Guilty

The volunteer flowers that I have been calling phlox are actually dame's rocket, an invasive. It comes and goes in my yard, so I never thought of it as a problem. In wild preserves, however, it is another story. Sorry.

In more responsible gardening news, the 'Betty Corning' clematis is busting out all over. I was afraid the smallish openings in the trellis would not be sufficient, but never fear. We had to shore up the trellises a couple of times, to keep everything upright. Maybe next year I will give the plants more room - they are kind of smooshed up against the siding.

In other clematis news, the Niobe I have been nursing along for YEARS finally feels comfortable enough to bloom. Maybe next year it will get tall enough to climb its trellis, in the company of black eyed Susan vine. Hopefully, that will be a sight to see.

In other climbing news, I did repot the cardinal vines, into brand new clay pots. (I swear I have a variety of clay pots around here somewhere, but damned if I can find them.) Now they can climb the redbud trees to their hearts' content.

In the reach-for-the-sky department, I picked a nursery brain about the stretchy nature of the purple smoke tree's limbs. She suggested that the poor thing might not be getting enough sun. This makes sense, as since I planted it, the nearby Crimson King maple tree has finally become large enough to shade that corner of the house.

The surprise of the week are these cherries, on the Northern Star tart cherry tree (I think).

I wonder if there will be enough for pie?

In not-so-surprising news, the highbush cranberry viburnum is pumping out the blossoms. I have a love-hate relationship with viburnums, due to some errant purchases several years ago. This one was a good choice, however.

In other fruit and vegetable news, my son and I sampled the first two strawberries of the season. The garlic is going strong, as are the onions. The Irish potatoes are up, but the broccoli appears to be stalled. Ditto some marigolds I planted in the pea/bean beds. Maybe the weather has been too weird lately.

Speaking of weather, it feels rather summery this week, so I planted pole beans, corn, and sunflowers, transplanted tomatoes and hot peppers. I'm holding off on the sweet potatoes, for now.

There is (always) more to report, but I'll save that for another post.

More shopping

Yesterday I stopped by Arbor Farms and arranged (with money) for two trees to be planted in my yard. One is a Triumph Elm (Ulmus 'Morton Glossy'), for the backyard, to shade the deck (someday). The other is a Winter King Hawthorn (Crataegus viridis 'Winter King'), for the front yard. I would have bought more, but one tree I wanted, Perfect Purple Flowering Crab (Malus 'Perfect Purple'), will not be available until midsummer. I'm fine with that, because I need to dig out the old fashioned lilac first anyway. I also considered a Tiger Eyes Sumac (Rhus typhina 'Bailtiger'), to replace the grasses by the front porch, but there was a mature specimen at the nursery and it is not the kind of plant to go next to the house.

Then it was back to Stuckys, as my resistance to their Cardinal Vines had withered. I bought three, to put under the Redbud trees. I'm leaving them in their pots but burying them in the mulch - hope that works out okay. (Or maybe I should transplant them to clay pots? Hmmm.) I also picked up two more lantana for the pergola, plus three different pink petunias for my granddaughter to plant in her little plastic wagon. The petunias are to make up for the fact I accidentally broke the handle on the wagon. Bad grandma.

Meanwhile, I continue to chip away at the lost cause of a backyard I have. Most of the south shrub bed is edged and somewhat weeded and trimmed. I uncovered four out of five Blue Hostas I planted there a while back, plus a holly that is languishing amongst the weeds. There are three clumps of what I think of as ditch lilies, hidden from sight. There are additional holly plants equally languishing beneath the arborvitae. Now that my son has cleared out the area behind the garden, I am contemplating moving all the holly plants (they are still quite smallish) there, to provide some screening (assuming they ever recover and grow to their natural size).

Since the underground utilities will soon be marked for the planting of the trees, today my son and I cleared out the wilderness area where much of the marking will occur, including the pathway of the shallowly buried fiber optics cable. I also started some seedlings for squashes, cukes, and pumpkins. I used to direct seed these, but discovered I have better success this way. HOPEFULLY, this week I can transplant the tomatoes and direct seed the beans and corn. I did direct seed some zinnias where the transplants succumbed to a recent frost. (Stupid weather.)

