State of the garden, July edition
Jul. 16th, 2014 11:42 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dantesspirit posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
gardeningTechnically this covers the last week of June too, but who's counting...
Back in May, I bought a catnip plant. It was subsquently transplanted into a 10" pot and left alone for a few months. This was by the end of June, and after having multiple cuttings taken from it, as well as being rubbed against several times and munched on by Aries. It had quadrupled in size.
This is that same plant as of today. It is now in a 12" pot and it has doubled in size again. Yeah.
The driveway was regraded and recycled asphalt was put down. This neccesitated repairs to the strawberry bed and the iris bed on the side, as those bricks are not mortered together (yet). The front bed along the front of the driveway also has several cracks were the small bulldozer hit it. *sigh* When I pull the irises from it, to replace the dirt, I'll have to see about potentially repairing it.
I had to thoroughly wet the driveway down while watering the front gardens before I could go smooth out the ridges and such left from the tires. Once it all compacts down, it'll be a lot smoother and weeds won't grow in it, so that's a bonus, I guess. Although, they did leave about a foot wide stretch along the strawberry bed that's bare gravel and dirt. Hrm.
GrandAunt Rosie's daylily bloomed this year. I had transplanted it from the top of the hill where it'd been somewhat neglected, into a pot over the winter, then into the raised bed where the rosemary used to be. I think it's happier there, although, it's about to be moved again, across the sidewalk, to where the Cranberry Ice German Bearded Irises are, as well as the rest of the Daylilies. The irises will be moved.
Speaking of daylilies, the lemon yellow, brick red and Black Prince daylilies are going nuts finally. The lemon yellow is putting on quite the show. Close ups to follow.
Lemon yellow- I don't remember the actual name, so I just call them by color.
Brick red- same with this one.
Black Prince. Yet, I remember the name of this one. Heh.
Still on the subject of daylilies, last Thursday, we had family in town and were getting together for breakfast that morning. Except, Mark had to work, so it was just me meeting up with the rest of the family. Since I had time to kill and needed a few things from Lowes (mosquito dunks for the bird baths), I killed time there. They had a table set up in the outdoor greenhouse area for 'Distressed Plants/Reduced Plants'.
That table was evil. I didn't go there to buy plants, yet, I left with 3. Hey, 13.00 plants for 5.00 each? Yes, please!
It's funny, all they were was severely rootbound and just needed to be either repotted (something Lowes doesn't do, obviously) or planted (which is generally what you do with plants, yes? }:P). Anyway, got them home and in the ground, after breakfast, and now, nearly a week later, they look as happy as can be.
New daylily, called 'Enchantment'. I needed more mauves and pinks in my garden as early spring tends to reveal that I have a lot of purples, blues, reds,wwhites and a smattering of yellow. That tend continues through the summer, incidentaly. Of the two daylilies I picked up, only this one had any blooms left as yet unopened.
And Custard Candy, which should have some lovely cream and deep mauve blooms for me next year. Both filled in gaps in the front garden, one behind the existing daylilies, the other on the side. I think they'll blend in nicely.
The third plant I picked up was this lovely Russian Sage in full bloom. If I had the space already prepared, I'd have gotten the others that were there as well. This one was to replace the one I got in Michigan 2 years ago that didn't do so hot over the winter and has been struggling ever since. It also filled in a gap in the side raised bed nicely.
And finally, the butterfly bush is starting to bloom. Cutting it back severely last fall, after the second hard frost, has done wonders for it, as it's covered in buds. The butterflies and other insects will be happy.
Pretty much everything is growing and happy this year. So I guess that long, extra cold winter was good for something!
Back in May, I bought a catnip plant. It was subsquently transplanted into a 10" pot and left alone for a few months. This was by the end of June, and after having multiple cuttings taken from it, as well as being rubbed against several times and munched on by Aries. It had quadrupled in size.
This is that same plant as of today. It is now in a 12" pot and it has doubled in size again. Yeah.
The driveway was regraded and recycled asphalt was put down. This neccesitated repairs to the strawberry bed and the iris bed on the side, as those bricks are not mortered together (yet). The front bed along the front of the driveway also has several cracks were the small bulldozer hit it. *sigh* When I pull the irises from it, to replace the dirt, I'll have to see about potentially repairing it.
I had to thoroughly wet the driveway down while watering the front gardens before I could go smooth out the ridges and such left from the tires. Once it all compacts down, it'll be a lot smoother and weeds won't grow in it, so that's a bonus, I guess. Although, they did leave about a foot wide stretch along the strawberry bed that's bare gravel and dirt. Hrm.
GrandAunt Rosie's daylily bloomed this year. I had transplanted it from the top of the hill where it'd been somewhat neglected, into a pot over the winter, then into the raised bed where the rosemary used to be. I think it's happier there, although, it's about to be moved again, across the sidewalk, to where the Cranberry Ice German Bearded Irises are, as well as the rest of the Daylilies. The irises will be moved.
Speaking of daylilies, the lemon yellow, brick red and Black Prince daylilies are going nuts finally. The lemon yellow is putting on quite the show. Close ups to follow.
Lemon yellow- I don't remember the actual name, so I just call them by color.
Brick red- same with this one.
Black Prince. Yet, I remember the name of this one. Heh.
Still on the subject of daylilies, last Thursday, we had family in town and were getting together for breakfast that morning. Except, Mark had to work, so it was just me meeting up with the rest of the family. Since I had time to kill and needed a few things from Lowes (mosquito dunks for the bird baths), I killed time there. They had a table set up in the outdoor greenhouse area for 'Distressed Plants/Reduced Plants'.
That table was evil. I didn't go there to buy plants, yet, I left with 3. Hey, 13.00 plants for 5.00 each? Yes, please!
It's funny, all they were was severely rootbound and just needed to be either repotted (something Lowes doesn't do, obviously) or planted (which is generally what you do with plants, yes? }:P). Anyway, got them home and in the ground, after breakfast, and now, nearly a week later, they look as happy as can be.
New daylily, called 'Enchantment'. I needed more mauves and pinks in my garden as early spring tends to reveal that I have a lot of purples, blues, reds,wwhites and a smattering of yellow. That tend continues through the summer, incidentaly. Of the two daylilies I picked up, only this one had any blooms left as yet unopened.
And Custard Candy, which should have some lovely cream and deep mauve blooms for me next year. Both filled in gaps in the front garden, one behind the existing daylilies, the other on the side. I think they'll blend in nicely.
The third plant I picked up was this lovely Russian Sage in full bloom. If I had the space already prepared, I'd have gotten the others that were there as well. This one was to replace the one I got in Michigan 2 years ago that didn't do so hot over the winter and has been struggling ever since. It also filled in a gap in the side raised bed nicely.
And finally, the butterfly bush is starting to bloom. Cutting it back severely last fall, after the second hard frost, has done wonders for it, as it's covered in buds. The butterflies and other insects will be happy.
Pretty much everything is growing and happy this year. So I guess that long, extra cold winter was good for something!