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heavy when it is wet. I got the tarp on the LoadHandler in place and was all excited about getting my first load of mulch to upload, until I got home that is.
Don't know how much damp mulch weighs but a full load was too much for the LH to pull. So I had to rake a bit of it off and THEN - it worked like a charm. Couldn't tell you how happy I was not to have to pull out with a rake that complete load. When I came inside the hubby wanted to know if I was finished already. I said Yes Sir. Still need to spread it out some but it won't be long before we go for another load.
Between unloading the mulch and the Y water class this morning, I am a bit sore and even though it is only 8pm?? I am ready to lay my body down to rest.
The Angel Trumpets are still pretty and I hope to be able to take the last pictures of the yard tomorrow. It has been a glorious year for the flower gadens. And there are seed heads to check to see if they are ready to be harvested. So a good nights sleep and I will be up and ready to go on the morrow.
More To Come Later
day here on October 25. It is one day before my good sister in WV's birthday. Will be giving her a call to raze her a bit. She deserves it for all the fussing we did as young girls. We really do love one another.
Started the morning out by changing out the closets and weeding out a few more pieces of clothing. I do this every year and when I lost that 30 pounds I really did a big cleaning. So it is not a hard a job these days.
Then DH and I went next door to pick up a few pecans. There were not too many and I think the DH is just pushing the pecan season a bit. November is when they generally began to fall in earnest. But those few might keep him busy for a bit.
Afterward I dug out a huge cutleaf Rudbeckia. Threw most of it out and put a small piece in the front yard. I have others and this thing multiplies very quickly. Also put three lilies there, behind the newest mums. Next I marked where I want to put the Knockout roses and a Butterfly bush. The BB is a very big plant and I cut it back to get it ready to be moved to the front. Don't know whether I can cut the Knockouts back when I move them. And may wait until after frost. Which is coming soon. Temps are to fall into the upper 30's in the week to come.
After I dug out the Rudbeckia I planted some snowdrop Crocus and the Snowbank and Lemon Twist Angel Trumpets that I had rooted and had in pots in that spot. They should do OK and I also have two other rootings that will spend the winter in the cold frame.
Also in the cold frame are some coleus cuttings. I have not tried them in the cold frame before and will be watching to see if they make it. They are fairly hardy to the cooler nights and the cold frame stays a nice temp. The months of January and February will be the big test. I can't remember the name of the other plant I made cuttings of. It looks frankly like a tall weed with yellow flowers at the top and smells like licorice candy. If you have an idea of its name, let me know. I will email my friend that gave it to me for the proper name.
The bed I dug out the big rudbeckia is where I want to put a couple more Hibiscus plants to grow with the Angel Trumpets. I took some cuttings from the Cherub AG but not of the others. I have enough yellow, white and the regular pink. The Cherub looks to have some wee baby buds on it, but it will not have a chance to bloom. One of the big yellow AGs and the big white ones all are still blooming very well. It has been nice to have a little longer season this year. Out first frost is usually around mid October and here it is heading to the end of the month. I have enjoyed the AG's so much.
More To Come Later
With a good friend is always a great thing. There is a family close by that has turned their acreage into a wonderland of gardens. It includes ponds, many shrubs and trees, most plants are native and are controlled by great gardeners.
This is Moore Farms Gardens and they do two Open Houses each year. Otherwise it is private property. In turning into the driveway there is a small house at the corner and you really feel as though you are going to visit some good friends.
The 'Walk In' dogs are wonderful to encounter as you walk along. No they don't follow you around as they have their own masters. The mistress of this manor is Darla Moore and the proceeds of this open house go toward sponsorship of the AC Moore Herbarium. Dr John Nelson, the director of the Herbarium was on hand. My friend Ann and I were able to meet him. He actually was on the porch of a small house where coffee was being served.
We also met a couple of young men who are students and had spent the summer (May through August) building a pond project. It was not a small pond. I could just see them in that hot SC sun with bull dozers pushing the dirt around to dig the pond. They did the landscaping as well. The pond is actually used for swimming as well as just sitting and watching the wonders of nature from the wonderfully built and furnished Gazebo.
I am embarrassed to say I did not take my camera. But here is the web site and you can get an idea of the beauty of this great piece of property. Enjoy your personal guided tour. More To Come Later
Is finally here. Cool days and nights. Maybe some temps in the 70's this week. Great for being outdoors.
