Rin's Garden

note to self

2009-11-07T08:37:00.003-05:00

Moonrays on the floor of shed - not working
Moonrays on the shelves - working
Lanterns on the ladder proximal to shed door - weakly lit
Lanterns on the ladder distal to shed door - well lit

Mm.Mm. Radishes.

2009-07-04T15:58:00.003-04:00

Having just harvested our first-ever home grown radishes, I can, with confidence and conviction, express my belief that any salad would benefit from the addition of some fresh-from-the-garden radishes...yum!

What's new

2009-06-07T17:30:00.005-04:00

Lisa brought me some sweet woodruff and heirloom tomato plants from the Landon Library plant swap last weekend. She says we can expect a yield of yellow, green, orange and purple tomatoes!!

She and I went to Gathering on the Green yesterday and for just $5 I picked up some dill (M’s been asking for it), lady’s mantle, pulmonaria, and “Fresh Look Orange” celosia. I wasn’t familiar with this plant before, and I was drawn to its sunset-golden colour… I anticipate the celosia will add much needed contrast to my very green garden. I planted all four of them in a row in front of Stella, the cherry tree.

I planted the pulmonaria and lady’s mantle underneath the birches because just the other day I spent a couple of hours weeding out that whole area. Now it’s mostly houtynia under there. I do plan to add trilliums too, but I haven’t been out to harvest them yet.

Planted the dill on the edge of the veggie bed, only because it’s too leggy and weedy to plant elsewhere. Also sowed some spinach and wax bean seeds in there yesterday. A few days ago I sowed some mesclun seeds in the money tree pot, and some chervil out in the herb garden. Had some old scarlet phlox seeds as well, so I planted them in the front of the first tier of the raised bed.

Yesterday afternoon, from M’s sister’s garden, I received some pink and purple bachelor buttons, some kind of white-flowering ground cover, zebra grass (what a struggle to extract that clump!!), miscanthus, a trumpet vine and an oriental poppy as well as four surplus cherry tomato plants. Will have to dig all of these in this morning before the rain begins.

The hanging plants have taken very well and I’m regularly dead heading the petunias. The bidens are far more yellow than I hoped for, but still pretty.

Tradscantia is in bloom right now, just in the last day or so. Very pretty.

Our pole bean seedlings were doing beautifully – we had six healthy stalks – until the bleepin’ bunnies chomped the tops off!! I’ve replaced the cloches and have all digits crossed that they bounce back from that assault.

The ‘Rouge Cardinal’ clematis has finally started to show, and how exquisite! I love the colour – it’s like red wine velvet. The jackmanii is almost about to bloom too, and the darn thing jumped across to the other trellis and got itself all tangled up! It’s also snaked through the fence so we’ll see blossoms on the deck too. I’m not sad about that.

A couple weeks back my Mom brought me a ‘Marmalade’ coral bells, which I planted beside the other one in the only shady spot in the back yard. Within minutes, squirrels had uprooted and pulverized it, but rather than give up, I shoved whatever shredded roots I could find back into the soil and covered it with a cloche. And wouldn’tchya know it? The plucky little thing sprouted new leaves! I’m tickled pink! I won’t be fooled twice though – the cloche will remain in place for a good long time while the wee one establishes itself.

Portulaca, it turns out, had self-seeded in the clematis bed, but only in a couple of areas… I’ll spread them out & share the surplus with Lisa now that I can positively identify them.

Hibiscus finally made its appearance at the very end of May (26th), and since then a few dahlia and canna shoots have emerged as well… though it has been unseasonably cool for the last couple of weeks.

New plantings

2009-05-16T10:41:00.004-04:00

Spent a few hours yesterday morning planting in the cannas, including the special 'phasion' canna, six of the dahlias bulbs, and the remaining two purple fountain grasses, all in the upper tier of the west bed.

Decided to plant the Sorbaria Sem in the shadiest part of the yard, under Lloyd's treeline. Looks at home there.

It poured last night so everything should be well watered in.

