August 21, 2007
I finally have my 2007 plant list done. I always try to list the plants that I've grown in the garden and then rate them.
So far, all of the following have done well in this year's garden, mostly in pots.
Plants in the Garden
‘Silverdust’ Dusty Miller
‘Dreams Mix’ Petunia
‘Hawaii Royal’ Ageratum
Trifolium repens ‘Atropurpureum’ ‘Dark Dancer’
Tricolor Exotic Geranium
Rose Climbing ‘Night Owl’ -- surviving despite rough start
‘Supertunia Royal Velvet’
Blue Fescue Festuca glauca ‘Elijah Blue’
Tomato Bush ‘Early Girl’
Oglevee ‘Patriot Rose Pink’ Geranium
Turnera ‘El Dorado’
Superbena Coral
Superbena Burgundy
Supertunia White
Supertunia Blushing Princess
Hypoestes ‘White Splash Select’
Petunia Tiny Tunia Violet
Salvia ‘Lilac’
Geranium ‘Sassy Dark Red’
Celosia ‘Century Mix’
Celosia ‘Century Yellow’
Salvia ‘Salsa Purple’
Oglevee ‘Patriot White’
Calibrachoa ‘Callie Sunrise Yellow’
Pansy ‘Delta Mauve w/Blotch’
Lamium ‘Anne Greenaway’
Asparagus Fern
Live Wire grass
The Live Wire grass was new to me. I like the look it gives the hanging basket that it's in.
The asparagus fern is a great "filler" and has always consistently performed well.
The Calibrachoa ‘Callie Sunrise Yellow’ has been a very good performer.
Lamium 'Anne Greenaway' would do better outside of the pot and in more shade ... but does well in a container ... it requires a bit more pruning than I'd like.
The Supertunia Blushin Princess is wondermous at the courthouse garden. Just keeps blooming and blooming.
Some of the "spring" plants, the ageratum and the pansies sort of pooped out in the heat of July and August but should recover for the fall. I just use a pair of scissors and cut them severely back in early August and they tend to rebloom by September.
It has rained for two days ... and has been quite cool ... the tomatoes aren't happy but everything else appears to be doing better.
Gardening In Helen Time!
September 2, 2007
September is one of those months that I both love and dread in my Zone 5 Garden.
The cooler days and nights make it a pleasure to garden.
But it is the harbinger of the coming colder weather and the first frost is expected this month.
Old Wives' Tales and Garden Sayings include:
On Sept. 21 ... ST. MATTHEWS DAY -- If this day brings rain it fattens pigs & goats
Sept. 22 ... Autumnal Equinox/First Day of Autumn ... Quiet weather at Autumn's first step bodes a kind winter.
Sept. 29 ... St. Michaelmas -- If many acorns; Christmas snow will cover the fields.
September is the month to:
Feed House Plants monthly
Treat for blackspot, aphids, powdery mildew
Fertilize tuberous begonias at 10-day intervals
Plant new strawberry beds, pear and apple trees now
Support, deadhead, prune, trim up plants as needed
Plant evergreens this month
Remove and discard plants that have not performed well
Begin planting bulbs for spring bloom
Divide perennials that bloomed before the first of June
Shear hedges for the last time for this season
First frost is possible at the end of this month; be prepared
Don't pick grapes until after first frost for sweeter flavor
Add clippings, leaves, etc. to compost
Seed & sod new lawns now; water daily to retain moisture
Test garden soil and apply limestone or sulphur as needed
At September's waning moon plant apple & pear
Water weed compost & mulch lightens next year's garden burden
Cranberry harvest begins with the full moon
When the leaves begin to fall sow & seed the lawn
When potato vines wither & fall; you can harvest them all.
At the new moon test garden soil to see if it needs sweetening
When the toad lilies bloom first frost will be here soon
Crop Availability: Apples, berries, melons, grapes, peaches, pears, plums, raspberries, cider, beans, beets, broccoli, Brussels prouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, cukes, greens, eggplant, peppers, potatoes, pumpkins, squash,
cider, field cut flowers, nursery stock, corn shocks, Indian corn, Hothouse grown plants, herbs, honey, jams and maple syrup.
This is the month that beekeepers harvest their crop.
It is the month that I find myself evaluating the plants that did well and those that don't.
It is also the month that I decide what to keep for another year and what to get rid of ...
September is one of those months that I both love and dread in my Zone 5 Garden.
The cooler days and nights make it a pleasure to garden.
But it is the harbinger of the coming colder weather and the first frost is expected this month.
