Lynda True's garden, part three

I abandoned clearing the back bed, and went to work this afternoon on the side bed, where I'd like to put those tomato seedlings that are yearning to stretch their roots, and branches.

My Strike It Rich rose has survived two moves; I've dug it out of the ground, and put it in a new spot, twice. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that it came back from the damage of this past winter.



I managed to clear past the first tomato bed. I hope to have it cleaned out entirely by the week's end. I think I'll put the Parsley where I just dug out the extra Germander, and the Thyme over where I'd normally have planted carrots. Some of the Basil will go with the tomatoes, as I put them in. Not sure where I'll put the rest, nor where the Oregano is going to go.

For reference:

Labeled garden beds:



List of seeds:
http://www.librarything.com/topic/226500#5741824 (Flowers)
http://www.librarything.com/topic/226500#5742505 (Vegetables)

I still need to put Bonide in the ground for the Redbud, and the two Dogwoods. The Bourbon Queen, the Hydrangea, and the Barberry by the house need fertilizing, still.

>1 Lyndatrue: That rose bush is lovely!

>2 2wonderY: Thank you, and the rose thanks you too. :-}

Today I made very little progress, but at least there was some. I trimmed and fertilized the Bourbon Queen rose. It's a very old rose, and blooms only on last year's growth. I always fertilize it heavily after it's (mostly) done with the blooming, and between trimming, and the cleaning out the debris, and finally fertilizing, half the day was gone. I also have a couple of wounds (to be expected), but they'll vanish in a day or two.

I did some other trimming, where there looked to be wind damage (not recent, just things I'd missed). The attack on the weeds will have to wait for Friday.

If I ever sell the house, I may pay someone to dig it up, and put it in a container. I don't know that I could bear to leave it.

I forgot to note (yesterday) that I put Bonide in for the white dogwood and for the redbud. I ran out, but have decided not to bother the pink dogwood with it. I haven't seen much of the horrible borers this year, even lower down towards the river. The weather last winter may have killed them off. There isn't really much in the way of natural enemies for dogwoods (in this area), other than the borers.

As an aside, I had someone this year ask me why I didn't just do it for all the trees at once. I told them that the redbud, and the two dogwoods, needed to bloom first. I then gently explained that, of the insects I want to kill, bees are not among them. I don't think it had occurred to him, until I pointed it out.

Aphids and borers, bad. Bees (and wasps, and yellow jackets) good.

Yesterday, I made the effort to get something in the ground, in addition to other work. I pulled weeds from the side bed where I'd already cleared space for a tomato bed, and I planted two of the tomatoes (ones that looked the strongest), along with some purple basil. I knew that I might just be condemning all three to death, but it appears that they might have withstood the evening rain, and the incessant wind from today, and they may even survive, and grow.

I also fertilized (finally, the hydrangea, the sweet peas, and the barberry against the house. I believe I'm going to have to take out one of them. Even though it's enormously protected, it appears that the winter got to it. Very little of it has come back, and the other one is strong enough, and aggressive enough, that it'll soon spread out and take over where the other one was.

Tomorrow is mostly ripping out more weeds, even though I know I'll still have to go back and dig out most of them. At least this way I can keep them from making more. It's hard to believe that it's nearly mid-June. This morning, even though I had only two windows open, and them just a bit, not full, the house had dropped to 65, and that's way too cold. The weather should be reaching the middle eighties, not the low seventies. Enough with the rain, too. I feel so very bad for all the orchardists, especially the cherry growers. Rain? Wind? Man, cherries are going to be expensive for a lot of the country.

Today, I managed to do a rough clearing of the other three tomato beds, and I try to stay focused on just what I'm clearing, without looking at all the rest that needs doing. I hope to have no plants left as seedlings by Friday, and to have them all in the ground.

Did more weeding today, and tried to encourage the tomatoes and basil that were in the ground. I've never seen wind like this. It just seems to never end. Tomorrow is irrigation, and I hope to wash the windows (and play dodge the sprinklers). It'll be interesting.

Finished the first pass of weeding on the next to last bed. One nightmare left, and then it's time to start back at the beginning. Even though it was mostly just clearing ground, I'd say that I've got more done in the past week than during the previous month.

Time for some food.

Today, I had some of the sprinklers worked on. Nice guy, and things are better, but I admit to some disappointment. Ah, well, nothing's perfect...except a ripe tomato, warm from the sun, in the middle of summer.

I spent a few hours yesterday, and a bunch more today, and I'm more than halfway through the large bed (bed #5). It was an absolute disaster, since it's been neglected for so long. I also took out dead branches, and shaped the ninebark. It was trying for 10 feet, but I've got it down to around 7 or 8 feet. I hope to get through this bed by tomorrow, so that I can start on a second pass for the yard, and for pity's sake, get the rest of the tomatoes in the ground.

Normally, I irrigate today, but I delayed the start until around 4PM so that I'd be able to continue cleaning out the bed. It's finally getting warm, and it looks like it's going to be normal, for a while.

I'm also happy to see that my white asiatic lily is finally opened up. I was beginning to think it would never bloom.

Here's a shot, from last year. There's only a few blooms visible, but it's still lovely.

I cleared a bit more of bed #5. Tomorrow I think I'll take a break from trying to get control of things, except I might try to rebuild the tomato bed I'd taken apart two years ago (and the bricks have just laid there, in place, all that time).

The irrigation water had been off (mainline damaged by a contractor, or so they said), and I decided to make use of the time until it was repaired. I have half of a tomato bed rebuilt, and I hope to finish it, and to clean out the other two, tomorrow. Man, when you don't weed properly, those roots get huge, and they grow deep. It was a relief to see that the water was back on, and I started things up. I'll have to remember to set up an alternative program for a supplemental watering; it's getting hot very quickly.

I have ten healthy tomato plants that yearn to spread their roots, and to grow. I hope to give most of them the chance in the next couple of days. I think I'll plant most of the herbs in the garden where I usually plant lettuce, and maybe the parsley too.

I may still put in some summer squashes, and some string beans, if I can get those beds cleared. I'd like to put in carrots too, but they're way down the list.

Okay, *now* I'm tired. I finished the massive new tomato bed (I plan on putting two cages, and four tomato plants, in it). I'm running a short watering cycle, just to settle things in. I'd like to clean up the space between the two beds that are in use (or usable). It's probably a couple of hours of work (it looks easy, but I know better). After that, I think I'm going to just start at the front beds (#1 and #2), and then proceed, in order, trying to get everything thoroughly cleaned out.

I'll probably exclude the large bed on the side of the house (#5) since it's such a nightmare, still. I just attack bits and pieces of it, when I can't take it. I've done a solid first pass on about 2/3 of it.

Today I was distracted with actual technical work (and it's slow going when it's not something I do much of, nowadays). I still managed to clean out more of bed 5. I need to trim roses; all of them (except the precious Bourbon Queen, which I'll trim in late July, and then leave it be). I'm torn as to whether I'll put the other tomatoes in the ground for the next couple of days, since they're still predicting serious heat.

I've run quick water over the beds with tender plants today, and tomorrow's irrigation. If I do any planting before Tuesday, it'll be tomorrow afternoon.

I've done absolutely nothing for a week. :-{

It isn't what I meant to do, I just haven't had the ambition. I've done a bit of weeding, here and there, but it's just not bringing me the joy it normally does. On the 26th, we had a fearsome wind and thunderstorm, and I lost most of my Redbud tree. The major section just snapped off, into the core of the tree, which means that even what's left is doomed. I honestly knelt on the ground and wept.

I'm lucky, though. There was a house that caught fire, and was severely damaged. Everyone made it out okay, but how sad that must be.

I spent most of a day, off and on, cutting up the branches, and putting them in the trash. I loved that tree, and I'll miss it.

I've put some of the tomato plants in the ground, and a couple of the green basil plants to accompany them (I always plant basil with the tomatoes). I feel so sad that I don't have beds prepared for the rest of the plants, but it's probably just as well that I don't. Six tomatoes in the ground is plenty.

Now, back to work.

I did some desultory weeding in the front bed (orchard grass is trying to take over), and trimmed back the Strike It Rich rose. I'd put in some purple petunias, and some marigolds, and planted four o'clock seed. Most of the plants are doing well, but some of the four o'clocks are planted where they get less water, and they're growing more slowly than their brethren.

I gave away most of my remaining seedlings to a friend. At least they'll get to go in the ground. She didn't want the oregano, and I may plant it in the bed among the volunteer marigolds. Yes, I apparently have volunteer marigolds from seed. I was very slow to clean them out last fall, and it's a rare gift, but I'll take it.

She only took a couple of tomatoes, so I still have four.

I couldn't bear to toss out the last four tomatoes. Maybe I'll find a place for them tomorrow.

I should really get out and take pictures, before it passes into full summer.

I've started back in on the bed (#3) I often call the Lettuce bed. It only gets the morning sun. I've been gifted with quite a few marigolds from seed, which is an amazement, and a gift. I've been gently weeding around them, and have only pulled up two, so far. I'm considering putting the oregano seedlings in that bed, when I'm through weeding it.

I took out the last of the Germander. It's just too aggressive, and doesn't pull in the bees I care about (there are bees from the orchards, when they bring in the hives, but I care most about the wild bees, and they just ignore the germander). Interesting experiment. It never hurts to try something new.

I really have to remember to watch the tomatoes that just went into the ground. It'll take a while for them to spread out their roots, and in the meantime, it's easy for them to get dried out.

Your garden looks lovely - i especially like your roses.

I hope to get back to the garden today, but recognize that it may elude me. Yesterday, being the fourth of July, put a crimp in my week. This week is expected to have 3 or 4 days of 100 or above, which means that I need to keep watch on recent plantings no matter what else I'm doing (or else they'll be scorched into wilted death).

I used to love the holiday when I was a girl, but nowadays, all it seems to be is fireworks, and I tend not to fall asleep until one or two in the morning. I miss three-legged races, and families having picnics...

Ah, well.

>21 Lyndatrue: My house is a block from City Park where the carnival and fireworks display occur. I got back from out of town yesterday evening knowing that the spot in front of my house would be taken, but I managed to squeeze in further down. (The cultural practice used to be to set a chair or two out in the street to reserve your spots.)

What I didn't expect was that the entire neighborhood had family picnics going with campfires and lots of boom-booms and sparklers. Kids everywhere! I was exhausted, but so glad to just revisit such an old fashioned celebration.

The neighborhood still had a haze of smoke this morning from all the crackers. Just kidding.

I live on a corner in a mostly secluded neighborhood (lots of cul-de-sacs and T intersections). Every July 4th and NYE, it sounds like my neighbors try to shell my house. I get it on three sides and everything goes off over my house. Luckily, my cat and dog are pretty much bomb proof. Although, the last huge boom made my dog a little antsy while we were standing in the backyard just before bed.

>22 2wonderY: >23 lesmel: Thank you both for your kindness. I'll try to remember to count my blessings (at least it wasn't gunfire, which I've seen in larger cities).

I cleaned around the pink dogwood, and started on the area next to the back of the house (but didn't finish). I watered down the areas that are ready to be sprayed with ground clear tomorrow (it works better if the ground has had water). I can't believe it's nearly mid-July, and I'm just starting this process. The weather has been crazy.

I'm still babying the recent tomato transplants, but trying to baby them less. I hope they toughen up soon, because otherwise I'll just let them die where they are. Once I put down the ground clear tomorrow, I'll go back to clearing out the area behind the house (which I'd hoped to have ready for the process). After that, I'll head back to clearing out the front, and I doubt I'll get through there by day's end.

