I shopped at HD today. I bought a random orbital sander. I need it to sand flooring and cabinets. So far, I love it!
March 2015 Spring is here!
Good Mornig! High of 77 F today & sunny. Maybe the ground will dry some. Rather water logged here.
Well........ I have something growing in my garden. The problem is that I haven't a clue what it is. Yesterday, when my son and I first saw it, I immediately thought "weed" and asked him to yank it out (he was closest). But the kid said that he didn't think it was a weed, and I have to agree.
The thing is that it's right where I have my russian sage and tickseed, and this doesn't look like either of them. So I guess that I'll let it grow and see what comes up. I can always yank it later if it does turn out to be a weed.
More signs of life! Things are growing that I intentionally planted! Before I brag about my plants, I have to say that I seem to excel at growing clover. If clover was my goal, I'd pronounce myself a master gardener and call things a success. LOL
The most exciting news is that my stonecrop (I guess it's something called sedum 'lime zinger') is coming back. So far, it's only three tiny sprouts. But I'll take it. They were last minute choices that caught my eye at a local nursery, and they turned out to be some of my favorites. All three plants seemed to thrive, and I was hopeful they had a solid enough start to survive winter. But as soon as it turned cold, it was like they sank into the ground and literally disappeared. I've been watching that spot, and it looked dead as dead could be. So today there I sat. Staring sadly at the ground and thinking about how pretty they were, when I saw a teeny tiny sprout. And then a second sprout. And a third! They aren't more than a fourth of an inch big, and they're in a cluster so it might only be one of the original three plants that survived. Just teeny little things. But they are unmistakable.
And the surprise of the day is that one of my wormwood plants (something called 'silver mound') is also coming back. I had two, but one died before the end of summer. They looked very pretty at the nursery, but as soon as I planted them....... sigh. Both immediately flopped over and spent the rest of the summer looking sickly and cruddy. I had given up and was thinking about what to put in their place. BUT the remaining one definitely has new growth. Guess I'll give it more time and see what it does. I'm still not sure that I like how the plant looks, though.
Still no signs of life from my Russian sage. I had really hoped that one of the three would come back. It's still early, but this is disappointing. And I'll plant more if need be. Still they were a favorite, and I hoped for life..... oh well........ BUT THE STONECROP LIVES! Yay! Teeny, teeny tiny blooms.
OH, and one of my yarrow has sent out seedlings. That was a total surprise, but there they are. Granted, it's just a few inches from the main plant. But like the stonecrop, it's unmistakeable. Those are baby yarrow plants.
Give the Russian Sage time. Ours doesn't green up until in June.
It is very hardy so should not have winter killed.
Yep, still early. A lot of plants will still be sleeping at this time of the year. It's been warm as heck here and I still don't have a lot of plants poking up yet. Too early and they know it. lol
Green, yesterday we only reached 61 or so. Tomorrow will be warmest day of the week with temps reaching 80. I'm wearing my polo under a long sleeve shirt this time so I can yank layers off as the day gets warm. I go in early so have to dress for the chill still.
That's good to know. Thanks. Since you grow them, can I ask a quick question? Do you prune them back in the spring? I read online that should be done. And if so, how close to the ground do you take them?
What does it look like when it starts to come back? Should I expect new growth or just new leaves? Actually, I'm hoping the answer is new growth because I read that they should be cut back in the spring and that's what I did. Only now I'm worried that I killed them.
This is my first garden. :) So I have no clue what I'm doing.
It will be fine whether you cut it back or left it alone. They are very hardy and can take a lot of tough love. Mine is crowded and can't even expand but it comes back every year regardless. lol.
Wow you are in Illinois and you have things coming up already?? I did find a couple of really small crocuses in my yard. Purple. So happy to see them. A little kiss of spring. No signs of daffys or tulips yet. But I am so impatient this time of year!!
I have daffys blooming and tulips budded and forsythia blooming here right now.
Debra I am just a tad bit jealos. Do you see my green eye envy?? Lol. No I am happy spring is finally springing.
Boy, has it ever warmed up here, today it was 80 degrees! I took a photo of the thermometer on the deck, it's usually pretty accurate.
There is the old Spring standby flowers, Crocuses and Daffodils (Narcissus pseudonarcissus)! - pics #2 and #3 I wonder how they got the word "narcissist" out of such a pretty flower?
Thanks GL, hope the bats like it too!
Will
Yes, bats are very important. They eat the dreaded misquitos. Lol. But not enough of them far as I am concerned.... daffys are my favorite. I want to see mine. Please. Yes today was 70 here and we loved got some things OUTSIDE done.yippie
Yesterday I started shoveling out the bad dirt in one bed, still have a lot more to dig out but I'm trying not to overdo it. Today I just ran around work like a chicken with it's head cut off. lol
that is how I was Sunday, you guys.. today was up to 83, I WAS NOT EXPECTING THAT, AND THE DESERT ROSE GOT BURNED. dang caps lock.