Old Wives' Tales and Garden Sayings include:
On Sept. 21 ... ST. MATTHEWS DAY -- If this day brings rain it fattens pigs & goats
Sept. 22 ... Autumnal Equinox/First Day of Autumn ... Quiet weather at Autumn's first step bodes a kind winter.
Sept. 29 ... St. Michaelmas -- If many acorns; Christmas snow will cover the fields.
September is the month to:
Feed House Plants monthly
Treat for blackspot, aphids, powdery mildew
Fertilize tuberous begonias at 10-day intervals
Plant new strawberry beds, pear and apple trees now
Support, deadhead, prune, trim up plants as needed
Plant evergreens this month
Remove and discard plants that have not performed well
Begin planting bulbs for spring bloom
Divide perennials that bloomed before the first of June
Shear hedges for the last time for this season
First frost is possible at the end of this month; be prepared
Don't pick grapes until after first frost for sweeter flavor
Add clippings, leaves, etc. to compost
Seed & sod new lawns now; water daily to retain moisture
Test garden soil and apply limestone or sulphur as needed
At September's waning moon plant apple & pear
Water weed compost & mulch lightens next year's garden burden
Cranberry harvest begins with the full moon
When the leaves begin to fall sow & seed the lawn
When potato vines wither & fall; you can harvest them all.
At the new moon test garden soil to see if it needs sweetening
When the toad lilies bloom first frost will be here soon
Crop Availability: Apples, berries, melons, grapes, peaches, pears, plums, raspberries, cider, beans, beets, broccoli, Brussels prouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, cukes, greens, eggplant, peppers, potatoes, pumpkins, squash,
cider, field cut flowers, nursery stock, corn shocks, Indian corn, Hothouse grown plants, herbs, honey, jams and maple syrup.
This is the month that beekeepers harvest their crop.
It is the month that I find myself evaluating the plants that did well and those that don't.
It is also the month that I decide what to keep for another year and what to get rid of ...
A day without laughter AND gardening is a day wasted ... oh ... and be kind to your children ... they will choose your nursing home!
-
wishiwere
- Posts: 6029
- Joined: Jan 05, 2004 11:05 am
- USDA Zone: 5
- Location: Central Michigan
- Contact:
Goodness! You list reads like the busiest of months! Enjoy this beautiful weather before that 'fall' frost gets here! I always seem in a panic this time of year, wondering what I am forgetting to do before then!
Jane (from the middle of the Mitten state)
My hosta list: viewtopic.php?t=39540
My hosta list: viewtopic.php?t=39540
July 1, 2008
It's hard to believe it's been 10 months since I last wrote in this Helen Time Journal.
Since September 2007 things were chaotic coupled with periods of calm.
Now that things are settling down I have a few quiet minutes to sit and catch up the journal.
In October 2007 we made the decision to find another place to live. The house was too small although there was plenty of space to add on. With Gary's (my husband's) health improving he admitted that he wasn't up to doing the major reconstruction projects that were needed on the house. It needed a new roof among other projects.
So began a four month search for a new house.
With Gary and I gone most of January visiting his sister in Florida, that meant that my daughter and son were left with the task of finding houses for us to look at once we returned to Michigan.
There were about 20 that we looked at before we were able to look at a 2600 sq. ft. 2-story 1890 Victorian with a double lot. We fell in love with it.
The house is across the street from our city park so we have a nice view from our living room and dining room windows and from the front porch that wraps around the north and west sides of the house.
We started moving in the end of March and by the end of April we were completely moved.
I still have a lot of sorting to do. Yesterday I found two more boxes of stuff that are going on a yard sale or to the charities.
The days are just flying by.
We had to remove two shrubby evergreen trees, dig out weed trees and fix and enlarge the brick patio.
Then I moved all of my dragon-named and other daylilies around the patio. And, I hand dug a vegetable garden that's minimal but serviceable for this year ... oh, I even managed to put in some tomato plants and 12 squash plants -- zucchini anyone?
And then there's the maintenance work and ...
You get the idea ... and then the Civil War re-enacting season has started and we've already done two events.
We had a cool spring and have been getting more rain lately than we did in the spring.
I planted another four hanging baskets the other day and finished planting and mulching the sidewalk (both side of the sidewalk) with a variety of annuals.
Of the hanging baskets I have six on the front porch, two on the swing, three on the apartments and one on the ground and one on the porch table.
Of the pots I have 10 pots on the house steps and one LARGE basket on the porch by the door we don't use.
In the backyard and on the patio are the four green marble pots, one square wooden planter, three Greenman planters and about seven more pots ...