Did the first pass with Ground Clear, and have done all the graveled areas. I'll probably go and touch up some other areas in the next while, but at least the impossible places will now be less work...until next year.

I tried a new type, and kind of wish I'd read the directions first. It already bothers me that I use it, and that the container can't actually be recycled (no matter what the number is on the bottom) because it has the potential to contaminate the other items in the recycle bin (and cannot safely be rinsed out). I thought it was interesting that it came with a tube and what looked like the standard hand pump, and bought two (containing enough for everything I needed to cover). Oh, dear. They had batteries in it. I used them, because I'd already set them up before I read the directions. My hand trembled with the effort to hold the trigger (I'm getting old, but I don't think that was it), since the back part took about an hour, maybe a little more. I rested a bit before I did the side of the house. Gravel is so evil. Sometimes I think about trying to get a permit from the city to just put pavement along the back side, but I know that there are services running underneath.

Oh, well. Anyway, next year, back to the old methods. I love my sprayers, and they're efficient, and they don't need batteries, either.

Back to pulling weeds on Wednesday...and for the rest of the summer, of course. :-}

Second pass for Ground Clear. The outside of the yard is done. I pulled no weeds. They'll still be there on Friday, waiting patiently.

I put the last of the seedlings in the bed where I usually put lettuce. It currently has volunteer marigolds, and I'd cleared out a nice bunch of weeds from it last week. There were six oregano plants, and four of them looked like strong growers. I shook the potting soil from the roots of the other two, and from the last four tomato plants, and tossed them. It's been such a sad year, I just don't have much enthusiasm for a big garden.

Things are doing well, in spite of neglect. The weeping hydrangea is its usual amazing summer self. I need to trim back the three ballerinas, and fertilize everything...and weed, of course.

Lovely day, even though I didn't get all that much accomplished.

I didn't add a note for the 19th (Wednesday). Too much else going on, or at least I'll take the excuse. I noticed that Buddha's garden seemed to be awfully green, and when I went closer, I was shocked to see how much was weeds instead of petunias and marigolds and lilies. I pulled them all (without gloves, because I'm an idiot), and then dragged the trash to the pile of weeds, before heading back out to the front, where I've started the massive clean up that is the constant state of my yard, this year.

All that snow certainly encouraged every weed possible. The only vegetable I've managed to plant is tomatoes, and I planted only six, instead of the intended twelve. On the plus side, I have two colors of four o'clocks; yellow, and two-toned pink and white. I'm still hoping some of the others will get tall enough to bloom. I'm amazed to realize how much water they take. The only ones that have done well are the ones sitting in a spot that gets more water than the others.

It still makes me happy to see them. Off to the weeds. Back much later.

I cleaned around more of the petunias, marigolds, and four o'clocks, and I can't imagine a more worthwhile effort. The sweet smell of petunias and marigolds is a good accompaniment to the effort. I still have more to do, since it's slow going. I want to get all the weeds, but I want to keep all the flowers, and (even though I'm not very big) it's work to get among the flowers without harming them.

It already looks so much better. Once I'm through, I probably won't get back to it until late August, so making a strong effort now is important.

The front bed is (finally) done, for now, including fertilizing. I'll have to remember to keep it touched up. The weeds are so aggressive this year that each bed has to be watched like a hawk, or it returns to disaster. I think I'll try to get out the hedge trimmer, and so after the Ballerina roses, tomorrow afternoon.

Boy, it's been a long time since I did anything at all outside. I started today with the next bed on the list, and managed to get most of the seed pods trimmed off those pesky wallflowers. They'd managed to spread themselves (via seeding) far outside the boundaries I prefer to keep them in. Guess the winter snow encouraged them too. I also trimmed back both potted lavender plants, and cut back the Asiatic Lilies that I'll be planting in a few weeks, when the weather starts to cool a bit.

I really need to start the day much, much earlier, and with a bit more enthusiasm.

Time to get out the hedge trimmer, and get serious about the Ballerina roses.

It's been hard, just staying inside, and I may venture out today just to attempt to pull some weeds, if nothing else. Our area is blanketed with smoke from the fires burning in Montana and British Columbia. They've gone from saying "stay inside if you have asthma or other breathing problems" to saying "stay inside." Sad business, especially for poor Canada and Montana. I also worry about those who have no choice, and just have to work in it.

This morning, when the sun finally got high enough to show, it was like being in California in the bad old days. It showed as a burning orange object in the sky, distant through the haze of smoke. There is no wind to drive all the smoke away, and only the dimmest hope that there might be rain in a couple of days.

I'm in for a bit, because I found something with a stinger, and it's always best to be near a phone in case it's some variety of bee. Appears not to be, but it had a mighty powerful pain for such a tiny winged beastie.

I'm attempting to trim the Ballerina rose, which is in desperate need of it. I've already trimmed the Strike It Rich. I am trying to take it slow, but it's hard not to attack all the problems at once.

Back to it, at least for a while...

>34 Lyndatrue: Take care and speedy recovery! Isn't it crazy how painful some stings can be?

>35 lesmel: Thank you for the sympathy. :-} Luckily, iit takes more than that to knock me out. I was concerned that it might have been a bee (allergic, although i haven't had a bee sting in many years), of which there are many wild varieties that love my yard. I'm happy to welcome them, too.

I have a Benadryl spray that works against stings, if it's applied quickly enough (which is why I hurried into the house). I doubt it'll even be a red spot in a couple of days. Some kind of baby wasp, is my guess.

Nearly finished with the Ballerina, but I need a ladder to do the rest. I let the yard crew that does the lawn do some trimming last year. Huge mistake. To them, everything is a shrub. My two tea roses in front were squared off, and looked rather like inverted triangles, poor things. I went out and reshaped them, but if I'd known how harsh the winter was going to be (one of the two died), I'd probably not have done as much.

I pulled a few weeds, too, if they were within reach. Done for the day, but there's always tomorrow.

Today, I actually got something done. It wasn't as much as I'd wanted to do, but it never is. I cleared out most of the area behind the house (which was, like nearly all my garden beds this year, hideously overgrown). I was shocked to see how much there was in a patch that couldn't have been more than four foot by six (or maybe more). The past winter's record snowfall, and slow melt (two and a half months, that snow was on the ground) really made for a serious batch of weeds. I still have more cleaning in that area, but I'll still be moving on to other spots for now, come Wednesday.

Best thing is that my tomatoes are starting to produce, and they are the *only* thing I got in the ground this year (not even carrots, to my great sorrow). I actually had two that made it into the house (I sacrificed one on the way, and it was delicious).

Cleaned out the pink dogwood bed, and started on the front garden bed. It's more work than most, because of the gift from mother nature (marigolds from last year's seed, and they're so lovely).

I hope that we don't ever have another winter like the last one. The enormous start on life for weeds has been difficult for everyone. Two and a half months of slow melting snow brought out everything (except goat heads, which have amazingly stayed eradicated). The marigolds are also a result of all that moisture; it's the only silver lining, but I'll take it.

At least there's tomatoes...

I cleaned out the bed around the white dogwood, and I believe that what the winter didn't do, this summer has finished. I'll probably start calling tomorrow for estimates on taking it out.

I started the long, slow, slog through clearing the weeds out (yet again) from the back bed (aka Bed #9). I'll be happy if I manage to clear this by next Saturday.

I worked on an easier project today, managing to clear more than half of the bed in the back corner (aka Bed #13). In better times, I've usually grown summer squash there. I also cleared out the bed around the Crimson Maple.

I don't know how you are still working in the garden. Maybe it isn't 95 degrees and 5 trillion % humidity in your neck of the garden. I have a hard enough time convincing myself to go for a walk at 7:30 each evening when I know there's a mostly steady breeze.

>41 lesmel: Ah, but I did perhaps 25% of what I normally do for nearly a month, due to (even for us) extremely high temperatures, and an overlay of smoke from fires in British Columbia, and Montana. Between our record destroying winter (and a snowfall that was on the ground for two and a half *months*, rather than a day or two), the weeds have been overwhelming. It's just me doing the work, and I've had some health issues that slowed me down (turned out to be a severe Vitamin D deficiency, which seems unfair for someone who spends a lot of time outside).

We don't have humidity. If I lived where you lived, I'd never leave the house. One of my requirements for a good place to retire to was weather, and usually I get full cooperation. Mild winters, long springs, hot summers filled with sunshine, and the long slow slide in the fall into cooling temperatures. Humidity above 40% is unusual, and even rain will only make the gauge register at perhaps 65%. In the summer, it's usually 20-25% (although my gauge, which is directly above the trash, usually reads much higher...something or other about rotting vegetation, I suppose).

Feh. Enough whining. It's a lovely day, and there's things to do; sadly not gardening, but there's a book involved, and that can never be bad, right?

>42 Lyndatrue: I had to look at the map to see where you are in the state. I'm going to be in Spokane next year for a conference. Guess I can judge what May is like then. I would never have settled here if it weren't for my job. I lived further east of here for two years and HATED the humidity. I remember feeling like I was never dry those two years. Having lived in south Texas, east Texas, north Texas, the caprock of Texas, and IL, I can tell people with conviction that dry heat is different from wet heat. Period. Full stop.

I did nothing in the yard, yesterday, and I have no good reason why, since the weather was ideal, and I was dressed for it, with no actual responsibilities other than rescuing my garden beds.

I flat wore myself out, yesterday, clearing more of the back beds, and beginning the rescue of my Iris. I truly welcome Winter.

>45 Lyndatrue: I know what you mean! People often say to me "oh, you love gardening so much! don't you wish you lived where you could garden year-round?" NO! I need that winter break!

>46 tardis: You and me both, sister. You and me both.

I cleared a bit more in the back bed, including removing a hidden walnut tree. I really hate squirrels. Hate hate hate.

Good gardening weather, though. Not too hot, and clear skies.

Yesterday, I was joyfully pulling up weeds around the Betty Boop rose, and managed to unearth the home of some pavement ants. It's not that hard to do, considering my garden is bordered with stone, and they inhabit the areas underneath pavement (and stone); hence, the name. Sadly, they are a stinging variety, and more than two or three and I start to have an allergic reaction. I admit that anyone with a lick of sense wouldn't put themselves in a situation where they could get stung multiple times, but they're awfully small, and I wanted to finish what I was doing before I gave up.

The bites aren't too bad (and I doused them with sevin, which kills some, and encourages them to move, and gives me some revenge). At least it's cleared around the rose, so that I can put badly overdue fertilizer down before Tuesday's irrigation.

I cleared more of the horrible mess away from the Betty Boop rose, and found more ants. Perhaps I should say that *they* found *me*. I'm going to have to work in the front or side beds for a few days, so that my body can calm down a bit from the ant stings. People are always surprised to hear that most ants bite and then sting. The bit isn't what hurts (mostly). Ah, well.

If I can just get all the roses cleared out tomorrow, I'll fertilize them. They're certainly overdue.

Have you tried boric acid for the ants?

I got rid of a growing ant hill this year partly by dousing it with boric acid. It used to be a standard remedy in the household. Kinda hard to find nowadays, but effective.

>50 2wonderY: I could not afford the quantity of boric acid I'd need to buy for the ants. Okay, I have no idea how much it would cost, but pulling weeds has already gotten ahead of me. I have stones everywhere, and the ants always arrive after a bit. Unless I have weeds growing between the stones, and need to move them, the ants and I coexist. They occupy a place in the hierarchy of life, and I usually ignore them. They usually ignore me, too, unless I'm doing something that's interfering with their home.

