Friday, July 16, 2010
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??
Thursday, July 15, 2010
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!
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.
Monday, July 12, 2010
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.
Friday, July 2, 2010
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.
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.
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