And, just before the Fourth of July Celebration I finished the plantings at the county courthouse that is located in the town -- I don't know if I told you in previous journal entries that I am in charge of plantings for the war memorials and the historic marker on the courthouse lawns and two Civil War monuments in another town.
And there is another garden on the courthouse lawn and the plantings around the historic marker also at the courthouse.
I recently put in another 11 flats of geraniums and ohter annuals.
I was thinking 2008 was going to be the year of the spade but really it's been more the year of change.
Where I was last year at this time is 180 degrees different! It's amazing how quickly ones life can change.
Every day we have either unpacked or packed up boxes of stuff.
Every week there is a new shipment of boxes to Goodwill or the Salvation Army ... and we've also been doing some yard sales and estate sale shopping trips to find things like the lace curtains for the downstairs windows and for pieces of furniture that we needed such as a bed frame and dresser for Anne (daughter) since we took her bed -- that was actually Gary's parents bed --- for the new guest bedroom.
Ian, my youngest, is now living in San Antonio, TX. He had a wonderful job opportunity and there could be a wedding in the near future.
My daughter is learning the frustrations and joys of home co-ownership. She's in charge of mowing the grass and being Gary's assistant when it comes to doing repairs and maintenance work around the house.
Every day is a whole new set of discoveries and project lists. Today's major project was to dig out an old sidewalk that Gary discovered was under the grass about 4-inches deep! There were large concrete paving rectangles buried in this sort of crescent moon shape off the main entrance on west side of the house. Gary inserted the spade and lifted and I pulled and stacked the pavers while Gary replaced the sod and lifted another.
The doctors have now cleared Gary to do more strenuous activity with encouragement to keep busy but not get overly tired or to the point that he is fatigued. He works for about an hour and then we have to go inside and rest ... and occasionally he has to shut down for a whole day ...
He's in love with this house (so am I) and is happier than I've seen him in years as he works around the place. This definitely is a blessing for him.
And this lovely Victorian really needed an owner like Gary who understands carpentry work and how houses are built.
The house has corner windows and lots of lovely millwork ... a beautiful house.
I have a small patch of earth that I am referring to as 'The Garden." It basically wraps two sides of the patio with a sort of three-tier arrangement.
My "dragon" daylilies are all home now and tucked in to their new beds. I have about 60 named 'dragon' varieties now and picked up a couple more this spring.
Sadly I have zero hosta on the property. The little 'Scooter' I found puked out and dried up despite my futile attempts to keep it going. One project that I want completed by the end of the summer, if possible, is a shade house so I can start bringing my hostas back home. I miss those plants!
I just finished a major weeding and summer mulching project around the patio ... so everything looked nice and tidy for the July 4 celebration.
Each year this little city we reside in does July 4 in a big way. It's like an old-fashioned Norman Rockwell Fourth of July with picnics in the park and a large fireworks display ... and all sorts of activities from horseshoes to kids activities.
Back to the garden ... we even have a cairn!
With all the rocks that we've dug out from around the foundation that they piled up and covered with soil to make this weird rock garden arrangement ... it's given us enough material to contruct a small cairn complete with a lovely little rockery for a few of the plants that survived from the former pile of rocks and debris they called a rock garden.
We also found buried a large amount of street pavers and landscaping pavers! Some will go to start a new retaining wall and others for landcaping projects. And there's even a large pile of crushed stone that we uncovered up against the house that can be used under a sidewalk that we are planning.
We also have a major dig out and move project underway around the base of the house.
Soil was piled up against the beautiful cut stone foundation and over the wooden trimmed basement windows. That is all dug out and the wood has dried out with little damage to it ... thankfully it was somewhat protected by a thick coat of paint.
A lot of the plants were put in too close to the house and I have a backhoe coming in later this year to move five large shrubs from the west side of the house to the east side.
Around the front porch is a horror story of too close plants.
Two lovely magenta colored rhododendrums that are two feet from the steps and are so overgrown now there will be no room left on the steps once they reach their full height and width. Those are going to be moved to the east side of the property as well to help up get a living screen between us and the Avenue.
And there are two lovely barberry shrubs and ... and ... all waaaay too close.
There are dozens of perennials crammed tightly in against the house like iris and daylilies and oriental lilies and .... that all need to be moved.
I am planning an iris lined walkway ... and there is a clump of daylilies that are tight to the east side of the house that I could have a daylily lined walk way as well.
At the front porch I finished digging out a dead buddleia stump put in some 'Shocking Violet' colored zonal geraniums in that spot with some moon vine as a temporary fix until after next year's street/highway and sidewalk project is complete.
Every day is a new adventure.
It's hard to believe it's been 10 months since I last wrote in this Helen Time Journal.