They're so tiny that I doubt they'd be noticed by most folks, and they live almost entirely underground. I'm always told that the ants in question are Pavement Ants, but they don't entirely fit the description.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pavement_ant

Perhaps they're an offshoot. Who can say? They don't invade the house, or show any signs of doing so. They are deeply territorial, and tossing a spadeful of dirt from one nest into another causes an instant cessation of all other activity, while the home folks destroy the invaders. (I've only done it once, by accident, but it was startling to see.) One of the interesting things is that they seem to keep out any other ants (I've seen a couple of starts from black ants that vanish quickly). They leave the wild bees alone (because otherwise I'd kill every ant in the yard). Wild bees are often fairly solitary ground dwellers, and there are areas in my yard that I leave undisturbed for them.

I have a can of spray meant to kill wasps and hornets (and which doesn't seem to affect bees), and it will also kill ants (first cousins to wasps). I use that if I really need to work in an area that they're swarming in. Otherwise, I just leave them be.

Yesterday, I spent some quality time cleaning up the wallflower bed by the back door. Trimmed off seed pods, pulled up some of the plants, and pulled out the few weeds that were trying to become established.

I moved to the front bed, and cut dead blooms from the orange rose, and started the long, slow, dangerous process of getting out the weeds, so that I can fertilize.

I'm irrigating today, and I need to remember to take out the stones from around the white dogwood, which is doomed. There are just too many dead branches. What the harsh winter didn't do, the harsh summer finished off. I'm not planning on another tree there, or anything else, either. I'll just let the grass reclaim it. In better news, the redbud tree is pretending the two thirds of it didn't get snatched off the the high wind in the spring. If you don't know where the damage is (or are not an arborist), you wouldn't know it had been hit. Crazy.

I managed to get the first third of the side bed cleaned out, and all the stones replaced. I need to find someone to move the sprinkler for that part of the bed to the back, so that it sprays forward, and covers the area more efficiently.

The stones are nearly all moved away from the soon-to-be-gone white dogwood, and I put them around the redbud instead, and moved its previous stones back to the side of the garage. There are a couple of extra stones from the dogwood ring, and I'll get them on Friday (or tomorrow afternoon, if I remember). It just seems like there's still an endless amount of work to do before it turns cold. I keep reminding myself that I'm working for next spring.

Today was a bit sad, since it was the day for having them take out the white dogwood. It was so easy to dig it out that they were startled. Most of the root system wasn't even there, any more. Between the harsh winter, and our astonishingly hot summer, it was having a hard time. I won't put another tree there; it's just too much wind, and it seems like the irrigation system doesn't put down enough water, there, either. On the other hand, the Redbud (a bit further over) seems to be doing fine. Crazy times.

After the excitement (so to speak) was over, I gathered myself together, and made a serious effort on the front bed. I pulled out most of the petunias, even though they were doing really well, because I want the four o'clocks and the marigolds to have a chance at seeding themselves for next year. The four o'clocks did really well this year, and I'm going to have them in that bed again, next spring.

I trimmed back some of the wallflowers, and got most (but not all) of the seed pods. I think I'll make clearing that area that my next mission. It's so neglected. It's hard to realize that the summer's almost over.

I worked outside for a carefully timed hour. The smoke from fires burning all around us has returned, and I am trying to limit my exposure while it's really bad. I tackled something that I haven't worked on for months (probably not since 2016 Autumn, to be truthful). Under the front porch always manages to grow a crop of weeds, even though it doesn't get watered, and it's been astonishingly hot (even for here). I made a decent start in it, but I'll probably be out there for a couple of days if I hold to the idea that I'm really working to prepare for *next* spring.

There's still smoke, and I probably pushed my luck by staying out for an extra half hour, but it was nice to make some visible progress, no matter how small. Sad business, to see all the smoke, and know how much is being lost to fires all around us.

Every time I hear someone still talking about climate change as though there was a question as to whether it's happening or not, I do my best to not hate them.

Yesterday, I fertilized most of the roses, and got precious little else done. They say today will be the last 90+ day for the year, and it's definitely turning colder. I've scheduled a trim for the pink dogwood, whose canopy is becoming inconvenient (just on the downwind side).

I'd done some more clearing in one of the beds in front, but it's turned suddenly cold, and I need to do things in the house. I love so much having a house, with a large yard, and not being on top of any of my neighbors (and having them generally very quiet, as well). On the other hand, there are times that the work becomes overwhelming. :-{

Last night, the winds got very strong, and this morning, when I looked out across the back yard, I could see that the wind had taken down the rest of the poor little redbud. I'm just so sad to see it gone. This means that I'll have *two* trees left in my yard; the crimson maple (currently standing at about 50 feet or so), and the pink dogwood (and I'm afraid to go look and see if there's damage to it, also).

Today, I washed the windows. I suspect it may be the last time I do it, because it nearly did me in. I also didn't do that great a job. :-{

Next spring, I'll probably have a service come in and do it.

Tomorrow, back to preparing the yard for winter. I may start on the Iris bed next, and try to get those last potted Iris back in the ground.

Today was a pretty decent day. The HVAC system got its Winter is On The Way checkup (on one of our last genuinely warm days, and thank goodness it was in the morning). Everything tested fine.

I cleared about half of the walkway leading into the garden, and then pulled more weeds from the big bed to the side. I realized it had been a couple of days since I'd looked at the tomatoes, and had to get a basket to carry them into the house. Nine tomatoes is just too many to carry in the hem of a shirt.

I'm considering taking out all three Diabolo Ninebarks. They're very pretty, but it's hard to keep them trimmed back, and I'd rather have something that doesn't get quite so large.

Tomorrow the pink dogwood gets a haircut, at least on the side away from the wind. The branches are low enough that even I have to duck just to get under them.

Yesterday was the pink dogwood getting a trim, and it was painful to watch. It's just such a beauty in the Spring, and I know that there won't be a lot of blooms next year (because the pruning was done so late in the season). Still, it was for the best. I cannot bear losing another tree to the wind.

Moved into the bed along the house. I'm trying to weed around the tomatoes for now, but mercy, that's a lot of weeds. I did an area perhaps two feet square. Depending on warmth, and other obligations, I may try for a lot more tomorrow.

Today I managed to clear out past the tomato plants, including clearing out the beds the tomatoes were in. I hope to get to the rest of this on Wednesday (tomorrow is devoted to the mundane things in life, more's the pity).

Yesterday, I started the cleanup on the center bed in back (it currently is Iris, and weeds). I cleared out about one-third of the weeds; they're so mixed in with the Iris that I'm not looking forward to that part, but it's a good start on the part that was just weeds. I'll need to clean out the Iris bed, and move the last potted Iris into the ground, before it turns much colder. I'll take samplings of the Iris from the center bed, and put them in the ground in the Iris bed, but most of the Iris in the center bed are headed for the last round up.

Today, I cleared out the terrible lot of mallow, and grasses, and other nightmare weeds, from around the Iris in the Iris bed. Naturally, the Iris are fine, because they are survivors. I've done most of the bed where Iris had been put in the ground last year, but I wore out before I finished. Tomorrow is the last full irrigation day (for me), and the official last day of water is this Friday (the 13th).

I hope to spend most of Wednesday in the Iris bed, getting the last ones out of pots, and into the ground, and maybe a few from the other bed too. Once the Iris are settled, I'll go back to random weeding. Frost is probably in the future in a week or so; I'm not pulling up the rest of the flowers until they get hit. They're still pretty, and they might as well go on being pretty for as long as possible.

I forgot to note that I pulled out all the flowers from around Buddha, on Sunday, because I wanted to put the yellow Asiatic Lilies that I had in a pot, into the ground. I also trimmed back the ones that were already there (red ones, and a few orange).

Ugh, mallow. I hope they hadn't gotten too big.

>66 jjmcgaffey: They were pretty huge, but I'm tough. At least I used to be. Thank goodness I have tools, or they'd be everywhere.

I spent about an hour outside today, clearing more of the bed. I'm such a pantywaist when it comes to cold, and every day is just going to get worse. I unscrewed all the hoses from the house, and the irrigation system, too. They're predicting frost again tonight, and while it tends to hit here last, there's no sense taking chances. I'm expecting a frost to hit here in the next couple of weeks. Hopefully I'll have everything battened down, and ready for winter, before then.

It was a mallow that gave me the only real pratfall I've ever had. It was taller than I am with a root nearly the size of my wrist at the surface - I dug, and dug, and dug, and finally started chopping at the root about 10-15 inches under the surface. Chopped, and pulled, and pulled, and chopped (with a trowel - I didn't have a knife bigger than a penknife with me). And finally I pullllllllled - and fell on my butt as the root broke, several inches _down_ from where I'd been chopping. Bah!

Since then, I'm on mallow patrol - as soon as I see recognizable leaves, out it comes. Not letting one get that big again! Though since I gave up my community garden plot and will probably get a different one next year, I may have to deal with the big ones again. This time I'll get one of those garden knives - our local library has a garden tools section, it's great.

>68 jjmcgaffey: "our local library has a garden tools section"

What a great idea!

>69 2wonderY: I have my very own garden tools section. :-}

Having one in the library would be nice, but I'm afraid I'd have the same problem I do with books. If I like them, I don't *want* to give them back.

I attacked the massive collection of weeds along the back today, and am also trimming back the Diabolo Ninebark that grows in both corners. I'm thinking about just taking them out, to make it easier to keep the bed cleaned up. I've also got a short attention span for most things, and they've been there for 8 or 9 years, maybe more. It's not that hard to put a new one in the place of the old ones, in any case.

I got about 3 feet done (out of perhaps 30 or so), and I may go back to that tomorrow, even though I really should finish with the Iris bed.

The idea is to let people try out tools, or use ones that they only need once in a while. Then if you love one, go buy your own. It's a good idea, not sure how much use it's getting - the one time I successfully took out a tool, I then didn't get around to using it before I had to take it back (life got suddenly busy). But if I had to deal with big mallows, that gardening knife looks perfect.

Or, what my friends do, invite me over for a meal or a day. They know I travel with certain tools in my vehicle; and always ready for some yard work.

>71 jjmcgaffey: I would like such a thing, to be truthful, but would probably not check anything out. It would be very nice to see what was popular, and what was little used. I used to have a post hole digger. Ask me how often I used it (the one time I needed it, and then it just took up space). I long ago took it over to the local second hand shop, and I'm sure that someone else had far more use for it than I...or else they used it once, and then put it in their garage, forgotten, behind other things not used.

>72 2wonderY: Make no mistake, if you were nearby, I'd be cooking whatever it was that I thought would entice you (except eggplant, which is too horrible to contemplate, even for bribery). I used to have a neighbor that would help out, now and then, and he (and his family) keep trying to convince me to sell my home, and move near them. It's tempting, but I prefer keeping my support group, and it's just too far away. He still comes over to blow out the irrigation system once a year, and if I have sprinkler problems, he shows up and helps with that.

I miss having them as neighbors.

You sound like a great neighbor, but I'm too used to the desert, and I'd guess you don't want to leave your work in progress in Kentucky, or your home, either.

I'd probably have more luck with jjmcgaffey, but even that's quite a drive. :-}

It started sprinkling, and I got a late start as well, so I decided to tackle the neighbor's shrub (which is one of those pretty things filled with thorns that's like a barberry, except I never remember the name of it). Between trimming it back (so that backing out of my driveway is a bit safer), and clearing out the pine needles shed from the four monsters that are between the houses, I filled two containers. I thought about doing more, but it'll wait until Friday, when the rain's come and gone.

Autumn has indeed arrived.

Friday didn't have rain, but it had serious wind.

Today, I started trimming back the other Diabolo Ninebark, and got about two thirds of it done. I ran out of space to put it, or I'd have finished. The one good thing about pulling up weeds and trimming things back is that this late in the year, once it's done, it stays done.

