Yardening June 2014 #3 into July

General 'whatcha doin in your yard' even if you are just hanging out

Now that is the way to relax! Hope you don't get a bear in that hammock. Did you see that video that Cat posted in the weather watching thread?

Aspenhill, the tomato I got from you is doing great! It's flowering and growing very nicely. I got it in the ground kind of late so it's not fruiting yet.

Dragging Hoses??? Dragging hoses????

You don't know what dragging a 100' hose all day feels like....every day I am at work.
BIG heavy hoses! They make their own kinks that will dislocate your wrist!

My right wrist is getting too much of a workout--it aggravates the palm
where the nerve goes through--and my 2 fingers go numb AGAIN!

That--and doing all kinds of digging around my own yard....plus fighting with the
lawnmower---It is ME THAT'S DRAGGING!!!!

G.

I know Gita, I felt guilty we were whining....

Kinks are the worst! I hate it when I get all the way up the hill in my backyard and then have to go un-kink the hose. I have Goodyear hoses now, and they do kink less than the other "guaranteed kink-free" ones I used to buy.

You don't have to squeeze the sprayer handle the entire time, do you Gita? That used to bother my hand.

Not just the dragging the hoses, but you would be surprised how tired your arms getting holding those hoses up for the hanging baskets and shelfs and then you have to rewind the hoses back onto the roll. I remember Gita. The last year I worked for Lowes I quit early because I was having trouble with my right arm and thought it was tendonitis. Turned out I had a particularly torn Bicep muscle.

Yes Gita, I know. I had to have both wrist redone in 3 years. The second time around I asked to be sent to PT, to help reduce scar build up and it seems to have helped a lot. They used ultrasound, laser, and physically pulled a blunt tool through the scar to keep it broken up as it healed. Time will tell.

yikes, that sounds brutal, you guys! :-( Poor arms/wrists!!

I decided to just leave the hoses rolled out. Looks messy, but saves on the rolling up/rolling out effort.

I'm with you, Aspen. My hose just stays out all summer. I recognize that's not possible in a commercial setting though.

I don't like to leave my hose laying about because it kills the grass underneath. I have a 75' in the front and a 100' and a 50' in the back and they seem to do the trick. Sometimes I'll have both the back ones going at the same time although the flow is reduced. I have Neverkink hoses except for the tiny one in the back. They still kink occasionally though as they get older. When they were brand new they never did.

Muddy--Yes--I have to hold the handle and squeeze the spray handle---
Doing this for 6--7--8 hours really kills my hand.

HOWEVER! my resourceful mind always comes up with something to help...
I got a length of the green Velcro tie we sell--and wrap that around the spray handle.
Then I just hold the hose near the handle and water away.
The Velcro only lasts half the day--as it stops "sticking to itself" after being wet.

Holly--YES! Watering up high is very hard because you are also holding the weight
of the hose. It helps if you use the other hand to hold the hose up...it decreases
the weight a lot.

The wands we use are the long ones where you can change the spray pattern.
Usually it is on "shower'--as that is kinder to the flowering pots.

BUT--when I am winding my way through "the forest of trees" and big shrubs--
I set the spray on "Bucket". This is kind of a coarse stream spray. Not sharp--
like "power wash"---but it sprays a good distance away.
SO--I aim at the pot with this stream and can water trees from 10' away.

YES! Rewinding the hose is the most difficult job.

Inside the garden area--we have 3 hose reels up high on the ceiling.
The hose winds up fast (with a spring/ratchet action) and you have to guide it a bit
so it winds up evenly. Many people just let it go--and then someone has to get the tallest
roll ladder and remove the hose that wound around outside the reel. stupid people!

Pulling these reel hoses down is hard too--as it is like pulling against it's
auto-wind up function. I do it hand-over-hand all in one big pull down effort.
Then you have to find the right spot for the ratchet to kick in and hold the hose.
These are all the heavy, red, rubber hoses and at least 100' long.

Every day ONLY 2 people are scheduled to water--and some of the others
do not know HOW to properly water. They never pause the wand on top of each pot
to soak the soil. Waving it above all the foliage is like watering a table with an umbrella over it.

