Let's Talk about Gardens

Hi,
They are called freeways because there are no pay stations every so many miles. Some states have toll roads.
Our freeways are paid by TAX DOLLARS.its just a name that stuck decades ago. Maybe congestion alley is a better word.

O joy, O jubilation!!!! The hummers (Ruby Throats) have returned to my teeny, tiny secret garden. Weather has turned off cold again for this time of the year. They are flocking (okay I'm exaggerating) to my feeder. For now I have decided that my health is more important than shopping for bedding plants. This is the news from my garden.

Well, here's my garden adventure for the day - I spent several hours in a local greenhouse (not open to the public) selecting annuals and veggies for myself and four other people (from their shopping lists). I ended up filling my station wagon (seats down) from front to back with close to 200 plants and several large hanging baskets.
In the process I had a long and lovely conversation with the owner, and probably found yet another volunteer gig for the summer. The growers are trying to figure out how to safely operate the local Saturday morning farmers' market with social distancing, one-way traffic and handwashing stations - I told her I would stand near the entry point and direct people, at least until they get used to the process.
Of course, when I arrived home, reality hit - it's supposed to frost here tonight, and I had to haul them all into the garage. Probably again tomorrow and Monday too!
Happy gardening everyone
Sue

@sueinmn the deer ate the blooms and leaves off my grafted cherry tree! Everything was there on Thursday, yesterday afternoon I noticed it's bare again. It must be a delectable snack for them. I was going to get involved in trading and buying starts for this spring, but I don't have a place to put anything since we need to build raised bed. The soil here is very much in need of amending and is mostly clay. We have the materials for building the raised beds, and a source for some good organic compost and soil. Maybe I should just wait and look forward to getting things set up and do it all next year? The existing plants are doing fairly well. The one rose bush was so happy to be cut back in January it is now almost 3 ft tall!
Sue, I hope all of your friends are appreciative of the work you did getting things for them today. And the owner of that nursery sounds like a gem. Also hoping that everything survives your frost again tonight.
Ginger

@gingerw planting isn't just for spring! perennials can be planted up to a month before frost, and are often best divided and shared after they bloom. just put the word out to neighbors when you are almost ready. i think you are new to the area? When you see a garden you admire, stop and chat up the owner if you see them out and about - gardeners love to talk about (and often share) their plants.
Sue

So the deer are eating your cherry tree, what should I say, the squirrels and bunny’s are eating all the figs, have yet to have even one fig off the fig tree.
Chase them away, and the squirrels, and rabbits, just come right back.
Growing roses are much easier, have over 25 bushes.

@funcountess We have squirrels, also. I haven't seen signs of bunnies, but I hear they're around. We also have the foxes, quail, Bobcats, deer, bear and somebody saw not too far away a couple of wolves. So yep, we have our wild life; the deer are the most destructive critters figuring everything that's placed in the ground is for them! They don't like lavender plants. I have 5 rose bushes in the front and two rose bushes in the back and they seem to be doing well.
Ginger

To all the Mayo Clinic connects, just to let you know LYME DISEASE season Will be going into full swing. Those with auto immune disease be super careful.in fact anybody working in the garden, around thick heavy brush, trees,etc wear long sleeves, and change clothes upon coming Into the house. Same for all insects, especially black widow spiders, and brown recluse spiders.

@gingerw Here's a something you can "plant" to deter the friendly neighborhood deer and squirrels - I make a pile of all the smallish sticks I pick up in my yard - in other times my grandson helped. When tender plants sprout, I poke 3-4 sticks into the ground around each one - as close as can get - even in the center if roots allow. The deer get poked in the face by the sticks when they try to browse and go elsewhere to feed. Protects hostas, tulips, lilies and other favorites of theirs. By the time the plants are taller than the sticks the deer have usually found someone else's yard. I also find that mulching around my favorites with large pine bark nuggets makes for uncertain footing that the deer avoid - other kinds of mulch not so much.
As for their browsing on the cherry tree, my friend sprays Plantskydd repellent on all reachable parts of his apple trees - stinky but it works. Read the directions though - not for use near harvest time, so he either thins all the lower apples off his trees or just lets the deer have them.
Sue

@sueinmn Thank you for these tips. We do have a lot of twigs from the trees cut down. There was an old dead/decaying maple plus a madrone that had been hit by lightening about 20 yrs ago. Both were threatening power lines, but previous owners refused to allow power company on property to cut them down. Not me! Saved us a lot of money, headache, and got firewood to boot. Of course, grabbing those twigs so hubby doesn't break them down for firestarters ;))
Ginger