Also planted my very first ever hanging arrangement! I used the orange & yellow bidens which I bought from the plant sale Lisa took us to, along with a small white petunia and a pretty violet lobelia picked up at Rona y'day. I think it's going to look pretty (I hope, anyway) and as luck would have it, there'll be a twin hanging pot soon because I had fully double the plants I needed to fill the first pot!

I moved this guy (photo left) because he gets so big he obscured the view of the rose of Sharon behind him. I have no idea what this plant is though...

Yesterday I bought a President's Choice Chippewa Blueberry bush, a Tomato 'Health Kick', a red and a green pepper plant, and a cucumber plant. Picked up seeds for pumpkin, chervil, radish, spicy mesclun, spinach, pole beans, and a bag of shallot bulbs. I'm very excited to plant our first vegetable garden together. Hoping to spend some time Monday turning over and amending the soil for it, as well as constructing the barrier fence around the area.

2009!

2009-05-14T08:19:00.003-04:00

Despite my best intentions, I haven't done any of the garden planning I'd hoped to do over winter. As it turns out, that doesn't matter because I have no money in the budget for gardening right now anyway! For Christmas my Love bought me Designing Your Gardens and Landscapes by Janet Macunovich, as well as a gardening colour wheel, graph paper pad & garden design stencil. Since I can't buy plants or tools or even mulch right now, I am focusing my gardening energy and enthusiasm in planning for when I do have some room in the budget. I'm reading the book and making lists and notes aplenty. I'll also take this opportunity to update my garden blog with both new observations and past notes I continually find stashed in various gardening and plant info books - I will be happy when it's all organized in this one spot for easy reference. Away we go...

May 10, 2009 Additions to the Garden (a la Mom's generosity):
Pink Cloud Beauty Bush (Kolkwitzia Amabilis)- will grow to 2m high and wide; requires full sun to light shade; blooms pink flowers in mid spring. Zone 4. I planted it just in front of the tippy lilac tree at the back of the yard where it can grow to be as big as it likes and will hide the mess of camp fire tinder behind it.
Purple Fountain Grass - this annual grass will grow to 4' high and 2' wide; requires full sun; blooms reddish-purple flower plumes in June. I have tried one out front (sort of a gamble but if it like it there, it'll make that little bed pop), and will plant the other two around the new Canna Phasion I picked up at Rona - probably along the west side fence midway back in the tiered bed.
Black Lace Elderberry - will grow to 2m high and wide; requires sun to part shade; blooms pink flowers in June. I planted it just beyond the east side tree line.
Sorbaria Sem - will grow to 1 m high and wide; best in part shade; a dwarf shrub with bright pink new shoots; blooms white flowers in summer. Haven't planted it yet because I'm not sure where to put it... am thinking it should go out front, but where exactly?? I don't want to have to move it next year when we start building the front porch (squee!!).

Plants just emerging in the back yard beds (May 10, 2009):

houtynia under the birches
thyme & oregano
some little red stalk with point-tipped green leaves just in front of Stella the cherry tree
buds on the rose of Sharon (I was almost convinced this was dead)
echinacea
zebra grass beside the shed. The patch just past Spike (thorned Honeylocust tree) doesn't appear to have made it through the winter

Other observations (same day):

William the trillium didn't survive :o(
the cheddar pinks have sprouted babies in three locations around the mother plant
2 of the 3 delphineums have emerged. The red one didn't survive but it was my least fave anyway.
scarlet phlox out front was poorly so I moved it to full sun among the rocks out back

Plans for this & next month:
decide where to plant multiple dahlia bulbs, parrot impatiens
plant cannas & calla lilies
prepare the area in front of the grasses as a vegetable garden
pour paths through and around veggie beds
trim boxwoods
weed under the boxwoods and plant full-sun loving ground cover
scrape out weeds from between stones in path to shed
move some hostas from the front yard to along the east side of the deck
dig out grass around trunks of Max & Spike and plant or mulch
edge the long garden

Quick note just to say...

2008-09-30T19:47:00.002-04:00

I would like to add some Efanthia wood spurge (?Efanthia Imprefant?) (Euphorbia amygdaloides hybrid (Proven Winner)) to the garden next year.

Thank you. Come again.