The firespike is fine, it is half covered up in leaves,, wasn't supposed to come up already, but son was in the moving mood, i guess. I just asked him to bring up my self watering double tub, which is full of water on the bottom and 1/4 full of packed dirt. then here he comes out with that dang tropical bush. I was like, stop, no more plants out yet! I'm sure he was like" let's get this over with" but his girlfriend was with him for the first visit ever to our home. Weird seeing him with a girl. And, Rose got to meet her, they are the same age. 33. She approves of her brothers choice, I guess. SO, firespike might get cold, and desert rose got burned, the cactus cactus is really doing well and the winter sown stuff has a lot of green showing. I had to work all day today. bleah.
I'd like a bat house, will, we have lots of bats here. Does anyone want any of the seeds I have? Please speak up so I can get rid of stuffs.
Hi Debra. Thanks for the offer on the seeds but I regretfully decline because I have too much stuff and nowhere to put it now. A bat-house is incredibly easy (and cheap) to make. I did the single chamber one here. - http://www.batcon.org/resources/getting-involved/install-a-bat-house I was hung up on the 3/4 inch space for a roost chamber as I couldn't believe it, but it's right, midwest bats are tiny apparently. - Here is my instructions. - http://www.batcon.org/files/SingleChamberBHPlans.pdf Alot of the materials I had here, they weren't exact but I ended up fairly close to what they recommended.
Yeah GL, we'd love bats here as we loathe mosquitos too. I understand one bat can eat around 600 mosquitos an hour. I looked up the batman logo tonite as I plan to etch it on the bat-house with my engraving tool or something. - https://duckduckgo.com/?q=batman+logo&t=ffsb&ia=products
Will
Pepper, I've seen a chicken with it's head cut off & it's a pretty scary sight! lol
LOL!! I can't even get any work done because I'm literally on the phone, talking to customers or loading them. Non-stop running. lol
Sounds like job security Pepper.
I noticed that the Nanking cherry bushes are forming flower buds. Anyone else?
yes, Green, mine are all budded, along with everything else out there.
Will, here is your wandering jew..
Nice, Debra. I'm surprised it looks so good in the winter-time. Some people like the long stringy look. But I remember when I got it from Lowes over 3 years ago, it was short, thick and real bushy. I bet keeping it cut back does that effect, I think I'm gonna try that this year on mine.
Here it was back when I bought it. -
Thanks Betty for the offer. I'm pretty sure happgarden (Joyce) needs another one to get fruit.
She got one from me, which came from you, but it takes more than one to make fruit I read.
If you bring a few to the ru I'd love a couple if I can make it there.
Will
Oh i love wondering jews. Such a pretty color. I may jave to look for one. I know i seen the deall home depot has on the mulch again this year. I sure hope they have to good deal on potting soil again too. Need some more.
Hey guys, there has been some changes in planning for the RU. If you haven't gone over there to read the changes, please do and if interested please let us know.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1384499/
Mulch will have the same deals as we had last year. That is one deal I know of but I don't know what the sales will be on potting soil. Our Spring Black Friday will be the big day and that's a couple weeks or so down the road.
I have a ton of nanking cherry seeds planted outside in cups. I hope they sprout!!
I'm behind.
Ronna,
DGD is just adorable!
Pepper,
I've been chased by a chicken with it's head cut off. Thankfully Dad had the tractor near and I hopped on it. SPOOKY!!!
It's been busy. All last week was nice and I was outside most of the days. I cleaned off iris and got borer control down. We had to make a trip to town first. They only had one bag and this last trip, I got twice as much for a dollar less. it will keep in my garage till next year just fine!
I got tall stalks cut out of the flower beds but left the leaves for the worm sto eat over the next month. Most of the leaves off the iris went on the compost pile.
I've been slowly cleaning my garage.
Tuesday we ate at Buffalo Wild Wings and brought home leftovers. We finished them today. Boy were they good!
DH built an overhead shelf in my garage and we put things up there yesterday. My garage is 75% cleaner. I filled pots with potting soil and brought it in. I'm ready to sow. I was going to start cabbage, but will need to harden them off. I don't have a good place and am not sure what April will bring for cold weather, so I'll wait a bit.
DD will bring the yahoos here Friday and all four will spend the night.
Today we got groceries and I feel lazy. I think it's the cloudy weather and slight chance of rain I doubt we get.
Have a restful day.
Billy: "I feel lazy. I think it's the cloudy weather and slight chance of rain I doubt we get."
Even at work, that is how I felt, and all we got has been slight driZzle..
