#37011
May 3rd, 2007 at 12:29 PM
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Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,499
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OP
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,499 |
I'm getting off to a late, slow, frustrating start. My bones are aching these past three weeks are so and I'm just not out there much. Today I looked forward to finishing a patch where I did some seeding; had the material - we got more seeds and soil last night. But I just couldn't get motivated - went back to bed, of course. The most logical thing to do. I'll go out there after supper; I've got a little heartburn, so there might be another procrastination there.
When sorting seeds, do not whistle.
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Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 30,493 Likes: 61
Northern Star
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Northern Star
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 30,493 Likes: 61 |
~~Tam~ You can bury all your troubles by digging in the dirt.
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Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,499
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OP
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,499 |
It was warmer today. I did go out there last night and did quite a bit. And today . . . went out about 1 pm and worked through till about 7:30 - with breaks for supper, nap, etc.
But I'm back in the groove . . . I think.
When sorting seeds, do not whistle.
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Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,499
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OP
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,499 |
I've done a bit more . . . cleaning out a patch yesterday and a bit more today.
It's supposed to get warm tomorrow.
When sorting seeds, do not whistle.
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Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,499
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OP
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,499 |
Moving along nicely now. Another patch cleaned up last night.
Today we are expecting a high of 24!
When sorting seeds, do not whistle.
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Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,499
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OP
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,499 |
Well, to begin with, we're only just getting our tree buds . . . And I've begun those long, tedious, frustrating jobs that entail cleaning up sections of the lot - here's the rock garden. I've put some of my seeds in there - don't know what they're going to do: Here's a new addition to my collection of plants - the Norfolk Pine: That has to stay indoors, I'm told - it's too bad 'cause it would be nice to put it in the middle of my barrel and plant around it, but no can do. I've been cleaning up and planting in what I call my morning glory patch: I have two kalanchoes in there, that spike plant that I saved from that display I had in Tulsi corner last year. There's also some seeds . . . Nicole sent zinnias and sweet peas from the west coast. And there's a few that are grossly outdated - somebody left them for me over the winter. And there are four packs that somebody brought home the other day - just mixed stuff. Here's part of today's slaving . . . I transferred some lilies into this square, and put two of the pink kalanchoes with them: And here's how my austrian pine circle stuff is getting on - that green stuff from last year seems to be coming in ok - it's called luminosia or something like that. Strangely enough, I didn't take any pictures of the corner I worked on today. I thinned out the lillies on the south lot and cleaned up the corner where the asian lillies are. I also re-arranged the planter on the stone - put some of the juniper fronds that have turned golden brown in there. I'll have to show that next time.
When sorting seeds, do not whistle.
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Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,499
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OP
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,499 |
I feel so frustrated . . . this happens each spring. I went out there and looked over all the scrub that has to be tidied up and went - arrrrrrrrgh! It takes me 2 to 3 hours to just clean up a couple of square yards. I go through this every year - then Jeff comes by and puts the lawn mower on it - that breaks all the sticks up and I can rake through it, pluck uglies and tidy it up. I've got to remember - and this is something I tend to forget every year - it is a woodland! It isn't a botanical gardens on circumspect lawns - it's a woodland! I cannot expect it to be all neat and tidy and wild at the same time. But there's just so much to do each year! Grrrrrrrrrrrr!
When sorting seeds, do not whistle.
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Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,499
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OP
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,499 |
We had a warm day yesterday - got up to 27 celsius.
Supposed to be cloudy today.
I'm still more or less cleaning.
We had a landscape guy come in; he's going to trim some of the trees. If the landlord goes for paying for it, that is. She'd be foolish not to . . . a lot of the branches have grown over the driveway and big pieces fall down in storms.
There's bad news - the birch tree has died. The guy showed Jeff some holes - BIRCH BORE!
It's too far gone to fix it, he said.
When sorting seeds, do not whistle.
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Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 30,493 Likes: 61
Northern Star
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Northern Star
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 30,493 Likes: 61 |
Hi Carly, just wanted to give you a heads up on the new picture posting rule. Only allowed 3 pics per post now or your topic gets deleted.
Take it easy, don't over work yourself.
~~Tam~ You can bury all your troubles by digging in the dirt.
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#40616
May 9th, 2007 at 08:05 AM
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Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,499
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OP
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,499 |
Oh, I didn't know that about the posts.
So should I split these up?
