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Photos: House Yard and South Lot
Mar. 24th, 2024 11:57 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithI took some pictures around the yard today. These are from the house yard and the south lot.
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ysabetwordsmith
Spring in Crow Hollow....
Mar. 21st, 2024 01:11 pmmdehnersSpring is here officially and biologically(even with the last 2 nights in the low 30's). It was supposed to get down around 28F but thankfully didn't. I guess I didn't need to cover my little Lilac bush that has it's 1st buds this year after all;>.....
It's been a busy couple of months with last month's apt flood and basically all this month putting things back together(still have all my books boxed...waiting for insurance to pay to get replacements). So crazy that today was the 1st day in almost 2 months where weather and timing cooperated enough to go sit out on the deck and smoke. Sitting out and watching the robins in the yard and ducks down in the water(we live on an inlet of one of the TVA reservoirs), watching the last of the Daffs bobbing in the breeze and the species Tulips just opening up. Since regular ones aren't reliably Perennial I'm testing a number of species this yr. The weirdest thing is that a yellow-leaved White flowered Bleeding Heart is producing Pink one's this yr!
I've been Stratifying seeds every 2 months since January and so far I have 2 batches potted up into 3" pots and last weekend the last of them planted into their jiffy pots. I'll start Stratifying again in June for the Biannial/Cool Season Perennial seeds. Some day I'll get English Primroses;>!
Cheers,
Pat
It's been a busy couple of months with last month's apt flood and basically all this month putting things back together(still have all my books boxed...waiting for insurance to pay to get replacements). So crazy that today was the 1st day in almost 2 months where weather and timing cooperated enough to go sit out on the deck and smoke. Sitting out and watching the robins in the yard and ducks down in the water(we live on an inlet of one of the TVA reservoirs), watching the last of the Daffs bobbing in the breeze and the species Tulips just opening up. Since regular ones aren't reliably Perennial I'm testing a number of species this yr. The weirdest thing is that a yellow-leaved White flowered Bleeding Heart is producing Pink one's this yr!
I've been Stratifying seeds every 2 months since January and so far I have 2 batches potted up into 3" pots and last weekend the last of them planted into their jiffy pots. I'll start Stratifying again in June for the Biannial/Cool Season Perennial seeds. Some day I'll get English Primroses;>!
Cheers,
Pat
planning my garden for the spring
Jan. 20th, 2024 03:44 pmemeraldemSo we just bought a house, and moved in in November. I don't know what the previous owners might have planted, since it was so late in the year when we moved in. But I have a cunning plan!
... wait and see what comes up when spring comes. Then plan the rest of my garden around those things.
I've been thinking in the meantime, though. It's a small yard but with plenty of places to plant and nourish things. We have a dozen shrubs that I have yet to identify--harder in winter when there are no leaves or flowers left; but I downloaded one of those apps where you take a picture and the magic electrons tell you what you've got. We'll see if that works.
We have a small weeping tree in the front yard, also not yet identified, but I should be able to do that with the app. Same with what I think is a hydrangea and something that seems to be two plants growing all entangled with each other--one is a rose but I don't know what the other is nor why they are growing as they are.
There's a big lavender plant in the side yard and a couple of something-evergreen plants in the front by the weeping tree.
I know what kind of garden I want to plant, though it will probably have to be done over two or three years. I want a combination of: herbs, snowdrops, crocuses, perennials, pollinator-friendly plants, easy-to-care-for plants, native/non-invasive plants. I know there's a certain amount of overlap here.
I want to plant trees, but my impression is they take a lot of work and care and I'm not sure I have enough energy for them. Also I don't want any more leaves to rake than we had when we moved in. And trees can drop leaves in the neighbors' yards and I don't want to get off to a bad start with the neighbors. (But if I had my druthers I would want a copper beech. Just sayin'.)
Probably not a lot of vegetables, except maybe tomatoes in some pots. And the herbs need to be happy wintering over outside, as we don't have much indoor space to keep pots of them. There is one windowbox, by the kitchen window, which we might put some mint in, mint being hard to control if you plant it in the ground.
So! Any thoughts or suggestions are welcome. We are in Rhode Island, U.S. Zone 6.
... wait and see what comes up when spring comes. Then plan the rest of my garden around those things.
I've been thinking in the meantime, though. It's a small yard but with plenty of places to plant and nourish things. We have a dozen shrubs that I have yet to identify--harder in winter when there are no leaves or flowers left; but I downloaded one of those apps where you take a picture and the magic electrons tell you what you've got. We'll see if that works.
