soaphouse's Blog
soapHOUSE grows
Last Post 1 day, 3 hours Ago
May 12, 2008 | 2:32 PM PST
Tags: rose , peony , veggies , blackberry , madame alfred
Its amazing how much happens in a garden in just 2 days, especially with a good rain! We were so glad to get home from the hospital with Etta Rose:
Of course, one of the first things I had to do upon my return, was to walk around the garden....so much happened! The peonies bloomed!
All the good rain we had while I was in the hospital really helped along all the veggies:
Everything practically doubled in size! And, look at all the blackberries we are going to have!
But, most noteable is the rose that bloomed! I planted this out in the fall: Mdme Alfred Cartiere. They are on either side of the arbor in the back and will look so pretty when they grow up big. So for now, on our first day home, a new rose for our new rose:
We enjoyed our little stroll in the garden and now I must figure out a time in the day to do my gardening...but, all in good time. For now I am enjoying my little Rose :)
May 8, 2008 | 5:54 PM PST
Tag: nursery
Well, I will be spending a lot of my time in a different kind of nursery! We finally got to meet our baby girl last night! She is beautiful! Etta Rose weighs 7lbs 8 oz. (the same I was and my other daughter was) and is 19 1/2 inches long. She is a quiet little thing with a very sweet personality and we are all doing great! I can't wait to get her home and walk her through the garden. Her big sister is very excited too! Thank you all for all your sweet messages and prayers!
May 4, 2008 | 6:53 PM PST
Tags: juncus , fatsia , clematis
To celebrate our wedding anniversary (and to keep our minds off of the fact that I am overdue to have our 2nd child), My wonderful hubby took me plant shopping and said that when we got home, he would plant what we bought :) So sweet!
The first thing we got was a Clematis "Liberation" Evifive. "A free- flowering variety with 9" deep - pink flowers, blooming in Spring and again in late summer." We planted a Clematis Jackmani when we had our first daughter...in her honor. So, we wanted to do the same for this daughter. It will grow up the new sculpture:
Ter
rible pict, I know...hard to get a good shot in all those shadows...but, you get the idea.
Then, we got a fatsia japonica. I just love these plants. I want to put them under the crepe myrtles to add more evergreen screen against the chain link fence. They tend to be a bit pricey for some reason, so we got one and hubby said "just get one each time you go to the nursery, that way it won't seem to cost so much" Ahhh...he is getting the idea now! :)
And, finally...we got a Juncus effusus Spiralis or "Corkscrew Rush". Fun, hardy water plant that we put in the creek. Said to take full sun and get to 2 feet tall. Plus, its very fun to say that for my wedding anniversary, my husband got me "Juncus" HAH!
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 :)
Apr 26, 2008 | 6:00 PM PST
Tag: peony
The new peony that I picked up the other day greeted me with its first bloom yesterday!
The others are bursting with buds and enjoyed the wonderful rain showers today!
Apr 24, 2008 | 3:43 PM PST
Tags: astilbe , hardy begonia , veggie , datura , grass , black berry , peach
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:
p>Once the watering was done, I took some time to capture the happenings in the garden as of now...
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:
Apr 23, 2008 | 2:38 PM PST
Tags: iris , purple , peony , veggies , seeds , hostas , creek
Despite the Iris Patch having a MAJOR aphid infestation, they continue to bloom :) They have never really done too much in seasons pasts (they are relatively new to my garden- passed along from my husband's grandfather's farm), so its fun to see what color they are. So far we have white and today, the purples are blooming. In the picture, they look more maroon colored. It depends which way the sun is hitting:
p>
I am also very pleased to report that some of the veggie seeds are starting to come up already and the freshly planted hostas are looking good. Also, the peony buds look like they might burst open any day now!
Oi Vey! Just had to take a quick break from writing this to go tell 3 neighborhood kids to get out of our creek and not mess up all my freshly planted goodies! They were swinging from bank to bank from the grape vines that I cut back! ARGH! I hate being THAT neighbor....but really, I don't want them to get hurt either, would be our liability you know. They quickly sauntered off with their tail between their legs.
Apr 18, 2008 | 1:15 PM PST
Tags: fern , robust male , ostrich , tulip , peony , mexican heather
The other day I picked up a couple of ferns to naturalize by the creek and I finally got them planted. One is an Ostrich Fern:
The other is a "Robust Male Fern" Tee Hee:
From what I have heard, these can be invasive when happy and both of the plant tags confirmed that. I am hoping that is true. I would love for this creek to be just FULL of fluffy ferns!