Before & After

2008-09-15T17:39:00.012-04:00

These B & A photos are of the same area, just shot from opposite ends.

Same with this one (and I have no idea why I shot the before pic on such a weird angle).

I spent HOURS clearing a dense wall of weed in front of the cannas, but sadly I still have about 24' sq. to go.. sigh..

This 'after' shot is slightly to the right of the 'before' shot, but you get the idea.

Yet again, I hang my head in shame for how long it has taken me to post anything here. Granted, I did state at the outset of this gardening season that I wouldn't have time for much, if anything, in or around the garden. But as it turned out, I did spend some time planting, weeding, planning and yet I haven't written any of it here.

Today I re-dedicate myself to using this blog spot for the wonderful tool that it is - as a visual and anecdotal record of how things are growing around here.

I will eventually add a few catch-up posts, to record tidbits I may need to refer back to at some point, but starting today I will double my efforts to post more regularly, as things develop.

Updates as of June 22, 2008

2008-06-29T16:49:00.002-04:00

planted a cactus, campanula, lupins and spider flower (?) - all from Deb - under the cherry tree "Stella"
goblin growing well and about to bloom 3 blossoms
William is gone ... we assume something must have broken him off and eaten him. I only hope he returns next spring.
callas and cannas are all growing up well. There are about 5 calla's in bloom
planted four datura (from Deb) amongst boxwoods on either side of the path up to the shed - they took right away and now today (June 29, 2008) have all four bloomed!
planted zebra grass - again, from Deb - at the back by the stump
day lilies about to bloom
astilbe growing well but no blossoms
surprise appearance by a few dillweed plants in the rock garden
cherry tomatoes have already produced six succulent, scrumptious fruits
planted orange poppy (mid way in upper tier of rock garden) and mexican hat (mid way in lower tier) - both from Deb. Update to June 29th is that they both look terrible but the poppy doesn't even look alive :o(
planted fuscia pincushion flower - from Deb - in far north upper tier. Had to pull back POUNDS of creeping charlie to make room though - arrrrghhh
trumpet vine is 6" tall - again
three new delphiniums - from Mom - all doing well. Update to June 29, 2008 is that all three are in full bloom - picks to follow
tickseed is huge and bushy and feathery. June 29, 2008 - in full bloom
two little trees are thriving in the upper tier of the rock garden - one is the Eastern Red Bud and the other is ... ?
I weeded out the entire rock garden bed but left some tall, wild grass and those little blue wild flowers against the fence because I thought they were pretty
planted pulmonaria - from Deb - out front, in peanut
planted white bleeding heart - from Deb - out back, between shed & zebra grass

May 24th

2008-06-24T17:27:00.005-04:00

I'm quite behind in my posting, so here it is, a MONTH! since we planted "Max the Maple", and I'm only now recording his arrival. For shame.

Max is the name of a maple sapling that my mother saved as a struggling seedling just because she's that sweet. She has nurtured it through a couple of winters now, and recently decided it was tough enough to withstand the abuses of life in my yard.

Max is also the name of a beautiful dog, who used to reside with Marty's sister.

In the wee morning hours of May 24, 2008, poor Max died of some mystery illness at the far-too-young age of 18 months. He was and is very much loved by us all...

Later in the evening of the 24th, after several cries and hugs, after I'd headed out to work in the garden to get my mind on other things, and after I'd put in a good day's labour lost in thought, Marty and I strolled around the yard together. Me, pointing out what I'd moved or planted or weeded; Marty gazing off in the distance, no doubt wishing I'd fall in a hole.

In an effort to liven him up, as we walked toward the little maple sapling my Mom had given us and which I had just planted an hour earlier, I suggested he name it. Without missing a beat, almost reflexively, Marty came back with "Max". Felt like a reasonable tribute to our dear departed pup, so Max the Maple he be.

Hummingbird Juice

2008-06-13T11:28:00.002-04:00

Recipe

Boil 4 cups water in the kettle
Measure into large measuring cup
Dissolve into it 1 cup sugar
Let cool completely before filling feeder

William's Story

2008-06-08T17:49:00.003-04:00

Meet William. William the trillium. I found him up in Ontario's beautiful north on May 18, 2008.