Let's see - anything else? We weeded the blueberry patch and discovered that, although the rabbits had eaten the three remaining plants to the ground, they had recovered enough to make a showing. This year I WILL protect them with poultry netting. I've been wondering if situating the bird bath under the tulip tree has contributed to its sparrow problem, so I moved the birdbath. And speaking of birds, I was wrong about the sparrows and the blue bird boxes. Too bad.

Embarrassing

Which one doesn't look like the other?

I'm not sure what happened here, to make one planter of lettuce robust and the others anemic. Maybe the anemic ones were planted in potting soil from last year, while the robust one received fresher potting soil. Or it could be the other way around. I suspect it is the former, as most of my seedlings also looked anemic, despite treatment with fish emulsion. Does potting soil go bad over the winter?

Last year's potting soil was the standard Miracle Gro stuff from Home Depot, while this year I purchased Miracle Gro Organic Choice, from Costco. The reviews of the latter are mixed, to say the least, but I still think it is the better of the two this spring, if only because it is fresher.

I raised this lettuce to give away, but I'm too embarrassed to gift any but the robust planter. It will go to my neighbor across the street. Maybe I can revive the other planters by side dressing with the newer potting soil.

When the weather is tough, the tough go shopping

The weather is wet and windy and generally yucky. I'd never been to the Master Gardeners plant sale, so I decided today would be a good day to get a lethal chill. There were lots of perennials and a few vegetable plants, plus a few other vendors offered fruit trees and natives. Without a plan, though, I hated to buy stuff just to be buying stuff. I actually walked away plantless.

Since I was in a plant-buying mood, I stopped at Stuckys on the way home and dropped a C-note to help the local economy. I've been wanting to plant something yellow in front of the barberry and have been leaning toward a dwarf golden variety of the same. At Stuckys I spotted a creeping broad-leaved sedge 'Banana Boat' that would offer not only a different color, but different form and texture as well. That's good, right?

It also tolerates clay soil, prefers moisture (its future location is on the wet side of the driveway), and wants to be shaded. If it creeps under the barberry, that is fine with me, but I expect it to be more mound-shaped.

Because I am a sucker for sedum, I picked up a few Sedum rupestre (reflexum) 'Lemon Ball' plants. The bed by the front walk contains quite a few sedums already, both creeping and tall. I am planning to move the 'Autumn Joy' from under the Japanese maple to this bed, but am trying to do it in a more controlled fashion than my usual willy-nilly style.

And yet I made this purchase impulsively.

I wasn't going to grow any tomatoes this year, but my son is staying with me right now and requested some cherries. 'Juliet' (a grape variety) and 'Sunsugar' (a yellow cherry) came home with me. It's the least I can do, in exchange for all the mowing he does for me.

My attempts to grow annual vines look pretty pathetic, and I was tempted by some much more robust specimens at Stuckys, but balked at paying $8 a pop for them (even though they each came with their own little bamboo trellis). The ornamental sweet potato also tempted me, but I opted for the lavender trailing lantana (Lantana Rastrera) instead. Both are attractive to the eye, but the latter is also attractive to butterflies. We'll see how it does on the pergola.

Dem boids

Sparrows have become the bane of my gardening existence. Not only to they mangle the tulip tree, they ruin the pea crop and take over the blue bird houses. I may be gaining the upper hand, though. Hanging strips of mylar (made from a cheapo space blanket) over the peas and topping the blue bird houses with a web of fishing line seem to work.

Just to *prove* both sparrow deterrents work, I sat on the deck for an extended period of time, observing the pea patches and the blue bird houses. Nary a sparrow at either. In fact, there were no birds at all at either. Now that I have foiled the sparrows, maybe some blue birds will actually take up residence.

While keeping an eye out for sparrows, I spotted a rose-breasted grosbeak - actually two - visiting the sunflower seed feeder. I think this is the first time I have seen this species in my yard. Almost makes up for the stupid sparrows.

This bird is supposed to favor orchards. My mini-orchard has eight trees (so far). Maybe that is enough to draw them in.

Today I had a disappointing visit from a local landscape company. My goal was to have them at least clear out the weeds and shit from the two shrub beds that line the backyard, and edge and mulch them. The rep claimed it would cost $2000 in labor alone, to do the job. And then, without constant vigilance on my part, within three weeks the weeds would pop through the mulch. Huh? They must not put down a barrier between soil and mulch. Newspaper works quite well for me. If my brain hadn't gotten stuck at the labor cost, my mouth might have asked about this.

