Breaking the rules

After mentioning my plant diet last week, I received the Bluestone Perennials catalog. Last year I grew zinnias and strawflowers in containers with medium success. I have also tried to grow perennials in containers with one success (penstemon) and several failures. After thumbing through this catalog, it occurred to me the I would have better success if I selected plants whose descriptions include "great for containers". I haven't decided quite yet what to get, but I'm leaning toward some hyssop and a butterfly bush.

Some sad news: 1)The Dracena did not make it. 2)I brought the seedlings inside as the temps have fallen, only to witness their destruction by Beau the Feline Destroyer of All Things Nice. He ignored the plants when they were on the counter by the refrigerator, but decided their presence on the breakfast bar meant they were for munching. For the record, the cats are *not* allowed on the countertops; one cat obeys, the other does not.

Outside, things look much better. The serviceberry is blooming, and so are the redbuds; it's early for the latter. I don't have an ornamental pear, but those around town are putting on quite a show; too bad they are so invasive. Even the magnolias are holding onto their petals for more than the usual day or three, hanging in there for one-to-two weeks, thanks to the cool weather. Unfortunately, we may get snow next week.

My Rhododendron 'PJM' is even joining the party. Originally there were three plants, and there may still be three plants, but over the years, they have faded quite a bit. Last summer, we pruned back its neighbor, the purple leaf smoke bush, so it would get more light; that seems to have helped. Now I need to eliminate the Northern Sea Oats that grow under it and mulch it with peat moss, and maybe it will return to its former glory.

I added the oriole feeder to my collection of bird feeders in the backyard, but so far no takers. I read online that the ratio for the sugar solution for orioles should be 8:1, but for hummingbirds it's 4:1. I recall being somewhere many years ago where the residents hung hummingbird feeders under the eaves, then were upset that the orioles were hogging them. I'm surprised the orioles were able to feed from the hummingbird feeders, and if the sugar solution was 4:1, it didn't seem to hurt them.

What the?

I must be the least observant person in the world. Every day I walk past the Dracena marginata I took a cutting from and rooted, without noticing it's in dire straits. It is difficult for me to believe that I neglected to water it last week... unless I neglected to water *all* the houseplants? Most are large with large pots, so a missed watering does not bother them much. But this poor guy. I watered it today, in hopes that it will revive.

The seedlings are not fairing much better. The weather has been mild - highs in the 70's, lows in the 50s - but many have given up. Of the remaining few, they are *still* not putting out true leaves. It's a good thing my livelihood does not depend on my not-very-green thumb.

I mowed for the first time this season, and began the never-ending chore of weeding, starting with the bed by the front walk. While working, I contemplate what I would like to grow there along with the 'Autumn Joy' sedum. There are a few clumps of "naturalizing" daffodils as well as some 'Golden Bells' carpet daffodil, a row of 'Sunny Twinkles' allium, and maybe some surviving winter aconite. The bed gets morning sun. I'm on a plant diet this year - not going to buy anything new - but I can move stuff around, like the grape hyacinth? They need to be divided anyway.

I recently read a novel called Rules for Visiting by Jessica Francis Kane. It's about friendship, but the main character May Attaway is a botanist. Her father is a retired English professor who wants a tree planted in his memory on the university campus where May works on the grounds crew, so he keeps leaving her "tree sheets" to elicit her opinion. Also, a fair amount of plant talk is seamlessly woven into the story. I've been wanting to plant another tree in the backyard, so the tree sheets and their accompanying sketches were of particular interest to me. It's a fun and easy read as well.

Simply gorgeous

We are having a beautiful spring day, so I moved the seedlings outside. Using the under-cabinet lights is problematic because leaving them on all day heats up the insides of the cabinets. Also, I don't have much counter space to start with, so I am glad to have the seedlings out of the way. On nights when the temps drop below 50, I'll bring them inside. (Photos still refuse to turn out halfway decent.)

Almost everything has sprouted BUT almost none of the seedlings are forming true leaves. The one exception is some Black Eyed Susan Vine I decided to try even though the seeds are really old. And everything is spindly. I feel like my green thumb has faded.

A frosty night left many of the spring flowers face down, but most of them have righted themselves. Shrubs and trees are showing signs of life, even the Japanese maple that the sparrows have damaged. Maybe if I keep the bird feeders full in the backyard, the sparrows will leave this tree in the front yard alone.

One of the trunks of the sandcherry shrub has a trunk canker. Very gross. From what I have (just recently) read, sandcherries rarely live more than ten years because of problems like this. I can't find a blog post about planting this specimen, but it is mentioned in one from 2008. I really like its spring flowers and purple leaves, so if it succumbs, I may just plant another.

As you can see in the pic above, this bush has required some severe pruning, not only to remove dead limbs but to keep it from scratching my car. If I do plant another, I will locate it farther from the driveway.

On a completely unrelated topic, last fall I had to call my home improvement company to come fix some sagging soffits. The contractor did part of the work from the roof, where he noticed my chimney needed repair. It was too late to get it done then, with cold weather coming, but I made sure to get on the schedule for this spring. It's all fixed now. The fireplace is woodburning and doesn't draw well, so I never use it. If that contractor had not been on the roof, I would have had no idea that there was a problem until something happened that might have resulted in actual damage. So, if you have a chimney, you might want to have it inspected, just in case, even if you don't use it.

Out like a lion?

We are having blustery March weather which has yet to exhibit any lamb-like tendencies. And it has been reliably wet, which is a good thing this time of year. The croci and daffs are blooming their hearts out while the grass is turning a nice lush green color.