We planted William under the Whitespire Birch trees at the back of the lot. However, those trees are still quite young, and they didn't provide enough shade for William - he wilted dreadfully after his transplant. We moved quickly though, and constructed a t-shirt tent for him (special thanks to Marty, who not only donated the shirt, but also rigged it up nice and secure).

We propped the rake up beside William for a while too, which worked nicely to recreate the 'dappled light' he likes so well.

Since May, his flower has shriveled and fallen, but his stem is strong, and his leaves supple and green, so I think it's safe to say he survived the move.

Front Yard - May 25

2008-06-03T20:46:00.005-04:00

In the photo above, you are looking at the parched, barren bed in the front yard. The euonymous, against all odds, appears to have survived its traumatic move and is now slowly climbing the trellis'. The heirloom bleeding heart in the corner, planted over and in loving memory of my dear dead kitty, is growing like crazy!! I couldn't be happier to see it doubling in size almost weekly now. There are several stems of solomon's seal in front of it that I will now have to move in order to give the bleeding heart the room it wants.

Clearly this bed needs to be filled out near the front, as well as needing to be amended and mulched heavily. Sigh... so much yet to do...

Pictured below, top left, is the 'peanut' (shaped) garden. Clockwise from the top right photo are this year's new additions to the peanut: dwarf balsalm fir, splendens coral bell, goldmound spirea, and rockfoil 'purple robe'.

May 10, 2008 (backdated)

2008-06-03T19:02:00.005-04:00

Witnessed the emergence of only one daffodil for the longest time, on the east side of the front steps. A couple of weeks later, a smaller, paler daff emerged beside the first. Across the way, to the west of the steps, brought two of what I'm told are also daffodils, though they don't look like it to me:

Sometime in mid May I dug in the canna and calla lily corms, and set up the new compost 'cage' behind the birch trees.

April 2008 - belated update (?late date?)

2008-06-03T17:36:00.004-04:00

I'm afraid I didn't keep any records aside from a few meager photos this spring. I know I lost a number of plants over the winter, including (but definitely not limited to):
* clematis bluebird
* heather
* dark knight blue beard

Besides raking the mulched leaves off the garden beds out front, and an hour or two of aggressive weed pulling, not much was accomplished in the yard in April because I was studying for exams.

Fritillaria

2008-05-06T05:56:00.005-04:00

Fritillaria Imperialis/Rubra Maxima (Crown Imperial)

I really like these; saw them in Harris Park near the walk bridge over the river. Bloom in mid spring. Bulbs must be planted in mid to late summer.

Further info from finegardening.com:
This species draws much attention with its striking gaiety of color and form. Its large, bell-shaped flowers in shades of orange, yellow, and red dangle from tufts of shiny green leaf bracts. Sitting atop sturdy, 3-foot stalks, the flowers make a surprising and regal statement in the late spring garden.
Care: These bulbous perennials needs fertile, well-drained soil in full sun. Plant at four times their own depth. The hollow-centered bulbs do best planted on their sides and surrounded with sharp sand.
Propagation: Sow seed in a cold frame in fall, provide winter cold treatment, and then move to cool greenhouse. Divide offsets in late summer.

Finally fall!

2007-09-05T08:49:00.000-04:00

I've not only neglected my garden blog for the past month or two, but I've neglected my garden too!! Oh sure, I've pulled the odd weed here and there, but I haven't watered or mulched or amended or done anything to help the poor parched plants around the property.

That all changed last night though, because it's FINALLY FALL! Whoot!! This is what I've been waiting for, because now I can move some plants around, get a few things from Deb's gardens, buy some new shrubs, and aerate, topdress and overseed the lawn. So much to do, so little time and money but I'm going to give it my best shot. I have two of the next three weekends pretty well dedicated to just yard work, and I have a semi-formed plan in mind to achieve as much as possible in that time. May have to call in the troops; we'll see.

