I should have known better when I pulled out all those weedy things along the edge of our lawn. -- I saw the poison ivy! I don't know why I thought I'd be exempt from getting it this time.
It is in little patches all over my body. Tonight I can't sleep on account of the intense itching. So I got up and scratched the blebs open, then bathed them in alcohol. (I much prefer pain to itching.) And now I am trying out some charcoal poltices to the worst areas. We'll see how it works. I don't care if I have some natural "tattoos" at present. I should think it will grow out in time. ???
GRRRRRRR!
Tuesday, September 25
Friday, September 21
Sandbox and Other Things
We finally completed the sandbox, dug up the clay ground for the box to sit down in, and filled it with sand (with "help" from the kiddos). The kiddos, of course, are thrilled with it.
We've spent a lot of energy collecting rocks to go around our flowerbeds, and I am not so pleased with the results of this fieldstone:
as I am with these rocks.
We've hauled these rocks, a few at a time, out of a dry creekbed while hiking a local trail. The finished look with these rocks is so much more "neat" and it's definitely easier to mow around! So, one by one, we'll complete the bed and the irregularly-shaped fieldstones will be moved to a different location, probably around the shed in the back yard. (That's a future project. The shed is dark brown metal and UGLY. I want to camoflage it with some sunflowers -- anything to distract the eye from the shed!)
Yesterday I trimmed the boxwoods in front of our porch, and when done, I decided I still felt like trimming. (Odd, I know.) So I stretched the power cord across the yard, and "went to" the underbrush that is encroaching our lawn. I have hated how claustrophobic all this underbrush makes me feel, but aside from using a machete, wasn't sure what to do about it. But I found an electric bush trimmer does a fabulous job! The only thing it couldn't cut was the thicker branches, of course, so I'll have to break out the machete for those. So many thorny vines (that gave no benefit like the berry bushes I thought they were) and honesuckle were all tangled up. I got pretty torn up getting out what I did, and there is still so much more to pull out. I was amazed with all the garbage I uncovered, too. I think the people who lived here before us did not utilize the garbage facilities, as I found half - half - a kitchen bowl; one yellow rubber shoe; various plastic toys; numerous cement 'things' (don't know what); and some non-describt, twisted-up, extremely rusty pole-type structure. So, in clearing up brush I found a whole lot more work to do. Lucky me!
We've spent a lot of energy collecting rocks to go around our flowerbeds, and I am not so pleased with the results of this fieldstone:
as I am with these rocks.
We've hauled these rocks, a few at a time, out of a dry creekbed while hiking a local trail. The finished look with these rocks is so much more "neat" and it's definitely easier to mow around! So, one by one, we'll complete the bed and the irregularly-shaped fieldstones will be moved to a different location, probably around the shed in the back yard. (That's a future project. The shed is dark brown metal and UGLY. I want to camoflage it with some sunflowers -- anything to distract the eye from the shed!)
Yesterday I trimmed the boxwoods in front of our porch, and when done, I decided I still felt like trimming. (Odd, I know.) So I stretched the power cord across the yard, and "went to" the underbrush that is encroaching our lawn. I have hated how claustrophobic all this underbrush makes me feel, but aside from using a machete, wasn't sure what to do about it. But I found an electric bush trimmer does a fabulous job! The only thing it couldn't cut was the thicker branches, of course, so I'll have to break out the machete for those. So many thorny vines (that gave no benefit like the berry bushes I thought they were) and honesuckle were all tangled up. I got pretty torn up getting out what I did, and there is still so much more to pull out. I was amazed with all the garbage I uncovered, too. I think the people who lived here before us did not utilize the garbage facilities, as I found half - half - a kitchen bowl; one yellow rubber shoe; various plastic toys; numerous cement 'things' (don't know what); and some non-describt, twisted-up, extremely rusty pole-type structure. So, in clearing up brush I found a whole lot more work to do. Lucky me!
Wednesday, September 12
Cottage Garden 11
Today was gorgeous! It felt today like the first day of real autumn, and it was wonderful! I never knew I felt so fondly of autumn till after this sweltering, dry summer we've just been through. And hopefully it is "been through", and not just a tease.
I worked at enlarging the garden some more. (And I actually enjoyed it, rather than becoming ornery because I was so hot.) I also pulled out a wickedly large-rooted old rose bush. I find rose bushes to be beautiful, but I don't have the patience to grow them. (I would love to train a climber, but I'll have to wait for Heaven for that. By the way, my house in Heaven will have vines of all different sorts for the walls, with flowers peeking out all over them.) The rose bush was here when we bought the house, and it's plunked in the oddest spot. It was loaded with June bugs this summer, and if I had one bud that wasn't eaten before it opened, it would have been worth writing about. But they all were chewed up. Then today I saw snail shells all over the base of the plant, and that did it for me. So with help from David, we rocked the root ball out of there. It was one tough plant!
