A Gardeners Forum Forums Members History Forum Life 2005 Garden Chores

Well this morning it is overcast so it seemed to me that it was a Weezie day to transplant.
And I had planted the calendula way to close together sooooooooooo. I did a little transplanting this morning. It's probably silly since they are annuals but I just had to try. If nothing else I need the practice moving plants. Since I'll be moving the canna after they finish blooming this year. They are way to tall for that pot lol.

Anyway I thought it would be nice to have a spot to put our daily jobs that makes gardening so much fun. I came in to get some water and then I'll go out and get an after picture. I know I have a before picture around here somewhere.

So here is the before and after shots. Excuse my photos they aren't very good as usual lol.

Before. A little crowded me thinks. lol


After. A little better possibly? lol

Well today since the dianthus were such a disappointment I filled their space with several small bunches of chives that were of course over crowded where I had them. I'm definitely going to have to get better at the spacing thing. It's just they look so small when plants are just sprouting.

Oh and did I mention that the coffee plants have sprouted. I am so pleased woohoo.

Well I went out to look at the containers today and lo and behold the Hollyhocks are starting to sprout. Which is great it'll keep the container looking green even though they won't bloom this year. And that should keep the landlord from pouting lol.

Somebody had pulled up the onions and just left them in the pot so I replanted them. I don't know if I got to them in time but maybe.

well I guess I am gonna start adding to this post.......

Today was a light day in the yard work area. I watered all containers as usual. Moved some of the lillies I had planted toward the back of the front flower bed so I could plant some coral bells in the front of them. I think this will be a nice border day lillies with foamy coral bells in the front then some nice annuals each year maybe a mix of impatients and alyssum. Planted 4 new hardy mums in the area too. I cant wait for next year when all this blooms its gonna be beautiful. I really need to add more mulch to the area but with all the work I am still doing I want to wait a little longer.
As for the rest of todays work I picked the cherry tomatoes. That was about it for the yard work today.

Do you have pictures Karrie? I love pictures. Even though I am really bad at taking them I still try because my discriptions aren't very good.

I love impatents especially the ones that look like little cabage roses. What kind of lilies do you have and do you have a link for coral bells? I don't think I've seen them before.

I know doing stuff this year for next year is kind of hard because of the waiting. But it sure will be nice when it comes up. I'm glad you decided to post here.

Right now my chores consist of watering and enjoying blooms. I am still waiting to collect seeds from my Hollyhocks. I still love just touring around the yard and looking at what I have accomplished this year. It has been fun.

isn't that great? I got to harvest a tomato yesterday. That was so neat. I've never done that before so it was a big thing to me. Took it in washed it off and eat it lol. I should have stuck it in the frig for a short bit first but I was too excited lol. I'm thinking about digging down in the compost some to try and get at the black gold so I can do some more planting but I haven't talked myself into it yet. I would definitely like to get some more Hollyhocks going for next year.

[img]http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y203/lilpuppolo/cherrytomatos.bmp[/img]

I can't wait to harvest my cherry tomatos. I drool everytime i look at them. I keep waiting and waiting,but they just won't ripen fast enough for me.

It does take them a good amount of time to turn colors doesn't it? But it looks like your going to have a bushel of them when they do.

Is that the kind you sent me? If so I definitely am going to look forward to having those next year. This year I have the roma and I'm really pleased with how they are doing but I would like to try some different kinds.

Yes i do believe so TK. I can't get over how many are on my plant!!!

Well, I did quite a bit today - I opened the curtain and had a look at the plants on the picnic table, then took a nap.

Heh! Heh! No, folks - I'm not slippin' - just too hot to be out there in the daytime.

Last night and the night before I was cleaning around my little square I made for the cosmos (which has done very little to date).

I'm raking around it, throwing the scraps in the buckets - filled two. Big ones too. Why waste bags when ya' got a few buckets? Save a few trees . . .

What else - I watered some of my weed transplants - they looked dead and gone, but they came up.

I guess I'll go out there tonight and keep working around that same radius till the middle lot looks like somebody gives a damn again.

No pictures right now - my batteries are low, and I'm saving them for something important, like one of the robins that visit each evening, or the saucy little raccoons that love lookin' at me.

They don't take any pictures though.

Oh yeah - I forgot - I sent some nervy trespassers packin' last night. People seem to think that driveways and grounds that belong to an apartment building are free to use as a public park.

Right in front of my nose this little yuppie comes by with her man and starts practicing on her new motor scooter. She rounded the lot on the driveway about 5 times as I watched - they looked at me as if to say 'hey! mind your own biz.'

I says, hey! Don't you think you oughta' ask if it's ok to do that? It' ain't a freeway, ya' know.

The guy says 'oh, yeah . . . really.'

They left looking quite huffy about it all.

I wonder if I should find out where they live and sic my cat on 'em.

She's good at telling people off in no uncertain terms . . .

Me either that is fantastic. How did you fertilize or what did you amend the soil with before you planted? And how much sun are they getting. Nosey little pain aren't I? They just look so fantastic. Mine are very small even for romas but they didn't get very good care. Not that I didn't mean to. I just wasn't prepared to handle a garden.

You know I didn't have a clue when I started and I've been playing catch up every since and not doing a very good job of it either.

And way next year I think I'll be able to do better.

I hate doing things for next year, 'cause I never know if I'm going to be here. But I figure, somebody's going to be here, so there might as well be something to remember me by.

It's not that I plan on dyin' or anything - it's just that we're planning to move on as soon as we can arrange for a good apartment to move into for the winter.

We've been here almost 11 years now and that's long enough for Jeff to be the superintendent, we think.

I hate the idea of leaving the garden, but I think I've put enough of myself into it - I truly believe it'll all come back to me - it's the law of the universe.

I'll betcha' the earth goddess has a special little place saved for me to garden in. Even if it's a small plot of land, a balcony or some place I can practice 'maverick' gardening.

I have them in Miracle gro. I fertilized once so far. Just regular liquid fert. I decided to try an experiment with them though. I heard that if you plant herbs (especially basil) with your tomato plants, the tomatos will somehow taste like the herb. SO I have basil, marjoram, and oregano planted around the base of the plant.
They get sun from sun up until about 2:30-3:00 in the afternoon.

Tk I so understand your excitement on the tomato. Today I made veggie soup every veg in it was picked by me. Hubbys grandma and I are very close so we did a veggie garden together this year. This way she didnt tend it alone which she tends to overdo it. Well this is hte first year I have ever grown anything to eat! I am so proud and cannot wait for dinner. Its not quite as hardy a soup as I like but for my first grow I am pleased.

Ok and TK I took some pictures droped them off at the lab I will post them ASAP when hubby brings them home. I hope to get a digital for christmas!

I have day lillies as of today I have 10 of them most are pretty small but give them time! I just cant wait to see them in bloom. I have 3 pond lillies but only one of them has flowered.

