After the ground had been moistened by rain, this weeding job was surprisingly easy and did not take long. Very satisfying results. Ready for mulch!
I wasn’t sure what to expect with the freshly-transplanted perennials in their new home, but I am happy to report there is a little bit of blooming going on. This pleases me, and keeps me checking the beds almost daily!
Watch the sun pass overhead as our work continues! We completed work on the front sunny flower bed to cover the hole made by removing the diseased honeysuckle. Click on the image to see a larger final photo.
Perennials include (from Aunt Lisa and Mom): Goldenrod Fireworks, Turtlehead, various Daylilies, Siberian irises, (regular?) Irises, Bachelor Buttons, Yarrow, Soapwort, Moonbeam Coreopsis, Golden Margarita, Companula, Volarian, Sedum, Obedient Plant. (please forgive spelling errors)
Posted by admin | Posted in Flower Beds, Vegetable Garden | Posted on May 24, 2008
Still no signs of any germination for the 20-year-old green bean seeds. Who knew? LOL Our science experiment returned expected results. I re-sowed FRESH 2008 seeds over the top: Kentucky Blue Bean on the back row and Scarlet Runner beans on the front row for fun. I’m looking forward to seeing their red blooms!
Over the 20-year old peas (front row), I re-sowed 4 types of peas I received from Mom: Cowpeas, Oriental, Rally, and Sugar Sprint. If any come up, I’ll have a fun variety to try.
I transplanted the seedlings into the ground for: pumpkins, watermelon, eggplant, buttercup & butternut squash. I planted garlic cloves and onion sets.
I planted the 2nd half of the bush bean row with wax beans.
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I finished de-sodding the front birch-tree bed – can you believe it? I planted my Clematis, along with several perennials still patiently waiting in pots from Aunt Lisa. Feels good to be getting the plants in the ground. I also planted 2 flowers from Kay in the back bed today. We’re seeing some color!
Where did we ever get our work ethic? It amazes me.
Tonight we worked together on digging out the enormous Honeysuckle stump on the side of our driveway. The plant was diseased and very old, so many of the roots broke right off in our hands and at the jab of our shovels. Ryan took care of the tougher ones with an axe. The whole project went quickly – wow!
I started a flower bed (AKA the place to finally plant my beautiful Clematis after 2 years of being indoors in a temporary pot) under the front birch tree. I managed to get the circle’s edge cut into the grass, and started removing the sod.
Hooray! The plumbing repair worked!
After the garden was seeded, I resumed work on the Shade Bed back near the lilac. My goal was to de-sod the entire area and get the shade perennials in that have now been sitting in pots for a week.
I think it was a total of 7 wheelbarrow loads of grass that I removed and hauled over to help fill a low area around the back yard pine trees. Ugh. I thought my back was going to give out. Ryan helped lay the sod pieces during times of rain when he wasn’t running the chainsaw. Unbelievably, the job was FINALLY done.
About 7:00 pm I finally got a chance to start preparing the bed for plants. We hauled over 2 wheelbarrows of compost and mixed it in with the top soil of the bed. I planted shade geraniums, lamium, day lilies, catmint, asters (summer and fall versions), sundrop, forget-me-nots, and some lilies of the valley. (If I remember the others, I’ll add ‘em here later.)
Ryan topped it off with a garbage can of mulch, and we were ready to call it a day. We watered everything and headed out to eat by 9:00. What a day!
Posted by admin | Posted in Flower Beds | Posted on May 11, 2008
Today I had the opportunity to celebrate Mother’s Day with my Mom and Grandmother, along with the rest of my Mom’s family.
The weather was cold and rainy, but that didn’t stop my Master Gardener Aunt Lisa from sharing her wonderful perennial garden with us all. After a full tour, she split and shared over 25 types of perennials with the family. Needless to say, I jumped at each offer… eager to fill our flower-deprived yard with color and delight.
A stop at my Mom’s house on the journey home filled my car to capacity, including the passenger seat! What a day. I guess this means more digging in our future. :D