After the rep left, I got a little pissed. This company has the reputation of being the best (if the priciest) here in town. And he did not know the difference between poison ivy and Virginia creeper, nor was he familiar with the Blackhaw Viburnum (which he wanted to prune - why? It has reached its maximum size.) So I took my anger out on the yard, sort of. I edged the hydrangea bed, mulched around the kitchen compost bin, and mulched (with stone) the deck (to discourage burrowing critters).

The rep was impressed with my stunted Serviceberry, but did not notice the rhubarb that ate New York. Or maybe he did not know it was rhubarb.

Can you say "PIE"?

Tulips!

I don't grow tulips because the rabbits eat them. This must be a particularly good year for tulips, though; I see gorgeous displays of them wherever I go. Maybe I should rethink my anti-tulip stance and create a bunny-proof bed for them.

These pix were taken at Foster Park. Not only were there tulips, there were entire beds of forget-me-nots. I love forget-me-nots, but never considered growing them en masse. Another new idea for the yard.

How does one choose from all the wonderful garden design ideas out there?

A couple of perfect days

Finally, it feels like spring. Yesterday I spent a goodly amount of time in the yard, transplanting, seeding, weeding, etc. Today my SO came over and we constructed some cheap, but effective compost bins.

Not a big task, but one more item we can check off the to-do list.

On the not so happy side of the house, I noticed this tent caterpillar nest in the purple sand cherry:

It is the first time I have seen such a thing in my yard. I cut off the branch and burned the nest. I'm hoping that is the end of this story.

One of the areas I weeded yesterday was the bed by the front walk. I dug out the lavender plants and passed them on to my SO, as they were becoming rather unruly. We both puzzled over this plant:

It looks like a salvia, but the foliage at the base is rather dense and spreading, so I fear it is a weed of some sort (whereby "weed" is a plant growing where one does not want it to grow). There are a couple of them, and I'll let them be for now. I have planted so many bulbs and plants into this bed over the past several years that I have lost track of what should be there and what should not.

Finn, the helpful gardening cat, continues to guard the yard. He hasn't caught all the bunnies yet, but I have not seen the woodchuck lately. Maybe he has taken up residence elsewhere. (Knock on wood.)

Although I like my pink flamingos, I have never understood the attraction of garden gnomes. That is, until I found this one at a nearby garage sale.

The resident old fart exclaimed, "I can't believe anyone is buying that ugly thing!" and then promptly dubbed me the Gnome Lady. I've been called worse.

Brrr!

I am so tired of talking about the weather. Wet and windy yesterday, a good day to spend my children's inheritance on the yard. I purchased some "garden fence" at TSC, to (re)build the compost bins that fell apart after many years of service. Then I succumbed to the four Dwarf Gold Mop shrubs I've been coveting. They get only 2-3 feet tall, 3 feet wide, and should camouflage the rabbit damage at the base of the arborvitae. I balked at the price at Stuckey's Greenhouse last year, but after shopping around, discovered it was a good price.

Either bravely or foolishly, I have been transplanting a few things here and there. My annual success story is the continuation of the coleus I favor for the box on the front porch. It does really well and I like the color, so rather than gamble on it being available each year, I save a mother plant in the fall and start cuttings from it in the spring. So far, so good.

I have a love-hate relationship with my lawn. On the one hand, it would be nice if it were weed-free. On the other, I like seeing clover, violets, and other "wild" flowers creep into it. There is a big patch of wild strawberry to the north of the King Crimson maple. I have no explanation as to where it came from or why it likes that spot, but it is welcome to stay.

Last year's rhubarb looked rather anemic. I dosed it well with horse manure this past fall. Now it looks positively robust, just in time for birthday pie, an annual tradition for my kids.

One victim of retirement has been my desire to cook. Consequently, I don't know how I will use up all this garlic. It is fun - and easy! - to grow, but I'm not sure I will continue with it.

A victim of various remodeling projects was my lovely Old Fashioned Bleeding Heart. I replaced it and am happy that the replacement is alive and doing well.

I have yet to capture on "film" the iridescent color of the purple smoke tree leaves. In sunlight, they positively glow. On a gray and gloomy day, this is the closest I can get.

