I finished!

Yes, just yesterday I received my diploma from Stratford Career Institute!  Isn't that special?  Now that it's late fall/early winter, I can't go outside and do much except clean up and wait 'til spring.....but I sure can plan!  I have some cool ideas ready for whenever I can get everything together.  Both on the front of the house and the backyard.  I promise I'll take before and after pics for everyone to see.  For now, sleep well little plants.  :)

New Plantings

I usually don't like fall much.  It always shows the ending of things.  Trees drop their leaves.  Grass begins to turn brown.  Summer bloomers are dying down and tender plants will die soon.

This year is slightly different.  Although all those things are still happening, I'm planting for next year now.  The perennials I ordered have been delivered and I've planted all of them.  As they begin to dig in and get their roots established, I'm reminded that next year they will perform for me!  Also, I'm planning a new landscape for the back.  The front will have to wait a while, but the back will have a new look.

I have a problem looking "outside the box" for this project.  But cutting down all the spent plants leaves a different landscape and lets me gain a new perspective.  I'm able to "see" some new stuff!  So, look forward to pictures of new things next spring!

I'll talk to you soon, you can be assured I'll keep you updated!

Judie

The Mailbox

Well, I thought it was time to update the mailbox this year.  By Labor Day, it still sported the weeds that took over after the spring bulbs died down!  What a mess.  It was full of crabgrass, I had to pull it all out.  But then, with it freshly cleaned, I began to think about what I would like instead.  I finally ended up with some Angelica Sedum.  It will look amazing next summer and fall as it turns many hues of bronze, yellow and orange.  Behind that I planted some Blue Salvia.  One problem.  The Salvia didn't have much information on the label and so I was taking a long shot with it.  I didn't know if it was an annual or perennial.  Seems it is a perennial in the southern states!  It's zone 9!!!  We're zone 4-5.  I'll have to give some special care to get that little cutie to come up next spring!

I've been cleaning out back again.  Try as I might, I can't seem to see "outside the box" to come up with something that I really want back there.  I did plant some Pampas grass that I dug up from an empty homestead in Polk City.  They say Pampas grass won't grow here.  But it was growing in Polk City, so it should grow here!  I hope so.  That and a few other things will be a big cover-up in the corner of the garden.

Pictures are coming...I promise!  Until next time then, Plant something!

It's Raining

Yeah, it's raining today.  The yard is only partially cleaned up, I still have a couple of areas to cut down garden phlox and pull weeds from.  I guess I'll have to wait a while for things to dry up.  Hopefully there will be some good days that are fairly dry and fairly warm yet.....I have some planting to do, like those around my mail-box and I can't plant in mud!

I know pictures make this blog much better, but this time of year, all you can see are the empty places!  That might give perspective tho, so I'll go snap a few as soon as it stops raining!  Meanwhile, take the time to clean up YOUR garden.  Stuff left on the ground from this years growth can carry forward lots of unwanted insect infestations and fungus.  Don't use the cut down infected growth in your compost pile  (if you have one),  you'll be spreading the spores and insects into your humus.

Take care, and go plant something!

The Mailbox

As I think about the perennials I ordered for around the mailbox, I can't help but think how much different it will look!    I have had bulbs and annuals there most of the time I've lived here.  It will be nice to have it kinda take care of itself!  Again, I'll post pictures when it starts looking decent!

BTW.. I was surfing around looking for information on Garden Phlox when I came upon a good site about gardening.  This might be a  reference for lots of garden know-how.  I feel that this person has been gardening a long time.

http://www.douggreensgarden.com

Autumn...cleanup time!

You know how toward the end of the season it seems like the weeds take over?  Well, they certainly did in my garden this year.  Today I witnessed that as I began to cleanup the spent perennials and discovered the vast number of weeds that had crept in.  I pulled, dug and raked to get the ground ready for next year.

