We filled up late May Yardening in record time. So many pretty flowers this time of year. Keep me coming. I will enjoy them from my swing.
came from
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1395082/
This message was edited Jun 7, 2015 7:14 PM
That looks like a nice spot for your swing, Sally.
I can imagine you there on the swing deviously petting your evil koala...
Robin, great work on your front lawn!
Great spot for your swing, Sally.
From the swing I listen to the Blue Gnomes
"These Mouse Ears are quite cute"
"Yes. But the Ginkgo Craig is lovely too , don't you think?"
Ha ha Sequoia! I didn't know what you were talking about; then I remembered the koala from Sally's previous thread.
Catbird, I love your yard! It's so bright and cheerful, the rock wall looks great, and it's so much more interesting to look at than lawn.
Sequoia, the garden center guy might be right. Your ROS probably grew faster than normal because of the wet winter and spring rain, and the top growth exceeded the capacity of the roots to hold them in place. One of my large ROS fell over while we were overseas; the tenants blamed the heavy snow and rain that weighed it down while loosening the roots. We were able to right it (more or less).
That buzzfeed is hilarious! I think the drunk kids beat the koalas, though.
I can't take any credit for the rock wall, it was already in place, but I did convince Steve not to tear it out and replace it with wall block from Home Dept/Lowes. Told him the rocks had more interest than a block wall.
Haha Sally, what a great link!
Muddy, did the ROS every make it back to looking decent?
Robin, I really enjoyed your front yard photos -- what a remarkable transformation! I hope Steve knows how lucky he is to have you as a tenant.
Odd about those ROS. When we first planted that weeping willow in back, I was horrified to look outside one morning and see it bent over double, leaves sweeping the ground. Its skinny trunk was all wiggly like a noodle. Too much rain? I'm still not sure.
We had it in traction for a couple of years until I finally gave up on having it regain anything like a graceful shape... I cut it down but then let it resprout from the stump. I cut it back hard pretty regularly, so it's much smaller than a "real" willow would be, but I like it.
Yes, the ROS is one of the small tree-size "shrubs" in my backyard. You would never know it had fallen over (and had been left that way for several years) by looking at it now.
We dug out a little around the roots, then my husband pulled hard enough on the uphill side to pry up part of the root ball on the downhill side. I shoveled dirt under the roots as he held it, then we cut off one or 2 of the trunks to help balance the weight and staked it for a year or so.
when Robin said Steve might get rid of the rock wall, I said "Aww! too bad! But if he's SURE, I will send some guys over and we will take it all down and haul it (to MY yard) for him..."
I know this site will be useful to me, I recognize some of these weeds! I just like to know what I'm cussing about. Like this carpetweed.
http://extension.missouri.edu/p/IPM1007-25#Carpetweed
I saw the coolest weed yesterday at Rita's. I was going to get it's id here but found it myself. It's Lotus corniculata aka birdsfoot trefoil.
Robin, I just went back to the old thread and saw your quilt and your garden bed. Both are beautiful! Great job :-)
pretty! I hate that the Latin makes me think water lily, though.
Makes it sound exotic and expensive. ;-)
Yeah I was bummed out when I read that it was invasive in our native prairie lands. I almost thought I'd get seeds and sprinkle them in my lawn. It is seriously gorgeous and it's supposed to bloom most of the summer. I read that it even takes to mowing.
It sure does! Much nicer than 'vetch'. How about 'bacon and eggs'?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotus_corniculatus
Well now you've just gotten me hungry..
Loved the Koala site, and Sally, that weed ID site is a keeper.
What a nice-looking invasive. I love that bright yellow.
That's a great weed-ID website!
DOWNPOUR here ! Wow, heaviest rain of the year by far. Coming in sheets, thunder, lightning, the whole nine yards. YAYYYYYYYYYY !!
Lots more coming across the entire region tonight. Good luck, hope everyone gets 2-3 inches or a little more but hope it's in a nice steady rain instead of quick downpours.
Yep, pretty sure the YMCA pool is closed, good excuse to skip my exercise class and go to bed early! Jim & Joyanna went out to dinner (their usual thing when I have my Y night), and it's very very quiet here. Except for the rain coming down. Radar says there's another line of thunder-boomers coming.
I pulled a lot of weeds today and was just getting ready to plant out some hot peppers and sow some beans when the sky turned black.
Our pie cherries are *almost* ripe, maybe another couple of days before we can start picking... lots of green ones still, too.
No real rain here yet--but you can "feel it" coming...There were a few drops...
I will go outside and check one more tome if all my unplanted flowers are safe under cover.
A hard rain could wash away all the soil.
One of these days...I will get to finish planting my purchased plants.
Hate to see them go out of bloom for the lack of sunlight.
Company coming Thurs. late PM--I have been tidying up the house a bit...(It needed it)...
Putting away all the stuff I just leave laying around....that needed to be done too.
Work tomorrow and Wednesday.....that leaves Thursday. hope to get everything done.
I don't have company often. It is a special occasion when I do.
G.
7:45PM---took a quock shower before all Hell breaks loose...
Still rumbling...it is as dark as night outside....Thunder is all around....it is coming...