I spent quality time on Monday in the Iris bed, but Tuesday was filled with distractions, and yesterday the weather was extra cold, and damp. Today headed back on track. My former neighbor cam over to do the fall blowout for the irrigation system, and I got to share some Four O'Clock seeds for him to take back home. Since my plants were from seed that had come from them, years ago, it was nice to be able to give him some back.

Replanted two pots of Iris into the Iris bed. Eight more to go.

I really hope to get to the garden this afternoon, and get more Iris out of their root-bound little homes. Yes, I'm commenting just so I don't have to see the tombstone on my thread.

Yesterday was doomed, and I got a slow start today, but I managed to clear more of the Iris bed, and emptied three more pots. Five still to go. I doubt that I'll manage to get any out of the other bed, which I'm hoping to erase, and just have sod there.

I pulled all the tomato plants out. I saved anything of reasonable size, and brought them in the house to ripen.

I still need to do the following:

Finish trimming back the two ninebarks in the back bed, and get ALL of that bed weeded. Weed the little side bed, and decide whether to just take it out, or what to do with it. Weed the large beds along the fence, so that I can have string beans next year. Finish weeding along the house, and get it fertilized, for tomatoes next year. Save some of the Four O'Clock seeds from the front, even though I'm sure they've worked very hard to reseed themselves. They've been a real joy, along with the volunteer Marigolds. Trim all three Ballerina roses, and the Strike It Rich rose, and also the Betty Boop rose in the back. Trim back the ninebark in the front, and cut back the dead blooms from the Hydrangea.

I wonder how much of that will get done before first frost, which can't be far away.

Last night was the first frost of the season (although extremely mild), and it was too cold for me, yesterday, to get anything done. Today, I trimmed all the blossoms from the Hydrangea, which had gone from pink to that gold which says they'll be gross and burnt looking in another week or so. I really love that plant, though. Three out of four seasons, it's just so pretty.

The wind was pretty serious, so I spent quality time with one of the ninebarks, trimming it down to about two feet tall, and then I weeded the last bits from around it. I also watered the Iris (both the ones recently put in the ground, and the established ones), because it might be a long, long time before it rains. Mercy, but I'm tired.

It was very strange to see large branches (from the ninebark) attempt to fly on the wind, but I managed to catch them. I really hope the wind calms down tomorrow; it may be one of the last possible days to get anything serious done on the weeds.

Got very little done today (which I expected), but managed to harvest some extra seeds from the Four O'Clocks (and I'm sure they've scattered enough seed on the ground to take care of next Spring in any case).

We had a couple of killing frosts, and today was the first day it was warm enough, and not raining, so I went out and pulled out the Four O'Clocks and the Marigolds. Imagine my astonishment, to realize that the Four O'Clocks had a massive root system, and huge tubers where I was expecting roots. I had grown the little variety in California, long ago, but they always died back when it got too hot. I had forgotten that they wintered over, here, and am now trying to decide where it would be best to plant them next Spring. That was one seriously aggressive root system I just dug out.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirabilis_jalapa

These were grown from seed that my former neighbors had given me. I think that I may not have grown them before; I'd just taken care of the ones my mother had when i was a girl, and the only ones I'd grown were the dwarf variety in Southern California. It makes me miss my mother.

I spent a couple of very worthwhile hours outside, today. It was warm enough to work, and cloudy enough to give ease to my eyes (which don't care for full sun, nowadays). I finished cutting back the second ninebark, and started clearing the weeds around it. I doubt very much that I will manage to clear all the weeds before it's just too cold to work outside, but I'm giving it a good faith effort.

I also raked leaves from the maple tree, which has just started to let its autumn blanket fall. They're a beautiful gold this year; we've had a few frosts, but they haven't been severe, and it's been a gradual slowing of warmth into cool days, and cold nights.

I'm hoping to get at least the back bed cleared of weeds, and then put down some compost. I truly need to trim the barberry in the center, as well, which is long overdue for a haircut.

Yesterday, just cleared more weeds. I was amazed to realize that there were roses doing their best where the ebb tides had been frozen out (or so i thought) this past winter. There must have been bits left behind. I'll cut them back, if I get to them soon enough, but I don't want to leave an entry point for damage if we start having serious frosts at night. Still, it was a moment of pleasure, to see both of them with their little bits sticking out among the weeds.

I am now up to the center of the back bed, and I'd already cleared from the fence so that I could cut back the ninebark there. One more solid day, and I'll be ready to move on to other beds. I cleared around the volunteer roses, but I suspect they'll be from root stock, and not my deeply missed Ebb Tides. I'll wait until Spring, and see if there are blooms.

Excellent pictures of Dr Huey are here:

http://www.rosesgalore.com/dr-huey-rootstock-rose.html

Tomorrow I have to work on the leaves; hopefully there will still be time left to go after more weeds.

I managed to clear away most (but not all) the leaves on Sunday. I had an out of town guest on the way (and it gets dark so quickly this time of year), and quit early enough to get cleaned up and presentable. We had a nice visit, and went out to dinner, and then he dropped by again, on Monday, on his way to Seattle and environs. It was nice to see someone that I hadn't seen for (at least) six years, but also exhausting.

Today has been solid rain, so I've been doing other things. I need to put the potting soil in the pots, and transfer the remaining Iris from the current pots into new ones.

It's warm here, and I took advantage of the weather to start cleaning up the debris. I filled two containers Saturday with Sycamore leaves. I filled another one today, along with some rose trimmings from the rose I didn't get to before it turned cold. I am terrified of a sharp freeze, because the roses are starting to bud. I keep telling them it's still winter, but they don't believe me. Our temperature has been 20 degrees above normal; today was 62 Fahrenheit. I see a drop back to normal predicted a few days from now. :-{

Ah, well. Nothing I can do. The roses are not willing to listen to me. I just hope that it doesn't get too cold.

Just enjoyed reading your entire thread...and dropped a star. :)

The weather was nice, and I took some time off from doing nothing, to go outside and clean up more debris. I filled two containers, and then decided to call it quits for the day. The wind was starting up, and it's still got a chill to it, especially in the late afternoon. It was nice to be outside for a while.

Even though the freeze I'd feared hit, and stayed around, the roses just ignored it, and started over once it got nice again. I can't believe it's almost April.

>90 Lyndatrue: it's gotten chilly here, again, but the string algae is (unfortunately) thriving in my pond. I took a few minutes after work today to scoop out as much as I could just using an old fish net.

My Cannas got nipped by the cold, but they'll come back, they're tough.

The yard service came by, on Thursday, and did the first mowing, and some cleanup. Normally, there are two people on a crew, but they're behind, with the onrush of Spring, and they're spread just about as thin as they can be. I wish it was just a few degrees warmer. The cold really gets to me, anymore. There are a thousand dandelions, all doing their level best to make more. :-{

I hope to get outside tomorrow, but I'm not sure that it'll happen.

Last week, as it was headed into the weekend, Library Thing suddenly disappeared, just before I was going to make notes on the world outside. I managed to clean out one of the worst piles of leaves left from the winter, and emptied and cleaned out four post that weren't in use any more. I'm going to clean up the electric lawnmower a bit, and then donate it to a local charity so that they can sell it. I hope they'll take it. I really don't want to deal with the cesspool known as Craigslist.

I think the irrigation water is on, but we've had enough rain that I've been lazy about starting up the irrigation. I'll try clearing out the place where my white dogwood used to be, tomorrow, and add in last year's potting soil as an amendment, and to help raise up the level of the soil.

I long for fresh vegetables from the garden. Pity it's not magic; guess I'd better get busy.

Yesterday I did more cleanup, and filled three containers. It's astonishing how much space sycamore leaves take, but they have to go. I actually don't mind leaving them in garden beds over the winter, because they keep a lot of things from growing. Today, there's a lot of wind, but I'm still going to try to work in one of the more sheltered areas. Maybe.

>94 Lyndatrue: my sycamore tree has huge leaves, and hundreds of those soft balls...

>95 fuzzi: How interesting, that you showed up this evening, since I spent the afternoon exhausting myself, cleaning the garage. Since it's mostly devoted to gardening supplies, it was long overdue. I've been trying to let go of things that I no longer use (or that I'm no longer able to use, which isn't exactly the same), and was hoping that I would be able to put things back, and suddenly have more room. Nope, not really.

Still, it was long overdue, and tomorrow, on the first genuinely *nice* day of the year, I can just spend the hours weeding, and setting up some overdue seeds, and getting things started. It's been a very cool start to the season, but I think that it's about to get warm, finally.

>96 Lyndatrue: I did a partial reorganization of our outside "closet" when we had a warm day in early March, but the sheds need to wait for not only warmer weather, but availability of muscled help: I just can't move and lift some objects anymore.

We had a full day outside yesterday due to the lovely weather, but I'll put that stuff in my demesne thread, and not clog up yours. :)

Friday, I cleared out (nearly all of) the first of many of the garden beds. I finished it today, and then headed over to cut back the barberry along the back fence, which has become massive in the past year. I changed my mind about it when I realized that those tiny little flowers along the underside of the branches were covered with bees. Bees really object when you try to take their flowers, so it'll have to keep for a few days or so. I decided that a quick pass on weeds along the back bed for weeds was a better (and safer) idea.

Spring is revving the engines; it's been a cool start to the season, but that's all over tomorrow, and for the foreseeable future. I'm fine with that; I like it warm, and so do the bees.

Today was overfull of events. I spent most of the day weeding, but then had to stop to head off to a board meeting (don't ask, you'll just make me crabby). I finally got back home a bit after 8PM, and caught most of Antique Roadshow (which is one of my favorite things).

While weeding, and trimming the barberry (I like to call it bee roulette, and I move slowly enough that they're annoyed, but not enough to take their revenge)... Anyway, I realized that I needed to clean up on the *other* side of the fence, including trimming the barberry so it didn't present any of its thorny limbs to the unsuspecting. It's just such a lovely plant.

I also dug out most of the volunteer roses that came up from the ground where my late, lamented Ebb Tide roses were. They're clearly from root stock. I may give in and buy new roses to put where the old ones were.

I have a volunteer Iris that is off to the side of the Iris beds; I keep meaning to take a picture of it. It's got a bloom on it, and one it blooms then I'll know whether it's a sport, or just a tuber that didn't make it into the trash. I've had Iris seed before, and missed collecting the last plant that came up.

Spring is good. I'm really tired, but happy.

>99 Lyndatrue: I like the tired but happy afterglow of a long day weeding and planting. :)

I'm really behind in what I've been doing. I did the annual murder-death-kill ritual...ground clear, on all those difficult to weed places, and round-up on plants insisting on occupying the cracks in pavement, and in the road. There's also thistle and worse attempting to invade.

It's my least favorite task, and tends to be exhausting as well. Still, it's done for the year.

I finished clearing out the back bed, but I'm sure I'll have to do it a few more times before it takes. Nothing like not paying attention to encourage the weeds. The first of my Iris opened (it's a white one), and that always warms my heart. The various Lilies are all getting started, too.

Tomorrow, I hope to just focus on the front bed, where there are already Four O'Clocks poking up through the ground.

Today, in the afternoon, I went after more weeds, and made a bit of progress here and there. I was trying to remember why I'd gotten such a late start, until I went upstairs and saw the kitchen. Oh, yeah, that's right... I'd made gingerbread (my last until fall, I'm sure), and that's pretty time intensive. It's also good, of course.

My Betty Boop rose had two massive broken branches from the last wind storm. I cut them off and filled a container with them, and the silly thing is still huge. It's also beginning to form buds. In a few weeks, it'll be beautiful.