Also got the 10 Mexican heathers dotted around the front yard and picked up a Pink Peony (thats all the tag said). She went by the other 2 peonies that I had originally planted 4 years ago from a bag of rhizomes that I got for $6. But, only 2 came up and they have required much patience. This is the first year they have really looked like much of anything. One is red and one is white, so I though a pink one would complete the grouping nicely. Its the one to the far left:
p>
The Bearded Iris in the back that came from my hubby's grandfather's farm started blooming yesterday. I haven't had these very long. The first season I had them, they didn't bloom, last year they didn't bloom due to the drought, so I didn't even know what color they were. SO, the whites are blooming and the ones about to come out look purple.
See that lady bug? well, once I got down close to take this picture, I saw that the entire bed of irises is infested with Aphids! Yuck! So, I gave them a good spraying of insecticidal soap and will rinse them off tomorrow with the hose.
The tulips are really looking good! I planted 60 in the fall and figured this would be quite a show...it looks great, but I realized I probably could have planted double that amount and planted them closer together to really get an even better show. They tend to be annuals here, so maybe I will try that next year...
And, finally...a good shot of my view of my front yard as seen from sitting on my front porch:
Apr 18, 2008 | 6:19 AM PST
Tags: raised bed , vegetable garden , veggie , tomato , eggplant , companion planting , seeds , last frost , plan , hostas
I have had a wonderful couple of days in the garden! All the planning that I did over the winter months is starting to come together and since our last frost date has come and gone (April15), I got to start planting!!!! HOORAY!
First thing I did was put in all the annual flower seeds for the bed I laid out around the porch:
It doesn't look like much now, but soon it will have (from back to front) Sweet Pea Vine, 2 Varieties of Sunflowers, Bells of Ireland, Nemophila: Baby Blue Eyes and Sweet Alyssum.
I also had a great helper:
Then, when hubby got home he was kind enough to help me plant and divide all my new hostas! (Its a bit hard to bend over these days at 9 mo preggers) HAH!
We divided up and planted a few different varieties of hostas and put some under the saucer magnolia:
And the rest in the evolving azalea shade bed:
I also moved a couple of hostas from the hydrangea bed over to the azalea bed. This will make for a nice collection and I think they will fill in very nicely. They were all actually easier to divide than I thought and I was able to save a lot of money that way!
But, perhaps the most exciting part of the afternoon was installing the veggie bed plan! Here is a pict of the master companion planting plan:
And the results:
I know, doesn't look like much...I started everything from seeds except the tomatoes, eggplants, bee balm, peppers, and strawberries. I am super excited to see how all of this comes together! Hope the companion system proves to be effective. The only thing that didn't get planted yet are the sweet potatoes. Still waiting on those in the mail. They won't ship them until after May 15th....apparently they only like REALLY warm soil.
The plants that I purchased are as follows:
Tomatoes: Yellow Pear, Husky Cherry Red, and Better Boy
Eggplant
: Black Beauty and Ichiban
Pepp
ers: Mexibell, Gypsy, and Yellow Bell
Strawbe
rries: Quinalt
All of the varieties of seeds can be seen by looking at a previous post and clicking here. I also added a sweet basil plant and Dark Opal Purple Basil to that as well as okra, but I forgot to jot down its variety :(
We finished up just as the sun was setting and I tell ya, it felt SO good! Especially to have this done before I have the baby :)
Now we will just water and wait:
Apr 10, 2008 | 9:56 AM PST
Tags: viburnum , iris , hellebore , miscanthus , tulip , hosta , ivy , fig , autumn fern , frond , birdhouse , solomons seal , bougainvilla , datura , trumpet tree , peonie , allium , oxalis , elaphant ear , coral bark
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:
Apr 5, 2008 | 6:11 PM PST
Tags: Hosta , Fern , azalea , grecian , acanthus , creek
Well, I have had a few very fun nursery shopping trips over the last few days. Somehow the blow to the wallet hurts less when smaller, but multiple trips are made HAH!
Anyway, each time, I came home with quite a few goodies! I found some 1 gallon azaleas for $2 each, so I got 4 of them to complete and fill in some empty spots in the existing azalea bed.
They were all labeled "assorted azalea" I have learned that there are SO many varieties of azaleas that identifying what I currently have may be more difficult than initially thought. So, for now...its "assorted".