We are supposed to get a couple of sunny-ish days, so between other engagements, I may be found in the yard.

Check that one off the list

I've been wanting to corral the two 'Betty Corning' Clematis growing at the corners of the den (a.k.a. the New Room, a.k.a. the West Wing) for a while (interrupted briefly by the idea of moving them). My original idea was to hang a trellis from each corner, but there were obstacles like downspouts and flood lights. Also, the trellis did not need to be that high. Also, I'm against putting unnecessary holes in my house. My SO and I were contemplating building something from the ground up, but while wandering around the garden section of Home Depot, found trellis panels that fit the bill. Hinging two together for each corner seemed like the simplest thing to do, as then they can be stored in winter.

(Please ignore the weeds and bag o' mulch.)

They are supported by rebar, but otherwise freestanding. We'll see how well the clematis grows through the lattice.

I'm not having much luck getting annual vines started from seed. NONE of the first batch of cardinal climber seeds I purchased from the local Master Gardeners at the Home and Garden show germinated; I'm trying again with the remaining seeds. About half the black eyed Susan vine seeds germinated, so I planted more. Ditto the cypress vine. Some of these are destined to cover the pergola and the red bud trees with summer blossoms, two ideas I'm excited about. To soothe my disappointment, I succumbed to purchasing some fuchsia plants from Kroger.

Unfortunately, these two specimens had no plant tags, so I cannot provide a variety name with any true accuracy.

My son is still here, still mowing and weeding. I'm out in the yard, too, but I'm beginning to see what it must feel like to have an on-site gardener. He also cooks breakfast and washes his share of dishes. I'm going to get spoiled.

It takes a village, or at least a couple of helpers

Today the weather was absolutely perfect - cool but sunny, after a couple of rainy days. My son is visiting, so I put him to work, mowing and cutting down volunteer mulberries and honeysuckle, then he weeded the orchard. Meanwhile, my SO did some repair jobs around the yard and we hung two more planters on the pergola. Their assistance allowed me to clean bird houses, weed, plant peas, spread mulch, etc. If I had been the one to mow, I would have been too tired for anything else. Now I am feeling hopeful.

Last summer I enjoyed a Wild Ones tour and visited the Chicago Botanical Garden. This year I am going on the Garden Bloggers Fling, in Minneapolis. gardeninacity is a regular on these tours, and I have enjoyed his posts in the past, never imagining that I would someday get to go. I didn't realize the only qualification is that one be a garden blogger for at least six months. Believe it or not, I have been at this blog for almost ten(!) years. Also, Minneapolis is not that far away AND a place my SO and I have visited and wanted to return to. My guy helps in the garden but doesn't contribute to the blog, so he will have to entertain himself while I saturate myself in inspiration. I am really excited to be going.

Finn has been doing his job as rabbit controller, catching (and eating) at least three bunnies so far. Today I spotted one in the vegetable garden *and* saw it escape through a gap in the fence. I plugged that hole. Meanwhile, the sparrows are really doing a number on the tulip poplar, stripping bark from the lower branches, presumably for their nests. The poor tree looks positively frayed.

There was a misunderstanding between my garden designing friend and me - basically, he is no longer designing gardens. He did offer up the names of some others who can help me, so all is not lost.

Dog days of April

The weather forecast is for a couple of days of unremitting sunshine, temperatures in the 80's, then it will cool off again. When spring is hot, I think I have missed the window for planting cool weather vegetables. Not so, not yet. Meanwhile, what plants are in (the onions) and up (the rhubarb) look a little bedraggled.

Last fall, I planted and transplanted natives to the south side of the house. This spring, the creeping Charlie threatened to take over the entire bed. Today I carefully removed the latter in order to find the former. It looks like most (maybe all?) of the plants survived. I'm hoping the few no-shows are just late to emerge. It doesn't help that I am unfamiliar with many, hence not sure what they look like when they break through the soil. Fortunately, the newbies (mostly) retained their plastic plant tags. Note to self: find a better way to label plants in situ.

Other tasks tackled this week included a proof of concept: adding hanging planters to the pergola. I purchased five deck planters from Menards, and my SO and I mounted two of them this past Friday. It took us a while, but we figured out how to get them to work. Yay! The annual vines I plan for them are planted indoors and just starting to sprout.