Gingerbread? Would you mind sharing the recipe? I love both cookies and cake varieties, and don't have a solid cake one - my cookie one is pretty good, but not wonderful.

>103 jjmcgaffey: I second this, if you are willing to share, please!

>103 jjmcgaffey: and >104 Darth-Heather: It'll be a moment or two. I'm just now drinking coffee, and only vaguely conscious. The recipe is old, but then, so am I.

Gingerbread

2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup shortening (I ALWAYS use butter, why would you use anything else, right?)
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup molasses (the dark kind, please)
1 cup hot water*

I also throw in a tsp of vanilla, because I throw vanilla into all sorts of things that don't list it in the recipe. I *like* vanilla, and it often perks things up.

Cream shortening with sugar; beat in egg and molasses. Stir in dry ingredients, and beat in hot water until smooth (I usually just alternate a bit of each, using the mixer). Bake in well-greased pan (13x9x2) in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Test in the center with a knife, if you're unsure. It will have pulled away slightly from the edges of the pan, when it's done.

Yesterday, I threw in a bunch of pecans after mixing, and before putting the mix in the pan. I love pecans.

I should add that I use glass baking pans, not metal (I prefer the results; sometimes metal seems to singe the edges unpleasantly).

* Please do not use hot water from the tap, use a tea kettle or something to heat it properly. It's to start the baking soda, and besides, it's a good way to get the last of the molasses out of the measuring cup.

After it's done, and when it's cooled, I slice it up in Lynda-sized pieces, and put it on the cake dish, using wax paper to build layers, so that I can put the glass lid on it, and keep them all fresh.

Woof. That's a pretty rambling recipe, but then, the ingredients and instructions were the main thing, right?

About the way I write up a recipe. Ingredients, instructions the way they were written, what I actually do, what else you could do if you felt like it...

Thanks! Looks yummy. I'll try it soon.

Today was the annual application of Bonide, which went to the Crimson Maple, and all five roses... It made me vaguely sad, since I now have three less roses, and two less trees (although I wouldn't have put it on the dogwood in any case).

I spent quality time cleaning out the front flower bed, which has precisely one zillion Four O'Clocks coming up. There's still plenty of weeding to be done there, in preparation for Friday, and fertilizing all the perennials.

Oops. Six roses, not five.

>105 Lyndatrue: thank you! i really appreciate it. I've tried a couple other recipes but they came out dry - I expect the molasses in yours will solve that.

One time I ordered "gingerbread" at a tea shoppe - they gave me a slice of ginger-flavored white bread...

Yesterday, I put fertilizer stakes in the ground for the Crimson Maple and the Pink Dogwood. I was sad and wistful, since my notes for care for them included my notes for my two trees that are gone. By the time I was through, though, I was just tired. The soil is clay, and hammering stakes into the ground (I use a small mallet) where the ground resists is a lot of work.

The two ninebarks I cut down to the ground (or close enough) are growing as though I'd done them a favor, where the one that's in the bed in front that just got a light pruning looks terrible this year. I'm going to give it the same cut and see if it improves it.

My Iris are beginning to show off, and will be in full swing in another day or two. I really need to take the camera and get some pictures of them, so that I know what colors are where. I've already had a few fall over, and I cut them and put them in a vase in the house. Today's irrigation knocked a couple more over. I'd better get out more vases. The scent of Iris in the house is always pleasant, of course.

Lovely gingerbread - though it's not nearly ginger enough for me, I think I'll add some grated fresh ginger to the sugar and butter. The texture is wonderful, though, and even as is it's a nice spice cake. I brought it to a games party and everyone loved it - some loved it in spite of it being ginger-light and some because it was (they don't like gingerbread).

>110 jjmcgaffey: Yeah, it isn't the strongest ginger contribution, but it's still mighty tasty. I'll have to dig out my ginger snaps recipe; I suspect you'd love it.

I started out today meaning to fertilize all the perennials, especially the roses, but got distracted by one of the Iris plantings. There were just an astonishing amount of weeds, and three or four hours later, it was time to head into the house, and do other things. It was still time well spent.

Then again, in my opinion, all time spent outside in good weather is well spent.

Today, I visited the nursery, and (even though it pained me to do so) bought marigolds, petunias, some nice purple basil, and some tomato plants. Tomorrow I hope to make a serious dent in the front beds, and get some of the marigolds into the ground.

Hope springs eternal.

Yesterday I managed to fertilize the three roses in the front, as well as the wallflowers. I also fertilized the Four O'Clocks which need to be thinned, when they get just a tiny bit bigger. How many can grow in an inch or so of space? I keep telling them to *stop*, but they don't listen. Last night the sky opened up, and I shook my fist at it. I'd cleared out a lot of weeds (there are ALWAYS more), and left to go inside, planning on finishing up today. Who knew the ground would be saturated today? :-{

I hope to spend today fertilizing, and will still probably irrigate tomorrow. It's a desert, here, and we're about to hit our stride as a desert. Might as well let the ground pick up a bit more water.

I got further today with clearing out weeds, and the front is beginning to look pleasant and cared for. I moved one of the large step stones from under the Hydrangea, because it was crowding the roots. I still need to fertilize both it, and the barberry, once I finish with the front. I decided not to irrigate tomorrow; the ground has enough water, and it'll be fine. If it seems necessary, I can always do a short run tomorrow evening.

There's not a lot of ambition in me today, and I have gotten further on my desire to have the front at least as it used to be (perfection is an unattainable goal, which is as it should be).

One of the barberrys at under the front window looks like it's been crowded out by the other, and I'm going to take it out. Carefully, of course, because there are plenty of thorns ready and waiting.

Tomorrow's a good day to fertilize.

I decided to take the time to start trimming back the final ninebark. I'd trimmed down the others, because I was going to take them out, but it turned out that they loved it. The front one might as well join in. I also made a solid first pass at the Ballerina rose in that same bed. Poor thing was neglected completely last year. I may have thrown fertilizer its way twice, but it hasn't been trimmed for a very long time.

I wore myself out, yesterday, and got a late start today. I've done a lot more trimming back of the ninebark, and I also trimmed the bed of wallflowers in the front. There were a LOT of dead branches on the ninebark, and I'm sure it'll profit from being cut back. I had to get to it now, because it's about to bloom, and would be unsafe to trim (because bees).

I spent a few productive hours today, but needed to refocus for a board meeting this evening.

I did some serious cleaning on one of the overflow beds; currently it's a home for a huge number of the dark purple iris, and for my lovely purple and white variegated. I may leave that in the bed, at least for the next year, until I figure out where to put it that it doesn't get crowded out. It really doesn't hold its own, but it's so lovely that I want to keep it.

I cut more of the ninebark down, but had to quit, because the bees have found it. At worst, I'll finish it at dusk, either today, or tomorrow, after all the sensible stinger bearing critters have gone off to sleep.

I finished cutting the ninebark, and I think that I'm just going to take it out. Nothing is forever. I spent a bit of time dodging bees, and managed to convince them to fly away so that I could close the container on the branches. I just don't kill bees; these were wild ones, so they were even more precious.

I also trimmed the seed pods off the wall flowers in the back, and pulled a couple of the plants out that had grown too large (and a bit woody, too). I fertilized them, and fertilized the front ones, also, since the last time I'd done it, I'd put down fertilizer before cleaning them up, and it mostly went on the debris rather than the ground. Everything is blooming; the roses are an astonishing serenade of beauty.

I should take some quick pictures tomorrow before I start working; the Betty Boop is especially amazing. The lilies are also starting to bloom.

Woo! I'm all caught up reading your thread, and enjoying it!

My iris were too crowded this year, I think, I only got one bloom from the bunch. :(

Well, I've had a bit of a setback. I went to my insurance company yesterday, and when I was leaving, stepped off the step without looking down, and it was a six inch drop. I pitched forward, making a nice goose egg on my forehead, and scratching my glasses fearsomely. The worst thing was that my knees took the brunt of the fall, especially the left one. I drove myself home (not a small distance), and struggled into the house. I'm lucky to have a walking stick, since I'm not sure how I'd get around at all without it.

I'm fortunate that a friend had taken this week off from work, and was able to come over and help (and to check on me). If it's still this sore tomorrow, I'll probably hit the doctor route (but oh, I really hate to do that). I'm pretty sure that nothing's broken, and that I have a very high pain threshold. Mostly it's inconvenient, because I normally spend most of May and June on my knees in the dirt.

>121 Lyndatrue: so sorry to hear about your fall! I've had near-tumbles with tall steps like that; I had a close call this past weekend while exiting an old house tour, but managed to catch myself.

The older I get, the more I (generally) pay attention to where I'm about to step.

Owie! So sorry you took such a bad fall. I hope you took aspirin or ibuprofen right away.

>122 fuzzi: and >123 2wonderY: Thank you for your concern and well-wishes. No aspirin or ibuprofen (allergies), and besides, I have the world's highest pain threshold. It does not mean that I haven't used all of the words I know, now and then, to scorch the ceiling, and to turn the air around me blue. I fell on Tuesday afternoon, and it's Friday, now. I'm managing a bit better, and grateful beyond belief that a friend had decided to take off this week to get things done around the house. In between getting estimates to replace garage doors, and estimates to prune trees, she's come over and provided vague assistance from driving me to the mailbox on Tuesday to taking me grocery shopping yesterday (which was more exhausting than I was expecting, since I slept for two hours after we put things away).

I'm still vaguely considering seeking a doctor's opinion, but I'm not a very good patient. I seldom follow directions, and believe (for the most part) that I know better than the doctors. On the other hand, I'm smart enough to know when to pay attention to them.

I may attempt to trim back the dead blooms on my last tea rose, later today. It'll depend on whether I think standing that long is a good idea or not. I want desperately to put the marigolds and tomatoes in the ground, but just giving them water, and keeping them sheltered next to the house is probably as good as I can do.

Life goes on.

I'm beginning to get things accomplished, again, in the tiniest steps. I have managed to keep my plants watered, and shielded, from the sun (we've had quite a few very hot days, but I've kept up). They're mostly marigolds, and a few tomatoes, which I fear for, if they don't get in the ground soon. I'm going to start with some of the marigolds tomorrow, and see how it goes.

>125 Lyndatrue: good to hear you're managing to "putter", get small things done.

I love marigolds, they are my favorite flower!

I am not yet able to plant the poor marigolds. I keep reminding myself that I need more patience. Sadly, that's not in my genetic makeup. Ah, well. Summer's near to arrival, and that's always worth greeting.

>127 Lyndatrue: can you plant them in a pot at least?

>128 fuzzi: I am considering planting at least two, and perhaps three, of the tomato plants in potting soil, in huge pots. At least some of the marigolds are going to go in the ground tomorrow. I'm a bit worn down from this, but am very opposed to pain killers, although I've used Aspercreme at least once a day for the past few days.

Strange business. I'm allergic to Aspirin (very), and I'm very careful to wash the Aspercreme off my hand after I've applied it. It helps quite a bit. I've used it on my hip, off and on, for a few years, when it gets bad (bursitis). I saw an explanation of why it worked, but have forgotten where, and don't really remember the details. I'm okay with it being magic. It'll be two weeks this Tuesday, so I should be happy that it's moving along.

My beautiful Chinese Lilies (or whatever they are) are all in bloom, and I ought to go take a photograph before they're over. In fact, I think I'll do that right now. :-}

>128 fuzzi: Thanks for posting, which helped to shake me out of my lethargy. It'll probably not be as quick to upload them somewhere, but it *is* giving me happiness, to be reminded that there are still things of beauty in my yard (along with an astonishing and healthy crop of weeds, oh my).