I water EVERY day--all day--this time of year. Whether I am scheduled or not.
This is now a Nation-wide requirement at the HD--ALL plants have to be watered
EVERY day. Close your eyes and 'see" the yard", the front of the building tables,
all the shrubs in the far corner, and all the racks and racks of plants in the "corral"
on the parking lot. TWO PEOPLE??????

Do I get tired? YES! Exhausted is more like it.....
The only breaks I get is when I put down the hose to assist a customer.

Then I come home and water my own garden... Now--I hope you "get the picture'...

Gita

Bec -- responding to your comments about your tall coreopsis -- could it be Coreopsis Tripteris or a cultivar thereof? 1http://www.mtcubacenter.org/plant-trials/detail/coreopsis-tripteris1/ I didn't realize any Coreopsis could grow 6' tall!

Sequoia: I have tons of wood poppy -- don't buy any more!

ssg, was it you who asked about tending to wood poppy? I don't do anything to mine -- it usually stays a nice green into the summer. But I don't have much sun....

Yes that was me. Mine are looking a bit fried.

If it is cooked, I have tons. But it will be happier out of all-day direct sunlight.

Lol....alright Happy. I already had the order placed before the swap so I just let it come in. Both look great though :)

Maybe I'll take another one or two off your hands next swap.

You could take 10 and it wouldn't make a dent....

Though I can't promise it won't be dormant -- might have to wait for the spring.

Yeah that's true, better wait til spring then. Lol...it's so pretty though, it must look lovely at your house.

I like it. I think Holly may have found it a little too enthusiastic, but it is easy to pull, and the foliage is a great green color.

Holly - it certainly looks like it could have been, I ordered them as Full Moon, they could have mislabeled them :-(

Gita, how about wrapping the handle with some of that green coated wire? My favorite kind has a thick "spongy" coating that is super easy to wrap tightly. I don't think HD sells it; I wish they did.

Editing to add: It's "Luster Leaf Rapiclip Light Duty Soft Wire Tie".
I love that stuff. It's so much easier to work with than the standard wire tie because it grips rather than slips.

This message was edited Jun 27, 2014 10:19 PM

Muddy--

My Velcro works fine---I can't really do something too elaborate to the handle
as others use it as well.
Besides--there are many interruptions when a customer needs help finding something
or just advice.
Gotta be able to simply put the hose down until I an done with the customer.

This "craziness will end soon and many of the plants will be consolidated.
Still will need to water--but they will be more in one place.

As July makes it's way--the gardening starts to diminish. So will hours....
I usually have about 18-19 hrs. a week. (3 days).

G.

Well, I decided my mystery vine was Sweet Autumn Clematis, and after reading what other DGers had to say about it in the plant database, decided to pull it. Couldn't quite get it all because it's down in the 'fence gully' between my property and the neighbor's, but got most of it. At least it won't be able to bloom. It was growing way too fast to be ordinary clematis, and its leaves were bigger than the leaves of the 'Roguchi' that I formerly had planted in that area. And it looked just like the photos I found online.

Today is 'clean up the patio' day! What fun--NOT! ;-)

Here, trimming hedges and pool cleaning are the top of the order for today, as well as planting some late transplants. I just finished Holly's holly hedge and I'm heading to the forsythia and large holly topiary in the front, part of which will wait till Josh brings the pole trimmer. It is 10-12' high. I also have to tackle the yew hedge/ topiary very hard since it had so much ice damage. :-{

Just got back from an overnight with the Grands. Heading out to finish the weeding in from of the Holly Hedge. Boy Ric did a great job, looks so nice.

I've been out this morning doing some weeding, keep finding little clumps of seedlings coming up. Seems the chipmunks are adding to my gardens, lol. Stashing seed, my fault for the most part, I keep putting seed out for them, they make me happy.

Neighbor across the street had a yard sale today, Steve (my landlord) purchased their wheelbarrow and a yard cart. Yard cart is mine to use, Yay!

Sounds like a hot, sweaty day ahead, Ric and Holly--get that favorite frosty beverage ready ahead of time! ;-) Glad you had a good time with the grands, Holly.

Catbird, I've found 2 caladium sprouting up now in places where I definitely did not plant them--ahem! The yard cart sounds like a great addition.