Today garden work was somewhat light again. Watered the container flowers (of course) weeded around the pond, and thinned the grassy stuff around the pond. Man that stuff really took off and spread quite a bit but it looks so nice. Deaded headed a few flowers and harvested a whole 4 pods off of my yellow snapdraggon! Wheeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!! Man mother nature makes life grand!

Tk here are some links to photos of coral bells I want:

http://www.gardencrossings.com/_ccLib/image/plants/DETA-282.jpg

They kinda mound and get a spike of white flowers out of the top of them.

Also I love these ones:

http://canningperennials.com/acatalog/Heucherella_Sunspot.jpg

Next year both will be planted in my yard!

I have never seen the caramel ones, I am thinking they will be hard to find! But I will!

My plan is to plant them along with the day lillies somewhat like this

imagine if you can that X is a day lilly and 0 is a coral bell

X X X X X X

0 0 0 0 0

Now take that string of characters and make a circle outta it. Get the idea?

So you are raising spaghetti sauce Phoenix???? I never heard of that before. I will try it next year. I just have marigolds around my tomatoes to keep the bugs off.

Carly, I really believe we all get a garden spot where ever we may go. It is our destiny as tillers of the earth.

Well Fernie since Jeff is Italian I thought I just had to do it. I have never had a bug problem with my tomatos. My other outdoor plants sometimes get aphids though grrrr!!!

Karrie I think that idea for the flower bed is going to be fantastic. Those coral bells look like they have some really fantastic foliage that is going to go great with the day lilies flowers.

We have a community digital camera that we send around to who ever wants to use it. It's great to learn on. If you would like to use it let me know I have it at the moment and could easily send it on.

TK that would be great! I would appreciate it! hopefully I will get one but I would so love to show you all some pictures of my beauties! I will send you my addy in a pm! Thanks! When ever your done with it is fine with me!

I have 2 dsifferent varieties of coral bells. One is the green leaf variety and the other is the purple leaf ones. I'll post pics of them tomorrow

ok, I'll send it off on Wednesday. Enjoy!

woohoo the poplar on one end of the garden has decided that it's fall and is turning yellow and dropping it's leaves. Filled up the compost bin this morning and will get out there and turn it as soon as I recover from the heat. It's suppose to only be 80 out there right now but it sure feels much hotter to me. And I found about 3 cup fulls of sand to add to the clay spot I want for the peonies. I can't wait until it gets on to evening so I can get out there and mix that in the clay. I'm also thinking about taking a big trash bag out there and dumping half the compost in it to see if the stuff on the bottom is ready to use. I want to put some of that down in the shady area I'm preparing. I want the peonies to be as happy as humanly possible when they get transplanted so they will grow big and tall. Do I sound excited? Yeah I am.

Karrie I hope you don't mind but I may not get the camera in the mail until saturday. I'm having one of those weeks that happen from time to time. But I promise I will get it in there then.

For garden chores, I went out and smiled at my tomatoes that are trying to turn colors, harvested some portulaca seed pods and two zinnia flowers. I'm not even thinking about pulling weeds or sweeping up early leaves because I still feel a little weak in the knees.

Hope everyone is having a great day.

I cleaned out around one of my circles today - mostly scrap that went into the bucket - I did transplant some weeds, but there wasn't much to speak of.

Even the weeds have been stunted - ha ha!

Tk that is fine whenever you can. The chores yesterday were summed up with quite easily with "Honey would you please water the container flowers for me?" I about fell over when it worked. Yesterday he stayed home with me we woke up and walked around and looked at all the flowers we (me with some hard labor, that I had to drag out of him) have planted this year. Our rose bush has a total of 8 buds on it and 6 are open this morning. It is simply beautiful. I got a loaded camera but you will have to wait for those to come back from the lab. It is well worth the wait though.
Today I have to mow - I usually love this but sorta depressed today hubby has to go out of town for a few days I hate that. Realy makes one lonely! Should be used to it by now they send him to Japan so much, I dont know why I am upset over a trip to Michigan. But all the same hate to see him gone! It is however a beautiful day to ride the mower!

Well today the garden chores gave me a blister that popped before I knew it was there. Hurts too. But I have 4 pails of homemade compost out in the garden where I want to transplant the peonies when I get a nice cool overcast day to do it. I am so please with the compost. I know now that the container will hold approximately 12 pails of compost if it were full up to the top lol. Yeppers that means about 1/3 of the total volume was compost today when I turned it upsidedown and checked to see how the bottom was doing.

Well the chore for today was raking up leaves to add to the compost bin. Now all I have to do is get my hands on some green and I'm in good shape. I did get 7 or 8 branches to add to the bent wood edging. Which is good because it was leaning into the tomato plants lol. So I think I got that fixed. If not I'll get out there tomorrow and work on it some more.

The garden pleases me so much.

Again watered the container plants they are a real pain but add such a charm to the house its well worth the pain. Hopefully with moss rose in them next year they wont be so much work. Transplanted a butterfly bush that was way outgrowing its home. Pruned some of the hydregenda (sp?), and some of the lillys back. I was thrilled to see new growth on all the daylillies I planted a few weeks ago, since there was new growth I cut back the dead leaves on them all. Finally got the mowing finished. Sprayed the driveway for weeds, they were awful. When we had the driveway extended the crew didnt peal back the sod they just put gravel down on top of it, I came home and it was done. I called and complained but the company didnt seem to care about it so now we are just figting weeds in it nonstop. I may call them again Monday and give them whats for. I paid 800 for crap! I need to make them fix it or give me some of my money back for a job not done correct, because in our contract part of the job was to dig it out. Anyway as for the rest of the garden chores, I pruned a few of the philox picked the petunias and dug out part of the area that I want to plant the delphinium in and that was it for me for today. I am trying to convience my husband that it will be fun to finish digging out that area together tomorrow. He doesnt seem to be falling for it! Maybe I can bribe him with some fried chicken for dinner if its all finished in time for me to cook! lol

Woohoo I managed an hour and a half in the garden without a break. That is fantastic. And did I get a lot done. I transplanted the peonies since it is overcast this morning. And they got fertilized earlier in the week so transplant shock should be minimal I hope. I put down bone meal in their new homes so hopefully they will be happy inspite of being moved in August. Their new home is made up of mostly compost from the bin and is in the shade of the tree so is cooler and not nearly as bright as the previous location. I tried for exactly 2 feet apart but I missed a bit with some of them but...well, that's me lol.

Then I dug out their old bed to about 4 inches into the underlaying clay. That's hard work but it is going to be so worth it next year. I want to dig down a minimum of 6 inches and then fill the entire area with compost so that next spring when I plant the tomatoes they will have optimal growing conditions rather than being an emergency plant because I ran out of room. That's what happened this year and they have really done well inspite of their black thumb gardener lol.

