Yarden maintenance late June into July

Gita, I am not positive where we fit into category A or B for zone 7. Almost a case of a dozen of this or 12 of that. We do leave our Callas in the ground and the only ones that didn't return are ones that were planted on the edge of a bed that is exposed to the air. Those totally in the ground have been returning for years now. Interesting you asked about Callas, because Calla Lilies were a free gift enclosed in a nursery order I put in a while back. I have decided to grow these in a pot and have them as a houseplant this winter. I hope I do okay with this little project. I absolutely love the looks of a Calla Lily and would have to say that it is my number two favorite flower after Gladiolus.

You guys both impress me and often tickle my funny bone too. So funny that Ric didn't know about the Tomato Award.....we will let you know next year Ric. Speedie, I can identify with writing one "to do" on my list and then it requiring three or four other "to do's" in order to do the one. That is where I often goof up when thinking of how long a certain project may take. Sure, if I didn't need to do all the things necessary to do before the said project, it would certainly go a lot quicker.

Catbird, I have Portulaca in places that I swear I didn't sow seeds. I king of really like finding it though and think of it as an added bonus. I have Petunia's to do that often also and get the same little thrill from that too.

Anyway.....sounds as though every one has had the horrid heat this week. Only one day in the upper nineties expected this coming week. Will definitely plan indoor chores on that day. You all enjoy what is left of the weekend and have a great week coming up.

Ruby

Ruby- you too have a good week! One day of indoors chores..that might not kill me LOL. They do have to be done.

I have a volunteer (looks like purple wave) petunia- not complaining. I do like Portulaca.
This is a perennial Ice Plant from Chantell. Its now got lots of flowers daily. Thanks again Chantell! Tough plant for dry sunny spot.

I love Portulaca, last year I grew it with my succulents in those big blue strawberry jars. Sure added some nice color to the pots and I was pleased to see them reseed in the pot.
Here is a picture from last year I just used yellow and orange ones in those pots.

VERY pretty Holly! Love the contrast in color. As Sally said (you're welcome btw) - mine comes back ever year...bless it's bright little heart. Not reseeding - though - mine is simply hardy here. Have no earthly idea where I got that from...I believe it was HD or Lowes back a few years. The bumbles love it!! I love it b/c it stays cheery through fall and although she spreads she's hardly a thug about it.

Sally - NICE macro....I LIKE IT!!

This message was edited Jun 24, 2012 10:16 PM

Terri mentioned our repurposed crib project. The second trellis is now up, and we need to move the clematis over to it. Pics to follow. Just before the heat of last week, David got our pool liner dug in. So nice to see it in the ground rather than on top! Also a work in progress is a patio to the left of the pond. Second photo shows our cat enjoying the bird bath before it was moved.

LOVE the kitty pic

Ditto what Chantell said - great kitty pic!

That is his favorite drinking spot. The pond has plants around it now, but the patio has not progressed.

In the photo below he is guarding a pile of pavers for us.

I have been outside for most of the day. First unmolding and roughing up the planter I made at Critters Party. Planted the last of the inpatients. Did some weeding, watering and planting.

I can't wait for all of you to post pictures of the creations. This sounds like such fun and each step now raises the interest level even more.

Gorgeous kitty, and woodland setting!

Finally got my un-hired help stated on the hedge trimming tonight, since it was so pleasant out atfer dinner.

Terri, Was just telling me how beautiful your gardens are. I was saying that I haven't seen many pictures that show the whole garden areas. She was right you have a beautiful garden.

Why thank you, Holly. We are very much a work in progress, and David is quite fond of cropping his photos, so there are rarely any of an entire area. Our gardens are not at all in the same category as yours or Terri's. Thankfully we have no lawn to mow!

It was really nice to see more of the garden area. Well Davids cropped picture really show the flowers beautifully. Tell him to toss us a few extra garden shots as well.

He is truly into the flowers and I'm more into the overall look. Here are a couple from a while ago, and things have filled in more since then.

It's beautiful! I love woodland gardens.....