On a trip to our local bi lo grocery I found Mums on sale for 99 cents. I picked up four different colors and have planted them in the front. Have also put a couple of Lantanas in that bed that will hold my 'circle of grass'. Decided to just make it look 'purty' for me to look at from the front porch. The Knock out roses on the bank will finish out the plants around the edge of the circle. These roses have grown fair in the hot sun but I think they will do much better with a little more shade. And too being on the bank any water/rain just runs off into the road. Then maybe a larger size plant in a place or two. It is not a big area and I don't want a lot there. Of course a few lilies will join the mums to have color in the spring/summer.
The Master Gardeners were in the greenhouse taking cuttings from coleus and christmas cactus to tropical hibiscus. Was wishing I wanted tropicals inside again as someone had a varigated leaf plant with pinks in the leaf. Really nice looking. I took some Tibouchina, and all three Cupheas and some Plumbago. It is fun to watch these plants grow. They will be ready to be potted up by our January meeting.
There was an exceptional Full Moon last week. On the way home from church I decided to try and get a picture. I could only see it through the trees but I took pictures anyway. Here is one I caught where I must have had a shaky hand. Can you see the Profile of the Man In The Moon? There was another one but for the life of me I can't find it right now.
More To Come Later
HAPPY to have been in the gardens the last two mornings. Moved the Creme Lantana to the front yard, a small orange mum and even a nice sized orange marigold went out there as well. I am hoping the marigold will recover enough to set down some seeds.
Today I cleaned out the area for the Lily Tree bulbs where the lantana was growing. Got those planted. Tore out some of that white lanky mum also. I have a couple of Clematis that I am hoping will grow up the trellis. May have to put some string or something for it to climb though.
Cut back a few plants including that big snap dragon that came back this year. It already has new growth at the base. Cut back the rosy/red HH and placed a very tall/wide cage that my neighbor gave me around it. Hoping this will keep it from falling over next year.ItI also has new growth at the base. And then the mail man came with a box from Rascalsmama. She sent me the nicest looking Turks Cap plant that went promptly in the ground. Will look forward to seeing it pop up out of the ground next year. (as a side note: that is the only kind of popup I want to see :-D)
There are cultivated portulaca in hanging baskets that I set into the ground in the front at the corner of the driveway and the sidewalk. Hoping these will set down some seed for spring. It is a nice plant that just keeps flowering all summer.
Have a number of pink/white annual begonias that do come back for me that I am going to use to ring one of the beds up next to the house. It is an area I have not done much with that will be mulched. It needs some TLC this fall.
I am going to find out if the pre-emergence prevents some of my flower seeds from germinating aren't I? Won't be much of a problem but it is nice to see plants spring up here and there.
More To Come Later
Rainy day and cool as well. The fellows came and spread the pre-emergence for me. So glad to have that complete. I swear if I didn't look out and this guy was putting his hand down into the bag and throwing it around. Man I don't even like to walk in the yard once it is down much less throw it out with my bare hands. UGH!
The last of this years garden orders came yesterday. Bulbs for the Lily Tree from Brecks.
The yellow one is called American Hope and the brownish one is American Heritage. Thought those were good names. The pink with the yellow throat is Satisfaction, the white with pink is Garden Pleasure and the more solid looking pink is Maywood Tree.
My neighbor and I shared them so we each get 5. The plants will get bigger over the next 3 years from about 3 feet to becoming an 8 foot wonder plant. Had a hard time deciding where to plant them that they would get the proper sun. So the iris/lily bed was chosen. I have a Lemon Creme Lantana there that will get moved to the front yard plus some out of control mums that need to be moved as well.
The white Texas Star Hibiscus gave me two more blooms in the last couple of weeks. So that means three pods of seeds. Sure hope they will make good plants. They will get planted all around in the beds. If and when the rain quits and seed pods dry out for picking, there are those wonderful little double/triple red and purple touch-me-nots or Balsam seed pods about ready.
Have some Ginger Lilies that need to get more sun and I may have to move a huge Butterfly Bush. It has gotten to the point that I have to give away some plants in order to put out all the new stuff I would like to try. Guess none of you have that problem. Great thing about BB bushes they don't mind changing places with their neighbor plants.
With MamaBear getting the Ornament Exchange going and the air feeling cooler, guess it won't be long before Thanksgiving will be here with Christmas on it's heels. I am looking forward to the changes in the seasons. My pad and pencil will be getting a workout planning for the next spring season.
More To Come Later
has been my life lately. Just not in the gardens though I do find a bit of time to go out and walk around, lamenting over all the chores that need to be done. Not sure where to start some days.
Monday we took off to meet two of my hubby's cousins, one he hasn't seen in maybe 30 years. It was fun to spend an hour or two with them. Got a pix of the three guys at Spring Maid Pier in Myrtle Beach.