>129 Lyndatrue: some use 5 gallon buckets (cheap, and available at home improvement stores) with holes drilled in the bottom for drainage. Put some coarse gravel or small rocks in the bottom, too...though you probably knew that.

I've used Tiger Balm in the past, but for arthritis aches I use one ibuprofen as needed. Is that on your allergic list? I'm glad the aspercreme works for you.

You're most welcome. Sometimes a little encouragement is all it takes.

>131 fuzzi: It seems like a thousand years ago that I made that post yesterday. The tomatoes-into-pot project is going to be slow going, but I'd guess by Thursday I'll have it done. I've never looked forward more to irrigation day (tomorrow). It provides an automatic rest. I cleared an appropriate space for the three containers I'm putting the tomatoes into, and put down some of that black cloth to put under the pots. I need another piece (I just guessed when I cut, rather than measuring).

I will pick up that cloth Wednesday, and take the soil down an inch or so (at least), so that the pots will be resting as low as possible. Then the cloth will go back down. I'm not sure how much water they'll get. If it's too much, I can have a friend come over, and lay pavers under them. Luckily tomatoes prefer less water than most things. I'll use the soil to put on the bottom of the three pots, which will help with any draining.

I'm really, really tired, and I've done my best to not push it. I still need to wash the dirt off, and change into something not covered with dirt.

On the other hand, I'm grateful to realize that I am still quick to heal. I fell two weeks ago, tomorrow, landing full force on my left knee. The knee cap didn't break, nor has anything else (other than my pride). In another couple of weeks, this will just be memory.

>132 Lyndatrue: don't overdo!

Yesterday I got the pots set up to put tomatoes in, and decided to test out how long the potting soil would stay moist before adding plants. I figured that Friday was plenty soon enough to finish the experiment. Now I'm glad I waited, since we have a fairly strong wind going. The tomatoes are sheltered where they are. They're better off there. They've already got two strikes against them; waiting out the wind is a lucky stroke.

Best laid plans of mice and men etc etc etc...

I spent a bit more time on the phone than I had intended, and even more waiting for phone calls that didn't happen (which ALWAYS makes me so happy). I managed to top of the pots with potting soil, but not to get anything in them.

Wonder of wonders, I came in the house for a brief moment, and felt something largish crawling on my neck. I was startled, and luck was with me, since I brushed it into my glass of water. I then had the presence to NOT spill the water, or to permit it to be still, since it contained an annoyed-looking wasp, wings all akimbo, and trying to figure out how to get out of the puddle that it suddenly found itself in. I managed to spill most of the water, which allowed me to quickly turn the glass upside down, on a rag. I then saturated it with the Eco Smart {mumble mumble}, which is made of peppermint oil (and which kills them, without harming other things).

I discovered a small, fresh nest, built just above the garage door. and saturated it also. I walked the perimeter of the house, spraying all likely places (the smell keeps them from building nests). It's definitely June.

Ah, well. Tomorrow's irrigation, and lunch with friends, and hopefully no more adventures for a day or so...

I got very little done today, but I'm still content. I removed some of the worst weeds from among the Four O'Clocks, and found two volunteer Marigolds (one of which was growing on the wrong side of the fence, and was sacrificed because of its poor choice). I have a few growing over in the shaded bed where they normally come up, and I should probably throw down a bit of fertilizer to encourage them.

I finally got the poor, half-dead tomatoes into the pots. I was surprised that there were four, rather than three, but I should have remembered that there were. I've never had an odd number of tomatoes. I always plant two together; it's an old habit, and my mother did the same. Sometimes we do things just because...

I put the two basil plants in with the tomatoes that went in a pot on their own, and it means that every pot has two plants. The basil says "Red Ribbon" (it's a nice purple tone, with ruffly edges). It's pretty spindly, but basil is usually a survivor. The tomatoes are all "Moskvich; semideterminate, Heirloom." I never heard of them, but they seemed interesting, and the nursery was out of Early Girls when I bought those.

I tossed a bunch of fertilizer mixed with some bone meal at the Four O'Clocks, although encouraging them seems dangerous. Every time I think about thinning them, there are more. I'm grateful, though, since I love them, and they're just a gift this Spring.

Tomorrow is a visit to a real doctor. I just want to make sure that I'm doing the right things, and not causing damage. I hope that it's someone who, when I say I don't ever take pain killers, understands that the statement is final. I don't even have Tylenol in the house.

Really lovely day. Here's to more of them, just like this one. :-}

I spent an hour cleaning the steps with a wire brush (from the pet aisle in the grocery store). The steps are the only thing in the house with carpet, and I often just use a wire brush instead of a vacuum; it's just easier, and gets all the debris out.

I've grown Moskvitch; they're pretty good, smallish red tomatoes with excellent flavor. I didn't get a lot of tomatoes off mine, but I didn't get a lot from any plant that year - just a bad year for me.

Enjoyed reading your gardening updates!

I've been trying to make a balance between toughening up the tomatoes, and not killing them (for lack of water). Since I've promised the doctor that I'd stay off my knee for at least two weeks, there's not much else I can do. I'm going to try using a chair, and attacking the raised beds in the back tomorrow. Not working outside when the weather is lovely is a peculiar and heartless torture.

On Friday, I thought I'd just limit myself to pulling the weeds in front of Buddha, and maybe putting in the petunias, and some of the marigolds. I'm a slow learner. Even though I made every effort not to, I still ended up on my knees enough times that trying to sleep that night wasn't much fun.

The 26th of June will be five weeks since I fell. I've always lacked patience, and this time is no different. There are still so many spots of beauty in the yard; I should be grateful for what's there. I may get out the hedge trimmer and go after the Ballerina roses; they're way out of control, and just shaping them into something smaller will help.

I went out the front door (which I seldom do), last night, and on the way back into the house, I found a wasp nest the hard way. It was lucky, since it was dusk, and I got more of a warning sting that anything (wasps, like Black Widows, are able to control the amount of venom). I also have a spray that, used quickly enough, mostly negates the effect of the sting. It still hurt, though. I was planning on spraying it today, but it was raining, and it wouldn't have worked. I'd like them gone, but I'd like to convince them to move without them getting the chance to punish me for it. One sting a summer ought to be the limit, right?

I use something that has peppermint oil as the active ingredient, and it only works against wasps and hornets. Bees are safe.

>142 Lyndatrue: can you take the hose and blast the nest off its perch with water while the wasps are sleeping?

No poison, and it might discourage them from rebuilding.

>143 fuzzi: The thing I use doesn't really qualify as poison. It's about the best thing I can do while convincing the wasps to stay away from the house. This time out, they took advantage of my convalescence (from the fall on my knee) to build tiny little incubator nests in the most obscure spot on my steps. I'm going to try to take pictures before I take them off.

It's funny. I first read your statement about taking the "house" off it's perch (it's early, and I'm still drinking coffee). No, first off, it would be very close quarters, and they might be asleep during the night hours, but they will *still* come after you, and sting you full force. Water's only a good solution when the nest's far away, and you can run.

I usually saturate the front and back decks with the oil, in the spring, and it works to discourage them from building nests. I don't want all the wasps dead, after all. They *are* pollinators, and I like them. I just don't want them to live close enough to object to my presence. The porch steps qualify as too close. Much, much too close.

They're paper wasps. I love Wikipedia. Here you go.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper_wasp

Today, I made a start at clearing the weeds from the Iris bed. I have a crew that is coming on Monday to clean out all the weeds from most (but not all) places. I hate the expense, but have to face the fact that I will spend all summer just trying to catch up. There's no joy in that.

It will be a relief.

I'm also having the three Ninebarks taken out. They are a lot to take care of (unless I just let them go, and that's not in my nature). They've been lovely, but if I'm going to put that much work into something, it had better bear fruit (or preferably, vegetables).

I'm going to try and fertilize everything this coming week. Some things are just on schedule, and others have been sadly neglected. It's almost July.

I have managed to clear out the small bed in front of Buddha, and trimmed back the Lilies (including pulling some up). They're almost as aggressive as Iris in the propagating. Then again, they're very pretty.

I put the Petunias in. I finished trimming back the Betty Boop rose, and managed to pull out most of the weeds to the side of it.

Tomorrow the crew comes to help clear things out. I'm a bit nervous on the cost, but I have to remind myself of what a relief it will be.

Yesterday was the beginning of the clean up by the landscaping crew. I do know that sometimes things can be underestimated, and the size of the job was certainly one of them. It was a smaller group than I'd have expected (son, dad, and uncle), and I think that the son (Manuel Jr.) was far more optimistic when he started, than when they honestly got going. I started prioritizing what I wanted done, and kept telling him that he could finish it in two days, instead of one. He finally gave in, when it was nearing dusk, and said he would be back today (Tuesday) to finish.

I had professionals come and take out the three ninebarks, and I'll miss them, but it was for the best. They'd become too much to handle, and they were too aggressive in their growth.

I have nearly all the weeds out of the main Iris bed, but still have Bermuda growing in there that I have to attack (on Wednesday). I'm glad that I restricted the crew to just the beds where there was nothing I wanted, since their "technique" involves a pickaxe, and scraping the soil. It's good for those places where it's all weeds, but not what I want when there's desirable plants that have weeds among them.

I'll take pictures once it's cleaned up, and it will be strange to do so. This spring and summer has just been an object lesson on the perils of living alone (not that I have any intention of changing that), and how quickly a small difficulty (my falling and injuring my knee) can have repercussions that are hard to overcome. It's lucky for me that I can afford to hire someone, because I would have spent the rest of the year just catching up, rather than taking any pleasure in the gardening.

Today showed the effects of Monday (where I worked almost non-stop). I managed to take the recycle over to the collection area (a month or more past the normal time for me), and got some weeding done. The operant word is "some" though. I'll do more tomorrow, and then take Friday to do grocery shopping.

I want to put in as many marigolds as possible. They've worked so hard to survive, stuck in their little cramped containers.

>148 Lyndatrue: I'm catching up on your thread, and totally agree with the Marigolds. I tend to buy more annuals than I plant in my first rush of enthusiasm, so some tend to stay in the cramped containers all summer. You'd think I'd learn.

>149 fuzzi: Normally, I manage to plant anything that I've got, but this year, falling on my knee and being restricted physically really put a hitch in my get-along. I still hope to have them in the ground, but finding the time to do it, and getting a space cleared for them, are both tough.

Today, I started clearing out the beds that had been "cleaned up" (and I suspect that's what I'll spend most of the summer doing). I suddenly realized that a sprinkler had been buried in dirt, and spent more than an hour clearing out that area, and putting it to rights. I know that the weed situation was terrible, and I'm relieved to have it cleaned up, but it will all need to be attended to.

I also spent an hour on the overflow Iris bed, and I'm going to toss most of them. I may get rid of all the black Iris. They're very aggressive, and they either need their own space, or else to just be gone, unless I want only them. I've got the variegated ones from that bed marked, and will put them off in their own area, until they bloom next spring, just to make sure that I don't move any of the black Iris into the beds. It seems a pity; they're very dramatic. I just want to keep *all* the colors, and if giving them up preserves all the others, so be it.

Today, I cleaned the gutter in front of my neighbor's house (he seems more fragile every year), and then killed more of the black Iris. I used my trenching shovel, which is one of my favorite tools. I spent about an hour, total, on digging them out, and I'd guess it's going to take at least two more days of occasional work to finish it. I used to grow beets there, and some chard, and hope to do that again next spring.

It was a pretty good day.

I've planted about a third of the marigolds, and tossed a lot as well. It's exciting to just have something in the ground. I also dug out more of the Iris.

I really need to take photographs of where things are, before it is Autumn, and everything is over. My Gladiolas are starting to bloom, and they are, as always, beautiful.