Last night I started out front - pulled out that ugly yellow iris, all the yellow lamium, all those pathetic portulacas and more goddam columbines. Moved a couple of hostas to the front, moved the peach flambe coral bell to a sunnier spot (to where the heather died), split the sedum angelina and planted the second poof a foot or two away. Dug the creeping mint and remains of the painted fern down in deeper, in case either of them would like to come back to life next summer. Finally, I pulled almost all of that ajuga out of the back yard and moved it to the 'sweet woodruff corner' (between porch stairs and driveway). The woodruff died, and even though I hate that ajuga, it's better than nothing. I need some stones to 'frame' that corner in.

There is still a lot to do out front, including:

trim & trellis the euonymus
lawn care
add some colour (particularly orange)
trim & shape the spirea
plant bulbs along both sides of the walk

Out back is a whole other story so I won't even begin thinking about it yet. For now, I'm just glad to finally be moving things around and trying to create a sense of beauty and design in all this mess.

Reminders for spring: The best time to fertilize perennials is in the spring after danger of frost has passed. It is not recommended to fertilize in the fall, as plants produce soft growth that can cause winter kill of perennials.

HOW MUCH DO I NEED?

2007-09-05T08:46:00.000-04:00

Here are some quick "rule of thumb" methods for calculating how much compost, mulch and topsoil (taken from http://www.a1organics.com/)

Compost

	SOIL AMENDMENT
	Reason: Compost is used to amend soil before planting sod or seed, and for general purposes where the soil requires additional organic material to stimulate plant growth and enhance water retention. Rate: 3 CY per 1000 sq ft (equal to 1" of compost) Example: The area to be amended is 10,000 sq ft. 10,000 ÷ 1000 = 10 x 3 = 30 CY of compost
	TOP DRESSING
	Reason: Compost applied in spring or fall as a top dressing to an existing lawn will greatly enhance the organic properties of the soil, as well as increase the water holding capacity of the soil. Rate: 1 CY per 1000 sq ft (equal to 1/4" of compost) Example: The area to be top dressed is 10,000 sq. ft. 10,000 ÷ 1000 = 10 x 1 = 10 CY of compost
Mulch

	One cubic yard of mulch will cover a 324 sq ft area with 1" of mulch. Here's how to calculate how much mulch you need: Figure out the square footage of your bed (width x length for square or rectangular shapes) Multiply your square footage by the depth desired (in inches) Divide by 324. This will tell you how many cubic yards you will need. Example calculation for a rectangular area 6' x 90' to be covered with 2" of mulch: 6' x 90' = 540 sq ft 540' x 2 = 1080 sq ft. 1080 ÷ 324 = 3-1/2 cubic yards Mulch tips: New planting beds require 2-3" of mulch to retard weeds and retain moisture. It's a good idea to top dress existing beds with 1-2" of mulch in the spring. You can protect perennials in the winter with 2" of mulch.
Prepared Topsoil A1 Organics Prepared Topsoil is manufactured by mixing 70% screened soil and 30% compost together. This blend produces a quality soil product which can be used as a soil amendment or top dressing/fill dirt when amending existing soil with straight compost is not an option or not desirable.

	SOIL AMENDMENT
	Reason: Use a prepared topsoil before planting sod or seed, and for general purposes where the soil requires additional organic material to stimulate plant growth and enhance water retention. The topsoil can be incorporated into the existing soil if desired, but is not necessary. Rate: 3 CY per 1000 sq ft (equal to 1" of soil) Example: The area to be amended is 10,000 sq ft. 10,000 ÷ 1000 = 10 x 3 = 30 CY of prepared topsoil.
	TOP DRESSING/FILL DIRT
	Reason: Prepared topsoil applied as a top dressing or fill in low spots will greatly enhance the organic properties of the soil, as well as increase water holding capacity. Prepared topsoil can be spread over existing soil and immediately used as the medium for any type of planting, including bushes, trees, sod, seed, flowers, etc. Rate: 3 CY per 1000 sq ft (equal to 1" of soil) Example: The area for top dress or fill is 10,000 sq ft. 10,000 ÷ 1000 = 10 x 3 = 30 CY of prepared topsoil.