Holly, Pat's second picture shows the old picnic table top that I was describing to you on Sat. I love this feature in their garden - it looks so natural in the woodland setting with the stones and the moss that has grown on it. And Pat, it is funny how we think - everytime I visit your gardens, I think they far surpass what I've been able to accomplish LOL.

Love it!!!

Beautiful, I just love the rock edges on your beds. What a lovely area.
I agree Teri, when I visit some other gardens I think "Oh I wish mine was that nice". I think we have a nice start but there is a lot of room for improvement.

Sounds like a round robin of garden envy for all of us! These are the rocks that we encounter with each plant that goes in. Lots and lots of round rocks since this used to be river bed. We love rocks of all kinds. The house is a geodesic dome.

Cool, I love those type of houses. Oh we know all about rocks with every shovel full. LOL Our are all Red Stone.

when we all get tired of swapping plants (ROFL. as if...!) we'll swap rocks.

I envy the lovely woodland gardens that Terri and Pat have. We have just almost treeless, flat, blazing sun areas. We do have rocks though. Hundreds were picked out of the lawn area so that we wouldn't wreck the mower. Last Saturday, a few people from the MAM group came up for a visit and (Jen, Allison, Jessica and some neighbors). Jen and Allison picked rocks at the neighbors house and dumped them into the drainage ditch here until Jen could back with her truck. The neighbor brought them to our ditch with his back hoe and will bring as many as they want in the future.

For those of you who use rock edging bordering against lawns -- is it hard to bump the lawn mower close to the rocks? Do you have to use an edger every time? Do weeds grow between the rocks?

Yes,yes and yes, unless you use a weed killer.

Roses, I had to laugh when I read your PERFECTLY clear and concise answer, I LOVE it!! =D I had actually been contemplating using some rocks as a border to a bed that I've been dreaming up in my head (something maybe for the Fall), but now I think I'll re-think it. =)

Roses, you nailed it! Ouch!

RRR, I love having a shade garden. It is definitely cooler to work in the shade than in the hot sun - it is a noticeable difference in the comfort level between the sunny area and the shady area. But, on the flip side, I don't have the floral display like the sun gardens do. Luckily, I love the delicacy and understated pastel colors of the shade plants. Funny story - There were some non gardening friends that came to my niece's graduation party a few weeks ago. They walked along the walkway and down the steps to the pond, right through the shade garden that I focus most of my efforts on. When they got to the dock, they asked where the gardens were LOL! I had to sheepishly tell them that I haven't mastered getting season long blooms, foliage and texture combos are all that is there to see right now...

Aspenhill, heeheeheee, did they go back and look harder at all your work in your shade garden? =) Yeah, for the non-gardening peoples, sometimes it can be easy to miss some stuff... then again, it probably means that you have done such a GREAT job at making it look natural and yet beautiful at the same time that it was maybe easier to miss the 'human touch' to it.

Personally, I haven't mastered a darned thing in ANY of my gardening endeavors yet! < =D

Terri, I have a tiny triangle shade garden right outside my front porch and I pack as much as I can into it. I have some pretty shades of Astilbe blooming right now, a pretty yellow flowered Dicentra, Hosta flowers, Grey Ghost Lamium, Digitalis, Japanese Painted Ferns and soon there will be Orange Picotee Tuberose Begonias. I love that area and have ridiculously overstuffed it!! When I sit out there I have a much more relaxed feeling than when I'm looking at the stuff in the blazing sun! I don't talk to non gardening people about plants and gardening. They get that glazed look in their eye and I feel like I'm talking to myself.

I agree with speedy, AH, that you have made it look so natural that they overlooked it. I personally love the texture thing.

I also haven't mastered anything in my garden.

RRR's shade garden is a beauteous sight!

Not looking forward to seeing what everything looks like after being away for the month of July. Oh, well.