I have found the little doodad for making seed starting pots from newspaper; the seed starting heating mat is still missing, as is my horticultural knife. The knife has been replaced with a brand new one. It is really hefty, should last a lifetime... as long as it doesn't disappear.

I also ordered a mini LED grow light garden from Gardeners Supply, but it is backordered. In years past, I dragged some wire shelving in from the garage, mounted shop lights, and started seeds in the den. This year, given the reduced garden size, I decided to put the seedling pots on the kitchen counter, under some under-cabinet LED lights. (Photos refused to turn out.) Given the limited amount of counter space in my kitchen, this is not the best solution. However, the zinnias and hollyhocks are up, as are most the herbs. Maybe this time I will have more success keeping the seedlings alive than I did earlier this year.

Still not a lot of birds at the feeders, although I did see a red wing blackbird the other day. I've determined (in a completely unscientific way) that the difference between winter robins and spring robins is the former feed in the trees while the latter are on the ground listening for worms.

There is a web site I have just discovered that forecasts bird migrations (among other things). It's called BirdCast and may be found here. I'd like to know specifically when orioles arrive here so that I can put out my oriole feeder.

Potted

I decided to transplant the Dracena marginata I lopped off a while back as there were a few roots poking out of the bottom of the pot. (Photo did not turn out.) There were fewer roots than I expected, so the poor thing feels unstable. Also, Beau the Feline Destroyer of All Things Nice kept trying to nibble on the leaves while I worked. The repotted plant is back in my bedroom (where the cats are forbidden - one too many episodes of puke on the bedding). It seems to be doing okay on the dresser despite the lack of direct sunlight.

Besides not being able to find the heating mat for seed starting, I also cannot find the doodad I have for making little pots from newspaper. The New York Times came to my rescue with instructions for making these pots which use a tomato paste can for the form. I went to town.

I think there are about 44 pots here, all filled with potting soil. The seeds are out of the refrigerator. I just need to decide what and how much to plant. There will be herbs, hollyhocks, and zinnias for sure.

I subscribe to the digital edition of the New York Times, but receive a hardcopy of the local paper. I've contemplated going paperless with the latter as well, but I use a lot of the newspaper in the garden and for various and sundry things. I guess I'll keep getting it for now.

I worked on cutting down the big bluestem this past week and came to the conclusion that there are THREE plants, not four. Three of them flop and do not form a clump; what I thought was a fourth plant is a clump of something else, silvergrass, I presume. For a while, I was mistakenly identifying some silvergrass as big bluestem; I must have moved it, thinking it was joining its cousins.

The lawn service came and applied fertilizer and a pre-emergent to the front lawn. They leave a little sign in the yard as advertisement, but given the state of my lawn, they might not want to do that yet. I don't expect any miracles there.

Per usual, I like to sit on the deck in favorable weather and plot changes to the yard. Last summer, I moved a lot of plants around. I was contemplating something similar for this summer or next, but the thought struck me that I don't particularly like everything in my yard. My habit has been, You plant it, you keep it. But some shrubs are too big, others too small, some uninspiring, many perennials that I love are missing, etc. My eye has become much more critical now that there is less room for stuff. It's time to take inventory and decide if I want to keep, replace, or just plain remove some things.

A fence in time

One sign of spring is the premature visits to any business that has a gardening department. My SO and I needed more mulch for under the gold mop, so we stopped at Home Depot where I also picked up a few more sections of the fencing I like.

Last summer the dogs tromped around under the 'Limelight' hydrangea, doing damage to the Bishop's Weed growing under the shrub. Some of their tromping is beneficial - they keep the weeds beneath the arborvitae under control - but I want the Bishop's Weed to fill in this spot. (I just read a description of Bishop's Weed here. I promise to keep it under control.)

I invited the hardscape guy who did my driveway to give me an opinion about trying to remove some of the water from my backyard. The heavy clay holds a lot of moisture, and I have four downspouts and a sump pump all emptying on the north side of the house. Because my yard is so flat, moving water away from it is a big deal that would involve thousands of dollars. So now I know. My SO suggested a rain garden in the problem areas, which I may just follow up on, in the form of pocket gardens.

Yesterday my granddaughter spotted a vacated bagworm casing on the Prairie Fire crabapple. Gah! I thought it was just a dried leaf, which is exactly what the bagworms want you to think. I'll have to keep an eye out for those little buggers.

The birds have all disappeared, or so it seems. I guess with the snow gone and spring on its way, they have other dining options. Soon the migratory birds will arrive. If I pay attention, I may spot something unusual.

Tommies!

I almost missed spotting these early birds: Crocus tommassinianus 'Roseus', aka Tommies. For one thing, I forget where I have planted them. For another, they are so early, my eyes are not yet trained to spot them amongst the gray and taupe landscape. A welcome sign of spring!

This week I signed up with a lawncare service that follows organic practices, for just the front yard (for now). We'll see how that works out. I've never had the lawn commercially treated, although I used to periodically and sporadically treat it myself. In recent years, that degenerated to spot treating dandelions in the spring. The lawn is a bit of a mess. I will still do the mowing, but this business has a sister business that provides services such as mulching, edging, mowing, etc. If I need help while having my shoulders fixed, I can fall back on them.

My SO came over and helped me mulch under the gold mop; I just can't crawl under there anymore. I've also been cutting back perennials and grasses. The yard isn't quite so ugly anymore, but there is still more to do.

UGLY!