Then I took what I dug out of that space mixed the top soil with the clay as best I could and added it to the second tier where I want to put the columbine seeds this fall. I still need at least 2 more inches of top soil in that area but hopefully by the end of the month the compost bin will be able to give me that much. I can cross my fingers anyway lol.

And then get this...I harvested 6 yes folks count them 6 ripe tomatoes. Woohoo!!!!!!! I can't believe it but I sure am one happy camper.

So other than being dirty and sweaty I am just about one of the happiest little gardeners on this morning lol.

Hope you all have a great day.

Well today the chore was sweeping up the back parking lot so it didn't look so yucky. also I'm trying to get the gravel in the space where we grow a mud puddle everytime it rains. Not easy with my little broom but I'm working on it. Maybe some day I can get it done. I had getting soggy shoe when I go to empty the trash lol.

I also got to harvest a number of portulaca seeds which was nice and send of my seeds for a seed exchange and take some of the dead leaves and put them in a better location. Plus I watered the compost bin lol. Well I guess that's about it for me today.

Guess what I did this morning...yep sweep up more leaves and put them in the compost heap. The rain and then maybe so late night wind really knocked down a bunch which was a good thing in my book. Now I think I'm going to go out and harrass some weeds while it's still moist enough to make the clay easy to dig in. Have a great day all.

Boy howdy is it ever humid out there. I'm soaked. But I did dig out about 6 inches of the top tier and get about a bucket of dirt shifted down to the third tier that I need to raise about 8 inches from it's beginning height. Inspite of the overcast it's just to hot to stay out there long. I so wish I could make more progress than I have been. But it's getting hard to motivate myself again. I guess that's because nothing is really blooming at this point. And it won't be next year either unless I get these beds prepared. Grrrrrrrrrrh. I want and I want it now lol. Isn't that so like me. I think it must be time for a nap the kid in me is getting cranky.

Well yesterday I forgot to post. It was a busy day in the yard. I took down the pool I hated to but it had alge in it and I was tired of fighting it! We live on a lake we can just hop in it for the ramainder of the year! I moved the trampoline so I can have the area where it was tilled for a flower garden next year. It will be tilled this week and fertalized and then the hibiscuis delphinium and Hollyhock will be placed in it along with some stones and such. I believe I will put a bench in the area as well so I can sit among the flowers and enjoy that area one day. Since the pool is down I had planned on seeding that are today but with the rain droppin it will have to wait. Next year the pool will be put in the new area we purchased on the side lot. Yesterday I also took all the little tyke toys doll house and rocketship and scrubbed them clean of the film that developes on them that has to be done about 2 times a year. They look great they were also placed in the side lot along with a new swing set. That was it except for a little weeding and prunning of the rose bush. This was my first rose bush and I am so pleased with it over the last few weeks I have just had an abundance of blooms on it. It is much easier then I had anticipated it would be to care for. All I have done is fertalize and prune off about an inch or so below a bloom once it fades. And that is it, and it seems to be just what that particular bush needs. I have had a total of 20 buds on it in 2 weeks time. Makes me feel great! I cant wait to get a digital and show ya all. It will probably be winter by time I purchase it, cuz the greenhouse comes first.

Lucky you with the rose. It sounds like quite the little trooper. And you definitely have your priorities straight greenhouse first camera second lol. It sure will be fun to see your stuff though.

Well today I gathered up a bunch of the leaves to spread over the ground near the peonies. I was reading that they like leaf mulch during the summer and hay/pine nettle mulch during the fall/winter. Hope I'm doing the right thing but they were looking alittle wilted and I am afraid I'm going to loose them after the transplant. Crossing all crossable parts here. I love peonies and I really want these to survive and grow and thrive and give me bunches and bunches of flowers lol. So I'll mulch and pray over them and pretty much make a fool of myself over them but what the heck. Why not. I'm smashing my egg shells up so that I can have a little eggshell mulch around my hostas lol. That should look interesting. I'm always finding something to do out in the garden. That's my favorite part. I just wish I lived somewhere where the temperatures weren't so high most of the time that it was hard to get out in the garden to putter.

Today I watered the conatiner plants and pulled one of them that looked awful. I had some sweet alyssum growing in a pot that was a lil root bound so I transplanted some of it in to the wall sconsca that I had to pull from. Fertalized everything includeing the neighbors petunias from last year around his mail box. Weeded that area too it looked awful. Cleaned half the pool still got half to do but I am gonna need some help with that part too heavy for me to maneuver myself. Probably be a few weeks before hubby can help me with that since he is scheduled for the next few Saturdays. UGHHHHHHHH. I found some blooms on my pasion plant today. I swear that thing was 3 little 3 inch starts and it is huge a month and a half later. It has covered the trellis and is needing a larger one. I am starting to worry about the darn moon vine not a bloom on it yet but the vine its self is huge. That is getting irritating. I want flowers not vines. Well other then the usual weeding and picking the faded blooms from the petunias that was it for me today. I am gonna pay for my lazy days this week. I just know I am gonna be overwhelmed next week but since my son will be in school I think I can catch up pretty quick and continue to enjoy him until next Tuesday!

TK I am starting to think this is just our own lil personal journal of work. Which is sorta cute! Have a wonderful day tomorrow girl and keep up the hard work!

You keep going to. Well sometimes other things require attention and the garden may not get first dibs but they'll be back. I've got to wait until this evening before I can water and I pretty much have to wait for everything else because it's so hot that I can't really go out for any useful amount of time now. Maybe I'll invest in a high watt light and start gardening at night lol. What do you think of that plan lol. I know I'm a little nutty today.

Tk my neighbors think I am nuts, my husbands grandmother got me a huge camping light. lol

She called one night and asked for me I was walking around looking at things in the yard. The next day she came over with it from her garage, said here for your nightly garden walk. Ya know the blooms do look a lil different in the moon light then the sun, why not enjoy them at all times.

Today I just watered the container plants and played. It was windy here so we flew kites. It was a wonderful day! Not even the most beautiful flower is as beautiful as my babies running in a field with kites behind them.

My little boy picked me a bouquet of wild flowers and surprised me. There were 3 of us moms out there today and I was the only one to get a gift! I realy felt special!

Well I had an inclination it was comeing and by golly this morning it was there! Posion ivy all over my face. I know I din pull any, but I weeded around the telephone pole yesterday where it used to be a few weeks ago I think when I rested my hand on the pole it got some left over oil on it from the ivy. Then I proceded to wipe sweat away from my eyes itch my ears and go back to work. Thought it was there lastnight when we were flying kites, confirmed those suspicions when I woke up this morning with my eyes swollen shut and ears on fire. Hubby insisted on takeing me to the dr. who insisted on giveing me a shot in my hiney. Like I needed pain in both ends! He gave me 21 pills to take in 7 days. They knock me out. I look like a cyclopse! No garden work for me today to say the least! Good news is that the Dr. told hubby to stay home with me at least until Wednesday to help since I took the medecine and fell asleep like 10 minutes later. WHich freeked my husband out especially since I take medication for sleep nightly that frequently doesnt do the trick. While I was awake thought I would see what was going on here. I am gonna read a bit and go eat something adn take more pills :rolleyes:

Scratch your itces for me!