Roses, may we see a couple pics of your lovely little triangle-in-the-shade, please? I do love to enjoy beauteous sights! =) (and I'll be able to learn something while I'm at it!) =D
Got any Heuchera in there? I like those too, but I dearly love Astilbe. Wonder how they'd do in a container, all I've got (so far) for shade is my container "garden" on the benches, and that area really needs some help. The only things that are really thriving in that area are my Setcretia, Hostas and Coleus(es?). Oh well, a learning experience for next year: MORE HOSTAS AND COLEUS!!! < =D Maybe next year I'll have nothing but Hosta, Coleus and Setcretia.... and maybe some Begonias too.... and maybe Astilbe if they do well in containers. ;) Heeheeheee!
You're so right about talking with non-gardeners about plants, they do get that far away look in their eyes... as though they **wish** they were far away at that moment.

Oh Jan23, I sure wish I were your neighbor at least for July, I would be glad to go take care of your babies for you! Here's an idea though: You could collect a bunch of 2-litre bottles, take off the tops and cut holes in the bottoms. Turn them upside down and shove the tops into the soil around your plants. Fill them with water, and they should slowly release water as needed. I've heard of people entirely cutting off the bottoms, but I'm thinking maybe you'd get less evaporation if you just cut a hole in the bottom just big enough to be able to fill the bottle. I'd think any sized plastic bottle would work, or even milk jugs, too! Anyway, just a hopefully-helpful suggestion. =)

And a good idea it is, too. Thank you for the offer. A neighbor will mow and water if needed. My DILwill stop by also to see if any tomatoes ripen and water, too. She will be gone the first week as well, so I will rely on the neighbor's attentions. Knowing we would be gone for an extended period, I didn't plant a lot of annuals.

Happy--

This may be a solution to yout rock borders and the question re grass and weeds growing through the rocks.
HD carries these. They are rubber, mulch-looking strips you lay down anf it looks like a manicured
edging where it meets the lawn. A bit pricey--but a permanent. I imagine if it gets dirty--you just hose it down.
Comes in red and brown.
At our HD you can find it where all the small edging fences and strips are sold in outside garden.

Gita


homedepot.com/Outdoors/h_d1/N-25ecodZ5yc1vZbx82/R-202306174/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&keyword=rubber+edging&storeId=10051

Hmmmm----It did not copy as a clickable link.
Go to homedepot.com and make your way to outdoor landscape accessories and search for edging border.
These come in 10' rolls in red or brown for $13.97.

Let me copy image location and then retreive it for you. hope it works...

Easy Gardener 10 ft. Edge Border

Model # EB61045HD




Internet # 202306174

Store SKU # 124617
5 / 5

$13.97 /EA-Each


This message was edited Jun 29, 2012 7:50 AM

Here is the picture----

Thanks, Gita. I think I'll pass on the edger. I wasn't really looking for anything. Right now we just have a very small ditch dug between the grass and the flower beds, and that works find. I just thought stones would look prettier.... I think I'll use them in the woodland area behind our house.

Oh Gita, what a great product!! I'm gonna HAVE to check that out, thank you!!! =)

Special Request

Haven't heard from a number of folks that the major storm that blew through on Friday night may have impacted like ruby, aspenhill, greenthumb and pat, ssgardener, donnerville, Bec, hart, speedy and catbird to name a few...Hope they will check in soon and that they are all ok.

If any of you reading this have a way of checking in with any of the above or other DG neighbors, knowing that they may be out of power and cell phone service, please do so and convey our prayers and wishes for their well being.

You can report any weather and well being reports on our ongoing Chat thread (Your Neck of the Woods) here: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1268408/

Thanks,

Judy

Thanks for your concern, Judy. I hope the others are doing well, too. This was a quick checkin from the library. Greenthumb and I are getting a bit rough around the edges.

Oh hi there!! Coleup, thank you so much for your loving kindness, all is well and safe here. We did have our power go out for about 7 hours Friday night into Saturday morning, but it was back on relatively early Sat. morning, and no trees down or anything... just my poor Agastaches don't want to stand up anymore. Pruners for them, I say! =)

HUGS!!!!!!!

Suze