Today, I removed a (mostly) dead plant that I'd started on, back before I fell on my knee. It was still not easy, even though it had been nearly finished (on the digging out) 7 weeks ago. After it was finally out, I filled the hole with a combination of potting soil, and the dirt that had been in the hole. I did some cleaning up in the area, as well.

I also removed a hideous mass of weeds (none of them with names that stick with me, other than the aptly named spurge). which was the least problem.

https://www.domyown.com/spurge-identification-guide-a-577.html

I keep reminding myself to just focus on small spots, because I know I'll just be spending the rest of the summer getting things back into shape. Tomorrow is irrigation, and I'm hoping to remember to take pictures of the current state of affairs. It's really not that bad, considering.

I forgot to document yesterday, which was productive. I pruned the two roses in the front, and cleared out most of the weeds. I've also started trying to clear out the extra Four O'Clocks that reseeded from last year. I'm happy that they're there, but I'd be much happier with a 75% reduction.

Today, I started clearing out the dirt underneath the Hydrangea, which is in full bloom. I moved one of the pavers as well, since the Hydrangea has grown quite a bit from when I put those stones in, and it was covering an area where the roots are (and where fertilizer needed to be spread). I'd meant to fertilize all the roses too, but want to get all the weeds out, first. It'll keep. Tomorrow's irrigation, thankfully. I need the rest.

Guess I was tired on Wednesday, since I forgot to put anything here. I finished clearing away all the weeds from the Strike It Rich rose, and did more on clearing out the Four O'Clocks, including attempting (at this late date) to thin them as well.

Today is our first day of serious heat, and I have mostly wasted the day, other than pulling up the roses I'd put in pots (as a rescue, while my knee was recovering from the fall in May). I've had a couple of tomatoes, and I can buy better ones at the farmer's markets, or the grocery stores. There's only so much babying I'm willing to do, and the rest of the summer would mean they'd require hand watering. They're out of the pots, and gone. I did find one lone green tomato, which isn't much for four plants.

I'd hoped to put down fertilizer for the roses, but it looks like Monday now (I like to do it just before irrigation).

I retrieved some seeds from the snapdragons, just in case they didn't reseed, and then pulled them out. I rather hope I get another crop in the fall; they're so pretty, and fragrant.

I spent more time carefully thinning the Four O'Clocks, and pulling out the weeds that managed to grow between them. It's slow going, but worthwhile. I am happy that I have at least one variegated (pink and white), and some yellow and white, fighting for space among the pinks ones. There are a few marigolds that have managed to survive among them as well, reseeded from last year. Normally, I'll pull them out, but I'm just happy to see them this year.

I need to have far less garden beds, I think. I'm going to start looking for someone to redo the irrigation system, so that I can convert a side bed back to lawn.

I don't have a lot of ambition this year, but I still managed to spend a little quality time clearing out the weeds from the Four O'Clocks, and thinning them. It's amazing to see the dense root from the tiniest plants. I keep meaning to take a photograph, but it's pretty hot out there, and spending a couple of hours pulling them out of the ground is enough.

I was happy to see that I have some *red* blossoms; I'll have to watch for seeds on those plants; such a rare thing needs to come back next year.

I worked for a couple of hours in the Iris bed in the back. Once I get it cleared and trimmed, I'll saturate it with bone meal. I hope to get the roses fertilized on Sunday.

Wow, you've been busy!

My leftover annuals are still in their little containers. Since I lost most of my marigolds and petunias while we were out of town, I might just pop the leftovers into the empty planters and see what happens.

We have caught up with the rest of the country on the heat, although temps in the 100s are not out of normal for us. It's still hot, though, and I've lacked ambition lately. I did some serious further clearing on the Four O'Clocks, including thinning them. It's *amazing* to see the tuber/root on even the tiniest plants. I admit that I don't always make the effort to dig them up, either. Did I mention it was hot?

>160 fuzzi: I *have* been busy, but not nearly enough to keep up. Not even close. I'm lucky on the Marigolds, though. Even though most of the ones I'd purchased are dead and gone, those few that I managed to put in the ground seem to be making it. In the front yard, they come up by magic (they've reseeded now for three or four years). They are just lovely, and I'm grateful for them.

The heat is still brutal, and I'm being careful not to work in the heat. I have been starting at 4PM, and quitting at 5, or 5:30, depending on how things are going. Today, an hour was plenty. I've started on an area that's just deeply overgrown with weeds, but they're the easy type to pull out. The ants object to my being there, so I'm careful not to disturb them too much. I'll come back with Sevin after I'm through, but not until. There are so many dragonflies, and toads, and I'd be filled with sorrow to harm either.

I do wish I was quick with the camera, since it's quite amazing; the dragonflies are at their height, and it's almost a cloud of them at times.

>162 Lyndatrue: dragonflies often "swarm", I've seen it happen, and not always because of courtship. Also, if you miss an opportunity to photography a dragonfly, just wait a moment: they often circle around and land on the same spot they flew from. I've found I can get some good photos by staying still for a minute or so, and catching them once they return.

Half the month has vanished before my eyes. I managed to rescue the pink dogwood, which took about two hours of careful digging. I changed the stones for the border, so that I could extend the border out, and give it more space in the lawn.

Things are in such a sad state, what with the extreme high temperatures that kept even me inside, and the incredible smoky haze from all the wildfires around us. It seems better today, and I may return to rescuing garden beds tomorrow.

For a while, a few days ago, we had fire very close, and five houses were lost. Two horses died, and that seems so very sad. The fire was 100% contained as of last night.

I am ready for summer to be over.

My mother always used to say that the hard part about living long was that you lose those you love.

A friend had a heart attack a few days ago, and never recovered consciousness. They took him off life support last night. He was my age, and seemed healthy. I'm sad; it's been a tough year.

I am SO sorry.

>165 Lyndatrue: I sympathize. It's so hard when family and friends die.

Death leaves me without words; but know that my heart aches for you and your friend’s family. God bless.

Thank you all for your kindness.

My heart is just not in it, this year. We have been covered in smoke, from all the fires around us, to where (a few days ago) the advice was that if you didn't NEED to go outside, you should not. It's currently at moderate, and I did some errands today. I've got a disease in my lawn that's killing it (which I hadn't noticed, because I've been so preoccupied with other things). I have someone coming on Friday to diagnose it.

The Four O'Clocks are doing their very best to put some joy into the world, and the blooms stay open until perhaps 8 or 9 AM. They are truly a gift. They have some volunteer marigolds sprinkled here and there, competing for the light.

Life continues. I welcome the autumn, which is, thankfully, just around the corner.

I'm looking forward to baking some gingerbread, and having the house smell of cinnamon and ginger and cloves.

>170 Lyndatrue: I've never grown Four O'Clocks, but I think my mother did back when I was very small.

I love my Marigolds, whether intentional or volunteers. They bring joy to my heart.

Yesterday was a nightmare, as far as my network was concerned. Thank goodness I have a garden (which truly NEEDS me), and books.

I spent a couple of quality hours clearing out a patch of weeds. It almost looks strange, to just see bare earth, even though, in other years, that bed has been mostly bare.

>171 fuzzi: I love Four O'Clocks, and these are from seed from a neighbor who moved further out of town. I know that she got them from someone else. I don't think that the packaged seeds nowadays are the same, at all. I have a few plants (the yellow Four O'Clocks), from seed that I bought, and they are probably going to disappear over time, because the others are so hardy.

I think my biggest surprise, the first year I grew them, was discovering that the root system was a tuber, and not just the delicate little roots for plants like marigolds. What an amazing little survivor they are, and they just make me happy.

Yes, Marigolds cause joy in my heart as well.

>172 Lyndatrue: we have had incredibly rainy and hot weather the last few weeks, and much of my yard is getting jungle-like. Even my pond area needs weeding where some creeping thing is trying to outgrow the Creeping Jenny I have established there. A cold front came through yesterday, and our weather has moderated, with humidity much lower than previously. Our weekend plans are to trim, prune, and weed...

>173 fuzzi: Nice to know that someone else has a weeding problem.

Today, I discovered some pavement ants, and worse, they discovered me right back. Fortunately, I have Benadryl spray, and made the trip into the house to apply it. I then did something I loathe doing, but did, for my safety; I covered their nests with Sevin, and then went in the house for a rest. The only upside is that Sevin quickly loses the ability to kill, and besides, I've removed nearly all the greenery from that bed (so bees and such won't be exposed).

One bed down, fifteen to go.

Today, I changed the death date for an author on four separate (language) canonical pages. I believe that it was propagated from one page to the others, but it's an author I loved, and it's bothered me for a while. I'm trying to decide whether anyone will notice, and I hope that they don't change it back. I wonder how often it happens, that bad data is copied without checking...

Ah, well. Hopefully, no one but me will notice or care.

>174 Lyndatrue: I've found that boiling water works well with ant nests.

We got a lot of pruning, weeding, and trimming done, yes! I had to do my work in spurts, stopping to go inside and rehydrate and cool down. At one point my body said "Enough!" and I listened, which was a good thing, as I'm on the edge of a heat headache.

>176 fuzzi: Pavement ants build their nests under stones and my garden is lined everywhere with pavers. There really isn't any sign that they are there until you turn over the stone, at which time they swarm up out of the ground. If I didn't have the reaction to the sting, it might not be quite so bad. I do point out that boiling water would mean a 10-15 minute delay, while the Sevin is right there, among my tools. I like it because it quits being poisonous within hours, and I'm pretty careful to not get it on plants.

I love all my pollinators...even the wasps.

Heat headaches do not sound fun. I hope you just remained on the edge, and that it stayed away.

Almost forgot to add this link:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pavement_ant

>177 Lyndatrue: they sound like fire ants, which come boiling out of their nest when disturbed. I have observed (from a safe distance) how they shake or tremble as they attack, and have felt the pain of their bites and stings, which do feel like fire burning. FYI: a paste made of baking soda and water and applied to the site asap does bring pain relief, and in my experience, lessens the effects of the sting. These ants cannot be eradicated, so harassment and some topical poison on the nests is all we do to keep them from areas where we frequently walk.

I have a "live and let live" attitude for most critters in my yard, with the exception of fire ants and venomous animals such as copperhead snakes and black widow spiders.

Thank you. The "heat headache" didn't quite materialize, and for that I am glad. I've had heat exhaustion several times, and the headache is the first symptom.

Today it was overcast, and cool, which made it perfect for finishing up on the garden bed in back, and doing some clearing on the front bed too (where the Four O'Clocks live). The latter is an enclless task, since the Four O'Clocks are very aggressive at spreading out, and then there's the weeds needing to be removed. It's so lovely when it's done, of course.

Tomorrow, it's time to fertilize the roses, no matter what else needs doing.

Happy day for me. :-} I took the major recycle bins over to the recycling (plastic, metal, and glass), and managed to clear and fertilize two of the roses (Bourbon Queen, and the oldest of the Ballerina roses). I'm content. I'm also tired, but it's a good tired. Tomorrow is irrigation, and running errands.

Good tired...I know what you mean! :)

Today was productive, although not very fun. I spent part of it walking around with a sprinkler guy, talking about spots that didn't look right, and he replaced a sprinkler for me (I always have spares, which was lucky). I love the Hunter style, and they are not something standard that anyone carries around. They're much quieter than the impact sprinklers, which wake me up when they start up, even in mid-summer, with the air conditioner making background noise.

There's also a bit of fungus that needs attention, but it'll have to wait a week or so (it's been there for weeks, so one more week isn't going to make much difference).

I cleared weeds out from the soil next to the house, and I don't know that I've done that since last year. There's still a couple of small patches, but mostly, it looks a thousand times better. I never thought I'd so look forward to summer being over, but I'm just dreadfully tired of being sad.