We have a small weeping tree in the front yard, also not yet identified, but I should be able to do that with the app. Same with what I think is a hydrangea and something that seems to be two plants growing all entangled with each other--one is a rose but I don't know what the other is nor why they are growing as they are.
There's a big lavender plant in the side yard and a couple of something-evergreen plants in the front by the weeping tree.
I know what kind of garden I want to plant, though it will probably have to be done over two or three years. I want a combination of: herbs, snowdrops, crocuses, perennials, pollinator-friendly plants, easy-to-care-for plants, native/non-invasive plants. I know there's a certain amount of overlap here.
I want to plant trees, but my impression is they take a lot of work and care and I'm not sure I have enough energy for them. Also I don't want any more leaves to rake than we had when we moved in. And trees can drop leaves in the neighbors' yards and I don't want to get off to a bad start with the neighbors. (But if I had my druthers I would want a copper beech. Just sayin'.)
Probably not a lot of vegetables, except maybe tomatoes in some pots. And the herbs need to be happy wintering over outside, as we don't have much indoor space to keep pots of them. There is one windowbox, by the kitchen window, which we might put some mint in, mint being hard to control if you plant it in the ground.
So! Any thoughts or suggestions are welcome. We are in Rhode Island, U.S. Zone 6.
The Winter Garden....
Jan. 19th, 2024 07:46 ammdehnersJanuary is an oddly busy time in my garden. I clear out the winterkilled foliage/plants(with the exception of the Sages). I'm planting the seed I've Stratified in Fall and are starting them indoors. I start to Stratify seeds that will be planted out either just before or just after last Frost.
Spring will be interesting as this Winter has been both the Coldest and has had the most Snow in the 3yrs I've lived here, so stuff that came back last yr may not this yr. O well, means new spots open up to plant new plants;>!
I've started or are starting a lot of Native and Native local plants. I've got 3 kinds of Mountain Mint(only 2 are local/instate locals) and 4 kinds of Penstemon(2 local). I also have a couple of Non-Natives that have relatives naturally here(not a big fan of Yellow Verbascum) and some that simply here for being tolerant of Clay soils.
The next couple of yrs should be Interesting;>!
Cheers,
Pat
Spring will be interesting as this Winter has been both the Coldest and has had the most Snow in the 3yrs I've lived here, so stuff that came back last yr may not this yr. O well, means new spots open up to plant new plants;>!
I've started or are starting a lot of Native and Native local plants. I've got 3 kinds of Mountain Mint(only 2 are local/instate locals) and 4 kinds of Penstemon(2 local). I also have a couple of Non-Natives that have relatives naturally here(not a big fan of Yellow Verbascum) and some that simply here for being tolerant of Clay soils.
The next couple of yrs should be Interesting;>!
Cheers,
Pat
Fall Plant News
Dec. 31st, 2023 08:51 pmspiraliciousIt's a bit dated now, but I still wanted to share. This fall I had some exciting plant news.
1) The biggest being that I have had an unknown plant for 27 years and we were finally able to identify it. I bought it when I was 11 at a street fair and it became quickly apparent everything I had been told about it was a lie, but for lack of better information, we've always referred to it as "the palm tree" knowing it wasn't one, but it looked like one.
No one else ever seemed to know what it was. I tried looking it up online after it became an option, a few times, but nothing ever looked quite the same and there were too many possible options it could have been, so I gave up.
This year though, we had a weird stretch of weather in early October, where it had been super wet and then was extremely warm, for our area, and it suddenly flowered for the first time ever.
The flowers were very easy to identify. I've had a Yucca plant this whole time. It seems obvious now and I feel incredibly silly for not figuring it out sooner, but the mystery has been solved.
2) Last year, I got really sad about missing out on a wavy fern plant. This October, I was able to get one and it's living happily by my front porch.
3) My mums came back a 3rd year in a row. It just always amazes and delights me every year they come back.
1) The biggest being that I have had an unknown plant for 27 years and we were finally able to identify it. I bought it when I was 11 at a street fair and it became quickly apparent everything I had been told about it was a lie, but for lack of better information, we've always referred to it as "the palm tree" knowing it wasn't one, but it looked like one.
No one else ever seemed to know what it was. I tried looking it up online after it became an option, a few times, but nothing ever looked quite the same and there were too many possible options it could have been, so I gave up.