I also got a cool looking plant that I had never heard of. "Acanthus Mollis 'Oak Leaf'" (Grecian Pattern Plant) The plant label says that it is extremely fast growing to a hight of 4 feet tall and wide. It also says that it is semi evergreen and somewhat invasive when happy. Oh, and it likes shade too...so I thought, isn't that PERFECT for the creek bank! The guy at the nursery agreed :). So, in it went and I have great expectations...
Right after that pict was taken, I got up there with the weed eater and trimmed everything back to our property line. I had been struggling as to how to control all the growth back there...with roundup, by hand, or with the weed eater. I had been hesitant about the use of roundup...I really don't like to make a habit out of using that stuff and especially being on a creek bank. Plus, I am planting a lot of plants that are said to naturalize well and if I continually spray roundup that certainly will not help things. Then, I saw a gardening show about a lady who had a huge moss garden and she said the best thing to do to help it along is keep it free of debris, so I set out with my weed eater and did notice that once I got everything trimmed, there is a layer of moss under that...so I hope to help it along.
Also, while I was weedeating, the tornado sirens started going off!!! Its such a chore climbing up the creek bank with weed eater in hand (and at 9 mo preggers) that since I was already back there, I just wanted to get it done, so I went super fast and was able to make it inside before the storm hit!!!
I also picked up some other things at the nursery that will stay in my studio until the last frost date here (April 15th). Even though they are all perennial, all their nice spring growth would get zapped should we have another late freeze. Here is a breakdown of the goodies waiting for their homes:
10 Annual Mexican Heathers (These will get dotted around the front and back yard. They are so drought tolerant and always perform well for me. Last year, when I waited until after the frost date to purchase things, I had to drive to 3 different nurseries to find these, so I went ahead and got what I wanted.)
2 Sum and Substance Hostas (I really wanted 6, but the budget wouldn't allow, so I got 2 that looked like they could be divided and i will break them down into 6 total. They will look puny this year, but in years to come will be awesome. 3 will go in the shade bed in progress with the azaleas and the other 3 will go under the saucer magnolia in the front yard.
1 Minuteman Hosta - Nice variegated variety. I will divide this one as well. Not sure how many divisions I will get, but they will all go in the azalea shade bed.
2 Blue Cups Hostas - Very cool cup like leaves in a nice cool blue. Will also divide these ...hopefully into 4 total and will put 2 with the azaleas and 2 under the saucer magnolia.
1 Ostrich Fern - I wanted 3 of these to put under the saucer magnolia with the hostas, but once again the budget prevailed. This one can not be divided, but I will plant it by the creek and if it lives up to its reputation as a fast growing clumping spreader, I should be able to take some clumps in the next couple of years to dot around the garden.
1 Robust Male Fern - Never heard of this one...funny name, semi-evergreen, glossy fronds, fast growing to 4 feet tall...so, it will be another plant to find a home by the creek.
Whew...and imagine, when I set out to write this entry, I didn't think I had that much to say. HAH!
Apr 3, 2008 | 8:50 AM PST
Tags: garden art , creek , gunnerra , gunnera , redbud , dogwood , compost , autumn fern , ajuga , grass , lawn , mow , weed eat , weed
I spent yesterday afternoon tootling about in the front yard. I mowed our "lawn" , which is really more a patch of weeds than anything. After its mowed, it actually looks pretty decent. My dreams of fescue were squelched by the drought last year....maybe this fall i can do that. Once the mowing was done, I pulled some weeds, cut back some vinca, hacked down the curry plant (it had gotten very raggedy and woody, will be interesting to see if it comes back), and I also watered the autumn ferns. It looks as though the layer of compost applied to the top of that bed last summer is really coming through for us...I have never had so many new fronds appearing at once on these ferns. It looks so pretty! Here is a view of the front yard as seen from my front porch today:
As you can see, my girl and my hubby are enjoying the freshly mowed weeds :)
The redbud looks so amazing right now as well! Also, the ajuga is blooming and is adding a nice shot of color:
The dogwood is almost in all of its glory. It is in the same bed that got the compost dressing and i do think it is helping the dogwood also, in seasons past, the dogwood has suffered from one of its common fungal diseases that causes the blossoms to fall off before they fully open. It looks like we might not have that prob this year :)
On a recent shopping trip with my mom, I picked up this cool garden art windchime and I have been enjoying it as I sit on my front porch:
Its very overcast today and a bit cool and breezy, so I am not sure if I will venture out in the garden later or not. I have been thinking more about creek planting lately and trying to decide what to plant on the opposite bank...I still have yet to have the moment of brilliant inspiration. I do need to get back there with the weedeater so that all my hard work spent cleaning everything out doesn't go to waste....it will if I don't stay on top of things back there. I am anxiously awaiting the emerging of the great gunnerra that went in the ground a few weeks ago...i check for growth every day :)
I did hear an ad on the radio that our local home depot has 5 dollar coreopsis and hostas, so i may venture down there this afternoon. Tomorrow the forecast is thunder storms, so I better do what I have to do today :)
Mar 30, 2008 | 4:54 PM PST
Tags: autumn fern , japanese painted fern , redbud , georgia blue bell , tulip , birdhouse , mow , creek
Had a wonderful weekend in the garden. All the work I did in the fall and winter is paying off....there is not too much to do now other than routine weeding and maintinence. The most fun, of course, is watching all of the plants doing their spring things! On Friday, mom and I stopped by the nursery and I picked up 2 more georgia blue bells. They went along the street side of the front bed along with the other one. The blue of their bloom is so nice in contrast with the hot pink of the creeping phlox. The redbud is really popping out and looks so wonderful right now!