I have finished my course in Gardening and Landscaping, so I've begun to work toward a bigger plan for my new garden.  You might remember that I started a fern corner, I guess that was the first step.  Now, since I have some ideas about the rest of the back yard, I've dug up some Mondara that was taking over a rock garden area.  It always looked like a weed, and I was tempted to cut it down and then it would bloom this red fluffy star-type of flower.  It wasn't real showy, so I decided to dig it all up.  I suppose there will be a few that I missed that will come up next spring, but then I can see them and dig them up too. 

I've planted Pampas grass as my first permanent plant for the new garden. (Except for the ferns :) It seems that everyone says that they don't make it through the winter here, they're not hardy enough.  However, there are several stands of the white-plumed grass growing near Polk City!  So, we'll see.

I have an order in for some other plants to put around my mailbox....ones that will be better than the foxtails that are growing there now.  I'll be sure to take pictures next spring to update everyone!

I will be posting more often now, as I add plants and ideas to my garden.  I've been a little lax, but I'll be better, I promise!

A Great Vacation!

Just a few days vacation can make all the difference in the world to your attitude!  On a beautiful, not too hot day, I spent several hours in the garden, cleaning up debris and running all the sticks and trimmings from the garden through our chipper shredder.  Now I can move easily through the area leading to my fern garden and the mulch the chipper produced is wonderful for keeping in the moisture.

Today, it's raining.  It's perfect.  We went to the Iowa State Fair yesterday and it was fairly hot, but not to the point of exhaustion.  Having this day of rain is relaxing, cooling and a great time to spend indoors catching up on friends and family.

Take care, and we'll talk again soon.

Down the lane

In the back of my garden, I have a little area that has a path through it.  We mow it every time we mow and it is fun to walk down it.  There are garden phlox blooming on both sides as well as the Clematis.  I took my camera out and recorded a video but I'm unable to load it here for you.  Maybe someone with more technology will read this and give me hand??

Okay, so there was this huge storm last night. It was around 9-9:30 and we wondered how everything outside would do with the wind. I have this little maple tree that I pulled up as a sapling in the yard that I planted in a big container. It's working on it's second year now and
Ray says, "don't you think you should plant it????" Well, when you buy a tree in a container at the nursery, it most likely is 3-4 years old. That gives it a nice root ball and it's a happy camper. So, if I were to plant it this year, it would probably not survive as well as it would if I wait. Ray also worried about it during the storm and wondered if we should bring it inside. No....I say, the wind helps it develop roots capable of holding it upright as it grows. If you coddle it, it will be weak!

Fine, he says. It really was a very nice storm.

Still doing stuff....:)

Even though the days are hot and the mosquitoes are hungry, I'm still working towards the garden! I'm working online towards my Landscaping and Gardening degree! This module is about drawing up the landscaping plan. I'm learning to draw to scale, perspective and different ways to use architect's tools to help. I've never worked much in graphic design and hope I get the hang of it! To be able to create the best possible plan for my home garden is my first goal. Later I might reach out to others that would like to plan their gardens.

So, for now I'm inside in the AC environment away from the screaming mosquitoes and working hard toward my degree! Later.

Beautiful days, plenty of itching

Okay, I have to admit that I haven't done much in the garden for a few days. I'd like to say it was weather related, but.. no it's not.

When I was a kid, I used to play outside all the time, and I'd come in way after dark. Sometimes even though I had been hot and sweaty during the day, my mom would have me just wash up a little instead of a bath. My feet were always a mess because of course I was barefoot most of the time, but still I just washed up. That was a mistake on my part, but hey, I didnt' know any better. The mistake was not washing WELL....well enough to wash off all the chiggers that were using my body as a host. There were summers when I had hundreds of chigger bites...and no one seemed to have a clear idea of where they came from, or how they managed to get under tight places such as elastic without me knowing it!

Well, recently Ray and I went fishing. Now I've not had many chiggers since I was little, but after that trip I had once again managed to get bites under the elastic. So, I finally went to the internet for some answers. Seems the things are almost invisible to the naked eye. They catch a ride on their host by climbing up to a high blade of grass or weed, then when you come by they just hop on. They like tight fitting places, not just elastic, such as behind the knee when you're wearing jeans. They burrow in and begin to secrete some enzymes that liquefy skin cells, then they eat their fill. When they're finished, they just drop back into the grass, or wherever you happen to be. At this point, you probably don't even know you've been biten. It takes a day or two, then the itching begins. It lasts about a week. It tends to make you a little gun-shy to go out into the garden. Even though I haven't gotten chigger bites before in my garden, as wet as it is this year it could happen.