The snow is not quite gone yet. The less snow, the more ugly the yard is. Every other day, I trudge around picking up five-to-ten pounds of dog poop that the snow kept well hidden. Ugh!

This past week I saw my hip surgeon for a follow-up visit; all is well with that joint. Then I met with a shoulder surgeon, as I have severe arthritis in both shoulders. As we discussed surgery, I questioned him about what I'll be able to do post-replacement. Yoga poses like downward dog? Does Dr. Hip know you are doing that? Well, no. You shouldn't be bending over. What?!? I bend over all the time, especially when weeding. Ever since then, I have noticed just how much bending over I do, to pick up dog poop and clean the litter boxes and perform other household chores, let alone yardwork. Dr. Shoulder nixed downward dog since after surgery I should not pick up more than 25 pounds EVER. My SO may have to provide more of the heavy lifting around here.

Winter trudge

I decided to risk walking the dogs yesterday, since we had received more snow and the icy patches were well covered. They were excited... at first. Due to the snow banks lining the streets, they could not check their "pee-mail". I was a little surprised that several neighbors had made no effort to clear their driveways or have them cleared. These are not snowbound seniors but younger folks. There were a few people trying to unblock gutters and downspouts. Icicles hang from my gutters, but the eaves on my house are very deep for the most part. I don't mind shoveling, as long as there is not too much snow and it is not too heavy, but I draw the line at wrestling in the snow with a ladder.

I skipped dog walking this morning because it was only 5 (five!) degrees out. Later I tromped around the backyard to fill some birdfeeders. "Fill" is a relative term. The only ones that were empty were the millet one, where the birds seem intent on scattering that onto the ground, or in this case, snow, and the meal worm one, which the starlings can empty in minutes. I put *some* feed in each of these most days, but definitely don't fill them up.

Starting tomorrow, the weather forecast promises warmer temps. My prediction is the snow will be gone in a week or so. Then it will be time to ramp up the "fall cleanup".

Still snowy, with more on the way

The temps remain low, so we still have snow on the ground. Yesterday was gray and bleak, despite the white stuff, but today there is sun. Tonight more snow is on the way. Fortunately, my excellent neighbor has fixed his snowblower.

Hanging on my refrigerator is a list of chores for my son-in-law, including the replacement of the outdoor faucets. I don't know much about plumbing; these taps are "frost proof". They also drip and the plastic handles are breaking off bit by bit.

There seem to be fewer and fewer birds at the feeders these days, even starlings. Did the cold weather finally send them farther south? Between the weather and the home improvement projects, I hadn't been walking the dogs, but that could not go on forever. As long as it is not too windy, we go out.

Erin asked about my fruit trees. Alas, they are no more. When I first started growing Meyer lemons inside, you could not buy them in the local stores. Not so anymore. Also, fruit trees in containers require a lot more attention that I gave them. Outside, I decided to eliminate the apple and cherry trees, as they too require too much care. Even growing herbs inside feels like a big endeavor these days!

Every year I usually joke that February is the longest month of the year. This year it seems to be flying by, yet spring feels very far away. Must be the snow.

Sunshine on snow

This area of Indiana is known for its gray and taupe winters - gray skies, taupe landscape. But last week's snow is still here, thanks to some very cold temps. The sun is shining as well. My neighbor's snowblower broke, so I had to do some shoveling, but I did not mind, too much. My shoulders did not appreciate the extra exercise.

Inside, I had my kitchen cabinets refaced and the vanities in the bathrooms replaced. Now that things have settled down, it's time give indoor herb gardening another go and to contemplate what I hope to accomplish in the yard this year. In the past, I created overly optimistic to-do lists. There is really only one thing on my list this year: continue with downsizing. In the past, I have tried to nurture a meadow in the southwest corner of the backyard. I still think about that, so I will leave that area for last, to keep my options open.

The sparrows really like the millet; groundfeeding juncos seem to like it, too. I put some "bark butter" on the trees in the front yard, but it looks untouched so far. The berry-and-nut suet I tried was a hit with almost everyone, even a squirrel. Now I am trying a pure suet block.

You snooze, you lose

I checked out the Aerogarden site after reading Erin's comment about starting seedlings in one. The new 3-pod 'Sprout' model was on sale. I decided to sleep on it - I have been decluttering not only physical space but mental and psychological space and wasn't sure I wanted to take on a new project - but when I went to make a purchase, they were sold out. In fact, many of their models are sold out. Due to the pandemic-inspired gardening craze? Or are they getting rid of last year's stock in anticipation of the new growing season?

This morning I woke up to a lovely blanket of snow. My ortho doc nixed cross country skiing, and conditions may be a bit too sticky for that anyway. I had to make do with shoveling the deck and front walks and around the gates I use most frequently; my neighbor across the street is kind enough to blow the driveway for me.

Recently I received a quote from a new lawncare company that utilizes organic methods. I'm excited. I used to treat my lawn myself, but gave that up after I lost a cat to tongue cancer. Meanwhile, the lawn has become quite weedy. I am going to try this business out, but just for the front yard as the backyard is still a work in progress.

I replaced the cracked corn in one bird feeder (which repeatedly clumped up and would not flow) with a mostly millet mix. The sparrows seem to really like it. Meanwhile, the starlings continue their feeding frenzy. They aren't nice to other birds and they aren't nice to each other. I hear crows on a regular basis and see geese flying overhead, unusual avian events in the middle of winter. I even saw a heron the other day.

Despite precautions, my SO and I managed to catch little colds this past week, as did my granddaughter the week before. It must be one more thing going around. I was a little surprised but blame it on the maskless. Come on, people! Let's help each other out here.