Then after we got back a friend came by for a nice long visit and got some cuttings from her Lemon Creme Lantana and my Bat Face Cuphea. Her Lantana bit the dust after an invasion of white flies. She is hoping she can quell them with yet another type of chemical. Chemicals are not the best thing for our environment but sometimes nothing else will do the job.
Will try to get my Red Rocket Crepe Myrtle in the ground this week.
This is a picture from the internet. We are really excited about this new plant.
After having lunch with a friend tomorrow I will work in the yard a bit. Just hope I can be productive and not just piddle around out there.
More To Come Later
Our grandson's 11th birthday today. Lots of food and of course great cake and ice cream. This kid always makes out like a banshee when it comes to birthday money. It has gotten so that all the family gives him cash. Had to be almost 200 smackers this year. I remember when he was born - a long thin baby - and so quiet. He is still the quiet type but oh such a fine young man and still long and lean. He must have grown 4 inches at least just this summer. He is getting as tall as all the ladies in the family. His dad is 6' 2' so he has every chance of being that tall.
Finally took the small greenhouse shelving into the house this past week. It was holding the cactus plants for the most part. There is the silver leopard succulent and the Kalanchoe plant that I thought I had killed. Plus the Thanksgiving Cactus - three colors in one pot. It has bloomed nicely over the last few years.
Silver Leopard
Kalanchoe when first purchased
Kalanchoe after all summer outside.
So the trick now is to keep those two going through the winter. I had taken leaf cuttings of the Cereus cactus this spring and they had rooted so now I have several of those to share with friends. Let me know if any of you would like one. I have six that are rooted with no new growth as yet and they would do well to mail. Then the newest member of my plants is the Bird Of Paradise which I am hoping will be hardy and make a nice plant next summer.
As I promised all my friends the African Violets they are not losing their special place this year. And they are looking good. I actually (shhhh don't tell anyone) have two new plants. I picked up one of these at a local BiLo grocery on sale for .79 cents. Then my husband picked up one for me just after that. They are both white with pink just in different patterns.
I have one little cactus plant that is beginning to bloom, will take a pix of it soon. They all seemed to do well out side on the carport. The orchid cactus has grown so, it has several loooonnnnggg stems now and I am told by a friend that grows these, she takes her cuttings from these growths.
Orchid Cactus
She is coming to get cuttings from the Cream Lantana I got from her in the spring as white flies just dessicated all their lantana plants this year. I mean you could touch one of them and literally thousands of flies would come up. And when she comes I will get her to show me just how she does the cuttings from the orchid cactus.
The farmers market held their annual Fall Flower Festival. A fellow there is a Vermicomposter and was selling worm castings. I bought a small bag for 4 bucks and will see how that does on my house plants this winter. There will be plenty and I will use it outside come spring/summer. A couple of my Master Gardener friends are interested in earth worm growing to collect the castings. So we have invited him to do a mini session in March at our Spring Workshop. Nice fellow and more than willing to tell you all about growing the earthworm and making 'tea' etc.
Was hoping to find the Lily grower that I saw last year. Then couldn't remember how to get to his place. He was there and I came away with a long list of only 'part' of his named lilies AND directions to his field. Another really nice guy. Would like to go now and again in the spring as I want some lilies that will bloom twice, or all summer and especially one or two that blooms later.
Found a 'Red Rocket' Crepe Myrtle that my hubby and I had promised one another. If any of you has experience with this particular CM, do let me know how it grew for you. I was told by another vendor that they are not as hardy as some other CM's like the Nachez etc. Sure hope this one will be the exception as I don't want to lose or have to cut down yet another tree in that same area. First the Pecan that hooved up after Hugo and then the Bradford Pear that was putting out large roots under the room addition. Looking forward to having it thrive.
Found a fellow at church that does lawn work as a side job to help me with that awful chemical pre-emergence. I just do not want to handle it. He won't charge me but a pittance and it will be worth it to have him put it down. Then I will be ready to finish the front yard. Don't like to use chemicals unless I just have to and my front yard has to have some work done in the couple of spots that I have left for lawn purposes. The rest will be a mulched area. Also the area in front of my carport which gets a lot of shade has a big infestation of that little low 'lily pad' looking weed. Can't remember its name. I will use a broad leaf spray on it in the next week or two. It has really spread this year especially since 11 inches of rain fell the last two weeks of September. And it will choke out the grass. Other than that - what is green gets mowed in the back yard. At least it look nice and green.
and now whether you like it or not there will be - More To Come Later
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