Since September 2007 things were chaotic coupled with periods of calm.
Now that things are settling down I have a few quiet minutes to sit and catch up the journal.
In October 2007 we made the decision to find another place to live. The house was too small although there was plenty of space to add on. With Gary's (my husband's) health improving he admitted that he wasn't up to doing the major reconstruction projects that were needed on the house. It needed a new roof among other projects.
So began a four month search for a new house.
With Gary and I gone most of January visiting his sister in Florida, that meant that my daughter and son were left with the task of finding houses for us to look at once we returned to Michigan.
There were about 20 that we looked at before we were able to look at a 2600 sq. ft. 2-story 1890 Victorian with a double lot. We fell in love with it.
The house is across the street from our city park so we have a nice view from our living room and dining room windows and from the front porch that wraps around the north and west sides of the house.
We started moving in the end of March and by the end of April we were completely moved.
I still have a lot of sorting to do. Yesterday I found two more boxes of stuff that are going on a yard sale or to the charities.
The days are just flying by.
We had to remove two shrubby evergreen trees, dig out weed trees and fix and enlarge the brick patio.
Then I moved all of my dragon-named and other daylilies around the patio. And, I hand dug a vegetable garden that's minimal but serviceable for this year ... oh, I even managed to put in some tomato plants and 12 squash plants -- zucchini anyone?
And then there's the maintenance work and ...
You get the idea ... and then the Civil War re-enacting season has started and we've already done two events.
We had a cool spring and have been getting more rain lately than we did in the spring.
I planted another four hanging baskets the other day and finished planting and mulching the sidewalk (both side of the sidewalk) with a variety of annuals.
Of the hanging baskets I have six on the front porch, two on the swing, three on the apartments and one on the ground and one on the porch table.
Of the pots I have 10 pots on the house steps and one LARGE basket on the porch by the door we don't use.
In the backyard and on the patio are the four green marble pots, one square wooden planter, three Greenman planters and about seven more pots ...
And, just before the Fourth of July Celebration I finished the plantings at the county courthouse that is located in the town -- I don't know if I told you in previous journal entries that I am in charge of plantings for the war memorials and the historic marker on the courthouse lawns and two Civil War monuments in another town.
And there is another garden on the courthouse lawn and the plantings around the historic marker also at the courthouse.
I recently put in another 11 flats of geraniums and ohter annuals.
I was thinking 2008 was going to be the year of the spade but really it's been more the year of change.
Where I was last year at this time is 180 degrees different! It's amazing how quickly ones life can change.
Every day we have either unpacked or packed up boxes of stuff.
Every week there is a new shipment of boxes to Goodwill or the Salvation Army ... and we've also been doing some yard sales and estate sale shopping trips to find things like the lace curtains for the downstairs windows and for pieces of furniture that we needed such as a bed frame and dresser for Anne (daughter) since we took her bed -- that was actually Gary's parents bed --- for the new guest bedroom.
Ian, my youngest, is now living in San Antonio, TX. He had a wonderful job opportunity and there could be a wedding in the near future.
My daughter is learning the frustrations and joys of home co-ownership. She's in charge of mowing the grass and being Gary's assistant when it comes to doing repairs and maintenance work around the house.
Every day is a whole new set of discoveries and project lists. Today's major project was to dig out an old sidewalk that Gary discovered was under the grass about 4-inches deep! There were large concrete paving rectangles buried in this sort of crescent moon shape off the main entrance on west side of the house. Gary inserted the spade and lifted and I pulled and stacked the pavers while Gary replaced the sod and lifted another.
The doctors have now cleared Gary to do more strenuous activity with encouragement to keep busy but not get overly tired or to the point that he is fatigued. He works for about an hour and then we have to go inside and rest ... and occasionally he has to shut down for a whole day ...
He's in love with this house (so am I) and is happier than I've seen him in years as he works around the place. This definitely is a blessing for him.
And this lovely Victorian really needed an owner like Gary who understands carpentry work and how houses are built.
The house has corner windows and lots of lovely millwork ... a beautiful house.
I have a small patch of earth that I am referring to as 'The Garden." It basically wraps two sides of the patio with a sort of three-tier arrangement.
My "dragon" daylilies are all home now and tucked in to their new beds. I have about 60 named 'dragon' varieties now and picked up a couple more this spring.
Sadly I have zero hosta on the property. The little 'Scooter' I found puked out and dried up despite my futile attempts to keep it going. One project that I want completed by the end of the summer, if possible, is a shade house so I can start bringing my hostas back home. I miss those plants!
I just finished a major weeding and summer mulching project around the patio ... so everything looked nice and tidy for the July 4 celebration.