Newborn

2007-08-17T07:05:00.000-04:00

In my mad rush to get to work yesterday morning I raced past the house, past the deck and almost to the car door when ping! – my attention suddenly struck back to something my eyes had just scanned but that took an extra moment to leap the synapses and register in my consciousness. And guess what? I’d whisked past the very first-ever clematis that my poor neglected, growth-stunted, malnourished and parched clematis vine has ever blossomed. I stopped in my tracks, and returned to really see this wonder of wonders. So beautiful, so perfect, so welcome. And to think, I almost missed it.

Completed path

2007-08-14T12:43:00.000-04:00

Still need to plant some zebra grass, boxwood shrubs and some annuals (next year) along either side, but the path is all done!

images 'round the yard

2007-08-14T12:29:00.000-04:00

Look at the li'l lotus tree now! It's taller than Marty! In only about two months... holy grower.

For peat's sake

2007-08-09T13:11:00.001-04:00

Read this in an article at bbc.co.uk today and decided to post it here so I remember not to be such a thoughtless heel next year when I go garden supply shopping.

"Peat bogs are some of the most eerie and important places around. Not just because of the amazing old things that surface every once in a while (including ancient Britons!) but because they’re home to all sorts of animals and plants.

Do one thing for wildlife by hunting down the right sort of compost next time you're at a garden centre. Ask for a peat-free alternative – there are some ingenious products on offer including coir, made out of waste products from the coconut industry. And don't forget that you can always save your money entirely by starting your own compost heap – take inspiration from Kew Gardens who recycle 99% of their plant waste as compost."

What's in bloom?

2007-07-11T12:55:00.001-04:00

At the moment, the portulacas are resplendent

tiger? lilies are nearing the end of their show

wild aster is just starting to flower

monarda is still in bloom

and finally, the astilbe HAD two buds but ... ooo those damn squirrels!!

half a walkway

2007-07-02T08:11:00.000-04:00

Saturday morning my Mom came over to help lay the "stone" walkway up to the shed... it was a beautiful day to work outside - the sun was warm and bright but there was a cool, refreshing breeze. Good thing too, because mixing all eight of the 30 kg bags of cement was very hard labour! Ultimately, the effort was worth it because, even though it's only half done, I'm very pleased with how our little path turned out.

In the beginning...

2007-06-26T07:34:00.001-04:00

Okay - I know I said I would do this several weeks ago, AND I planned that the before stuff would all come first in this blog, but I've been busy in the garden and this is my first opportunity to do it. So here - here's about where we started from:

This photo was taken April 17, 2006. We were in the midst of having that centre tree (aka Spooky Tree) felled, which is why there are no branches. Somewhat less visible is that at that time, the grass was all thatch, we had just cleaned up the messy brush between the compost bin (far left) and Spooky Tree, the hole in the ground (front & centre) was left after Marty gave a 20' tall rusty old post what-for, and we appear to have a small fire burning just behind the white table. A bit further behind that spot is where the original delapidated, tri-colour, death-trap shed stood. My friend Dave & I levelled it in the summer 2004, shortly after his wife left him and he needed to beat the crap out of something.

The yard, at that point, was pretty much a blank canvas. Here's what happened over the course of that same day:

The tree came down (I'm squatting on the stump, to show it who's boss):

We stacked an awful lotta logs:and Marty rototilled almost the entire lawn:

We later decided that the rototilling was perhaps not the greatest idea ... ya think???

Shortly after we made this tremendous mess, we took on assembling the shed... what a maddending adventure THAT was! No kidding - the first instruction in the 23 PAGE (!!) instruction manual was "Don't Panic"... seriously!

[insert photos here]

In late May 2006, in the throes of despair over the fact that where once we had lawn (albeit thatched & bumpy) we now had only hard packed clumps of rototilled clay that we couldn't dig out (no where to put it) or rake (too unyeilding), we ended up renting a bobcat & dump truck to level the west-to-east slope of and excavate some of the awful clay soil:

By that time, too, Marty had started building the deck:

and I had started planting the long garden on the east side of the yard with gifts from David's garden:

One day in June, we had 12 yards of top soil and 2 pallets of sod delivered. Thence began the gruelling jobs of spreading, raking & unrolling - I don't know if I've ever worked harder or gotten more filthy in all my life. Good times :+)

Mom & Alistair came to help, and when we were as done as done could be, we rested and admired the beautiful new lawn:

Finished product!