This year though, we had a weird stretch of weather in early October, where it had been super wet and then was extremely warm, for our area, and it suddenly flowered for the first time ever.
The flowers were very easy to identify. I've had a Yucca plant this whole time. It seems obvious now and I feel incredibly silly for not figuring it out sooner, but the mystery has been solved.
2) Last year, I got really sad about missing out on a wavy fern plant. This October, I was able to get one and it's living happily by my front porch.
3) My mums came back a 3rd year in a row. It just always amazes and delights me every year they come back.
Hobbies: Gardening
Nov. 2nd, 2023 03:23 pmysabetwordsmithI've been running a series of posts on hobbies, and this week's entry features gardening. It includes a big list of links about different aspects of gardening. Feel free to drop by and check it out.
lianaHelp! I'm getting a couple of barely-rooted separated pawpaw suckers next month. What is the best way to overwinter them? I'm in US zone 5, southern NH. The host trees are not terribly far from here, same zone.
My first instinct is to pop them individually into tall pots and set them in a sheltered outdoor location until spring. Would they be better off in the (unheated) garage? How much insulation do they need? Watering schedule? Anything else? TIA.
My first instinct is to pop them individually into tall pots and set them in a sheltered outdoor location until spring. Would they be better off in the (unheated) garage? How much insulation do they need? Watering schedule? Anything else? TIA.
Breck's Order
Oct. 14th, 2023 04:59 pmysabetwordsmithMy Breck's order arrived. :D 3q3q3q!!!! So now I have lots of things to plant.
Is anyone else planting fall bulbs for spring flowers?
Is anyone else planting fall bulbs for spring flowers?
garden of sel: back again
Sep. 29th, 2023 10:38 amtielanIt's spring again (although some of the day highs are already significantly 'summerish' promising a hellish actual summer) and so I'm back in the garden again.
Full post is here: Dear Diary 28th September.
I started keeping a 'diary' so that I could go through the seasons year by year and get a feel for what was happening each year, look back and see the patterns (if there were any).
Anyway, this is the current planting situation:
TOMATOES (both indeterminate and determinate types: indeterminates up the back with suitable structures for hanging plants off (hopefully), EGGPLANTS (labelled, but also have a pic saved and set up), BEANS (pole, possibly snake) at the back.
1 Jaune Flamme, 2 Marmande (red), 2 Brad's Atomic Grape (yellow), 2 Waspinicon Peach (orange), 3 amethyst cream (magenta), 3 blue berries (blue), 2 pink bumblebee (green)
Not shown in the post - the excess seedlings!
I'm going to put them up on the local Crop Swap group and also the local Waste Not Want Not group to see if anyone would like them...
Full post is here: Dear Diary 28th September.
I started keeping a 'diary' so that I could go through the seasons year by year and get a feel for what was happening each year, look back and see the patterns (if there were any).
Anyway, this is the current planting situation:
TOMATOES (both indeterminate and determinate types: indeterminates up the back with suitable structures for hanging plants off (hopefully), EGGPLANTS (labelled, but also have a pic saved and set up), BEANS (pole, possibly snake) at the back.
1 Jaune Flamme, 2 Marmande (red), 2 Brad's Atomic Grape (yellow), 2 Waspinicon Peach (orange), 3 amethyst cream (magenta), 3 blue berries (blue), 2 pink bumblebee (green)
Not shown in the post - the excess seedlings!
I'm going to put them up on the local Crop Swap group and also the local Waste Not Want Not group to see if anyone would like them...
Seed saving & fall planning
Sep. 16th, 2023 01:48 pmdarkcedars I'm trying to get better about saving seeds. This year I really liked a few things that came out of a mixed seed packet from my birthday, so I'm harvesting seeds for next year. I have a some pink cosmos, bachelor buttons, coreopsis, and malope. The mini marigolds I bought have made tons of good seed heads as well.
I have a growing list of garden tasks that I want to get done for fall as well. The area under the burr oak doesn't grow much grass, I'm going to start a bed of hostas under it.
I have a growing list of garden tasks that I want to get done for fall as well. The area under the burr oak doesn't grow much grass, I'm going to start a bed of hostas under it.
Dog Days.....
Aug. 12th, 2023 12:49 pmmdehnersNever understood the phrase till I moved to Florida and Tennessee definitely reinforces it;>! It's hard to keep up with the Weeding and Deadheading when it's a steambath by 0930.
