn't get over the rich black dirt. All we ever see here is red! I got two of my grandmother's plant. I can't remember the name right now, but I have it in my files somewhere. I'm trying them again. They can be invasive, but I haven't been successful in growing them here. Mom had some type of mums growing everywhere from some that were given to her a long time ago, so I got a few because she was going to throw them away anyway. I can't wait till it warms up a bit so that I can get out in the garden and start digging!

Mission for today: Transplant the love from my mother's gardens.

Gone with the Wind
Oct 7, 2010 | 8:05 AM PST
The backyard was the place to be yesterday, warm and sunny. I didn't want to have to wear a jacket. I didn't mind wearing my visor, though. Son came to mow the grass. He said that he wanted the lawn to be picture-perfect after my hard work. How did he know that I was working? He said that if the sun had been shining and it was warm all these days that I must be working. He liked my edging job on the Second Natural Bed and now it really looks good with the lawn cut and tidy. I spent a lot of time in the Back Forty, cutting down the seed heads of garlic chives and other things. Why won't my society garlic do as well? We just love that and it didn't do much at all this year. Typical. Something that I want to spread never blooms and reseeds. Speaking of seeds, I only had one lunaria that had any seeds left on it, so I decided that it was now or never. I plucked off the "money," put the seed pods in my bucket, and took a seat on the patio to shell out the seeds. I had a nice little pile going when suddenly there was this big gust of wind. Swoosh! The seeds were gone with the wind! How stupid was that! I finished up the few that were left, holding them tightly in my hand this time. It's supposed to be in the 80's today, so I guess that means I can be in the front yard today to watch the hummers feed on the pineapple sage. I did see them in the back at the feeder, so they aren't gone from here yet. I hope everyone has a calm day and you won't be gone with the wind.  

Mission for Today: Remember to scatter joy and not my seeds.

Day after Birthday Day
Oct 6, 2010 | 6:20 AM PST
I played in the yard again all day yesterday. Another beautiful day, but a bit cooler. I wore a light jacket, but the sun was nice. It's odd that in the summer the front yard is in the sun and the backyard is shady. Now it's just the opposite. The front yard was shady, but that's where I needed to work. The black-eyed Susans in the Butterfly Garden all got whacked. I cut back some on the butterfly bush because I needed to get to a whole load of those dang purple plants that were hiding all around in there already going to seed. I pulled every one that I could see and cut down everything that was turning brown in all the front beds. I edged and hayed the Second Natural Bed. I had forgotten how much hay it takes!! I had to keep going to the backyard to fill up the wheelbarrow, uphill all the way. Thank goodness the loaded wheelbarrow was downhill! The lorapetalum in that bed is HUGE!! I don't want to prune it. It's a gorgeous bronzy scarlet! The hummers were working the bright red flowers on the pineapple sage yesterday, so they aren't gone yet as I had first thought. Maybe they will be gone after last night's temperature in the 30's. I brought in a few things that I really didn't want to lose like the little found alocasia, the rooted pink illusion arrowhead vine and this other one that I can't remember the name of right now. It was a wonderful day after birthday day.  

Mission for Today: Remember that every day can be like a birthday day.

Birthday Day
Oct 5, 2010 | 5:03 AM PST
What a glorious day it was for my birthday. It was a great present. I wasn't expecting it to be so gorgeous. I played outside all day. First, I put out hay around the three Judas trees that my cousin gave me and around the maybe living, maybe dead forsythia in the defunct Biddy Barn area. Then I did the same around the fig bush in the Garden Garden. Next, I hayed the fig tree by the house. I had rooted a pot of thyme, but I was afraid to take it out and plant it now, so I sunk the pot in the Cement Garden. That ought to keep it from freezing this winter. Then I did the same with a wild geranium that I had saved from out in the yard last spring. I put that one in the Outhouse Bed. I had a few pots of Lazette's mystery sedum (I don't know what it is, but it's a tender little succulent. My Mom got a few pieces from my cousin, Lazette, and she has sinced passed away.), so I sunk a pot of that in Aunt Winnie's Garden. I'll leave out the other two pots because the original made it through the winter for the last few years. I just don't want to lose it. I cleaned up the spent black-eyed Susans in the backyard. I had seen enough of them, and the goldfinches weren't messing with them anymore. I cleaned up the Soloman's Seal and St.John's wort in the Back Flower Bed and piddled around edging, tidying things up. I checked on the shrubs that I had rooted and planted: poliomentha, aucuba, variegated euonymous, dwarf nandina, and a tiny compacta holly. It was wonderful and I was euphoric. I sure didn't want to come in, but as it got late in the day, it starting cooling off and I was pooped. I hope to work a bit in the front today if it is as lovely as yesterday. Thanks everyone for your birthday wishes on my birthday day.  

Mission for Today: Don't forget to thank Him for all of His blessings.