Over the next few days, I hope to finish enlarging the bed, lay the border of rocks (as many rocks as we've collected thus far, anyway), and get some poor bedraggled plants in that have been sitting around here awaiting transplanting for ages into the ground. If they survive, I'll know I bought a great specimen!
I worked at enlarging the garden some more. (And I actually enjoyed it, rather than becoming ornery because I was so hot.) I also pulled out a wickedly large-rooted old rose bush. I find rose bushes to be beautiful, but I don't have the patience to grow them. (I would love to train a climber, but I'll have to wait for Heaven for that. By the way, my house in Heaven will have vines of all different sorts for the walls, with flowers peeking out all over them.) The rose bush was here when we bought the house, and it's plunked in the oddest spot. It was loaded with June bugs this summer, and if I had one bud that wasn't eaten before it opened, it would have been worth writing about. But they all were chewed up. Then today I saw snail shells all over the base of the plant, and that did it for me. So with help from David, we rocked the root ball out of there. It was one tough plant!
Over the next few days, I hope to finish enlarging the bed, lay the border of rocks (as many rocks as we've collected thus far, anyway), and get some poor bedraggled plants in that have been sitting around here awaiting transplanting for ages into the ground. If they survive, I'll know I bought a great specimen!
Sunday, September 2
Cottage Garden 10
The weather is finally giving us a break! When I came in at noon today from working in the garden, it was only 86 degrees! I think that would be a record low for us of late.
So, today I worked in the bed on the right of the house. Pulled out all the tomatoes, some of the zinnias that were just flopping all over the place, and a lot of weeds. I hacked out more grass to grow the bed some more, too. Although what's left is tall and gangly, thus making the bed look lopsided in places, it looks much better than it did!
The tomatoes were again loaded with large, juicy cutworms. Our neighbors recently put in a chicken coop, and the chicks and guinea hens are running around in there like they've lived there forever. I had a hunch they might be interested in the cutworms, so took them down, and I was right: the worms never touched the ground. There sure were a lot of fights in the coop, though! I am just happy to have found some useful end to the worms!
Now that the beds are somewhat cleaned out, I can think about the plants that should be arriving from Bluestone Perennials, and about the few that are still in their pots, struggling on my back porch to stay alive. I'm looking forward to this time next year, when I hope to have a true flowerbed that is worth looking at. Maybe next year it will rain, too? (That would help!)
So, today I worked in the bed on the right of the house. Pulled out all the tomatoes, some of the zinnias that were just flopping all over the place, and a lot of weeds. I hacked out more grass to grow the bed some more, too. Although what's left is tall and gangly, thus making the bed look lopsided in places, it looks much better than it did!
The tomatoes were again loaded with large, juicy cutworms. Our neighbors recently put in a chicken coop, and the chicks and guinea hens are running around in there like they've lived there forever. I had a hunch they might be interested in the cutworms, so took them down, and I was right: the worms never touched the ground. There sure were a lot of fights in the coop, though! I am just happy to have found some useful end to the worms!
Now that the beds are somewhat cleaned out, I can think about the plants that should be arriving from Bluestone Perennials, and about the few that are still in their pots, struggling on my back porch to stay alive. I'm looking forward to this time next year, when I hope to have a true flowerbed that is worth looking at. Maybe next year it will rain, too? (That would help!)
Thursday, August 30
Cottage Garden 9
Ugh.
That's the only word to describe the gardening experience at present, as well as the weather. We are in an extreme drought, first of all. And secondly, we've had at least one month of weather straight with temperature highs well over 90 degrees (daily), plus a week in there somewhere where we topped 100 degrees daily. It's just been too, too hot to do anything outside. Thus, the garden has suffered greatly.
Yesterday, though, I decided it needed some major help. So, rather early, I was out there at work. But where to start?
First of all I noticed all the tell-tale droppings on the sidewalk: cutworms. After finding at least 20 cutworms of various sizes, and cutting off the stem that was stripped bare and throwing them (one by one) into the woods (I can't stand squashing them), I realized there wasn't much left of my tomatoe plants. I also realized that what was left of my plants was either not producing, or was producing rotten tomatoes. Plus, everything was covered with aphids.
In desparation, I decided it all needed to go. So, one by one, I tore out my ugly tomatoe plants. What's left are a few trampled-looking perennials that were striving to reach the sun through the tomatoes; some gangly basil that's about to go; and some very gangly zinnias that I just didn't have the heart to pull.