Old dog, new tricks

My attempts at starting some seedlings inside has been a total FAIL. Neglect is the issue. BUT thanks to Erin's comment, I am learning a new way to achieve my goal of an indoor herb garden. I'd never heard of a Kratky bottle, but found some info here. This sounds more doable for me, once I get it together. My biggest problem will be keeping Beau the Feline Destroyer of All Things Nice from messing with this set up.

I continue to be shocked by the flocks of robins and starlings I have seen this winter. Regarding the latter, the woman who helped me at Wild Birds Unlimited said she deters starlings from the meal worm feeder by scaring them off; the starlings fly away while the bluebirds hang around nearby. I tried this and it does work, for a while, long enough for the bluebirds to get their fill. Of course, I have better things to do than monitor the starlings, but it's an amusing after-lunch activity. I'm also going to try offering millet, to see if that helps.

A week or so ago, I received cortisone shots in both shoulders. It took a while, but they actually have helped. Indiana is now "orange" regarding Covid; I'm too young (thought I would never say that!) to receive the vaccine yet, but hopefully soon. And we have a new president (!) whose appointees reflect America in all its diversity. I tend to be a cynic but right now I am cautiously optimistic that things may improve bit by bit.

Feed the birds you have

I was reading a short profile of an actor who owns a horse that she plans to show. Her trainer told her to "ride the horse you have," meaning that some days the horse will perform magnificently and sometimes not. I decided to apply that philosophy to my bird feeders. Instead of fretting about the sparrows and starlings, I will just feed them all. That doesn't mean I won't try to lure the sparrows away from the peanut splits or buy corn-free suet blocks so they don't peck at those; I also ration the meal worms because they are expensive. I spent enough at a recent trip to Wild Birds Unlimited that they gave me a free bucket of Bark Butter, something new to try, to see if I can feed even more birds.

Last night, a little hail fell, followed by snow that melted, then froze into bumpy ice, followed by fluffy snow. I've been watching "Bordertown" and the winter scenes with white xmas lights reflected in the snow are quite lovely. Besides our own lovliness here, this morning's dog walks were delightful, as there was no wind. After breakfast, I puttered in the yard, just to enjoy the winter weather.

I've started "fall cleanup" by cutting down the clematis. Even though the 'Betty Corning' is not supposed to be cut down, it looks so raggedy that I can't help myself. I'm wondering if I paid more attention to shaping and training it in the summer, I could prune it properly and not have it trying to take over everything in its vacinity.

Regarding indoor gardening, I have not been having much luck. I wanted to transplant the dracaena that I have been rooting in vermiculite, but, huh, no roots. It looks fine but nary a root has appeared. Maybe I'm overwatering it? I also tried starting some herbs, but so far I have only a couple of basil seedlings, no dill or thyme.

There is shoulder surgery in my future, once I get both doses of the Covid vaccine. I can't help to want to schedule it so that it does not interfere with gardening. Yes, I can hire someone to mow, etc., but my yard is my therapy - physical, mental, spiritual. Even if the pandemic continues, even if the country remains divided, even if domestic terrorism is on the rise, I can look forward to disappearing into the garden for some respite. Stay safe!

Frightful weather for the new year

Time is an artificial construct, so it kinda bugs me when people make it sound like crossing from one artificial year to the next, on a particular artificial day at an artificial time is going to make a difference. And yet, a new year does feel newish, doesn't it? I'm just hoping today's weather is not a harbinger of things to come in 2021.

Flocks of robins have stripped the neighbor's ornamental pear tree of its fruit. Did you know that the fruit on hawthorn trees is called a haw and structurally is a pome, not a berry? Usually, the robins save the hawthorn fruit on my tree until late winter, but I noticed that most of it is gone, too. What are they going to eat now? Dried up pokeweed berries?

The seeds I ordered from Pinetree Garden arrived. I haven't been able to find my seed starting heating pad, though, so haven't planted them yet. I've been feeling rather lazy the past couple of weeks or so.

It looks like Indiana has fallen off the top twelve list of states with the most new cases of Covid per capita. The county I live in has changed from red to orange and held orange for two weeks, so some restrictions are being lifted. Not masks or social distancing, but things like how late bars can stay open; Hoosiers have their priorities, ya know. We'll see if the past weeks of holiday shopping and family gatherings change that. HNY!

Wrong again

I've been referring to a certain bird at the feeders as a flicker, but my SO (who is generally not bird savvy) commented on a red-bellied woodpecker in his backyard and all of a sudden I realized that my identification was wrong. Or maybe I've seen both? I will have to pay more attention.

Last week, while walking the dog, I saw some bluebirds. I told them to come visit the mealworm feeder in my yard and apparently they listened. I see them once in a while, but unfortunately the stupid starlings chase them off. I keep telling the starlings to head south but they are less open to suggestion than the bluebirds.

I ordered seeds from Pinetree Garden: French thyme, flat leaf parsley, Compatto dill, Fernleaf dill, dwarf Greek basil, bush basil, and jet black hollyhock. Before ordering, I checked what seeds I already had, most of which had been entered into a spreadsheet. I did not need zinnia, sunflower, or Mexican sunflower. I also refrained from purchasing any vegetable seeds. Seriously, there is a weekly farmers market just down the road all summer long; I don't need to grow beans or zucchini.

After checking out a few how-to videos on YT, I pruned off one bit of my Dracena marginata and potted it in vermiculite. It will be several weeks before roots appear. I'll keep you posted on its progress.