So....All I've been doing is mowing. On the John Deere tractor. For those of you that are prone to getting chigger bites...be sure to spray a bug repellent on your shoes, your socks, your legs from the knee down and the outside of your jeans. Even then, I'd come home, strip and shower as soon as possible!! Wash the clothes in hotter than usual water and dry in a hot dryer.

Either it's rain or heat!!!

Yeah, like it's crazy hot right here. I'm sitting in the office, (with no AC) a fan blowing directly on me and still I'm sticky and hot. My windows are open and I'm hoping the outside air will begin to cool down, but my best chance for cool is to go on back into the air conditioned house!

I've been going out to look at the garden often, but it's sooooo, hot and because of this wet weather it's full of mosquitos that I'm not out very long. I did take some pictures of some of the bloomers and growers out there, and I've included them here today. I've had a few days off and would have spent lots of time in the garden if the weather had cooperated!

Even in good weather tho, ya still have to break off the gardening to take a stab at the dust bunnies in the house.....however in my house it's DOG bunnies. My two pugs leave many bunnies for me. So I've been using this time to clean up so I'll be ready when the weather gives me a break!

Back to Gardening

Yes, even though I miss my Dad and can't ask him questions anymore, I have to still take care of my garden.

This is what they call "late spring" and is the right time to put down a good fertilizer on your lawn. If you are using the Scotts brand, it's the number 2 bag for this time. Otherwise, any good lawn fertilizer is okay because it's just a regular feeding time, not necessarily using an herbicide for crabgrass or other broadleaves. If you haven't used an herbicide, it's not too late though. The best time is when the weeds are actively growing and there will be no rain for a day or two. Read the instructions because you might have to spray the lawn with water briefly to give the herbicide something to stick to. This type of product is usually called a "contact' herbicide, not a "systemic" or "pre-emergence" type. So, in order for it to work, it needs to sit on the leaves for a while. BTW.. check for sure by reading the label on your fertilizer too, you might be wanting to water it in or ask for rain for the next day!

It's time too to be staking up your tomatoes, or caging them, as well at clematis and other creeping vines. A trellis or fence works fine for these beauties.

If you have pictures of your garden efforts, or questions, I'd welcome them. You can leave them on the blog or send it to my email judiemorris@q.com. I'd love to hear from you!

My Gardener Dad is gone from my sight

The inspiration for my chosen study, gardening is gone now. Not that he is gone from my thoughts, but I cannot ask any more questions of him. He was very ill in Taylor House Hospice and I sat with him. Today, Friday, 5-28-10 we laid him to rest next to my Mother.

I owe him everything from the very first tiny plant he carefully helped me to pat into the soil to the lifetime desire to help things grow. He was my mentor, my go- to answer man about so many things besides gardening. From answers to big questions to answers to silly questions. From being a character full of mischievousness and orneriness to a steady, loving, gentle person. He is not replaceable. He is and always will be my Father. He will be missed and loved by his whole family.

Finally! Some warm weather!

I've been out in the garden even tho it's been cold. The Fern Garden is beginning to fill in a little, but until it really looks like a "Garden" I'll wait to post a new picture.

My latest area of study is pests and diseases. I've found that many of these pests can be countered by using a special soap. Hurray for a green treatment! Big caterpillars on tomato plants can just be picked off with a gloved hand. Even some smaller ones can just be removed too, but most are so small you just have to treat the whole plant.

Keep a watch on your garden. If you see leaf damage, gray molding or stunted growth, it's time to check for pests!

BRRRRRRR!

So, with this cooler May, I'm waiting for any more additions to my garden! Seems like Mother Nature is trying to tell me to slooooowww dooooowwwnnnnnnn. Sorry, can't do that!