When sorting seeds, do not whistle.
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Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 30,493 Likes: 61
Northern Star
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Northern Star
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 30,493 Likes: 61 |
Yup, might be better too Carly. I just didn't want your topic to get zapped away.
~~Tam~ You can bury all your troubles by digging in the dirt.
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Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,499
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OP
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,499 |
Well, I don't see an 'edit' button, so there's not much I can do with it now.
When sorting seeds, do not whistle.
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Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,499
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OP
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,499 |
We had a fairly nice Victoria weekend . . . for those of you who are not aware, the holiday is for Queen Victoria's birthday - May 24th. And they'll give us a holiday or we'll all run away (old rhyme) It was a bit chilly though. Our lot is looking pretty good - Jeff did all the grass cutting and now we can actually see what's growing. I do have some pictures coming up.
When sorting seeds, do not whistle.
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Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,499
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OP
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,499 |
You might remember my planting these in November 2k5. Didn't know what they were then, but it turned out they were those wild violets that grow everywhere. Well, that tree looks a lot different now - here are the wild garlic mustard plants that have grown in amongst the bits of gout wort that were grown there last year.
When sorting seeds, do not whistle.
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Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,499
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OP
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,499 |
And those logs you can see in the corner? Here's how they look today . . . I planted a lot of wild stuff in front of them last summer. More wild violets grew in between the logs with no help from me whatsoever - it's amazing how these wild plants find their way around a lot. http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m320/WildCityWoman/MulchingLogs0519c.jpgThose blue flowers in front there are either loelia or forget-me-not - I'm not sure now. But it sure does look good there, eh? I'm looking forward to watching this section of south lot grow this year. We've had super growth in the past week - the rain's helped a lot, of course. And now that Jeff has done his ritual Victoria weekend mow, we can actually see what's growing. ----------------------------
When sorting seeds, do not whistle.
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Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,499
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OP
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,499 |
There's more stuff will grow up in back of those logs.
When sorting seeds, do not whistle.
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Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,499
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OP
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,499 |
Look in this montage I made in 2004 . . . you'll see those bushes in front of the office. The junipers were kinda' dull looking at that time, and that one bush off to the side? We were very close to just digging that scruffy looking thing outta' there. But we worked on the bushes - I took that one small bush and tied its branches up together. We clipped off all the dead stuff and just left it like that till 2005 gardening season - then we untied it and let it grow in.
When sorting seeds, do not whistle.
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Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,499
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OP
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,499 |
Here's a multiple that shows the junipers and that bush in February and in August 2k5 . . .
When sorting seeds, do not whistle.
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Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,499
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OP
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,499 |
Jeff and I have continued to work on those bushes - we trim those junipers and shape them as we go along - I often use the trimmings to poke into little winter displays. That small bush? Here's what it looks like today - we're very proud of how its come along. It's just a little thing, I know - but it feels good that we were able to bring it around, looking like somebody gives a damn. ------------------------
When sorting seeds, do not whistle.
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Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,499
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OP
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,499 |
This montage pictures our birch tree in June 2004. We always liked to plant at the foot of this birch - making sure we were four inches out from its base, of course. It was always a joy to see the tree bloom in spring.
When sorting seeds, do not whistle.
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Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,499
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OP
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,499 |
Here's a couple more multiple pictures I did up in 2004 . . .
When sorting seeds, do not whistle.
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Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,499
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OP
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,499 |
When sorting seeds, do not whistle.
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Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,499
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OP
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,499 |
Last year, it was a bit sparse - one trunk of it did not come into leaf at all - we treated it with a chemical that's designed to kill leaf mite on birches in particular. We have made arrangements with a landscaper, who knows how to work with trees - he's told us that this tree is pretty well finished. It has developed 'birch bore' which is fatal to birches. He is going to be cutting part of it away - the rest of it, he told us, will eventually die off and will have to be either taken down or it will fall down on its own.
When sorting seeds, do not whistle.
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Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,499
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OP
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,499 |
Here's how it looks this week . . . ----------------------
When sorting seeds, do not whistle.
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Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,499
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OP
Joined: Jul 2004
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Here's what I still call the 'Sweet Woodruff Circle', that being because there was some woodruff put in there way back in spring 2004.
When sorting seeds, do not whistle.
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Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,499
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OP
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,499 |
Here's how it looked on Saturday - absolutely lush with all its growth - a few of those tree saplings are in there, I suspect, but it looks good - and it got that way all on its own - I didn't do a thing to it this year.