Some things I WAS going to deadhead like the Sanguisorbas are actually beginning to reflush on stems I thought were nothing but seedheads. And things I wa going to leave like the Spent Echinaceas I did. The Persecarias are starting their late Summer show though the Pink form of the usual ornamental species has finished.
I was really impressed with the Dara but the Deer came through and munched them and my neighbor's Hostas. There's a heed in our neighborhood and most of this week they've been at the end of our road because the storm we had knocked down a number of branches in their Apple trees...and this week with the heat they're Fermenting. Drunk Deer iare something you do not want along the roads. Esp how folks really consider speed limits "Suggestions".....
Cheers,
Pat
Some things I WAS going to deadhead like the Sanguisorbas are actually beginning to reflush on stems I thought were nothing but seedheads. And things I wa going to leave like the Spent Echinaceas I did. The Persecarias are starting their late Summer show though the Pink form of the usual ornamental species has finished.
I was really impressed with the Dara but the Deer came through and munched them and my neighbor's Hostas. There's a heed in our neighborhood and most of this week they've been at the end of our road because the storm we had knocked down a number of branches in their Apple trees...and this week with the heat they're Fermenting. Drunk Deer iare something you do not want along the roads. Esp how folks really consider speed limits "Suggestions".....
Cheers,
Pat
Summer Garden....
Jul. 23rd, 2023 12:58 pmmdehnersThis Summer's weather has been just right Rainfall wise. little need to water with the exceptions of container plants. My SIL's Wildflower garden(we rent their basement;>) has been going gangsters since Spring. We're entering my brother's least favorite faze of her garden when 90% of everything is blooming yellow;>! He doesn't mind yellow(he's not like me and orange) but more than 25% is too much for him. This Fall I'll be adding species that bloom in other colors for him....
Been a bit annoyed with the Echinacea's blooming in my garden. They WERE supposed to be mult colors and they all came out classic. Very annoyed since the seeds were from mult sources. Think Ill order plants next Spring to get some variety. The Rudbeckias self seeded everywhere with the standard form dominant. There's one Double plant and 3 of the green centered. It looks like at least one seed was correct when I ordered the white form of Milkweed. The ones that bloomed last yr were yellow. I'll be saving seeds from that one.
I'd say 80% of the Hardy Geraniums I planted this yr have both thrived, they've produced seed. Since all are mostly separate species any self-seeded should be interesting. Sadly, one tha t did great last yr died last month,'Bill Wallis'. The white and standard forms of the species are doing well. Maybe a touch too much Sun for him this yr.
Persicaria bistorta and all the Sanguisorbas are doing well. The rest of the Persecarias are alive. Hopefully, they'll be happier next yr.
The yard isn't up to my usual standards due to the decline of my Partner of 27 yrs. I'm getting all the material needed to find a decent long-term care facility for him but it's going to be a battle. I Retired Service Industry worker and a Retired LPN aren't swimming in cash;>! I have to remind myself when I'm getting down on myself that if I'd not been a Nurse, he would have had to go into Care 7 yrs ago.
Life after 60 and 70 ain't a bowl of cherries. If you're lucky, Grapes or Apples;>
Cheers,
Pat
Been a bit annoyed with the Echinacea's blooming in my garden. They WERE supposed to be mult colors and they all came out classic. Very annoyed since the seeds were from mult sources. Think Ill order plants next Spring to get some variety. The Rudbeckias self seeded everywhere with the standard form dominant. There's one Double plant and 3 of the green centered. It looks like at least one seed was correct when I ordered the white form of Milkweed. The ones that bloomed last yr were yellow. I'll be saving seeds from that one.
I'd say 80% of the Hardy Geraniums I planted this yr have both thrived, they've produced seed. Since all are mostly separate species any self-seeded should be interesting. Sadly, one tha t did great last yr died last month,'Bill Wallis'. The white and standard forms of the species are doing well. Maybe a touch too much Sun for him this yr.
Persicaria bistorta and all the Sanguisorbas are doing well. The rest of the Persecarias are alive. Hopefully, they'll be happier next yr.
The yard isn't up to my usual standards due to the decline of my Partner of 27 yrs. I'm getting all the material needed to find a decent long-term care facility for him but it's going to be a battle. I Retired Service Industry worker and a Retired LPN aren't swimming in cash;>! I have to remind myself when I'm getting down on myself that if I'd not been a Nurse, he would have had to go into Care 7 yrs ago.