Robin, we find caladiums in the oddest places too. A couple of times I thought we may have reused the potting mix, but then I've found them in some of the beds??? I have wondered if the chipmunks might dig up a piece from a pot, but why rebury it instead of adding it to their stash?

I found scale and sooty mold (a byproduct) on our large holly, so I sprayed it with hort. oil and spectricide. While I was at it, I did the hemlock also, for wooly adelgid after tarping the JMs briefly.
They don't like oil.

Now I gotta' gather and burn all the clippings.

This message was edited Jun 28, 2014 2:33 PM

I have yet another busted water hose. This is probably the fourth or fifth time. I learned my lesson the last time and purchased it from Costco, so I should be able to get my money back at least.

Has anyone tried those hose repair kits? Do they work?

The top of the compost bin was bone dry, so I was turning and watering it when I saw that the shredded oak leaves at the bottom of the pile are still completely intact! ARGH! They just take forever to break down.

I saw my first Japanese beetles today while I was doing some slow deep watering of new shrubs. I tried to catch them but they fell off and flew away. I guess I need to come out early tomorrow morning with some soap water.

Happy, the wood poppies in deep shade are still green, but I'm tempted to prune off the yellow leaves. I should probably wait for them to go dormant on their own.

I've got some JBs too. :-( Need to try the soapy water & cup trick!

Sounds like everyone has been busy! I love Saturdays, especially when we have great weather. I've been outside since early morning doing odds and ends. I moved the overgrown clump of chelone from the hillside shade garden down to the turtle garden, did lots more weeding, and deadheading. The time flies when you are having fun :) I can't believe it is already 5:00. As the saying goes, I'm burning daylight so back out I go...

I got my fill of "playing outside" at work today, so I'm just chillin' indoors this evening, but tomorrow I shall be playing outside. Got a couple more "rescues" to prune back, install, and pray over. :) The other day I brought home a couple English Lavenders of some sort, and today I brought home a few ("few" = 6) Spider Plant babies that I want to try to root. And then there's the bit of a Caramel (I think) Heuchera that I accidentally pulled out while I was weeding the shady tables at work. No, REALLY, it was an accident!!!! < =0
... Oh yeah, and some Astilbe seeds that I want to try to direct-sow into some pots too. And that's all, really! :)

Sounds like a nice day planned for tomorrow, Speedie! I have trouble resisting lavenders, too. ;-)

I have this plant sprouting up in the bed where I pulled out the old rose bush. It started last summer and at first I thought it was a rose offspring, but now I am doubtful. Its stems/canes are not red at first, plus it's sprouting up so tall and upright now. I posted it in the plant ID forum and 2 people have now informed me it's some kind of pear tree. I'm doubtful of that as well, mostly because where in the world would a pear tree seed have come from, and why would it have been sprouting up under my old rose bush, at first in almost total shade from the old bush?

Here it is. Any ideas?

SSG my shredded oak leaves break down best when they are in contact with soil and not (for me) just some of the 'brown' in compost. That is why for years now I have been using shredded oak leaves as a 'mulch' or top dressing 2 - 3 inches deep under most of my plants and in containers, too. They decompose within a year to about a half inch of rich dark leaf mold, Whole leaves used same way break down only the bottom 1/2 inch with the help of earthworms, etc, eventually becoming the 'forest floor' and no turning!

Speedie the reason I know about flatid planthoppers is because I have them. They do do damage to my Japanese Maples, (killed branches and twigs) and other shrubs perennials and annuals. Check the undersides of your hosta leaves and you will find more. Might be easier to kill adults with your spray as they are so much less waxy! I do a quick clap of hands and rub together to get them before they jump away. I have also cut off whole sections of badly infested
'new growth' and transfered same carefully into large trash bag without disturbibg them. Since they only jump 16 inches or so, they can't jump out of the bag. I'm on patrol daily. Some years are worse than others. Good luck.

oak leaves are so tough in compost. And others leaves are too. Pockets that stay dry, or too wet, just sit.

Looks like another pretty day. I have glads to plant, I had forgotten. Pots of caladiums looks very pretty under the magnolia, which had to be limbed up since I placed it too near a sidewalk.

Catmint:

I appreciate your skepticism...