Oh when hubby (Rick) went to get the script filled he also got me a beautiful coral orange gladiouls. He planted it in the yard for me I can look out the window and see it. I have never seen one with such beautiful bold color. HE said he saw it and it was so me he had to buy it. So I guess in some little way some garden chores got done!

Hi Karrie That's such a sweet thing he did It got an 'awwwwwwwww' award from yours truly! I'm sorry to hear about your PI, and hope it goes away sooner than the 7 days.

Well the swelling is down and both eyes are open! YEah!!!!!!!! I had to go out and fix them he didnt break up the dirt around them and only dug the hole with the spade big enough to shove them down in to. I broke them up in to 2 different bunches as there was a total of 8 little bulbs in the pot. A good deal I thought for a lil 5 dollar pot from wal-mart. I realy hope they do well they are simply a beautiful color!

http://images.google.com/imgres?img...se%2Bbush%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D

THat is a pic of my rose bush. The glads are just a little bit brighter orange. I now want to find some yellow glads to put with the orange since they are close to the rose what a beautiful display that will make next year!

Ohh Nice color! When we planted our rosegarden we got one that color, may be a bit lighter - but it's still just little stumps That one and the JFK we planted didn't do well at all - saw 2 little leaves on the JFK a few times, but it never was able to take off. We'll leave them till next year and see what happens. Do you have trouble with black spot? I thought I had it licked, but it came back on me...grrrrr I think it's just that this is such a humid area that there's just no way - but then someone posted here from florda who had a hundred million roses, so I dunno

I planted some glad corms in June that I won at a baby shower and they're coming up now. All theones that have bloomed are white so far - they're really pretty! It's just too bad they're right up against the white house Oh well at least we can move glads around eh?

Glad to hear your eyes are open now! Take care of that PI so you can get back out in the garden soon!

Thanks Mary. Actually that rose bush was one my husband called me and said hey go here they have a rose bush waiting in the office for you to pick up. He was on his way outta town for work saw it as he drove by and then went in had them hold it in the office for me to go pick up. I drove an hour to get that sucker, and it has been so worth it. I have on it 8 open roses and about 10 buds. It has had an abundance of blooms since I put it in at the minimum 4 at once with 5 buds but usually about 6 to 8 open and many buds waiting. Rick knows that its my favorite color so when he saw the rose he knew I would love it. It is the only rose I have actually dont care for them much usually. But before when I had them I realy din know what to do to take care of them. I grew up in a family where no one gardened......cept my grand parents who I only got to visit 2 times a year. I have learned so much from the internet and folks here. I realy had a pasion for flowers but no knowledge. With the success I have had with that bush there will be more roses in my yard in the future. The hubby wants a rose garden. Think I do too.

That's great! I don't think I've seen that many at once on my bushes just yet. They're all 2 year bushes, and we did cut most of them down to the ground at least once because of black spot.

ME TOO!

Didn't mean to discourage you - hope I didn't. I love roses, they remind me of home and my mom & dad (the good memories ) so I'd like to try to keep them going, even if they're never 'perfect'

Not discouraged at all! Actually I have more confidence now then ever with them. I have had no spots on them and did find a few japanese beetles on them yesterday which hubby also put some seven dust on it today for me I noticed. I am thinking this is his only flower pasion he loves roses his grandmother had a huge rose garden she toiled after he remebers that. His grandmother raised him. I think we can do this as a way of bonding and some constructive quality time together. We have been married for 10 years we are only 30. I think we need some common hobby and I think this is going to be it. I was so hyped when he showed excitement to the rose like he did. I realy din care for roses like i said, but he is makeing a soft spot in my heart for them. I love flowers but am more a petunia day lilly girl roses have never been my thing but they can be our thing!

Whew what a morning. I lost two peonies I think. Turned the compost bin upside down and mixed it all up with some new green and brown. I don't have nearly enough green to do much good as far as heating it up but I did what I could.

It's nice and moist in there anyway so I can probably go several days without having to water it. I took some compost out and put in the lower bed that I need to fill for next years flowers.

I won't be planting it until spring I don't think but who knows I may find a full sun seed that needs fall outdoors planting running around the apartment somewhere lol.

It's so aggrevating that the compost is so close to done. If I hadn't put the newspaper in there the entire can would be done by now grrrrrrh. Oh well there isn't anything I can do about it so I'll just keep turning every week until it's black gold.

Lets see I dug up some grass that is growing on top of the concrete where my compost bin is. Has something to do with the area never being swept until this year when I started the garden and as a consequence began keeping the area around my stuff picked up too.

That's a good thing at least.

Now I need to get back out there and sweep up around where I dumped out the compost to turn it lol. Whew, did that and swept some of the gravel back into the mudpuddle depression and I'm absolutely purple and dripping sweat. Whis the temperature would go down some.

TK its a nice 70 here this morning but with rain! I so wanted to prepair a few little areas for some holly hock seeds while it was comfortable. I have a few things I need to get planted before the end of August according to what directions I have been given. I realy need a tiller. Maybe I can get a greenhouse for our aniversary ahd he can get a tiller.........I dont think he will fall for it though, especially since for fathers day "he" got a john deere with a garden cart. That he had only rode once and that was to pick up beer at mom and dads for a party!

Well its another rainy day here! First time in weeks we have had temps comfortable for working in and it rains! I am about to put on a slicker and head out, if I thought the kids would allow it. They'd wanna play in the rain too, which I normally wouldn't have a problem with but they both have colds! Yeah you read that right colds in this darn weather. I think the shots got em down a lil. Well forecast says rain all day I needed to mow and get some areas dug up for some fall flowers, guess its all gonna have to wait.

You can send the rain this direction. I could use a bunch and cooler temperatures too. I pulled up some weeds around the compost bin and then added some mimosa leaves and then some brown leaves hopefully that will get something going. That bin just isn't interested in heating up anymore lol. And it's bad because it's almost black gold but not quite. Makes life just a little bit difficult lol. Next sunday it'll got out on the yard no matter what and the bugs can finish off decomposing it. My patience has worn alittle thinner than is workable for me lol.

I lost several of my tomato plants that hurts my feelings and another zinnia bit the dust that wasn't a very happy situation either. The miniature snapdragon foliage is looking a little thin and in general the garden is looking like it's been way to dry this year. So for my 3 season garden next year I am looking into drought tolerant plants. Hopeful I can find enough to get something pretty going. But Hopefully things will get better.