Each year this little city we reside in does July 4 in a big way. It's like an old-fashioned Norman Rockwell Fourth of July with picnics in the park and a large fireworks display ... and all sorts of activities from horseshoes to kids activities.
Back to the garden ... we even have a cairn!
With all the rocks that we've dug out from around the foundation that they piled up and covered with soil to make this weird rock garden arrangement ... it's given us enough material to contruct a small cairn complete with a lovely little rockery for a few of the plants that survived from the former pile of rocks and debris they called a rock garden.
We also found buried a large amount of street pavers and landscaping pavers! Some will go to start a new retaining wall and others for landcaping projects. And there's even a large pile of crushed stone that we uncovered up against the house that can be used under a sidewalk that we are planning.
We also have a major dig out and move project underway around the base of the house.
Soil was piled up against the beautiful cut stone foundation and over the wooden trimmed basement windows. That is all dug out and the wood has dried out with little damage to it ... thankfully it was somewhat protected by a thick coat of paint.
A lot of the plants were put in too close to the house and I have a backhoe coming in later this year to move five large shrubs from the west side of the house to the east side.
Around the front porch is a horror story of too close plants.
Two lovely magenta colored rhododendrums that are two feet from the steps and are so overgrown now there will be no room left on the steps once they reach their full height and width. Those are going to be moved to the east side of the property as well to help up get a living screen between us and the Avenue.
And there are two lovely barberry shrubs and ... and ... all waaaay too close.
There are dozens of perennials crammed tightly in against the house like iris and daylilies and oriental lilies and .... that all need to be moved.
I am planning an iris lined walkway ... and there is a clump of daylilies that are tight to the east side of the house that I could have a daylily lined walk way as well.
At the front porch I finished digging out a dead buddleia stump put in some 'Shocking Violet' colored zonal geraniums in that spot with some moon vine as a temporary fix until after next year's street/highway and sidewalk project is complete.
Every day is a new adventure.
A day without laughter AND gardening is a day wasted ... oh ... and be kind to your children ... they will choose your nursing home!
-
wishiwere
- Posts: 6029
- Joined: Jan 05, 2004 11:05 am
- USDA Zone: 5
- Location: Central Michigan
- Contact:
Helen, I hope you are sharing photos of the before and after of your projects! It's so absolutely beautiful! I'll be the old owners won't recognize the house be/c of the change in curb appeal! What a find it sounds your dd helped you find! So, you mention apts? Am I understandning that this is a multi-home setting? And your dd lives in one of them?
We have a lot of old victorians around here and I'm saddened by how many are chopped up into multiple apts, like 6 apts with little chopped up and divided rooms. And of course, the students don't take care of them, so they are run down
Just sad.
Then of course, there is frat-row that are so colorful, you can't miss them!
Hope to see your blooming new digs in pics someday!
We have a lot of old victorians around here and I'm saddened by how many are chopped up into multiple apts, like 6 apts with little chopped up and divided rooms. And of course, the students don't take care of them, so they are run down
Just sad.Then of course, there is frat-row that are so colorful, you can't miss them!
Hope to see your blooming new digs in pics someday!
Jane (from the middle of the Mitten state)
My hosta list: viewtopic.php?t=39540
My hosta list: viewtopic.php?t=39540
Jane,
The house has a carriage house at the back of the property that has two apartments in it that we now own.
My daughter has two rooms in the upstairs of the house that is just like having her own apartment.
We feel very blessed to have found this house with so little to do to bring it back to its original self. All of the interior woodwork is original to the house with two four-ft. pocket doors and one 3 ft. pocket door.
And I am planning to attach photos soon.
Helen
The house has a carriage house at the back of the property that has two apartments in it that we now own.
My daughter has two rooms in the upstairs of the house that is just like having her own apartment.
We feel very blessed to have found this house with so little to do to bring it back to its original self. All of the interior woodwork is original to the house with two four-ft. pocket doors and one 3 ft. pocket door.
And I am planning to attach photos soon.
Helen
A day without laughter AND gardening is a day wasted ... oh ... and be kind to your children ... they will choose your nursing home!
-
wishiwere
- Posts: 6029
- Joined: Jan 05, 2004 11:05 am
- USDA Zone: 5
- Location: Central Michigan
- Contact:
Oh I love those pocket doors! Can't wait to see the pics! I bet that carriage house is cute too? Looking forward to seeing it! Glad your both enjoying and dd too!
Jane (from the middle of the Mitten state)
My hosta list: viewtopic.php?t=39540
My hosta list: viewtopic.php?t=39540