2007-06-15T09:39:00.000-04:00

Veggies are in and actually looking rather perky,

despite the late-season transplant and the heat. Yay!

(Note: every last one of these rocks were buried under and around the largest roots of a giant tree we had to have taken down last year - while I sorely resented having to dig them out and pile them up at the time, I am now pleased as punch to have this lovely retaining wall for the mere price of my own hard labour!)

Welcome! to our latest arrivals

2007-06-13T12:22:00.002-04:00

Yesterday afternoon Mom & I took a trip to Heritage Country Gardens and picked out the following additions to my gardens:

Perennials

Polemonium (Jacob's Ladder) - Prefers part-shade. Blue flowers in early summer. Plant in well-drained location and water generously. Mulch to keep roots cool & moist. Protect from strong afternoon sun. (Height 24", Space 24")

Chinese Sedum (Coral Reef) - Ground cover. Prefers full sun. Blooms (yellow flowers) in early summer. Plant in well-drained location. Drought tolerant. Excellent for cascading down slopes. (Height 3-4", Space 18")

Dianthus Firewitch (Cheddar Pinks) - Full sun. Small magenta flowers bloom in early summer and last a long time. Light to moderate water. Prefers once-annual low nitrogen fertilizer. (Height 6", Space 12")

Heuchera (Peach Flambe Coral Bells) - Prefers part-shade. Blooms white flowers in summer. Award winner :+) (Height 16", space 14").

Coreopsis (Zagreb Tickseed) - Prefers full sun. Blooms golden-yellow flowers in summer and fall. Award winner :+) (Height 12", space 24-36").

Veronica (Goldwell) - Full sun to part-shade. Blooms blue-purple flowers in June-July. (Height 4", space 12").

Cutleaf Alpine Fleabane (Rocky Mountain Daisy) - Full sun. White to pink or lavender flowers with yellow centre in late spring. Drought tolerant (once established). Slow grower. (Height 2-4", space 6-8").
Corsican Mint - Prefers partial su/part shade. Blooms minute mauve flowers in July-August. Keep moist. Tolerates heavy traffic. (Height 1", Spread 6-12")
Calceolaria 'Goldcap' (Pocketbook flower) - Prefers shady rock garden. Yellow flowers with red spots in late spring. Prefers moist but well-drained soil. Slow grower. (Height 4-6", space 6-8").

Herbs & Fruits & Veggies

Jalapeno peppers
English cucumbers
Cantelope
Tomatoes
Winter squash (buttercup)
Boston lettuce
Arugula (x 2)
Dill
Rosemary
Flat-leaf parsley

Seeds

Mesclun mix
Romaine lettuce
Carrots
Yellow beans

(Edit: photos were added a year later; no photos of the corsican mint, goldcap, or fleabane available because sadly, they didn't survive the winter.)

Autumn Chores

2007-06-11T11:28:00.000-04:00

split hostas
move boxwoods & rose of sharon
buy & set up vine cabling? for trumpet vine
aerate, fertilize & over-seed lawn

A few things I've learned...

2007-06-11T09:36:00.000-04:00

I killed several plants this year by cutting them back too far, and the few that didn't die, have a long recovery ahead. Lesson?? Not all things woody-stemmed ought to be cut back to almost ground level! Duh!! This includes the mums, hibiscus, Bluebird things?, and lavender.

Coral bell needs shade

Campanula can tolerate sun or shade, but the wee little one I've had in the shade for over a year has barely grown, so I think it might do better with more light

Silver mound needs sun

Frosted fern needs shade or it burns (oops!)