The tulips are all coming up nicely (I was afraid a lot of them had been hijacked by the squirrels). Some of them have formed their flower buds! They will look so nice blooming around the bridhouse :)
The hostas are starting to show themselves as well as the peonies! I always wonder about these late arrivers, but they have yet to dissapoint...you would think I'd learn! I also spotted a fun surprise while perusing the garden...One of the autumn ferns that I dug up from mom's yard had a little piece of Japanese painted fern in it... Once it gets bigger, I will dig it out and find him a home of his own.
On Saturday I mowed the backyard and weedeated by the creek, just in time for a fabulous rain storm that lasted well into the evening. So nice to sit on the porch and watch the plants in the drizzle!
Mar 25, 2008 | 5:20 PM PST
Tags: freeze , frost
We had another spring freeze last night. It got down to about 28 degrees! So, of course, when I heard the forecast, I knew I had to take action. As soon as I got home from work, my hubby and I set out to cover what we could. Hubby was GREAT help and tied together the sheets to go over the azalea bed. We also covered the newly planted tree peony, the hydrangeas, the fruit trees, the lilac, and the japanese maples. I also wanted to cover the larapedulums in the front, but they are huge and I didn't have sheets big enough. Once we had it all covered, hubby said it looked like a homeless camp! Once in got dark, the backyard looked like it was full of ghosts!
As you can imagine, I couldn't wait to get those covers off today and see how everything did! I am very happy to say that everything is OK! Although, the Saucer Magnolia definitely got all its blooms zapped, but we had a chance to enjoy those for a few weeks. Also, the laurapedulums are looking a bit sad, but they will bounce back nicely. I was also a little worried about the uncurling fronds of the autumn ferns, but they look unscathed. Even the daffs made it! Hooray! I am going to keep all those sheets handy in case this happens again before april 15th (our last frost date)
Mar 23, 2008 | 5:22 PM PST
Tags: easter , egg , maple , azalea , lilac , frost , freeze , raised bed , veggie bed , single knock out rose , knockout , creeping phlox
We have had a wonderful Easter weekend in the garden! Yesterday, i was able to sneak away to my favorite local nursery to check out their spring inventory. It was SO exciting! Everything looked so wonderful it was very hard to control myself :) But, I was a good girl and only picked up 2 small single knock outs- hot pink variety and 5 small sized creeping phlox (2 lavender and 3 hot pink).
The knockouts have been on my list for a while. I have been wanting to plant them at the base of the new "sculpture" at the front window seat bed. Not only will they add nice color all season, but they will give some interest to that bed during the winter when all the perennials are dormant:
See them on either side there? I know...they are small now, but luckily those guys are fairly fast growing!
The Creeping Phlox went in the berm in the front yard along side the driveway. I just love the little punches of color and I know they will fill in nicely and provide great weed supression:
That was all done yesterday. Today, after Easter service, we had a wonderful little egg hunt for my daughter in her grandmother's back yard:
She has such a wonderful yard for that and my little girl had so much fun!
When hubby and I got home, he finished up the veggie bed fences - now they are all ready to plant up come April 15th (our last frost date)
Speaking of frost, it is supposed to get down to about 32-34 degrees tonight...not too cold, but enough to make me worry a bit, so I attempted to cover the budding azaleas, my newly planted tree peony, the lilac, and the 3 Japanese maples. I do hope this helps....I guess its worth a try, not sure if I needed to bother but it makes me feel somewhat proactive.
Hope everyone had as nice of an Easter as we were blessed with!