Life after 60 and 70 ain't a bowl of cherries. If you're lucky, Grapes or Apples;>
Cheers,
Pat
Last Chilly Night
May. 3rd, 2023 06:36 pmdarkcedars Last night was supposedly the last chilly night. Today I planted the container garden. Nasturtiums, calendula, basil, marjoram, lemon balm, a mint mix. I'd already had peas and parsley started and they look good.
Tomorrow I will start prepping to plant the stuff in beds (marigolds, sunflowers, zinnias). My in-laws sent me some wildflower mix packets and I need to decide what I want to do with that.
Tomorrow I will start prepping to plant the stuff in beds (marigolds, sunflowers, zinnias). My in-laws sent me some wildflower mix packets and I need to decide what I want to do with that.
Spring in Crow Hollow....
Apr. 16th, 2023 10:43 ammdehnersI know, but I've never seen an Opossum here but Squirrels, Crows and Deer are the most abundant critters in our little vale;>.
The pre-Equinox Freeze did little damage except to my Green-Eyed Daffs. Maybe next yr. The Tuberous Hardy Geranium's have been blooming for weeks and most of the regular herbaceous ones have buds. The wild Violets all over the neighborhood are nearing their peak and the White ones whose seeds hitchhiked in the plants are starting.
I've been Planting the 1st batch of stratified seed plants I started in January. The one's started in March are almost ready to be hardened off. And the 1st couple of plant orders from when the catalogues came out have arrived! Got the non-climbing Clematises in today as well as some Geraniums, Campanulas and broke off a bit of Persecaria (bistorta?) to a claggy slope where I had to move last Fall a Creeping Phlox that wasn't happy there.
Also today I stratified a bunch of seeds to start in late Summer so they'll bloom next Spring. Mostly Primroses. Don't think they'll make it through our Summers but I can treat them as Biannuals and get at least a nice Spring show from them;>!
Cheers,
Pat
The pre-Equinox Freeze did little damage except to my Green-Eyed Daffs. Maybe next yr. The Tuberous Hardy Geranium's have been blooming for weeks and most of the regular herbaceous ones have buds. The wild Violets all over the neighborhood are nearing their peak and the White ones whose seeds hitchhiked in the plants are starting.
I've been Planting the 1st batch of stratified seed plants I started in January. The one's started in March are almost ready to be hardened off. And the 1st couple of plant orders from when the catalogues came out have arrived! Got the non-climbing Clematises in today as well as some Geraniums, Campanulas and broke off a bit of Persecaria (bistorta?) to a claggy slope where I had to move last Fall a Creeping Phlox that wasn't happy there.
Also today I stratified a bunch of seeds to start in late Summer so they'll bloom next Spring. Mostly Primroses. Don't think they'll make it through our Summers but I can treat them as Biannuals and get at least a nice Spring show from them;>!
Cheers,
Pat
Spring-ish......
Mar. 1st, 2023 12:06 pmmdehnersSooooo, every tree except the Apples are blooming and the 1st wave of Daffs are beginning to fade. A green or red "mist" cloaks some of the trees but from what all the "Old Timers" here say it's way too early. My Feelings say the same. I think the Cold Lady has at least one more Kiss for us before Retiring till the Fall.
I'm so pleased with the results of my Cataract surgeries. It's great not to need glasses for anything but close up. I'm lucky enough that my car's dash is far enough away I don't need some sort of driving glasses!
This weekend I'll be taking the 2nd batch of cold treated seeds and planting them. The previous batch are mostly potted up into 3" pots, though few are germinating much later than most. The white form of the columbine-leafed Meadowsweet and the Hardy Geranium species pilostemon have just sprouted.
Hope those N and West of the Mason-Dixon line are keeping warm...
Cheers,
Pat
I'm so pleased with the results of my Cataract surgeries. It's great not to need glasses for anything but close up. I'm lucky enough that my car's dash is far enough away I don't need some sort of driving glasses!
This weekend I'll be taking the 2nd batch of cold treated seeds and planting them. The previous batch are mostly potted up into 3" pots, though few are germinating much later than most. The white form of the columbine-leafed Meadowsweet and the Hardy Geranium species pilostemon have just sprouted.
Hope those N and West of the Mason-Dixon line are keeping warm...
Cheers,
Pat
Roses and Peppers
Feb. 27th, 2023 05:52 pmapachefirecatI'm looking for any advice I can get on growing my first roses and peppers (starting with bell, but hoping to add jalapeno or other such before too long). A friend pointed me this way. :)