When sorting seeds, do not whistle.
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Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,499
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OP
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,499 |
Here's the south island slope & fence in May 2k5 and how it looks right now. What a mess! But it looks good once I finish cleaning it up. I'm going to get Jeff to help me with this tomorrow or Tuesday morning - working on a slope is just too much.
When sorting seeds, do not whistle.
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Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,499
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OP
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,499 |
I haven't done much this weekend - just tooooooo lazy!
But this morning? Yep - this morning . . . I'll be on it!
When sorting seeds, do not whistle.
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#51215
May 24th, 2007 at 06:48 PM
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Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,499
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OP
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,499 |
It's hot here, Penny - today went to 31 celsius, which is a lotta' fahrenheit.
I stayed inside - went out to the yard about 7:30 and did a couple of jobs.
I did a lot the day before yesterday - got a lot of that fence garden cleaned up and put things in there. I'm just working with what I've got right now - not buying any plants till around July when they're cheaper.
We're really pleased to see all the green that's coming up for us - most spots have come up without me doing a thing to them.
Jeff cut all the grass on the weekend and we can see all the tree circles I've done - it's all coming in. There's stuff I've never seen before.
I think I'm going to have a good gardening season.
I'll get some more pictures done tomorrow or on the weekend.
Thunder storm sometime tomorrow - but still hot, so I might not be out till later in the evening.
Already I can feel the bugs nipping away in the early evening.
When sorting seeds, do not whistle.
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Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,499
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OP
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,499 |
Tonight I planted an osteospergum (spell, i dunno'). It's called 'Dalina'. Anyway, it originates in Africa - likes full sun.
I put it in one of my big pots - pictures soon.
I have a good feeling about this one.
When sorting seeds, do not whistle.
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Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,499
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OP
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,499 |
Today, I took on the hardest job I've got - this particular part of my south island slope. That's because I know the rest of the week is going to be hot - today was perfect - not too hot, not too cool. A bit windy, mind you, but I lived with it. I just started raking out around the tree, replacing little wild plants that had gone astray, then moved down the slope. Three of my mini rose bushes survived the winter. I rearranged them around a bowl I did last year. Then I dug, dug, raked, raked, plucked, plucked . . . I started just after 11 - by 3 I had it smoothed over, soiled and seeded. Pictures later. I'm about to have spaghetti that Jeff made, then a little reading, a nap, then in the cool of the evening, I'll take on some smaller jobs.
When sorting seeds, do not whistle.
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Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,499
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OP
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,499 |
Now here's a treat . . . These Iris were a mere couple of stubs that somebody found scattered in the roadway last spring. I put them in by the curb here and they grew. This spring? They've quadrupled! And . . . they are just about to bloom!
When sorting seeds, do not whistle.
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Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,499
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OP
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,499 |
I've been working hard on my fence garden and slope on the south island . . .
When sorting seeds, do not whistle.
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Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,499
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OP
Joined: Jul 2004
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As you can see, I've tidied up around that tree. Also on the previous photos, you can see where I've seeded the area on the slope. Right now, I'm working around it - about a foot out. Just clearing the ground, picking out all the brown bits. I'm going to wait and see how it does with a few watering jobs before I scatter seed around it. It might be it has enough of its own. I've also cleared the rest of the fence garden - not much left in it, but I think there's other stuff might pop up.
When sorting seeds, do not whistle.
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#54503
May 30th, 2007 at 06:29 AM
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OP
Joined: Jul 2004
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It's a lot of work - a lot of hand raking, 'cause I like to pick up stones and weed as I go, so I can't just pass the yard rake over it. It's long and tedious, but it feels good to do it.
When sorting seeds, do not whistle.
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Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,499
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OP
Joined: Jul 2004
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We always enjoy the phlox that grows on the back fence:
When sorting seeds, do not whistle.
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Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,499
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OP
Joined: Jul 2004
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Here's the Iris fully bloomed - there will be more tomorrow, I expect:
When sorting seeds, do not whistle.
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Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,499
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OP
Joined: Jul 2004
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And what's this called again . . . Columbine?
When sorting seeds, do not whistle.
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Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,499
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OP
Joined: Jul 2004
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These are growing a few doors up from us: Ohhhhhhhhhh! Beauty!
When sorting seeds, do not whistle.
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