We had sprinkles yesterday until afternoon then we got the rain. Today it's been off and on rain and drizzle. I'm loving it since we're so short on moisture this year.
Thanks to the inspiration from Nicole Curtis "The Rehab Addict", I've ripped out the carpet and old linoleum covering a layer of adhesive, and 3 layers of paint (black, brown, and gray) hiding the pine wood floor boards that I've been sanding down to the wood. I love my new random orbital sander that I bought at HD. In the meantime, I had a dark chocolate cake in the oven. I've taken a few pics of the before and work in progress to share later when finished. I also got some pics of a solid chocolate colored cat with pale green eyes sitting among my daffodils which have bloomed. Also, I have some snow drops in bloom. I don't know who this cat belongs to, but it just started hanging around recently. I've never seen a cat this color before.
I have so many DIY projects that I've realized my home has become a .... "FIXER UPPER!" That's what happens when you live in a home for over 25 years and focus on the yard and garden. I've got to start splitting my time between home and garden from now on. Anyone else have problems keeping up both at the same time?
UHM.... YES.. WE ARE JUST NOW FIXING UPPING OUR HOME, WE HAVE BEEN HERE FOR 29 YEARS..
got it painted outside and new gutters and the brick wing knocked off last year.
got the pink bedroom now painted to eggshell white, new blinds, in process of re-doing wood on the windows. he also got the ceiling painted. he hasn't done anything since he got his taters going, except cook and clean, but he has a list a mile long of fix its. I am begging him to bring me home two flappers for each toilet upstairs, I hear them leaking once in the am and once in the nite time, so who knows how many times there are "mini" fills while I am at work. He said the water bill went up a dollar, I told him if the flappers were changed he mighta saved that dollar.
*sigh* I admire you Betty for working a sander. I'd have cut my leg off or something already.
I can't wait to see that chocolate cat.
Debra,
I'm glad I'm not the only ''lazy'' one. I've been on the go for two weeks. I think my brain felt it was time to kick back since it's too chilly to work outside.
Pepper,
ALL the rain was south of us! We needed it too :o(
Betty,
My other thread was talking about how more people are ripping out old carpeting and putting down different flooring. WOW!! You really had to go deep to find the wood! Can't wait to see pictures of the floor and beautiful stray cat!
Yes, my house suffers in the summer because I am outside all day. I barely have time to vacuum, do dishes and laundry :o) I've been here 39 years.
Debra,
NICE changes!
ROTFL!! My leg would be missing too!!!
Later today I will be dragging in tubs of toys, bedding and one cot. DD will be here after 2:30 pm with all the kids. I think we will be able to play outside!
I bought frozen pizza for supper and tomorrow we'll have burgers and vegetables.
Have a really nice day!
Hey all! Quick question........ do you use fertilizer or plant food in your garden's? If so, when and what do you use? Now or throughout the growing season? Next fall in prepreation for winter??
I broadcast 100lb per acre in the spring before soil is worked. I use 19-19-19.
High tunnels get miracle grow through a hose end sprayer as needed.
I use mg 20-20-20 as a first feed all around my gardens, work in some rabbit poo and compost and use a feeder sprayer thru out summer. I use Bayer 3 in 1 for the roses and shrubs and trees at Spring and mid summer and Fall.
I'm the lazy one when it comes to feeding my plants. New plants get aged manure in the holes then just mulch to keep the mower off them after that.
Hehe. my plants don't get anything but sunshine and water! Man, I'm terrible I know..lol
I don't profess at all that my method is best.
Most of my beds are like that. lol. I'm trying to change that habit so that the soil improves over the years even if in just small spots. It's a start anyways. The only bed that will be fully converted is the one I'm currently digging out so something might actually grow in there. lol. The hard part is figuring out what to plant. I need a tall, dry shade loving plant that won't mess up the pain on the siding for the back side. After that it's easy for me. lol
Decided to skip the ferns for the back of the bed being redone and went with two tree peonies, "High Noon".
http://www.vermontwildflowerfarm.com/perennial-tree-peony-high-noon.html
ooooooo Those are pretty! And a perennial, too!
I think that I may have to go plant shopping next week. :) I was poking around at that site (Vermont Wild Flower Farm) and there were so many pretties! And this year, I'm getting an early start on my gardens.
I was drooling when I was on there. lol. But I made myself just stick with the peonies. Trying to spread my plant purchases out so I can get some other stuff done. lol
I want to start buying plants!!!! Nothing is open around here yet. Sad, sad. But it will be no time. Hopefully. Today we are suppose to get an inch of snow! So cold around around here lately. Yesterday high of 25 really cold no wind tho. So that was a bonus. Well want to go to the gym before work so have a wonderful day all.