Sunday, April 27, 2008

Before the magic

I wanted to post some of the before pictures now that I have everything planted. All the bare roots plats have already started coming up and any that arrived as plants have settled into theri new homes nicely.
The first two are of the semi-rock garden - everything right now is so small but at least they are growing! I think in the next 2 years or so it will really be a beauty.
There are a few from the back yard with my bird and butterfly houses and again it looks like I am growing popsycle stick becasue nothing is big enough to see - but just wait until the full bloom season.
The last one is of the weeping cherry tree out front with the giant hyacinths. I just ordered 24 more bulbs the other day so that I can complete a ring around the tree.











Saturday, April 19, 2008

Perennials a plenty and seeds a starting!

So I have planted all the perennials - with the exception of my coneflowers - they haven't arrived yet. I got in the three shrubs - the willow, the weigela and the beautyberry along with some additional purple wintercreeper under the sad looking forsythias.
This weekend I started my edamame, sage, lavender, and oregano seeds in the greenhouse. Last weekend I started the moonflowers and they are already a good three inches! Hopefully they take this year and I can add them as an annual ground cover in my rock garden.
I also planted some romaine and butter crunch lettuce seeds that I got from the garden last year. I covered them with a floating row cover just in case. I heard lettuce from seeds is not an easy task. I will wait a few weeks to see if anything comes up and if not, off to the nursery for plants I will go!
The past three days it has been over 60 degrees and close to 70 yesterday so hopefully we have shaken off the winter weather and spring has finally arrived.
Have lots of Spring bulbs blooming too - giant hyacinth, daffodils, and jonquils. The tulips are coming up and thankfully the new ones I planted aren't sterile, I can see the flower bulb inside the leaves. There are still plenty of sterile ones around the yard that I need to dig up. I heard if you dig them up and plant them with ones that actually do bloom they will not be sterile anymore. I have to remember that in the fall!
Pictures of the blooming beauties to follow. I was on vacation for the past week and have so much to rake, weed and basically take care of the pictures will just have to wait.

Sunday, April 6, 2008

Perrennial Planting and Weed Control

So this weekend I put down my WOW Supreme to control weeds and also fertilize the lawn. I used 20 pounds for the front and side yards and I still need to take care of the back yard, but it really needs to be over seeded which is something I cannot do with the corn gluten that is in the WOW because it kills all seedlings, including grass.
I also got all of my plants in the ground - all 32 of them. I am still waiting for plenty more but I am headed out for vacation and needed to get them planted sooner rather than later. I finally got my pentasemon that I ordered last fall and I planted those out front as well.
I also started my rosemary and moonflower from seed indoors. Last year the moonflower did horribly - it never grew more than 2" and I think the squirrels dug what little I had anyway. Hopefully this year they will take.
I brought out all the painted bird and butterfly houses. They look really cute in the back. If it were even remotely sunny out at any given time this weekend I would have taken a picture to show - but it was overcast and misty the whole weekend - maybe when I get back!
The Katherine Hodgkins irises came up on April 1- they are so small and cute - again the picture will follow.
I also got a lot of outdoor decor the spruce up the place, and even without the sun or any blooms it really has helped!