My self-imposed quarantine ends Tuesday. It hasn't been too bad, other than not seeing my SO in person. Xmas will be a repeat of Thanksgiving, just the two of us, this time with a pot roast. Indiana has the second highest number of new cases of Covid per capita in the nation, so we continue to hunker down. Happy holidays to you and stay safe!

Bees count

I'm sure you have heard of the annual Great Backyard Bird Count, sponsored by the Audubon Society. Now there is a native bee count, as described in this NYTimes article. Over the past several years (ever since spraying backyards for mosquitos became a thing) I've noticed a general dearth of pollinators in my garden. The privet used to positively hum when in bloom, but now, nothing. It's very concerning.

A BIG THANK YOU to ErinFromIowa for her suggestion to search on "How to propagate" plant name! It turns out my dracaena marginata is very propagatable. Or I can just whack it down to size and it will recover (theoretically). My plan is to cut off some of the new growth at the top and propagate that first. While I am not the best houseplant caretaker, I do like having some greenery around the house. Now I may have even more.

Indiana is no longer the worst hot spot in the country for Covid (as of today), but it is still bad. My son-in-law dropped by my house last Tuesday for a few minutes, then started showing symptoms Thursday and tested positive Friday. So, per CDC recommendations, I am quarantining, just in case and to keep others safe. After 9/11, the country united against what was viewed as a common enemy. Regarding the number of deaths, Covid is like 9/11 everyday, and yet for some reason the nation cannot unite to fight this new common enemy. It's very disappointing.

Low means low

A while back, my ancient hand mixer started to go kaput. I bought a new one, and then another new one, neither of which were satisfactory. My complaint? Neither had any speed that could be considered "low", so no matter what one was mixing - mashed potatoes, cookie batter, etc. - the kitchen ended up a mess from flung food. I guess it was my own fault, for trying to save pennies. After consulting with a friend, I purchased a KitchenAid 9-speed hand mixer (directly from KitchenAid, to make sure I got the real thing). I *love* it! From what I read online, the dough hooks won't knead bread dough, though, so don't purchase one expecting to do that.

My house is very standard, with standard eight-foot ceilings. This is a problem for this houseplant, which I believe is a dracaena marginata. Both my SO and my daughter have houses with high ceilings, but I haven't been able to convince either of them to adopt this poor plant. I'm wondering if I can cut it back. Opinions?

There isn't much to do outside right now, besides pick up dog poop and fill the bird feeders and bird bath. Reaching for the peanut split feeder the other day, I almost grabbed a nuthatch. He didn't see me and I didn't see him until we came near to a close encounter of the third kind. My neighbor's ornamental pear tree is loaded with tiny orange fruit, which a flock of robins was enjoying a few days ago. Today a HUGE flock of starlings passed by overhead, heading... northwest? What's up with that?

The dogs aren't inclined to spend much time in the backyard these days, so we've been walking more. Without gardening, I need the exercise as much as they do. The trees and shrubs look naked without their foliage, giving me a good look at their "bones" so I can plan future pruning.

According to the NYTimes "hot spot" map, which shows the country's Covid hot spots, based on average number of new cases in the past week, per capita, Indiana is the hottest hot spot in the nation. It's crazy, almost as crazy as the people who keep flying their Trump flags. Beam me up, Scotty!

Late to the dance

Even though everybody else tried their hand at sourdough started months ago, I finally decided to give it a go. After running through a 5-pound bag of flour with no significant results, I abandoned the project. Feeding it twice a day was like having another pet. Also, I was a bit ambivalent about using it on a regular basis. I need another hobby like a hole in the head.

The grass is still green, but just about everything else has turned brown or brownish. The one exception in my yard is the coralberry bush. It is holding its yellow fall foliage for quite a while. The red fruit adds to its vibrance.

Something odd I have noticed lately around town is some ornamental grasses are sending up new growth. Even my pampas grass is doing this. I blame the weather - unusually warm, a few frosty days, more warmth, etc. I just hope the plants are not weakened by yo-yo temperatures.

I think the sparrows are showing a preference for cracked corn over peanuts and sunflower seeds. However, the feeder I bought for this purpose tends to get plugged up. It's not just the feeder design, but the clumping characteristic of the corn. I recall having this problem before, which is one reason I stopped feeding cracked corn. (From where I am sitting, I can see a junco under the arborvitae and a downy woodpecker on the suet. Yesterday a hawk landed in the redbud right outside the window, but flew off before I could grab a camera.)

I'm experimenting with wintering over hardy chrysanthemum in the garage. One source says that this is doable; also, mums planted in the spring have a better chance of surviving winter outside, as their root system gets more firmly established over the summer. However, I doubt they will live very long; in the past, I've had mums live for a few years, then one by one, peter out. I still like the idea of growing yellow strawflowers instead; an annual, they need to be planted each year and periodically deadheaded.

I hope you all had a safe Thanksgiving. It was just me and my SO here. My kids stayed home, by brothers stayed home, my neighbors went camping to avoid maskless relatives. Indiana is not faring well regarding number of new cases per capita, schools in this area have been going totally remote because there is not enough healthy staff, especially bus drivers, to keep going. We'll see what the rest of the holiday season brings. Stay safe!

Anticipation

When I look out the bedroom window on the south side of the house and see the now dormant perennials along the fence, I get a little excited, anticipating what that area will look like next summer.

The first seed catalog of the year is always from Pinetree Garden Seeds. The past several years I have not cracked the spine of a single seed catalog, but this year took a look, as I want some herb and annual seeds. In no time at all, I dog eared a dozen pages. Nevermind that I no longer have any place to grow all those plants, now that I am downsizing the garden. I will have to winnow that list a bit before sending in my order.