Sorry to hear about your losses TK, My petunias in the wall sconscas look like such crap they are about to go. The glads that my husband got for me look like crap too. Not sure if its transplant shock or because I seperated them from the original grouping. They were all seperate bulbs in the same container so its not like I divided them from one plant. But the grass is yellowing, that realy had me depressed. All I can do is let them go till they brown and then cut back and hope for the best. I am honestly about done for the year I am starting to think. I keep day dreaming about the green house and planning for next year. Actually I am kinda ready for winter! Its been too #*!* hot this year!

I am so right there with you with your thinking that you could have been reading my mind. This morning I was busy looking for drought tolerant zone 7 plants that bloom at different times during the year to plant next year so I don't have these loses. They just hurt to much. I've found several so it looks like I may be able to pull it off which has me rather happy. And at least the portulaca, chives, green onions, and marigolds look like they are going to do fine so I can plan on using their seeds to plant something for next year. And if the columbine and snapdragons come back this fall then I can plant those too. So what I've done this year won't be a complete loss. I definitely want some of those Heuchera (Coral Bells or Alum-Root) ‘Amber Waves’ they are listed as drought tolerant and I love the idea of fall colors during the spring. That would be so cool.

Yeah I do love those orange coral bells! Such beauty in that color. You might want to look in to some sedum, is quite drought tolerant and hardy. Its a ground cover but comes in an aray of color varieties I have dragons blood and tri color. They are on the side of my house tat receives full sun and its also hard to water due to its location. Also the soil there is very shallow due to the bed being raised on the driveway side of the house. I water them never and they look real good. The tri color is quite pretty too. Their great if you dont have to have actual blooms on everything, the tricolor does have tiny tiny little what looks like pink roses on it though. http://www.santarosagardens.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=214 There are some real pretty red varieties as well an some wiht a blue color to them. I have this one here its quite pretty . http://www.outsidepride.com/store/catalog/Sedum-Dragons-Blood-p-16467.html There is another one I want its called voodoo its got a nice kinda violet red color to it cant find a picture of it that shows the true color, but its pretty too. Some may even be evergreen to your climate.

I love your links I spent about 1 1/2 hours looking through their items for drought tolerant flowers to put in my 3 seasons garden. I'm getting there. I found a couple in those links, Thank you. And thank you so much for the rain. It finally got here and none to soon. I was just dying in the heat. This is much better. I have the door and windows open and just feel so much better.

I did get the mowing done yesterday! It looks so darn good. It felt great. Picked enough wild black berries to make 2 pies today! I need to get out and weed eat but other then that and watering the container plants its gonna be a lazy daisey kinda day!

I think I'm very happy I don't have to mow lol. I went out to get some grass comming up around my glad bed so it wouldn't get inside it and reak havoc Of course some of the grass was that sharp edged stuff and I didn't know until I sliced my finger open good. So now I'm typing very badly with my taped up finger lol.

I hate berry cane because of the thorns but that's just me. I had to combat a patch of it behind one of my dads houses and it was so difficult to get rid of. But I guess if you had a large enough yard it would be ok to have some.

I need to do some digging around in the beds where I put down the extra leaves because boy howdy are there bugs all over.

Well I definitely went out there and bugged the bugs lol. Since there isn't enough stuff to make a good hot compost bed out there the bugs are doing it the slow way. But I still needed to get under there and dig up more of the clay so that's what I did this morning. I got 3 feet done and another 3 feet to go. It's the lower tier where I moved the peonies that I worked on today. Tomorrow or later today I will go after the bed where I planted the wild garlic and nothing happened. To much clay I'm sure. Even wet it is hard as a rock under there. But I'm going to fix that.

Did some indoor gardening last night too. So many of the pots had those low spots in them that I decided that it was time to use some of my miracle grow to fill them up. Can someone explain to me where the soil goes? That's very confusing for someone like me who has never had plants before. Are they eating the dirt?

Well I'm very proud of my self anyway. I'm that much closer to having nice beds on the bottom tier of the garden. After I finish that off I plant to work on the glad bed again. I noticed while I was out there that some of the grass has already invaded the bed and I need to get that out of there. I also want to breakup the soil and add some more compost to it.

If I learned it right the new bulb/crom? Will grow on top of the old one so it's going to need an inch of new soil added to that bed or the crom is going to start creeping up. And with the clay I had to fight to get it in the ground in the first place I don't think there was that much top soil to begin with.

I can't wait to get my own place where I can have everything my way lol. I am so spoiled.

I emptied the wall sconces today. It looks so sad out there. Even yellowish plants looks better then no plants. I want to put in some mums in them, but feel guilty spending the money so foolishly. They wont last too long in the containers but would sure look pretty. I love the containers but there are so many. I just cant make up my mind to do it or not. I mowed the front yard again, seems like I need to mow about every 4 to 5 days lately. Well the beautiful blue sky let go while I was out there so only the front yard got mowed, but everything including me and the kids got a good watering. Since there was no thunder or lightening we played in the rain. It was nice. Other then that just attacked some grass and weeds popping up in a few places. I need to weed around the large bed in the front the weeds are creeping in from the sides. Not sue what to do about that. Its is cut in to the ground so its inevitable that stuff is gonna creep in. I could put in that black tube landscaping trim but I really wanted to go natural, so I guess pulling it out is as natural as it can get!

TK I sure hope you get your own place someday. Your compassion for an area that is not even yours is so admirable. I hope others there appreciate all you do for them!

I don't have flowerbeds exactly I have places with weeds and places with flowers and places with clay that i am working on getting the weeds out of lol.

I think if I had a lawn I would look into finding out which weed and feed type stuff was best and then put that on the lawn very carefully so it didn't get on the flowers lol. But I could be totally wrong cause I don't have any lawn to speak of. And then there is the fact that i'm not organic. Just cheap lol.

Well it is raining just the littlest bit but I got out there and dug up that last three feet of clay and added leaf mulch to it. It will probably pack right back down to clay until I can get some sand to add to it. I'm not at all sure how I'm going to pull that off. But where there is a will there is a way I guess.

I've also started adding height around the edge of the glad bed since when the leaves die back that is going to have to have about an inch of soil added to it so that next years bulbs don't pop right out of the ground lol. Are those bulbs or croms? I get so confused lol.

Well today was a wonderful day. The landlord brought over a huge bag of grassclippings for the compost bin. So I played in the compost for almost 2 hours. I took some of the finished compost over to the new flower bed that I'm working on. And then I layered the new grass clippings into the partially composted stuff that I am still working on. Hopefully by mid September that will be ready to go and i can add it to the bed just in time for the fall planting. Woohoo fantastic. I'm just a very happy camper today. Then this after noon I got back out there and gathered up some leaves to add to it because I am somewhat light on brown with that much green coming in all at once. But it sure heats up the bin in a supper hurry lol. I hope it doesn't cause any more grass pellets that was a pain to work with lol.