Other indoor plants: zinnias and marigolds are seeded and sprouting, and I potted up the broccoli. Outdoors, the bean poles are standing tall, and I transplanted the lettuce seedlings to lettuce "bowls". And I mowed front and back. I would pay good money for someone to install and maintain a no-mow lawn.

Now it's too cold!

I am not a fan of magnolia, as its beauty is so short lived. Several of my neighbors have them, though, so I get to witness how usually a bit of warmth and a little wind send the blossoms cascading to the ground. This year, the recent cold temps have truly uglified the poor things. The blossoms are mostly brown instead of white. I keep telling my rhododendron to wait, just wait, before blooming, but I'm wondering if their buds are also getting too frosted. I suspect the service berry is toast, too.

The onion plants arrived a couple of weeks ago, but I was afraid to transplant them. Last year they sat in water too long while awaiting relocation to the garden, and many did not survive. This year, I actually planted them in flats where they are doing quite fine. BUT they need to go into the garden proper soon. Maybe next week?

The seed potatoes are here, too, and the goutweed plants arrived yesterday. A few days ago, my SO resurrected the garden fence while I trimmed and trimmed and trimmed. (Note to self: the next time I have trouble with the trimmer, spray it with WD40, the miracle worker of anything mechanical or electrical.) I could hear a few lawn mowers going, but I'm holding off until this weekend. Assuming it doesn't snow.

Asparagus syndrome

When I started square foot gardening, I followed the recommendation to place the beds close to the house, to improve the chances one would provide them adequate care. At least that is my excuse for where I put the asparagus bed. I have to admit it was handy to step out the patio door and cut a handful of spears for a meal. However, as my backyard became more crowded, the placement of the bed became more problematic. It was just plain in the way.

Meanwhile, I had started a second bed of asparagus (purple) in the garden proper. While the 4x4 bed by the house was fairly densely populated, the 8x4 one was not. Hence, yesterday's project to combine the two arose.

My original thought was to dig up all the crowns from both beds, then lay them out again, just like new. That idea quickly fell by the wayside, as digging up asparagus is a LOT of work. (One source suggests just starting over with newly purchased crowns rather than trying to relocate an existing bed. Now we know why.)

Thanks to the upper body strength of my SO, we were able to unearth the 4x4 bed. In the process, we learned something new: an asparagus crown will develop a LOT of roots and/or create NEW crowns. So while I may have planted 20 crowns, we wound up with a LOT more to plant.

Instead of digging out the 8x4 bed, we scooped out furrows between the existing rows and laid the "new" crowns in them. Then all was covered with a mixture of garden soil and horse manure. Today Mother Nature is watering in our efforts. Later, I will check to make sure everything is still underground.

A week or so ago, I succumbed to the store-bought asparagus siren call and purchased some grown in California. In NO way did that compare to what comes fresh from the garden. Establishing a productive asparagus bed takes time, but I am willing to wait.

Yesterday was too hot!

Sunny and 72 degrees feels WAY too warm. Today the temps are back down in the 50's, much more tolerable. What am I going to do come August?!?

The nice weather does get me outside, though. I cut down the ornamental grasses and one remaining clematis, dug quack grass and baby thistle out of some of the garden beds (happy to see the worms hard at work), and made note of the buds on the forsythia and rhododendron. Also, I glared at the signs of woodchuck incursion under the shed. My SO and I are plotting to raise the shed a foot or so, to make its dark underside less inviting.

The other day, while sitting on my living room couch, I could hear something unusual and ODD. I though maybe ducks were on the roof, (it has happened before), but it seemed too loud. While peering out the picture window, I saw the culprit - a woodchuck! He was in the mugo, gnawing on my house! What's next? A skunk under the deck?

Garlic is up, and so am I

Today is Day 12 of the worst head cold I have had in a long time. The fiery throat, sinus drainage, headaches, earaches, and cough aren't the worst - it's the overwhelming fatigue. But I am finally on the mend (knock on wood).

I managed to do a bit of yard work today, including dead heading the 'Limelight' Hydrangea. Standing in that area of the yard reminded me of my plan to install Bishop's Weed as an understory. This corner is a problem area that receives little sun most of the time, then a LOT of sun once summer hits its stride. The Hydrangea loves it, but other plants either starve for light or burn up. Hopefully, the Bishop's Weed will thrive there. And hopefully, I will be able to keep it under control, as it can become invasive. Rumor has it the variegated variety (which is what I ordered) is better behaved.