The wind is really kicking up---We will have those "sheets of rain" any minute now.....
Geez,,,,,G.
Thanks for the link, Sally! I pulled one of these out of my garden yesterday: http://extension.missouri.edu/p/IPM1007-134#Velvetleaf
I had no idea what it was then; I just knew I didn't plant it.
yeah that Velvetleaf is a real bear in some zones. I've got a nagging patch of these mulberryweed
http://www.uaex.edu/yard-garden/resource-library/plant-week/mulberryweed.aspx
rain came through here for about an hour.
Velvetleaf is aptly named; the leaves are soooo soft. It looked like a squash plant, but as soon as I touched those leaves I knew it couldn't be.
We got 1.08" last night. It was pretty great. Didn't do the ROS any favors though, I'm pretty sure it's worse than before. I moved the rain gauge to the other side of the deck, out from underneath the Honeylocust. Now I will get reliable results for rain measurements.
I think I need to get a rain gauge. I never have any idea how much rain we get. Good news is the pond is looking pretty good with all that rain. Still not full, but getting much closer.
I was on a yardening roll this weekend, such fantastic weather for it, but then all progress was stopped dead in its tracks on Sunday when I stupidly injured myself opening a USPS flat rate box containing more plants that needed to get in the ground. I was holding it with my left hand and using a pair of scissors to get through the tape, and yes, I am now an ER statistic because the scissors slipped and I stabbed myself. Luckily no tendon or nerve damage, just stitches, but getting it taken care of was an all afternoon event. It will be 10 - 14 days for healing and stiches removal, so yardening activity is curtailed for a few days - no strength in the grip and have to be careful not to rip the stitches. I think it is time for Mike to step up to the plate and do my planting chores while I sit on a lounge chair eating bon bons and directing the work to be done lol. I wonder how long I can play the sympathy card?
Oh man, sorry to hear you stabbed yourself! Sometimes injuries are God's way to say that we need a break.
Perhaps some nice person will get you a pair of children's safety scissors for the next garden swap.... ;-P
Oh, no! I hope you heal quickly, aspen!
We got well over an inch last night. Yay! My newly transplanted hostas are happy. :)
Aspen d-mailed Sunday afternoon to cancel a planned visit due to her injury before leaving for medical attention. I had visions of blood all over her keyboard. When she got back she d-mailed that everything was "fine". Apparently the parameters for this term vary from person to person. ;-)
While locations nearby received considerable rain last night, most of it missed us and we only got 0.05 inches.
Man that's quite a bummer GT. It may as well not even rained for you. Looks like our next chance for rain is Thursday.
I got lot of weeds pulled before the rain came but no planting. However, my lovely friend Martina came over this morning and dug holes for hot peppers and hybrid tomatoes, which we put in the bed behind the dining room. Then Meghan came over and worked with me for a hour, dragging cardboard out of the basement and laying in along the side of the house.
I want to put in a bed along the side of the house that has nothing apart from a trio of American Holly trees, probably 10-12 feet out from the house. I'm in no hurry, so I think I'm going to layer up a bunch of stuff. By the time the cardboard breaks down, the sticks and leaves and everything else should have turned into "good dirt" as well.
For the bottom layer, we cut all the dead branches out of the big fig tree at the corner of the house. The fig is sprouting up nicely from its roots, but I don't know if that means figs this fall or not quite. We also dumped several loads of weeds (without seeds!), grass, etc. on top of the cardboard and sticks.
My plan is to stomp that all down once the leaves dry up, then throw enough mulch on top or especially along the edge to make it "presentable." My neighbors on that side are planning to put their house on the market soon, so I probably shouldn't leave it looking like a messy brush pile LOL.
I left a wide grass "path" between where we'll dig an edge for the new bed and the holly trees. We also moved some rocks from a nearby pile for an angled stone path from the edge of the bed to the gas meter... as well as providing access, that will make a nice path to the center. I tried to angle the path enough that the gas meter won't end up looking like a focal point, but it might need more of a curved approach and a couple more rocks.
Holly---
If I ever use scissors to open a box, I use one of the blades straight down.
like one would us a a box-cutter.
Actually--it may be a good idea if you could get a small box-cutter
and keep it handy. Those little (4" long) box cutters with the razor blade
inside are almost impossible to find.
I have 2--I think--and I guard them with my life....Holy molly!!! $19.90 each????
They used to be free....But--this is what I am talking about...
http://www.uline.com/Product/Detail/H-595/Cutters/Economy-Cutter?pricode=WY570&gadtype=pla&id=H-595Q&gclid=CJWC_4ikg8YCFYYXHwodCCYAeQ&gclsrc=aw.ds
G.
This message was edited Jun 9, 2015 1:53 PM
Gita, ULine sells stuff in bulk. That's $9.95 for a carton of 12. :-)
I do the same thing, using the scissor blade like a knife... but I imagine that's what Terri was doing when she slipped. ouch!
Yes, very stupid, I know better!!! Always cut away from you lol. Wonder what I was thinking, or not thinking as the case may be. It is very itchy today...
Sorry to hear about your injury, aspenhill!!!