One of the families in my neighborhood decorated for Halloween by propping up three partying skeletons on bales of straw in their front yard. Post trick or treating, those bales were then set by the street, presumably for pickup on trash day. I'm not sure our local trash hauler would take them, but I was willing. After clearing it with the woman of the house, I hauled those very heavy bales home in the back of my car. I use the straw to cover the muddy portions of the backyard (thanks, dogs!) in what seems like a fruitless attempt to keep more dirt outside than inside. At least this year I did not have to buy the straw.

I managed to get the hoses detached from the spigots (with a little help from WD40). I also checked out the gutters. Next year I will have to prune the areas around the downspouts more aggressively, as I could barely reach the leaf jams.

My SO and I are "double bubbling" for Thanksgiving. My daughter and granddaughter have been sick the past week (not Covid), so it is not just the pandemic virus we are avoiding. Besides, shouldn't everyday be a day of thanksgiving? Have a safe holiday.

Wet and wild

Today is one of those days we usually encounter in March - warm, wet, and windy. The springlike temps are falling, though. This weather is just full of surprises.

I have done a little pottery, enough to chat up "real" potters at local shows about their techniques, and even buy a piece or three. Instead of someday making myself some herb pots, I purchased some at the annual Just a Bunch of Potters show. Now I just need some seeds.

Otherwise, not much is happening in the yard. This past week, it seemed everytime I planned to do something - like disconnect the hoses and lay them in the sun so I could coil them up for storage - the weather crapped out on me. I did manage to get the outside of the windows washed. I also discovered that the window washing solution is good at removing green alga from the siding. This wind is good for stripping the last of the leaves from the trees, so I will need to inspect the gutters one of these days.

BTW, sparrows and starlings eat mealworms.

Everlasting strawflowers, birds, etc.

This is the first year I have grown strawflowers, also known as everlastings. One of its everlasting character traits is the ability to withstand a hard frost. So now I am thinking they might be a good substitute for the ubiquitous hardy mums that spontaneously generate each autumn. Just something to keep in mind for next year.

Try as I might, I just can't capture the reds in my yard. That doesn't stop me from trying. This pic has been edited to warm the colors and deepen the shadows and it still does not come close to the real thing. Of course, the skill (or lack thereof) the the photographer has a lot to do with this failure.

Silver grass

I read somewhere that sparrows really love cracked corn, so providing it may limit their ravaging the more expensive birdseed. Toward that end, I bought some cracked corn, which required another feeder, which lead me to also purchasing meal worms and a feeder for those. (I know that the meal worms are dead, but because they are also dehydrated, they shift around easily inside the bag, which makes them look all squirmy - ugh.) So now I am feeding black sunflower seeds, striped sunflower seeds, peanut splits, peanuts in the shell, thistle seed, cracked corn, suet (which always seems to contain corn, probably as a binder), and meal worms.

While I continue to try to outfox the sparrows, I think I have won the squirrel wars. I have not seen a rodent in the feeders since the last adjustment of the baffles. I do see them in the yard, though, or running along the fence or the telephone wire or laying on the shed roof. It looks like they are trying to figure out how to leap from one perch or another to the feeders. If the dogs spot them, much chasing and barking ensues.

The coneflower and rudbeckia look dead, dead, dead, but the goldfinch still find something to eat in their dried seed heads. There are titmice and nuthatches and at least one flicker who are regulars, but so far no cardinals this year. And occasionally a Cooper's hawk makes an appearance, not for birdseed but for birds.

Locally, we gardeners have been encouraged to not put dead annuals in the trash, but to either compost them or chop them up and leave the leavings on the soil. So that is what I have been doing, with the coleus and zinnias. The perennials will be left standing until spring. Instead of thinking of their desiccated presence as "weedy", I will view them through the lens of "winter interest".

Easy to be confused

Let it be known that the shrub I indentified as a spicebush a couple of weeks ago is actually a witch hazel. For some reason, I cannot keep this straight. Its fall blossoms, though, are a dead give away.

I spotted a squirrel in the bird feeders the other day and wondered if I was also confused about what's been eating all the peanuts. Yesterday, I filled the peanut wreath, then ate my lunch by the patio door. Within minutes, a half dozen (or more?) blue jays descended on that feeder, chasing away the flickers and sometimes each other, in their zeal for peanuts in the shell. It took them about an hour and a half to empty the feeder.

Sparrows continue to be the bane of my backyard. I've watched them at the peanut splits feeder, but they mostly drop the peanuts on the ground and the dogs eat them. As a stopgap measure, I hung a coir-lined basket under that feeder, to catch the spill. The sparrows don't seem to like it, but it doesn't seem to bother the other birds (including the flicker).

In other bird news, I have noticed all summer that sparrows have been eating something in the Japanese maple in front of my dining room window. The poor tree has not leafed out very well this year, something I blamed on a late frost, but apparently I can now blame it on the sparrows - they eat the leaf buds. I gave up growing peas in my vegetable garden because they kept eating the pea blossoms. If my Japanese maple does not survive, I may give up on it, too.

After my SO cut down the fruit trees, I noticed this lovely vine growing in that area. Too bad it is POISON IVY. Yesterday I planned to spray it, but I could not get the ^%$#@! cap off the herbicide bottle.