You can tell I'm kind of excited right? Yeppers I am. Hope you are having a good day.

I din do much work in the yard today. Of course I walked around ane enjoyed everything and worked on some ideas for gardens next year. Harvested some seeds from the neighbors snapdraggons. And weeded his flower beds. Kinda took it easy this weekend. Seems weird to not have to water all the container plants!

Yep I did the walk around too. This morning I noticed that where I have the edging some grass has decided to make a home so I may get out there after that this afternoon. This morning I was working on getting browns to top off the compost bin. And making a pile of extra leaves that I can use once what I have has broken down some. I have a poplar tree that is shedding it's leaves early for some reason and that has allowed me to continue composting right through the summer.

I also crushed up some eggshells for putting around my hosta. It's only about a 3 inch ring but then the hostas are babies this year anyway so it's enough. Hopefully by next month I'll have a ring around each of the three. It looks very unfinished right now since two of them have the eggshell mulch and one doesn't lol. But I've been lucky so far and the sluggs haven't found them yet.

Well today it was clean out the shed. So I could clean out my train planter and put it away for the season. I just love that lil thing. weed around the premiter of the large bed still got a ways to go on that one though. And pulled the last of the petunias in the front. The ones on the side of hte house are still beautiful as ever! I was sitting in my neighbors house the other day she has a beautiful view of my petunias from her couch. I was so jealous. They are on the side where I dont get to sit and look at them through a window. Hopefully by next summer the front bed will take off so I can watch it from the couch. They have a great view. They should send me a thank you card! lol I bet they dont even appreciate it only green the like is the cold hard kind in your hand! lol Not much else to do out there now other then swing!

Yep I have a view of route 1. And the trucks and the buses and the commercial buildings. Not a pretty view at all. The garden is at the back and I have a front apartment. But that's ok, I enjoy the gardening and I can always walk back there to take a look. A have frosted windows, and an indoor garden in my livingroom window so it looks pretty nice. Not as nice as a good view of an outdoors garden but nice.

Today I deadheaded the snapdraggons. My goodness those things have gotten huge, I am thinking maybe one more set of blooms before they go. Thinking means hopeing! cut back the hydrenga. Well baicly I just piddled around the yard for a bit. Its spitting rain now and then so it was a quick visit with the flowers and back in to the cave!

It's raining here to and I love it. I went out to look around and harvested two tomatoes. I think considering the condition of the soil this year that the plants have done amazingly well. But they have certainly now produced very large fruit. Next year if I decide to try tomatoes and that's questionable at this point I will definitely add almost all compost to that bed to a height of at least 6 inches. That should give the plants something to work with.

I'm thinking about adding some late Hollyhock seeds to the bulb bed so that they will pop up this year and bloom next year. I started some earlier and they have come up pretty quickly so I think I can get away with planting some more. Which is a cool thing lol.

Well that's about all for me at this point.

Well TK you just inspired me to go plant my Hollyhock seeds. I think I will plant half of them and save the other half for spring planting. I will give em each a year and see which method workes best for me. I will be back later to post on the rest of my daily adventures!

Definitely half and half because I think they are biennial so I'll get foliage one year and blooms the next so I want to stagger the planting over two years so I always have some that will bloom each year. That's how it works isn't it? I'm really glad you got inspired.

Woohoo I turned the compost bin. There wasn't much finished compost in there that time and it hadn't heated up the way I expected either but I sure did. I'm dripping sweat inside in the airconditioning. But it only took me about 45 minutes to turn this time and I was able to add about 4 buckets of brown to the mix so I am hoping for good things. The poplar tree that was shedding leaves has stopped so I'm not going to have any brown to use on the compost pile next week which is a bad thing because I used up my "extra" brown pile this week. I guess I'll just have to dig around and see what I can find. At least the landlord won't be adding anymore green for a couple of weeks so I have a chance to even the ratio out.

Well with luck the ground should be nice and soft in the bulb bed for me to add the Hollyhocks this evening after it has cooled of some. I don't think I want to try this at midday lol. I'm for a shower to rinse some of this dirt off. See you this evening after the planting season lol.

Ok Sunday evening is here, my back aches, my feet ach, and my arms achbut my heart is content and joyous. My Hollyhock are planted. My delphinium is planted. My husband and I dug up a 6 x 5 bed for them dug down about 8 inches deep discarded that part of the dirt. Dug up about another 6 inches loosened the soil and added garden soil. Which by the way I got a great deal on. It was on sale at walmart for 50 cents for a 50lb bag. I swear every time I take that man out with me everything ends much larger then I had intended, but I am not complaining. Except it takes lot of begging and cooking to get him out there. lol I think that area is going to be so pretty with pink Hollyhock black Hollyhock and 4 different colors of delphinium. We are going to put a white picket fence around this area to help stake the flowers next year. Should look cute.

We got the mowing done and took a load of stuff from grandmas to the dump for her. And competely finished cleaning out our storage area. Also got the invisible fence for the dog moved so she cant get to the new flower bed. We also dug out the area around a rather large property marker we have its a large cement X that marks the property line. Well since we own both properties on each side we dug out all around it. I planted an iris bulb and some daffodil bulbs, after they are cut back we are going to throw some Zennia seeds for the summer and fall color there. I tried to pull out that pin when we first moved in here I thought it was something that the construction crew left there. I about tore my truck up. Then the neighbor comes over and explained to me what it was. I have lived here my whole life it is the only one like it in the area. I din know all the others are just little metal pegs in the ground.

Whewww what a day! No wonder I am wore out!

Next weekend we are going to try to find another barrel for compost the hubby is really jumping in on that with me. I am so pleased he is starting to show some interest in it. His grandma told him his grandfather used to love to compost when he was young, and since his grandfather is his hero/idol that was all the inspiration he needed. We got hibiscus seeds from the flowers his grandfather planted 15 years ago. We need to find a place for them. I think we can wait till spring for them.

We found the cutest little brick at the dump I brought it home it will make a perfect planter when I figure out where to put it. It is probably 2ft by a foot and a half large square with a lot of little holes 1 inch by 3 inch long around the outside edge and a large center hole. I think I will plant some sweet alyssum in he little holes and a gerber daisey in the large one or some coleus. (sp) Well I think that sums up my day. I love days like this where so much is accomplished!

It sounds like you had a really busy one. I went shopping and spent all my money lol. And came home and the landlord had overloaded my compost bin with grass clippings. Now they are heaped all around the compost bin because I didn't have the energy left to sweep them all up I will do that tomorrow.

Well Tk now you have something to look forward to tomorrow! All my work is done, so I made arrangements to go to mom and pops and do some yard work there! What an idiot I am! What did ya get anything pretty for Lady Huh?

