Tuesday, March 4, 2008

A Day in the Garden


I am getting a bit short on posts. Normally, I have about a month's worth, but with the impending shift of platforms for the Leaf Chronicle, I have been stingy with preparing posts ahead of time. I do have a few left, but this one is on the fly.





Since the weather has changed so drastically, and it is scheduled to get really cold today, this is a good time to walk through the garden on this past Sunday. Sunday was a pretty good day to garden outside, and I was able to get many chores done.

Sunday was such a great day in the garden, that if you live in Tennessee and were not working in your garden, or on the lake in a boat-you are so wrong! Here is a walk through mine in case you didn't get to yours!


I planted some potatoes in behind Mr. Fix-it's garage in the Jimster's garden. Just ordinary store bought potatoes which had sprouted. I dug a trench, lay in the potato, covered with soil and hay, and first cool season veggie is in! That is Baby, my last little fostered Golden Retriever puppy, and Link, checking out the newly dug dirt. Baby has a fascination with eating the dirt. Can't see what is so interesting in it. But it does look like good dirt-doesn't it? I get lots of potatoes out of this dirt.



I planted some really cute red cabbages next to the 100 onion bulbs I planted last week in one of my raised beds in the veggie garden. I am looking forward to some great sauerkraut and red coleslaw!


I also planted some really healthy transplants of broccoli in another raised bed in the veggie garden. I am hoping I get to harvest lots of broccoli and don't have to share with worms! Hate those things but love the fresh picked broccoli. We shall see. Do you notice those nice brick paths in the veggie garden? I am looking forward to not getting muddy this year! Pepper plants will also be planted in this bed with the broccoli as the season progresses, hence the wire cages. I plant all of my veggies close together and companion plant many types in one bed.

Let's proceed to the front yard now. Here we come upon some new purchases at the Lawn and Garden show. Let's see, what do we have here? Dames Rockets (2), Soapwort, two types of sedum, a large Holly fern, strawberry begonias (2), a lovely yellow tree peony, and the aforementioned broccoli and cabbage plants, along with a 'Junebearer' strawberry plant. I have only the 'Everbearers' and since these grow strawberries all season the berries are small. I wanted a Junebearer to get larger berries.

Uh-oh. What happened to the split rail fence between my neighbor's yard and my long border? Mr. Fix-it grudgingly pulled it out to make way for the new privacy fence which will travel along this long border, and hide the trucks and so on. Mr. Fix-it was not happy about pulling the fence. He had worked hard to put it in there five years ago. All is not lost though. The split rail (which I also worked hard on-staining!) will traverse the front of the property. We always wanted a split rail fence out front, but didn't want to spend anymore more money. Now we can re-use what we already had! Of course, we are spending money on the new privacy fence, but it will be money well spent!

It was my job to start installing the split rail into its new home. Doesn't it look good? The silverberries really help to form a border between this very busy road, but the split rail makes the barrier and division concrete. We love it! The green fits right in and the split rail gives the plants a backdrop. Now they don't feel like they are left hanging out there by the road (which they still are but don't tell them)! See all those cars coming up the road? Once the privacy fence is installed, you won't-neither will we!

Pulling the split rail, beginning the process of installing it in its new home, and reworking the garden was a BIG chore! The concrete 'flagstone' path I had in this border had to come out. It has been moved to the back now. In its place is a 'Red Tip' photinia, three clumps of ornamental grasses and more room for ornamentals as the mood hits me. Talk about happy-more room to grow flowers in this border due the fence changing out.

I have many more pictures I took on this glorious day. Maybe I will save them for a later walk in the garden. The tulips and daffodils are up and getting ready to grace me with their colors. Actually, I finally had some daffys bloom just today! The crocuses are blooming like crazy. I planted 200 lavender ones last fall and I am so pleased with them that I may buy more next year. Here are just a few in one of the front gardens. The picture really doesn't do them justice.

These little pots are outside my garage door. I planted some primroses in the hypertufa pots I made recently. The primroses weathered the freezes rather nicely. I wish I could say the same for the Gerbera daisy I bought on the same day. I am not entirely sure what is growing in the three green pots. I know some Stella de Oro daylillies are in one, a red hot poker in another and maybe some kind of lily/orchid thing in the last. Dawn, I think it may be those peacock orchids you grew one year. It will be a surprise I guess. At least the plants are all green. That is it for today's walk in the garden.

Everyone reading this, save your colored styrofoam egg cartons. I will be doing a post on yucca 'tulips' soon, but you will need to save your egg cartons now so you'll have enough for the tulips.