So now the flowerbed looks AWFUL.
I've already ordered some plants through Bluestone Perennials, so sometime in September I hope to be beefing things back up a bit. Till then, it's ugly, ugly, ugly.
That was the flowerbed on the left of the house. The one on the right? I was too discouraged to touch. But the tomatoes on that side are in the same state as the ones on the left. -- They've gotta go!
A few encouraging things I've noticed: through all this drought and heat, my clematis has flourished, and actually produced a few flowers. Also, my asters are starting to bloom. And so is my weigela! Just a few flowers on each, but I guess not everything has failed.
I have been noticing a spider making its web on our back porch. Following is a photo of it with its web and a meal. Anybody know what kind it is, if it's poisonous, and if you recommend I leave it or send him elsewhere?
That's the only word to describe the gardening experience at present, as well as the weather. We are in an extreme drought, first of all. And secondly, we've had at least one month of weather straight with temperature highs well over 90 degrees (daily), plus a week in there somewhere where we topped 100 degrees daily. It's just been too, too hot to do anything outside. Thus, the garden has suffered greatly.
Yesterday, though, I decided it needed some major help. So, rather early, I was out there at work. But where to start?
First of all I noticed all the tell-tale droppings on the sidewalk: cutworms. After finding at least 20 cutworms of various sizes, and cutting off the stem that was stripped bare and throwing them (one by one) into the woods (I can't stand squashing them), I realized there wasn't much left of my tomatoe plants. I also realized that what was left of my plants was either not producing, or was producing rotten tomatoes. Plus, everything was covered with aphids.
In desparation, I decided it all needed to go. So, one by one, I tore out my ugly tomatoe plants. What's left are a few trampled-looking perennials that were striving to reach the sun through the tomatoes; some gangly basil that's about to go; and some very gangly zinnias that I just didn't have the heart to pull.
So now the flowerbed looks AWFUL.
I've already ordered some plants through Bluestone Perennials, so sometime in September I hope to be beefing things back up a bit. Till then, it's ugly, ugly, ugly.
That was the flowerbed on the left of the house. The one on the right? I was too discouraged to touch. But the tomatoes on that side are in the same state as the ones on the left. -- They've gotta go!
A few encouraging things I've noticed: through all this drought and heat, my clematis has flourished, and actually produced a few flowers. Also, my asters are starting to bloom. And so is my weigela! Just a few flowers on each, but I guess not everything has failed.
I have been noticing a spider making its web on our back porch. Following is a photo of it with its web and a meal. Anybody know what kind it is, if it's poisonous, and if you recommend I leave it or send him elsewhere?
Saturday, August 11
Life
Sorry so long since I posted a blog. Life has been busy, and then I've had trouble with my password so I could even get on my site to blog. Maybe it's figured out now? Anyway, I'm going to try this, and if it works, I'll blog in a couple days, pictures included.
Sunday, July 22
Cottage Garden 8
I just spent a little bit of time in my garden, inspecting the plants for bugs, and I was greatly rewarded. Found a few other things, as well, as noted in the pictures:
My first dahlia in bloom.
The hydrangea that was supposed to be blue that ended up pink and has now faded to green. Hmmm . . . Happily, I still like it.
Ripening Romas.
More tomatoes. I think these are beefsteaks??? They are huge already, and just packed onto the vine. Beautiful!
And this, the dreaded bugs. (Sorry, this is difficult to see due to the blurriness of the photo. My camera limits me too often. I love it, except for real close-up shots.) This is a cutworm loaded with eggs/larvae or something. I feel very fortunate to have found this one when I did, gross as it is! I asked my brave husband to dispose of it. (We both hate killing things.) I'm hoping he stomped on it, but he asked for a can of bug spray. So long as I never see one hundred small cutworms marching toward me, I guess it doesn't matter the manner of disposal. Ugh, ugh, ugh!
My first dahlia in bloom.
The hydrangea that was supposed to be blue that ended up pink and has now faded to green. Hmmm . . . Happily, I still like it.
Ripening Romas.
More tomatoes. I think these are beefsteaks??? They are huge already, and just packed onto the vine. Beautiful!
And this, the dreaded bugs. (Sorry, this is difficult to see due to the blurriness of the photo. My camera limits me too often. I love it, except for real close-up shots.) This is a cutworm loaded with eggs/larvae or something. I feel very fortunate to have found this one when I did, gross as it is! I asked my brave husband to dispose of it. (We both hate killing things.) I'm hoping he stomped on it, but he asked for a can of bug spray. So long as I never see one hundred small cutworms marching toward me, I guess it doesn't matter the manner of disposal. Ugh, ugh, ugh!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)