Last week I promised a pic of my new drying rack in the garage. It's tall enough that the bikes fit underneath. The stacked cement blocks have 4x4 posts inside them to help provide support - or to make sure the whole stack topples if bumped hard enough. Right now the only thing drying on it is a bunch of daffodil bulbs I unearthed while moving asters.

It looks like we finally had a hard frost last night. If it stays clear, we may also get to enjoy a "blue moon". Since Trick or Treat is still on here, I will be outside (wearing a Covid mask) monitoring the card table of treats (from a safe distance). Hope your Halloween is full of treats and no tricks.

Feather of bird

I don't need binoculars to recognize most of the birds in my yard, but some of the feathers I come across are a mystery. Like this one. The red tips puzzled me, but now I am thinking it might be from a bluebird. What say ye? (The feather looked more pristine before Clio put her snout on it - dog snot.

The Allen County Department of Management posted a graphic to help dardeners to decide about yard cleanup. The point of the posting is to encourage gardeners to leave flower stems standing until spring, when one cuts off the flower heads. The dead stalks provide stem-nesting bees a place to hibernate and to make nests for their brood. To view the post, click HERE

Last Sunday my SO came over and cut down the fruit trees that I cut down previously - they keep coming back! - and we moved the cinder blocks surrounding their beds. The blocks are sitting in the driveway right now, waiting to be used to make a drying rack in the garage. If that makes no sense, it will once we execute our plan and I post some pics.

We have been having quite a bit of rain lately, probably because my neighbors across the street have gone camping. It's become a running joke. The feeding frenzy at the bird feeders is over, although the blue jays are doing an excellent job of emptying the whole peanut wreath. Are they eating the nuts or hiding them somewhere for later? And yesterday I saw a monarch butterfly in the backyard. Time to head south!

Despite the weather

There has been a feeding frenzy at the bird feeders recently, mostly sparrows. I began to wonder if we are in for a rough winter, but the forecast is for mild and dry instead of cold and wet. We shall see.

We had a light frost the other night, nothing that would finish off the zinnias. I've been throwing a sheet over the coleus on the front porch when warned, but I dug up a new mother plant for next year's cuttings, just in case.

Now that the fence work is complete, I transplanted the bee balm to the south side of the house, after moving some of the remaining asters from the house side to the fence side of the same area. I'm a little confused about the aster varieties I have. What I moved looks like New England asters but are shorter. A volunteer aster has popped up in the yard as well, something I thought at first was more fleabane (which is done), then classified as a low growing aster, but then changed my mind again when I realized the plants were not low growing but floppy. Some day I may get all the asters sorted out, but not today.

I repeatedly try to capture the reddish hue of the Big Blue Stem in fall, but my pix never do it justice. This is the one that is most upright; next year I will try to prop up the others, as they look great in front of the fence.

A shrub I pretty much ignore is the coralberry. This year I made a point of checking on it periodically, because I wanted to actually see the berries. My efforts have been rewarded. I thought this shrub would get a LOT bigger, like eight feet across. This is its third season, so maybe I am being impatient.

The spicebush witch hazel is another shrub I tend to ignore, even though it looks lovely in front of the viburnum. I've yet to notice any berries on it, or blossoms either. This is its third year as well, and like the coralberry, it seems puny compared to what it should become.

Virginia creeper is one of my fall favorites, although sometimes it grows where I don't want it to, like behind the vinyl siding on my house. I'm still thinking of trying it in a container on the pergola, though. Tell me if I am nuts.

Rhubarb always surprises me with its fall color. Although I don't grow food anymore (something I have been debating lately as I never made it to a farmers market this summer and the grocery store zucchini tastes horrible), I keep my rhubarb patch for pie and dye.

I should be finishing up a few things in the front yard, but instead have been fixing up the raised beds I plan to keep, moving dirt from the defunct beds and mulching with newspaper and shredded cypress. The bee/wasp nest is still active, but once they settle down, I'll complete the transplanting of coneflower.

While searching through my blog for references to this or that, I've come to realize that there are a LOT of plants that I loved but that disappeared and were consequently forgotten. I'm making a list of ones I'd like to re-introduce to the yard, plus some new ones. This, despite my vow to downsize the garden.

Fenced off

The fence installers were here on Wednesday, to set the posts, then returned Friday to build the gates. I *thought* I was keeping a close eye on the dogs on Thursday, but not close enough - they dug a half dozen deep holes on the south side of the house. Fortunately, they did not disturb the plants. It also gave the fence installers a place to put the dirt from the post holes.

The city came by and renewed the spray-on grass. Some in the addition are diligent about watering it. I'm less so. My outside faucets are still on a well, but my neighbor across the street had his hooked up to the city water when that was installed. His water bill went through the roof when he tried keeping the spray-on grass wet last time; he's not watering it at all this time.

We had a couple of hot days (Indian summer?), but now it is cooling down again. Still no hard frost. Leaves are turning, some faster than others. I don't plant for fall colors but I certainly enjoy seeing them when I am out and about.

Don't forget to vote!

Less is more

I have a tendency to cram a lot of plants into a small space, thinking the density will discourage weeds. It does somewhat, but I find it is also difficult to remove the weeds without disturbing something. So my new philosophy is to limit the varieties I plant in each bed.

Toward that end, I moved some sedum of an unknown variety and some catmint of a questionable variety to the bed under the hawthorn tree. I think the catmint is 'Six Hills Giant'. The mystery sedum is tallish, like 'Autumn Joy', but the scanty blossoms are white and pink. It always gets leggy in its current bed; I'm hoping it will thrive better in more sun.