Also, spring is here. I heard the peepers today. Their song is one my most favorite songs of spring. I had never heard them until I moved here and so love them each year. I will try to record the song and put it on here for all to enjoy. The peepers are some type of frog, but I am not sure what type.

in the garden....

20 comments:

  1. Tina,

    Love when you post on the fly!

    Gail

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  2. What a glorious post --enjoyable view of all things spring!! I just wish that cold weather coming at us wouldn't come but alas I know it's not spring yet. Great pictures and you sure put alot into your veggies already. Catch you later -the girl model needs to get to school. Ciao!

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  3. Tina, thanks for taking us on a walk through your garden!

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  4. Nice trot through the garden!
    The daffodils are in full bloom here in GA as is the Forsythia, Plum trees and Bridle Wreath...

    Big storm coming this afternoon so I need to walk the yard and look for things that will need to be secured from the winds which are already blowing like crazy… Calling for up to one more inch of rainfall and the cleared area for the veggie garden is still too soggy to walk in. I have decided we will have to really pile up fresh dirt in order to have the garden in this spot but until the yard dries out a bit, I don’t see it happening. Too messy of a job. I need some rubber boots!

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  5. Nice walk Tina. We will have to wait another month for the sweet color of those flowers up here. We are to get snow, sleet and freezing rain here tonight. The temp right now is 52 degrees so gotta drop fast!

    All that rain sure will help your lake Skeeter.

    Everyone have a good day.

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  6. hey all! cold and rainy today. not a good day in the garden.

    however...we all need the rain!

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  7. Sounds like you had a busy day! It was a good day to get outside. I managed to get one more raised bed attached but I still have one more to go.

    Is that a 'Blue spruce' sedum? The grow very good. Easy to propagate too!

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  8. Great walk through your garden. Looks like you got a lot of work done.
    I got the window boxes planted plus a few other jobs. Got run into house by rain. Supposed to have tornado warnings till about 9 tonight. It's a little windy too.

    Skeeter, sounds like you have more proof of Spring than I do. There's a strip through this co. that for some reason is slower than surrounding area as far as flowers blooming.

    Hope all had a glorious day.

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  9. hi dave and lola,
    i do have a blue spruce sedum, lots of kinds actually, but not in the pictures dave. not sure what you are seeing. i like the sedums as they are so versatile.

    lola, stay safe down there. it is cold as anything here and a bit windy. congrats on getting your window boxes done. lots of work.

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  10. Lucky you to have such a nice walk, as everyone is getting bad weather we are too. I'm getting another 3'' of snow with 1'' freezing rain and sleet atop of it. Both my kids told me there is a consideration of taking away part of April vacation (tuesday and Wed) and then going on Sats. A questionare went to the teachers yesterday for a vote, many teachers have plans for vacation. I don't think teenagers will be hauling themselves out of bed to go to school on Sats. I know mine protested. Another snow day added tom.
    Everyone hunker down, be back later, Jack of all trades is getting what Nikki had, have to go and doat on him. ;?)

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  11. Hi Tina, it was great seeing you today. We finally made it over to Rural King -and we are pretty excited they are about ready to bring out those baby chicks/ducks. They have the lamps and containers set up --we love to go visit them:) I got a new bird feeder that looks like a barn --sort of --it's rather cute. We spent way too much time in there --of course they have so much to look at. I bought some onion bulbs to plant --I love onions. Just have to decide where they will go --out of the way. Probably back behind the shed --since the wood is just about gone. Also, made a stop at Fred's while hubby was getting a haircut next door and they had blueberry and raspberry bushes for sale --$7.xx wanted to get one of each but not sure where to put them and how they'd do in my yard. There are wild raspberries up that road we walked today --the kids pick them and eat them --by that cow pasture. Now, it's back to the old grind --house needed some attention and homework for the older two. The fireplace guy didn't call today but we have the fireplace going --it is quite chilly today. It was much nicer earlier this morning. Catch you later --hubby has a seminar tonight so I should be back on here if all the kiddies cooperate:)

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  12. Forgot in all my excitement of shopping today that my free trees came from the Arbor Day thing :0) Now, decisions, decisions where to plant these guys and identifying them --lol. I may be writing more later --like HELP Tina with my trees:) Ciao

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  13. dawn with peaches, man that stinks! lots of snow days. hope it works out for the kids. surely they have something built in the school year in case this happens?

    i hope jack of all trades gets to feeling better. seems to be a nasty bug this year. i myself have not been sick! i got enough for two years last year when i lost my voice for more than a week. i swear by the flu vac too. i think that was the trick...knock on wood. hope you don't get sick as you would not be able to spoil the others.