Solomon seal is a forest plant; prefers shade

Another Li'l List

2007-06-11T07:45:00.000-04:00

In perusing gardening books and garden centres, I've come across plants I'd like to have in my garden someday:
snowcap shasta daisy
pussy willow
blue fescue
forsythia shrub
asiatic lilies

Li'l List

2007-06-11T07:12:00.000-04:00

Here's a list of the plants I've lost:

Oriental poppy (from Rosie)
Lily of the valley (from Mom)
Epimedium (from David)
Welsh poppy (from David)
Strawberries (to the damn (but cute) squirrels)
Euphorbia (bought at plant sale)
Mexican Hat (from Deb/Tia)
Red Hot Poker (?Liatris) (from Deb/Tia)
Lupins (from Deb/Tia)
Raspberry Ice Coral Bell (from Mom)

Also lost Bleeding Heart (x 2) and Lady's Mantle last year, but have replaced those this year and will cross my fingers for their survival. Lost Rosie's Goblin last year too, but Deb bought me a new one this season, which so far (touch wood) appears to be okay. It's still so small, I need to remember to water it often.

to this!!! In just about 4 hours this aft!

2007-06-10T17:20:00.000-04:00

This will very shortly be the veggie bed... right now though, it's just a big pile of nicer dirt on a hard, unforgiving bed of clay (and that's a clay walk-path at the back, so's I can weed :+)

This is the other half - which will also be veggie bed, although being that it's so late in the season, and I still have to dig out a lot of weed & grass behind those ties, then dig in the ties another 16' further, AND amend that awful clay with something more conducive to plant life, I doubt I'll get any veggies planted in this area this year. But who cares!! I'm so delighted to see it come this far!! Yay!!

From this....

2007-06-10T17:15:00.001-04:00

Eastern Red Bud

2007-06-08T13:05:00.000-04:00

Tree baby - surviving & thriving against all odds.

Lowly unloved bench

2007-06-08T13:02:00.000-04:00

My honey & I rescued this bench from the roadside last week. Can you believe it?? Sure, the wooden slats are all rotten & yucky, but those arm/leg pieces are cast iron! He's going to help me refurbish it, so that soon, we (mostly I) can sit out in the garden with a glass of wine and watch the garden grow. I can hardly wait!

Emerald Cedars

2007-06-08T12:58:00.000-04:00

Five little emerald cedars, planted beside my neighbours parking spot, to one day block the view of his rusty ole beater :+)

June 3

2007-06-07T18:40:00.000-04:00

This is the latest garden to go in. I held off as long as I could, waiting for the deck's "apron" to be put in behind, but these two clematis (jackmanii & bluebird), the dwarf arctic iris, and the variegated sedum autumn joy all needed a home, so I couldn't wait any longer. They're barely visible, but there are about 60 little portulaca babies along the front there too. So cute :+)

more from June 3

2007-06-07T18:19:00.001-04:00

Again, no great shakes - there are three stonecrop sedums, rudbeckia nitida, tradscantia, brunnera, another pinky winky, and a day lily I rescued from the abandoned Home Depot parking lot.

These little plants are well worth documenting because right now they're all so young and little, but one day, hopefully soon, they'll begin to grow up and fill out. From left to right, there's a lavendar, basil, coral bell, daisy, campanula (sp??), some mystery plant (that might be a peony), and the edge of what is actually a large-ish patch of ajuga.

ajuga, English daisy, dianthus, astilbe, another two mystery plants (this time, no guesses), and in behind there, I think there's an echinacea.

June 6, 2007

2007-06-07T16:55:00.000-04:00

I don't actually know what most of these plants are - there's a variegated grass of some sort, a couple of lily-looking things, a goblin (the sick little guy dead centre), what I'm told is a "bachelor button", and a pinky winky hydrangea.

I still need to dig in the railroad ties at the back there - several of them are out of alignment, and most of them are teetering on heaps of clay earth.

2007-06-06T10:13:00.001-04:00

Where to begin?

2007-06-06T09:47:00.000-04:00

I decided to start a blog as a garden journal, mostly because I accidently left the garden journal I have been recording in for the past year out in the rain! But also because I want to be able to post pictures and garden designs as I go. I am a very new gardener, have no green thumb, and absolutely NO design sensebility at all, but I do enjoy the activity and the outcome so much that I'm going to keep trying to learn.

I think I'll back-date some notes from my now soggy, puffed-up journal to this blog, and upload some photos from last year, as a starting point.