Well yesterday I managed to get out there and make a temporary compost heap to store the grass clipping until I can figure out what to do with them and now it's time to get out there and sweep up the grass that I missed. Which I noticed that there was a bunch of around the bin. Soooooo of I go. Talk to you later.

Everything is swept up so I think I am all caught up for the moment lol. Hope the bin heats up this time. Take care.

Good Job TK. I spent the day shopping with my momma, she wants new curtains! We are going to have to go back out and look again no place had enough to cover her windows. I am wore out but it was a nice day! I drug her to the library too! She was so surprised when she went in! Our library has a whole floor dedicated to children. Rocking chairs by windows with flowers and bean bag chairs, big floor pillows for them to sit on. A wall with a huge bug collection on it, and a little stage area for puppet shows and a box full of puppets. I love it there and so do my kids. My mother did too. Hopefully I can get her to go a little more often. More library and less walmart! lol No yard work today!

It sounds like a wonderful day. Glad you and your mom had such a nice day.

Well today I finally planted the Hollyhocks I wanted to get in this year. I was suprised at how much work it took to get the soil moist. I definitely need to get some of those water-keep pellets. That will make it much easier to keep my plants happy. Even the compost gets dry and then doesn't want to absorb much moisture. But while I was planting the Hollyhocks I ran into some of the wild garlic that I thought hadn't sprouted. I'm very happy to see it there. Hopefully I didn't bother it to much and it will continue to grow.

I cleaned out the truck today! Since hubby and I switched vehicles it needed cleaned! It is so clean now and looks great. Hubby said ewwwwwww looks like a girls truck. How is that since I only cleaned it and took the spitoon out. MEN!

Other then that we went to the park and beach and had a picnic, with my neighbor/best friend! Then we came home and flew kites. Its great to be a mommie! It was a great sunny day! Decided to enjoy it to the fullest!

sounds like a really great idea. Glad you had a wonderful day.

darn the post just went lunar. And I'm about to go ballistic. Grrrrrrh!!!!!

As I started to say. I've been a very busy girl. I harvested some portulaca seeds. I transplanted some portulaca so that I can try to overwinter them inside. I got a package of seeds put together to send off. Missed the mailman but they are ready for the next time he comes by. I guess that will be tuesday lol.

Tommy says he'll be by between 2 and 4 to pick me up for a grocery run that would be swell if it happens.

And I separated out some seeds so that I could package them up and add them to the seed exchange room. I'm not finished with that chore so I haven't done it yet but I'm getting there. And of course now I have that pile of assorted unidentified seeds that fall to the bottom of your seed storage space over time. Any ideas what I am suppose to do with those? I just can't seem to throw them away. Maybe this fall I'll just toss them on the ground of the part of the weed patch i'm not allowed to garden. If they grow it's not my fault right? lol I'm bad lol.

Woohoo turned the compost today and it is looking so good. I was afraid it was going to be a big problem since I was short brown. But it's comming along nicely inspite of not generating the amount of heat I had hoped for. And yesterday my landlord brought me another load of grass and dumped it on the extra pile I started so that's great. I mixed it in with what I had already and will see what happens. The weed/brush killer I got seems to be working on the smaller minosa trees which is a really good thing. It also seems to have accidently killed the neighbors blackberry and strawberry plant. Oh well. Planting them in amongst the weeds I guess you have to expect that.

Wheeew what a day! Got the kids fort repaired. It needed to be redone on the sides because they were useing it like a ladder to climb on the roof. Now it runs up and down on the walls so no ladder effect! Built my compost bin (about time huh). Weeded the flower beds and Made a bench to put beside the fort. We covered one whole side of it with those rock things to make a rock wall outta it. The kids loved it. Got 2 of the 4 trellis's put in for next years morning glory garden! I just love this weather here lately! Also weeded the cracks from grannys drive way so we can seal it in a few weeks. I think I am going to go to menards and see if there is something we can put in those cracks to fill them in before we seal it this time. She so hates the weeds poking up through them, it doesnt look too good I must confess.

Did you use the weed killer that is suppose to keep them away for a year? Or you might think about pouring some boiled salt water down there. I'll tell you the salt vinegar dishsoap weed killer really ran off the weeds they haven't been back in that bed at all and I had a bunch. Of course it hasn't been anywhere near a year yet so who knows right?

The portulaca held their flower and extra day when I moved them inside and seem to be doing fine. I am really pleased. Woohoo. lol. I'm such a nut.

Sounds like you completed some very ambitious plans yesterday. Good for you. I just noticed it's getting close to noon and I haven't had breakfast yet. I need to get going on something I think.

Well my chores where the inside types of chores today lol. I was looking up all of the types of seeds I have to find out when and how I should plant them. Needless to say I want to be ready when fall gets here so that I can spend day after day planting. I am soooooooo looking forward to that. Just call me crazy I guess. So far I have seven different types of seeds that I want to try fall planting with they are:

Portulaca
Celosia 2 different variety
Miniature snapdragons 3 different variety
Columbine of many different colors
Lobelia "Crystal Palace"
Alpine Sea Holly
Bells of Ireland

I'm so excited about it I'd like to run outside and plant them right now but I have to wait on the compost and the weather to get just a little colder. But Just a couple more weeks and I can start on them. Woohoo!!!!!

Today I filled the compost bin about half way up with brown and some green. I think I am going to have to add more green though. I raked leaves from the neighbors yard to put in it. They had one tree that was just brown and orange and it had a ton of leaves under it. I got quite a few. I had a dog cage for a large dog, I filled it with the leaves and placed it beside the bin so as I add some green or table scraps I can throw some in as well. I bet the neighbors are gonna love me. It looks nice and tidy though. Not like I have a pile of leaves sitting there they are all contained.

I sealed the back patio for the season and want to do it once again before winter. I think I may get some bids on some concrete work to enlarge it a little more. It is currently 16ft by 18ft I think I would like to add another 8ft on each side make it 24 x 26ft. You can never have enough patio space. I need to do it now before I start planting around it this coming spring. So many wants so little funds. If I do the patio I will have to skimp on the greenhouse I want. Poooh! But the patio will help increase the value of the house, which is important! Need to make wise choices! Sniff Sniff........Maybe mom and dad will fund some of the greenhouse for christmas. They are sending sister and brother in law away for 3 day trip. Half the greenhouse won't cost near as much! Now how to go about asking hummmmmmmmmmmmm.

Dear Santa letter ya think? I swear mom and dad I still believe!

LOL that's cute. I'm sure your mom and dad would probably get a kick out of that as well. I would try it on a very pretty although young looking large christmas card. What do you think?

I'm not much into patios I like the idea of a solarium on the southern facing side of the house and a mudroom between the outside and the backdoor into the house but that's about it. And a solarium really isn't that different from a greenhouse except one side is a shared wall between the house and outside. And it's easier to have piped in water if there is a spigot on that side of the house. Plus it adds a layer of protection from the weather so that you loose less heat/cooling. Anyway that's just me.