    anonymous, your onion bulbs are easy. just put them in an established garden somewhere if you don't have time to make a new veggie garden. my suggestion would be to ultimately make a veggie garden. you have plenty of room. maybe on the right of your backyard away from the trampoline and accessible. this is also where you might want to put the blueberries and rasberries. blueberries need acid soil with lots of sun. the rasberries need full sun. rasberries usually have thorns so put them out of the way. blueberries are gorgeous and ornamental even if the birds eat them before you! think up a veggie garden plan and where you want it and you might plant the blueberries and rasp in that location and fence it off? had fun visiting today too. love the new 'green' furniture. you should tell our community about it!

    dawn with peaches planted her trees in a sheltered location at first. the little saplings the arbor day foundation sends are so small they barely have a chance in the landscape. if i got some, i would either plant them all together in a nursery bed so they could be babied, or put them in pots until they get larger and you decide where you want them. pots might be better for you.

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  14. My neighbor gave us 10 dogwoods a few years ago that she got from the Arbor Day deal. I planted each of them in pots then transplanted them later on. Of the 10 trees, 6 survived. Three are really small at only about 2 or 3 feet tall. And 3 of them are flourishing being about 7 feet tall! I have no idea why they are so different in size but I am glad the three large ones are the large ones as they are planted in a row together! The deer get to one of the small ones and I keep trying to help it along each year. Maybe one day the three small ones will amount to something spectacular…

    We had one and half inch of rain so the veggie garden might just be a bust as it continues to stand in water. Argggg...

    Tornadoes near so I need to get off this thing for the night… Looks like it might be a stormy night….

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  15. Hi Tina, thanks for the pointers on the blueberries and raspberries. I just might have to get back over there for one of each. I've never grown either --just picked the wild ones as a kid and ate most of them. I think I will have to make a garden spot in that back corner --I know it will be tough to keep the bunnies and other critters out -unless I put some chicken wire around it. I now have an idea to work with:) Hang on Skeeter --I dread those storms with tornado warnings and such --so glad we have just cold and windy today. Hi Lola, hope you do well with the storms too! Hi Jean and Dawn with peaches --hope you all don't get too much snow --wow it seems so excessive this year with all that snow up north. Hi Nina hope you are rested up from your trip and yardwork. Guess I should hop off here. Nighty night y'all.

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  16. Nope, nothing built in the school for this and the problem is....graduation has to be within so many days of the school ending. (talk about confirmed plans) Since they can't change the date and the state won't waiver, we get school on Sat. Seems like its not a bad idea by current vote, we have lost 3 schools in three days, all from buckling roofs. Lots of nervous parents, I went out today and was surprised how many people lost buildings from the weight of the snow. One of our suppliers lost their warehouse. Banks are high enough, they cover the speed limit signs. Any sign for that matter.
    I can't wait til I get my trees from the arbor day, I'm sure it won't be until another month and a half. We have peepers here and I'm surprise you don't remember them Tina, it's funny... they start, we walk near them, (they are in the pond) and they peep down to nothing. Much like the locust that Lola and Skeeter might have.
    Everyone be safe.

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  17. I know Dawn, I thought Tina would have heard them here. They are every where.

    Tina Baby looks like he is almost as big as the other 2 when they left your great mothering.

    Nit nite all and have a good 1

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  18. i think i am slipping up by responding. shame on me! mom and dawn with peaches-i truly don't remember the peepers up there! bullfrogs-yes. love them. but no peepers.

    skeeter-glad you made it through the storms-i hope they brought georgia some much needed rain!

    anonymous-you crack me up with your gardening! isn't owning a home a nice thing? you can put down roots and really grow! take skeeter's advice with the tiny trees. unless you can REALLY protect them from your shiny red mower and children-maybe put trees in a pot. dawn with peaches-do you put them up or plant them out? i think you said plant them out? and it worked.

    mom, baby has grown. she is still a ball of fur though. so sweet. we want to keep her but everytime i move and i trip over a 100 pound dog or even the little one (link) i remember why mr. fix it and i said no to more dogs! as cute as pups are, they grow up sometimes into big dogs. needy dogs that need to be under our feet constantly! urgh! skeeter might have the right idea with kitties. orkin never gets in the way:~)

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  19. Tina, we trip over the girls all the time! They are black and really hard to see and they may sneak into a room and you never hear them then turn around and trip over one! We call them little Stealth Bombers... I have automatic night lights all over the house so as to see them better...

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  20. guess my idea of having small animals won't work then will it since you are tripping over kitties? darn!!!

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