(I searched my blog for mentions of sedum and came up with nothing that helps identify the mystery sedum. Now I'm wondering if it accidently snuck in with another sedum purchase. I also saw a lot of other sedums I have planted over the years that did not do well at all.)

So that is two types of plants under the hawthorn. The 'Golden Spirit' smokebush has just one, the 'Perfect Purple' crabapple just two. The bed by the front walk will probably end up with two or three, while the purple smokebush may have just one. (I'm not counting spring bulbs.)

The other day I tried to dig up some of the 'Hameln' dwarf fountain grass to transplant it, but the shovel would not penetrate the soil. It doesn't help that the bed used to be covered with lava rock. It is supposed to rain tomorrow, to maybe I will try again on Monday, maybe with other garden tools.

It's hard to believe that it is October already. Some leaves are turning, some are falling, but it hasn't really started here yet. Last night there was a frost warning, so I covered the coleus on the front porch with a sheet. I also purchased some hardy mums that I may try to winter over in the garage.

The underground utilties guys were here this past week, marking the yard so the fence work can begin. I'm anxious to get that taken care of so that I can finish transplanting to the south side of the house.

On pause

Sorry for the lapse in blogging. The passing of RBG was quite a blow and I didn't feel like doing much of anything for several days (except eat comfort food). My son and his girl friend visited yesterday (we wore masks and social distanced), which really lifted my spirits. I hadn't seen them since last xmas.

Because of their impending visit, I spent more time housecleaning than I normally do, so less time gardening. And now the temps are a bit uncomfortable for outdoor work, again. I did relocate some coreopsis to the area under the 'Perfect Purple' flowering crab, and mulched there and under the 'Golden Spirit' smokebush.

After not seeing hardly any monarch butterflies this summer and deciding to cut down the common milkweed, I spotted this fellow. I haven't seen him since - probably eaten by a bird, yum! As much as we all love monarchs and want them to thrive, the fact is they are primarily food for other creatures.

I stopped moving transplants to the south side of the house. For one thing, there will be some work on the fence and I don't want new transplants to be trampled. Also, an area I want to move some asters to is not ready for them yet. There is still time.

The area doesn't look like much, but give it a year or two (or three).

Along the fence, ironweed, rudbeckia, coneflower, aster. Along the house, switch grass and northern sea oats, plus some aster to be moved.

I talked my SO into taking some of the extra rudbeckia I had. We positioned six of them along his neighbor's privacy fence. The soil is sandy there, so I told him to water, water, water. He likes Mexican sunflower and can plant those in between the rudbeckia next spring. I'll turn him into a gardener yet!

The backyard has been full of sparrows, at the feeders and in the birdbath and all over the weedy lawn. I've seen robins eating pokeweed berries, nuthatches fetching peanut splits, blue jays hogging the whole peanut "wreath", etc. While a squirrel occasionally creeps along the fence or the telephone wire, I have not seen any perched on the feeders, so either the dogs are being vigilent enough or else the rodents can't get to the feeders.

It's the time of year I get a little burned out on gardening, find myself wishing for snow. I have a list of what I want to finish up this year - it's not that long - so (in so many ways) I must soldier on.

Front yard, back yard

All summer long I have been staring at a bunch of perennials, mentally planning on where to move them. Now that autumn is (almost) here, the time seemed right to start in on that project. So that is what I have been doing this past week (once I got the go-ahead from my doctor).

In 2018 I purchased a bunch of coneflower, rudbeckia, monarda, ironweed, butterfly weed, etc. After scanning my blog, I find little mention of them. My (hazy) memory is that I stuck a lot of them in some empty raised beds with the intention of transplanting them in the future. That did not happen last year because of my hip. Now that I want to downsize the garden by eliminating most of the raised beds, they are on the move. The target area is the south side of the house, some along the privacy fence, some next to the house.

So far, I have transplanted the ironweed, the New England asters, rudbeckia, and a few coneflower. I noticed that the rudbeckia overwhelmed the coneflower in the raised beds they shared, so I limited how much of the former I moved. I will group the coneflower so they don't disappear.

Today I started digging up some of the coneflower but disturbed a bee nest which seems to be in the next bed where there is a pile of yard trimmings. They are not yellow jackets or wasps or bumble bees or ground bees. Honey bees maybe? I think one stung Clio several days ago - she yelped and ran around the yard for about five minutes, periodically stopping to examine her butt. Once it gets cold, I will have to investigate further. I don't want to destroy the nest BUT it is in an unwelcome location. Suggestions welcome.

Speaking of bees, I always find it funny to come across bees asleep on the job. Apparently, when the temps drop at night, sometimes the bees just stop what they are doing where they are doing it and sleep. There are two in this photo; one started to stir soon after.

One more interesting factoid: yellow jackets get literally hangry in the fall. Their agressive behavior is due to their food sources disappearing and they are starving. No wonder they are so crabby!

I was not sure the switch grass I transplanted from the front yard to the south side of the house had survived, but each clump is putting out seed heads, a good sign. The 'Autumn Joy' sedum, a popular yard plant in these parts, has turned pink. The sunflowers I planted are just now blooming; otherwise, there is not much to look at colorwise in the yard except for asters and zinnias.

Walking around the neighborhood, I see Rose of Sharon in several yards, late blooming hostas (which did better than the early blooming varieties), red hibiscus. My 'Luna Red' hibiscus did not survive, the Rose of Sharon bit the dust, and my hostas and hydrangea can't be seen from the deck. As I downsize the garden, I will have to make sure I can see color all season long from where I rest my weary gardener's bones.