We will eventually close in the patio and make it a sun room if I have it my way or a game room if hubby gets his way. But I try to do imporvements a little at a time so as to increase the value of the house without hurting our pocket book.......The cost of liveing is doing that for us lately. But since my hubby gets paid weekly and our budget is set up for 4 pay periods a month that leaves an extra check every few monthes and when it doesnt go to pay a hospital or doctor bill it goes in to the house. A little at a time slowely but surly. In the mean time I just count my blessing for what I am fortunate enough to have.

As far as the christmas card good thinking. Maybe I otta use a crayon to write the letter in it. Lol I am rotten!

I think a crayon is the perfect writing instrument. And form the letters kinda crooked lol. That would just be great wouldn't it.

Have a good night.

Well other than watering the seeds I've planted so far all the rest of the work has been planning and research. Not exactly outdoorsy stuff. I had no idea this much brain work went into gardening. Hope no one reads that and takes exception lol. But you know what I mean I hope. Which plant can you plant in your zone, what kind of care does it need to sprout and then what care does it need once it's mature and then how long does it live and then how long does it bloom for and that's just the beginning of what I need to know before I decide if and where I want to put one little seed. Geeeeeeeeeeeeee whizzzzszzzz!!!

And my other project is trying to get at least one portulaca of each color that I have indoors for the over winter experiment. So far I know I have the following colors:

White
Light Yellow
Dark Yellow w/red splotch
Pale Pink/peach
Mid pink
Dark Pink/fusia
Dark Orange

I know I have a red one some where. But if I've captured it it hasn't bloomed since I brought it indoors. I really really hope this works.

Well the streaker came and got me to show me where some volunteer portulaca were trying to survive in some curb dirt from last years plants. So I dug them out and moved them over into the garden with the other ones. They are much smaller than the ones in the garden bed but they also have many many more branches. Anyone know why?

watering today and day dreaming about a greenhouse for the winter! To be honest their is not alot of garden work to do around here this time of year. I will be decorating outside here in a few weeks for fall. We put up corn stalks and some bails of hay with pumpkins and gords around them. I just love fall! I simply cannot wait for all the beauty to fill my yard. (beauty = orange yellow and red leaves) lol

What are you planning on doing with the portulaca indoors this winter? I purchased some beautiful portulaca flower seeds for next year. Did you start yours from seed, or did you purchase plants? I am curious as to how long it will take a seed to mature and fill my containers out front.

I started my portulaca indoors last year from seed. They didn't grow as fast as I would have liked but that might have been my fault. I have a hard time remembering when to fertilize. And I still have many that are a single stem. Or are just barely beginning to branch now. I think I need a master gardener next door so that I can get a good look at the plant spacing I should have used so they wouldn't have gotten so crowded. I have a real problem with that. I would like the garden to look very full so I crowd things and it just causes them to look sickly and spindle. Does that qualify as live and learn?

seeds, fertilizing, spacing, learning...
hooper, you have busted your butt this summer with your plants, and I am so impressed.
Just wanted to tell you that.

Cindy

Hey Cindy,

Thank you so much for your kind words. I must say that you and the other members made it 100 times more enjoyable. I've really had fun every step of the way since I had you all to share it with. Today I took some dryed cherry tomato seeds and put them in the last seed envelope you sent me. And I can say that everyone that was involved with the failed overseas shipment of seeds has now been responsible for starting a number of gardens this year. So out of a booboo comes a good thing. I should have kept track of how many gardens got a boost through the seeds that were sent but I didn't think of it until it was tooooooooo late.

So here is the list of seeds I felt I just had to buy today. I am sooooooo bad.

Sparkler Allium Mix
Impatiens rose Parade Hybrid Series - Red
CELOSIA MIX
DUSTY MILLER SILVER
SALVIA MIX
SNAPDRAGON MIX
CORAL BELLS RUBY BELLS
CORAL BELLS, NEWEST HYBRIDS
CHRISTMAS rose
LOBELIA, CARDINAL flower
SALVIA X SUPERBA, BLUE QUEEN

I hope at least some of them survive. Have you noticed that burpees just cannot keep seeds in inventory? I thought swallowtail and 2bseeds had more in stock. Although once people find them they will probably be without also. I just wanted to get them now because the stores around here have already stopped selling seeds and potting soil and compost and won't start until April 2006 which is way to late as I found out this year. But I'm ahead of them this time lol.

Gardencrazy sent me pond plants that multiplied so much I have sent them to I don't know how many people...and they still keep multiplying!
I say "PASS IT ON!"

I think I can arrange for some more seed packs.....

Cindy

Save your money and time sweetheart. I know you have more on your plate than anyone would care to have. I'm recycling all my used table let paper and it's suprising how much I accumulate lol.

Well, me? I'm just transplanting the weeds more than anything . . . they're the ones you can be sure will come up in spring, so you mights as well put them where you want 'em.

Most of my weeds, however, have become plants, so they are allowed to be given some attention.

A little of that plantain that makes the wee flower is ok around a spot in the bricks that has nothing - those hokey tall things that get as tall as myself . . . I don't know the name of them, they're green, white spots occur in the leaves but when you put a bunch together they look like there's something intelligent planted there.

My lobelias came in for their second bloom - I'm not bringing them into the house; they are bi-annual, so I read. I planted one that got really big under the tree on the south lot.

If they're going to die, they can do it in the ground - better than the compost heap.

I know I'm not going to have room for all this stuff inside the apartment or the any other part of the building.

Besides, the place where I put the lobelias had some wild ones that looked just like them growing there in spring, so they might have a chance.

It's some adventure isn't it? Planting and hoping. I don't have enough indoor space to save everything either. But I at least got some of the portulaca in and it seems to be doing well so far. I of course have herbs indoors. I think I'm just to lazy to go all the way to the garden when I want to use some lol.

I'm thinking about trying to save one each of the miniature snapdragons if I can catch them between the time the finish blooming and the winter takes them. It's probably not possible but what the hey. No reason not to try lol.

This morning I got out there and planted a couple of heads of lettuce. I also took an assorted mix of columbines and give them a sprinkle lol. Hopefully something will come up and give the one I have in that location some company. It's looking pretty sad against the snapdragons. Then I went over to the sunny side of the garden and put in some bells of ireland, some Alpine Sea Holly and some celosia. They are all suppose to be able to self seed so we'll give them a chance to do that and if that fails I have more to plant in the spring. It made for a very happy morning for the most part. The mechanic next door had to tell me that my garden was so sickly that there wasn't even anything worth stealing. But other than his idea of humor it was a good morning. Why do people have to be like that? Don't they think I can see that mine isn't as pretty as everyone elses?