While the weather has been cool, I've been cleaning up areas of the garden that has plenty of sticks and branches blown down. I'll be putting those through the shredder for additional mulch! I also have been surging forward in my studies for Gardening and Landscaping. Now I know for sure that my Dad is a very smart guy. I keep reading over and over how things are done that he already did when I was growing up.

Be sure to watch the lows in temperature and cover your tender plants or bring them in if they're not too heavy. I still have a patio hibiscus in my front room!

Don't let this cool weather get you down, soon enough we'll be turning on the AC to cool off after an afternoon of weeding and watering.....

Here's a look at the finished Shady Fern Garden

Busy Spring!

Yes, it's been a busy spring so far...I've already had issues from "gardener's weekend" sore muscles! A few days ago, a friend and I went to Goode's greenhouse just to look around. I came home with a backseat full of stuff! As I work through my lessons in Gardening and Landscaping, I felt it would be a great addition to my garden to include a shady fern corner. I visited several places and looked for ferns, but until I went to Goode's I came up empty. So, after stocking up on Lady Fern, Christmas Fern, Male Fern, Sensitive fern, Rock Fern, Ostrich Fern and a few others, I came home and began!

First the area was full of weeds and sticks etc so I had to clean it all out. I actually made a scale map based on the size the ferns are to be when mature. Everything I've read says you shouldn't have the ferns touching each other. (No fraternization I guess ;) After that, it was easy to place them and dig them in. The area is extremely rich soil because I've been using it for a compost for years...so I didn't need to add anything. After adding a few impatients for color, I covered the whole thing in chipped branches that we ran through our chipper for mulch. The rain came at a perfect time!

willow avenue pottery

willow avenue pottery

So much to do!

It seems there isn't as much muscle to go around in my garden! I have been raking, dividing hostas and replanting as well as collecting all the winter debris. Spring is really my favorite season as everything turns green again and blooms or begins budding and growing!

My classes are going great...I spend a lot of time on the train reading and re-reading my books. There are so many great ideas in these books, I've begun to make a list of plants I want. Because I have a really shady corner, I think I'll start a fern garden there. So many different ones are available that I'll have plenty to pick from. If you have a really shady place, or a place with dappled sunshine, ferns are very carefree and require little attention after planting. They make a great addition to the garden with many different shades of green and textures. Some are huge, up to 12 feet tall, and some are tiny just barely 2-3 inches. They pair up great with spring bulbs, or perennials for spring through summer color.

Enjoy this best season of the year (and be ready for some sore muscles) when everything begins to grow!

Riding on the Choo choo!

I'm so excited! I am leaving tomorrow to visit my daughter Suzanne. She and her husband Chris have just brought a little girl into this world and I can hardly wait to go. I'll be leaving tomorrow on the train! I've never ridden the train here in Iowa, Cambridge to London being the only other time I've ridden. Can't wait to load some pictures here from my latest granddaughter!!!!!

I'll continue my course while traveling; lots of time on the train. With the beautiful spring days, there are bulbs and little tiny early bloomers all over. The winter has taken it's toll on many bushes though. Especially since the rabbits have been hungry! And what about all those ladybug-beetles????? They're everywhere!

Finally it's here!

The "it" I'm referring to is the new college course for Landscaping and Gardening! I've been so excited about it that I've already completed two modules and am working on the third!

The coolest thing happened. As I was reading about starting annuals from seed, I realized that it was all very familiar. My Dad and Mom did this when I was a kid. They started flat after flat of marigolds, petunias, salvia, etc. and when the seed had germinated we had to transplant them. All the steps I read about were already imbedded in my tiny brain from those greenhouse memories. When I realized that I was so familiar with this and that Dad was the intelligent one, I gave him a call and said "Dad, how'd you get to be so smart?" He just laughed and then we talked about old times in the greenhouse. We used to use a maching called a shredder to make the soil fine and then we mixed it with sand, vermiculite and perlite. Some fancy words for kinda styrofoam additives! We had a great long talk about it.