Inside, I have started broccoli and lettuce plants. I was a little leery of whether Beau, the Feline Destroyer of All Things Nice, would leave them be, but so far, so good. The daffodil my g'daughter picked did not fair so well. Not only did Beau knock over the vase, he broke it. No fresh flowers for me this year.

Last snow?

Last year, when it came time to take the lawn mower to the garden center for servicing, I had to drag it through the snow from the backyard shed. Today, when the reminder popped up on my phone, I considered a repeat performance, then decided if I wait a couple of days, the snow will be gone. That's how it has been this winter - cold and sometimes snow, followed by ridiculously warm temperatures. But now spring is near, so maybe we will just have the latter, not the former.

My SO and I attended the annual home and garden show a week or so ago. I may have found a source for the gazebo I envision. Also, I picked up some flower seeds from the Allen County Master Gardeners, including Cardinal Climber, which hummingbirds are purported to love. I was hoping to hook up with the guy who will help me with a new design for my yard, but we missed each other.

I'm starting some of the annual pre-planting chores, like rooting coleus transplants from the mother plant overwintering in the den. I also placed an order with Outside Pride, for some miniclover. I dislike treating my lawn, but occasionally succumb to my embarrassment over all the weeds. Also, the soil is compacted heavy clay. I'm hoping the miniclover will perform as described: aerating the soil, fixing nitrogen, tolerating drought (I fear we will have some dry summers ahead, thanks to El Nino), and in general, improving the health and appearance of my lawn. I'll test it in the backyard first.

I also ordered some Thunbergia (Black Eyed Susan Vine) and Cypress Vine seeds. Meanwhile, I meditate on how best to grow some of these annual vines on my pergola. I anticipate imitating the Chicago Botanical Garden, protecting the wood with flashing while growing the plants in wire baskets. Unless someone has a better idea? I'm open to suggestions.

My heron looks like a snowy egret today.

Fall cleanup

I'm not one to do a thorough fall cleanup, but this year I did less than usual while waiting for plants to go dormant. By the time they did, the holidays were upon us, so that job fell by the wayside. Today was not a particularly nice day to be outside, but I needed some fresh air. The 'Betty Corning' clematis is now cut back to about a foot off the ground.

My gardening ennui is lifting. Today I actually placed an order with Pinetree Garden Seeds for the vegetable garden. As for the rest of the yard, I am thinking and rethinking this idea and that. I expect to flipflop more than a politician by the time I finally make up my mind.

For example, last summer I was gung ho on moving the above mentioned clematis from the corners of the den to the base of two redbud trees. Now I'm thinking I'd rather leave them in situ and build a sturdy trellis for each. Then I can plant annual vining flowers like morning glories (or something) to climb the redbuds.

Another idea rolling around in my brain is to add a small, screened-in gazebo to the backyard, so I can sit outside in the evening without being eaten alive by mosquitoes. The exact location is in flux, but currently I favor tucking it into the orchard area.

A definite "must" is to get some help with designing all this. Another "must" is to hire out the heavy lifting. Despite the help my SO provides, to get things into shape in a relatively short amount of time will take more brawn than we two sixty-somethings can muster.

Not feeling it

Usually this time of year I am pawing through seed and plant catalogs, drooling over the saturated photographs of all things gardening. This year, my gardening mojo seems to be on hiatus. It feels very strange, and I'm not quite sure what to do about it.

During the summer, I feel this way about knitting, but once the weather turns cool and crisp, the needles start to fly. So maybe, once spring begins in earnest, the urge to get down and dirty will return. The only problem with patiently waiting for that to happen is I need to be at least thinking about ordering what needs to go into the ground NOW.

As I mentioned before, I have been contemplating reducing the vegetable garden. Maybe I should take the whole year off, grow nothing but green manure in my raised beds. There are farmers markets almost every day of the week around here, so I anticipate no shortage of fresh produce. AND I would not have to do battle with sparrows, rabbits, and woodchucks.

What has been brewing in the back of my mind is a total redesign of the backyard, to introduce that "charm" I have also mentioned recently. And I may even outsource the heavy lifting - I'm getting too old to dig holes in solid clay. This will require some thought.