Once a gardening blog now a practice blog

does this work

2009-11-06T17:36:00.001-08:00

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Come Visit Me

2008-11-22T08:47:00.001-08:00

I will be in hibernation on this blog over winter but come visit me at my other places

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Its beginning to feel alot like winter

2008-11-06T08:08:00.000-08:00

I woke up thismorning to my trees looking very bare, yesterday one was just turning and then after a windy night last night is now looking quite bare while the lawn is looking colorful. Here are some pics.

Different approach to pre winter mulching

2008-11-05T07:56:00.000-08:00

Well as I was raking up the massive amount of leaves on my front yard and trying to squash them all in to the yard waste bin, i thought couldn't I use this as mulch.

So off I went to do some research and found that yes leaves can be a very good mulch. It decomposes well and costs nothing. There are some concerns about ph levels being effected in the soil but this is only after regular repeated use. Another bonus it looks very pretty and natural.

So the past 2 days I have been busy raking and distributing my leaves. I will just have to see how it goes with this horrible wind that has now blown up.

I love when I can reuse something to save money.

trick or treat

2008-10-31T06:38:00.000-07:00

Fall Gardens

2008-10-26T07:02:00.001-07:00

Well we are about to get our first freeze tonight which will mean all my flowers that were making a little come back will be gone. I am sad about my pretty rose bush as it seems I was about to get the best rose of the season. I might have to go out and cut them today so I can watch them bloom inside.

I decided to go looking for fall garden pictures and found these. The last 2 are from the whitehouse gardens.

Looking out my fall door

2008-10-19T14:22:00.000-07:00

We found this kitty cat up in the soy bean field today having a look, lucky for her she ran before our dog got wiff of her. I figure she was out exploring and enjoying the cool weather like the rest of us. The weather is finally cooling down and now we are just waiting for our first freeze to kill all the nasty allergies and give a break from gardening season. I dug up my elephant ear bulb today and covered him for the season, the other one looks like something had eaten it half up.

Here are some photos from thismorning!!

Visions - Now and Beyond

2008-10-11T17:17:00.000-07:00

We found this very very cool tugboat sanbox at a yard sale yesterday for $5. So ofcourse we had to have it for Jack. BUT I had another motive I must admit. I could envision the prettiest garden around the front of it so that it almost looks as if it is plowing through the garden. I may just build a garden the whole way round and put some stepping stones in too boot. I think this project may overtake the potting shed for the beginning of next year. Anyone got any suggestions of plants that would work?

I added some photos of my moms in full bloom, a bee happily feeding and a little angel that found his way in the middle of them.

Pumpkin Picking

2008-10-06T10:10:00.000-07:00

Ah how much do I love being out on the farm with a bunch of pumpkins. Something about the dust and
the air gets me going. I took my little one out to the orchards to go pumpkin picking, the last time I took him he was 3 weeks old, so at 13 months he had a lot more fun today. He spotted those pumpkins straight away and toddled over to them. He is in love with gardens and nature as much as I am which is a wonderful wonderful thing. Being outdoors brings joy to his little face like nothing else does. Anyway enough rambling about my precious jewel. Here are some pics to enjoy, the pumpkin field, my baby pumpkins in their new home and ofcourse my helper!!!

Bulbs Planted

2008-10-02T08:25:00.001-07:00

Here are some photos of the bulbs I planted yesterday

The first picture is a chrysanthum tulip and the second are grecian windflowers.

The windflowers flower early early spring and last weeks so I can't wait to see how they look.

Garden Goals for Today

2008-09-30T06:12:00.000-07:00

Yey our temps are in the 60's for the next few days so that means I can go and clean my gardens up with long sleeves and not get all rashed up. So my plans for today are to take out my vegetable garden, Clean up the perennials, trim up my climbing rose that is sprawling everywhere and plant my spring bulbs. Hopefully my little one will enjoy stumbling all over the yard while I garden. I am always sad to see my gardens start to die off and be uprooted at this time of year, but I know next year brings even prettier things.

Moms are flowering

2008-09-26T13:28:00.000-07:00

Finally my moms are flowering and they were worth the wait, they truly remind me of Fall. It has been quite warm here in the midwest but next week we are heading towards 60's as Highs and I can't wait. I still have alot of cleaning up to do in my garden beds.

My moms garden looks a bit bare, I am waiting for another lot of bulbs to come as this will now be my Seasonal garden. I have dutch tulips and grecian windflowers to plant for next Spring then I will plant petunias and other pretty annuals through Summer. I think I will also get some more bare root moms. This is how these started in Spring. I have had great luck with bare root gardening, all plants have survived and thrived, I have never had as much luck with the already established plants I buy. I think it must be to do with soil acclimatisation.

The other surprise with my moms is that I had no idea what colours they will be so I am very happy with the beautiful colours I have.

Roses

2008-09-23T13:16:00.001-07:00

I have had luck with one rose out of around five and yes I have been told Roses are easy to grow. Hmm apart from all the bugs and black spot etc. The one that has grown so tall is David Austin Climber, so I am going to look at getting a new David Austin for next Spring. Might even be a good christmas present request. Here are some that I like

Claire Austin

Lady Hamilton

Christopher Barlowe

I have always wanted a yellow rose but never had any luck with them. I also think that the white roses have a sense of clean and unspoilt about them that I love.

A plan to think about over the winter

2008-09-20T17:23:00.000-07:00

Potting Sheds are all the rage in the gardening world. And just this once I want to bend to peer pressure:). We have a little shed out back right now that holds the mower and my gardening odds and ends but I would love love love to put an old sink in there (I can run the hose in there if I need water) some old benches and shelving to keep all my gardening tools laid out. Next year I intend to have the right things to fight off the bugs and black spot before it takes over. So I think through the winter months I will ponder a pretty potting shed. Now to talk Matt into it:).

Moving Irises

2008-09-19T16:29:00.000-07:00

So today I was out moving my Irises from one bed to another ready for early next Summer. I wanted to have them more grouped together and on the outer parts of the garden so they didn't get swallowed so much by the other plants. So after 20 minutes of digging and planting I knew I had worked up a good sweat. I came insead to report the work on my calorie counter and learnt that I burned 210 calories. WOOHOO. Just a bonus to my hard work hopefully paying off next year!!

New Additions

2008-09-18T07:23:00.000-07:00

Firepower Heavenly Bamboo - Non Evasive - Wanted some fall colour and an evergreen for my garden
Lyon Series Hypericum - St Johns Wart - $2 Special - Pretty yellow flowers
Summer Sorbet Caryopteris - $2 Special - Pretty delicate purple flowers - put it in my rose garden
Sweetspire - Another Special - Also gets the pretty fall colour

Cleaning Up

2008-09-17T18:53:00.000-07:00

So this is the time of year where the gardeners around here start clearing and cleaning out. I have ordered my spring bulbs, some grecian windflowers and red and white striped tulips which will go in my new seasonal garden spot. I have torn out all my dying spring/summer plants, trimmed back my perenials and cleaned out the things that didn't work this year.

So now watching the leaves fall, waiting for my bulbs to arrive and dreaming of new gardens will begin.

Fall Garden

2008-09-17T17:31:00.000-07:00