Let's Talk about Gardens

My goodness Sue,
Do you get all that work done in one day?
Very productive.
Gus the landscaper will plant 4 more tall plants on Friday. Not sure what they are but probably oleander. They are fast growers, and spread quickly
15 gallon trees are starting to grow.
I planted petunias in pots, a rainbow of color.
With so many plants you could start a nursery.
Funcountess

Report from the gardens - we're having warm sunny days interspersed with showers. Needless to say, everything is growing "like a weed" - especially the weeds! I try to spend 1 hour every day pulling those pesky buggers - need more mulch.

After hosting 7 different diggers, with 2 more to come, I waded in and got ruthless. The 300 plus plants they adopted barely made a dent in my excess. My 100' back fence is lined with bugbane (in the shade) and cutleaf coneflowers and cup plants (in the sun) - and every one was trying to take over its area completely. So yesterday, armed with digger, pruner & big knife, I cut them all back to a single row. Wow, it actually looks civilized back there now.

Today I surveyed the front of the garden, marking the plants too tall for that space, Friday and Saturday I will transplant them to the newly-emptied areas. Sunday I will create a new front border from heuchera, perennial geraniums and lady's mantle harvested from other beds where they have multiplied politely.

Monday my young neighbor, whose summer job disappeared, will begin mulching all the beds. We decided to be kind instead of thrifty, and buy bagged mulch that she can handle easily, rather than have the landscaper drop a big load on the driveway to be hauled by wheelbarrow.

All of that still leaves a 15 x 30 bed in the center of the back span of lily of the valley, daylilies, iris and bee balm to be tamed later this summer. Or maybe next year.

What is yours current garden project?
Sue

@funcountess Oh my, no - all that digging and hauling took a couple of days, about 8 hours I would guess. The digging and transplanting will take 3-4 days, longer if I have to dodge raindrops. I am thankful for my big gardens and my "sewing cave" this summer - it helps me forget I am confined.

@jimhd I hope the parts fix your mower - I understand the frustration of not being able to get around from years of hobbling on my old hips - so grateful the new ones work!
I also raise and donate plants for a fund raiser plant sale every year - usually several hundred perennials and natives. The cancellation this year is why I have such an abundance to share. Later this summer, I will be dividing some, potting them in plastic greenhouse pots, and sinking them into the ground to overwinter. Those will go to the sale next spring. Scoping out the gardens right now to be sure to leave places for those babies.
Sue

@sueinmn. I've been following your landscape project, when it's all done, please post a video so we can all see the end result. I don't have a yard, just a small concrete front porch. I used to have a swimming pool and a large backyard and did all the landscaping myself armed with Sunset's Western gardening book.

Report from the gardens - we're having warm sunny days interspersed with showers. Needless to say, everything is growing "like a weed" - especially the weeds! I try to spend 1 hour every day pulling those pesky buggers - need more mulch.

After hosting 7 different diggers, with 2 more to come, I waded in and got ruthless. The 300 plus plants they adopted barely made a dent in my excess. My 100' back fence is lined with bugbane (in the shade) and cutleaf coneflowers and cup plants (in the sun) - and every one was trying to take over its area completely. So yesterday, armed with digger, pruner & big knife, I cut them all back to a single row. Wow, it actually looks civilized back there now.

Today I surveyed the front of the garden, marking the plants too tall for that space, Friday and Saturday I will transplant them to the newly-emptied areas. Sunday I will create a new front border from heuchera, perennial geraniums and lady's mantle harvested from other beds where they have multiplied politely.

Monday my young neighbor, whose summer job disappeared, will begin mulching all the beds. We decided to be kind instead of thrifty, and buy bagged mulch that she can handle easily, rather than have the landscaper drop a big load on the driveway to be hauled by wheelbarrow.

All of that still leaves a 15 x 30 bed in the center of the back span of lily of the valley, daylilies, iris and bee balm to be tamed later this summer. Or maybe next year.

What is yours current garden project?
Sue

My Sunset Western garden book is my guide also. You can container plant. Even roses do well in containers. Did your daughter plant the avocado trees?
Home Depot and Lowe’s run their weekly specials. Most are good buys.
Funcountess

@sueinmn After deciding to not push myself to have a straw bale or raised bed garden this year, I feel much less pressure. Losing plants or wrong choices for gardening do not make me comfortable. I am watching light patterns and realize the southern fence line is not east-west but more ESE to WNW, so there is great morning light.

We sprayed on Tues to start the weed and blackberry abatement on fence line. And found out yesterday that hubby leaves next Tues for 3 week stint back at old job. So that spraying may be for naught, as I cannot do that alone.

In the front lawn I have decided to do a rock feature. Previous owners have spent considerable time placing rocks of all sizes, river and mountain, along fences and as dividers. I placed a wind catcher in middle of lawn, and will scribe a circle around it [radius 4 to 5 feet], install lawn edging, anchor down with homemade stakes, hit inside with weed killer, lay down weed cloth, and start moving larger rocks into the circle. Planning to define the four cardinal points somehow. Removing 2" rocks lining edge of driveway to be replaced by used red brick, those 2" rocks will work in the circle.

@jimhd I love hearing about your property. I am envious of you and Sue, not only for the energy, but the ideas you come up with. Yes, I read your posts all the way to the end. Hoping your mower is now functional for you. Wheeeee, look at him go!
Ginger

Hi Ginger,
What is a wind catcher?
I to would love to see Sue and Jim labor of love.
Funcountess

@funcountess This is an example. We have a breeze here from time to time, usually in the afternoon. I have two windchimes on the edge of the porch that sing in the breeze. This windcatcher makes no noise, but is endlessly fascinating to watch.
Ginger