Tomorrow night's an "emergency" board meeting for the symphony. I'll reserve my commentary on what constitutes an emergency. Sometimes that's the best idea.

I returned to a bed that I'd had mostly cleaned out, earlier in the summer (but it was right back to being overgrown, of course). I'm really going to have to replace the fellows that are mowing the yard right now. They've been riding over the stones that mark that bed (and a couple of others0, and that pushes them into the ground. They may not even be aware that they're doing it...who can say?

I'm going to have to take the main guy aside, and point out that each stone was about $4 when new, ten years ago, and certainly more, by now, and that if any get damaged, I'm going to have to take it out of the money I pay (which is not very much, as those things go). I hate to do it, but there's a point at which I'll have to cut my losses and move on.

At least tomorrow's irrigation. I need the rest.

I loved your description of the "emergency"...

It's been too hot here lately to do more than water when I get home from work. Hopefully we'll get a break, big storms rolled through last night = cold front.

>184 fuzzi: :-} It was precisely as much of an emergency as you might expect. So it goes.

I didn't have much ambition today, but I managed to attack part of the front bed, doing my best to spare all the volunteer marigolds. They usually last until we get a serious frost, and I'm so grateful to see them reseed, year after year.

I had to get a shovel to take out two basil plants, which were planning on becoming a permanent fixture (they went in last Spring, and wintered over once already). Just beautiful blooms; I've been waiting for them to stop blooming, and finally realized they had no plans in stopping. It's amazing how little space I cleared, just to look at it. Tomorrow will be much easier, though, now that the basil's gone.

Huh. I have to coddle my basil - it dies if I look at it funny, and dies anyway when things start getting cold (and we have mild winters - but it doesn't like under 50F at night). Is this sweet/Genovese basil, or something else? I'd love to have one that would overwinter - I use it year-round, and have to buy it in the winter. It doesn't like growing indoors, either - though that may be because I'm bad at tending indoor plants.

>186 jjmcgaffey: I'll try to find the notes that say which seed it was. I have to admit that I don't coddle much of anything, although I'm fairly careful if I'm growing seedlings to plant later. I often put them in the ground, and say "Live or die, it's up to you." Usually they live. If not, I pull them out, and put something else in that spot.

My herbs usually winter over (unless I dig them up, which I do when they get too big). The bed that I plant them in is very sheltered; it gets morning sun only, and plenty of water, and is in a spot where the wind skirts around the corner of the house, and misses those plants. In other years, I usually plant lettuce in that bed in the spring, but this year has been a wash for anything that didn't come up on its own.

There's a nice picture of that bed in >11 Lyndatrue:, if you're curious.

I cleared more of that bed today, but it has to be surgical, since I want to keep all the marigolds, and I want the little toads to manage to find hiding places while I do. Tomorrow's irrigation, and I'll probably finish that bed on Wednesday, and move to the back garden beds again.

>186 jjmcgaffey: I've dried my basil leaves and put them either in the freezer or in a glass jar for use later in the winter.

Do you plant it close to tomato plants? They seem to like each other's company, no kidding.

>188 fuzzi: I've always planted basil by the tomatoes. It somehow improves the flavor of the tomatoes, without altering the tomato-ness of them. This year, I really had no garden, and I long for next spring, and having life return to normal.

I cleared more of the front bed today, but really lacked the ambition to do as much as I should have. The smoke from the fires in Canada has returned, and although it's not anything like it was a few weeks ago, it still made me sad for all the loss of trees, and of homes.

On the positive side, I freed up more marigolds. It's amazing how determined they are to survive, hiding among all the weeds and doing their level best to stand their ground.

I actually worked for a bit on the large bed, just pulling weeds. I need to make a sign for myself that says something to the effect of "One Hour A Day Isn't Enough" because that's about what I seem to spend.

9/10 and 9/12
I spent more time on the same bed. I keep putting things off until I end up spending only an hour or two, so it's been slow progress. I think it's about 1/4 through, but I really need to start pushing. The calendar is not on my side.

I've done a small amount, but yesterday, normally one of the best days for getting outside, I ended up distracted by all sorts of things, and the final straw was my brother and sister-in-law calling me and singing happy birthday to me. Um, you know it's not my birthday, right?

After the confusion calmed, my brother stayed on the phone for more than an hour (maybe two). His son and daughter-in-law took the kids, sold their house there (in Utah), and bought a house in North Carolina (not where the storm hit, thank goodness). My brother has just those two grandkids, and he and the wife have been daycare for them since they were born. They're both at loose ends (brother and wife, that is). I just let him talk.

They have two other sons, but neither seems predisposed to making a family. I hope that they don't sell their house, and move somewhere in the wilderness of Idaho. There comes an age when that doesn't work out; there are a lot of skills that require youth.

Ah, well. Today is irrigation, and it's not all that warm, either. I'll go off and have lunch with friends, and then come home and clean.

I'm inside, resting for a bit, and didn't want to forget to make a note. I've been cleaning out the bed that I used to use for Beets and Spinach, and of late, for extra Iris, and weeds...mostly for weeds. I think, once I finish, I'm going to remove the stone border, put down dirt, and let the Bermuda have the bed. If I decide to sell, having less garden beds will be better. Besides, the raised garden bed is work enough, all by itself.

Nearly all the weeds are cleaned out of the bed, and I've been digging out Iris. They were only there for maybe three years, but my, my, they really don't want to come out. Winter is fast approaching. I really need to step it up.

I also cleaned a bit on the visible side of the bed in back, next to the Betty Boop rose. Tomorrow morning, the lawn crew will be here, and then there's grocery shopping. Hopefully I can return to diffing out the last of the Iris in that bed, and put it to rest for the season.

Today, I trimmed back some of the lower growth on the Betty Boop rose, so that it would be less dangerous to get out the weeds that are all around it. I also spent more time digging out Iris. I didn't get as far as I'd hoped, because I'd invited a friend over to give some books to, and we chatted, and in general had a nice time. I have nearly a row less of books, but that won't last long.

She sells books (among other things), and giving them to her insures that they might find a home elsewhere. I'll mark them properly, later, in the LT section, but it's a nuisance that can wait until I have spare time, down the road.

As long as you can remember exactly which ones you gave her. I've solved that with a picture of a box of discards, a few times...

>195 jjmcgaffey: It's not hard to remember, to be truthful. I'm just happy they're gone.

Today, I actually managed to finish with the Iris. The Iris in the raised bed are going to be there forever, because I'm surely not willing to dig them up. I also cleared out the weeds around the Betty Boop rose, although it seems fairly adept at keeping them at bay. I trimmed branches up nearly a foot to get to the weeds, and the dead leaves from various trees and such.

Tomorrow I hope to clear out around Buddha, and then winterize and weed the raised Iris bed.

10/1/18
Instead of clearing around Buddha, I started with the main part of the raised bed, and have made a slight dent in the evil mess. I moved two of the Iris still in pots (with three to go), using the cleared space for them. Tomorrow is irrigation, and I've got other things scheduled (including an oil change), but am otherwise moving into full on weed clearing mode. The Iris are in desperate need of rescue, and the ones in the pots are almost certainly out of nutrients. They are probably nothing but roots under a couple of inches of potting soil.

If I have any ambition tomorrow, I may try trimming some of the roses.

Today is the first time in a while that I've felt there was progress. I've uncovered quite a few of the Iris, and another solid day or two of effort will be enough to put them to bed for the winter.

I keep thinking that I may need to sell, but then, common sense asserts itself, and I know that I won't. Tomorrow is a busy day, since it's time for the inspection and general winterization. It's still very nice to look out from the back window, and see the Iris (mixed still, with weeds, but that's almost over).

It's rapidly approaching that time of year where it frosts, and, no matter how cold, I'll be out there, tomorrow, trying to finish up the Iris bed, getting them set for the winter.

I forced myself to go outside, and cleared more of the Iris bed. They're predicting a warming later in the week, and I fervently hope that it remains in the forecast. I've never seen a year for weeds like this one.

I need to step up my game, and get the Iris out of pots (I still have five pots to empty). I have a decent spot cleared away that could suffice for two of them, but tomorrow and Tuesday are already taken up with other things.

Wednesday it is, then.

Today, my old neighbor came over to blow out the irrigation system, in preparation for winter. I almost don't know what to do with myself, even though there's plenty that still needs doing outside.

I've done almost nothing, sadly. Life keeps intervening, with things that have to be done, and I've been lucky that the weather has not yet turned. I think that tomorrow I'm going to wash off the spider webs from the front of the house (they're some sort of migration residue, and mostly cluster on just the east facing wall). They mostly just look bad, and it seems like a useful thing to do, since I need to throw a bit of water around in any case.

That old frost is around the corner, and I should probably make the effort to bring things into the garage, too.

When do you usually have your first frost? We can count on hitting freezing temps about November 1st.

The first frost ranges anywhere from now (end of October) to mid-November. We're very far north, but sheltered because of all the rivers. In addition, due to the climate change effect, frosts have been later each year. One of the many downsides to not having an honest winter is that weeds get an earlier start, and sometimes just winter over. Normally, I'd still have tomato plants, and be far more concerned about frost, but right now, it's just garden hoses that I have concern for. We've already had a night or two where it touched 31 or 32, but I don't much count those.

Funny for me to think of North Carolina even having a frost, but it's as alien a place to me as Mars, to be truthful.

ETA: I washed the spider webs off the front of the house, getting thoroughly soaked in the process, and then splashed water around where things looked very dry (two of the roses seemed needy). I then made the effort to give water to the iris, and to the marigolds, in the back raised bed.

North Carolina is diverse as far as hardiness zones go:


It can get to 10F here, but rarely does. Most of the winter we have temps in the upper teens and 20s. One or more small snowfalls is normal, and they usually melt in a day or two.

They get lots of snow and cold weather in the mountains, much less on the coastline. We're in between.

>204 fuzzi: I must have stared at that map for ten minutes. It's so very geometric. I found one for Washington, but it's not as fancy as yours. Pasco is the nearest point to me, but it's on the north side of the Columbia, and I'm on the south side (and it makes a difference).

Today made me wistful. I had the last mow for the season, and it always seems so final. Summer's officially over. I cut down the Four O'Clocks. I learned my lesson last year, discovering that the root system was a massive tuber for each plant, and knowing that at least I'm guaranteed more of them, next year. I left the marigolds in the ground, though. I'll wait until we have an actual frost before pulling them out.

I raked up debris from the evergreens next door; they shed a lot of needles this tine of year, and pine cones too. The tree across the street (a maple) is on fire, and it is really lovely. Autumn is really an excellent time. There's even a rumor that we might have rain. :-}

>205 Lyndatrue: I'm in the 7b zone, but very close to the 8a. One year I recall we never saw even one snowflake. But a couple years ago we had a cold snap that did in one of my gardenia bushes. I replaced it, but I mulch it heavily with straw and keep it well-watered. So far it's doing nicely.

>206 Lyndatrue: I leave my marigold skeletons in the garden until Spring cleanup, and I am rewarded with lots of volunteers! No need to buy seed...

Today, I wore myself out with what I thought would be a simple task. I trimmed all the blooms off the Hydrangea, in preparation for clearing the area around it. An hour and a half later, and I was finished. If I want it to stay beautiful, which it is, every year, then each blossom has to be cut by hand. I don't regret the time, but it took a bit to recover from, and it was headed into sunset.

Daylight savings ends this Sunday (and I'm grateful), which will mean that I really have to get an early start on things, unless I plan on working in the dark, and the *cold*.

>208 Lyndatrue: DST means I won't get anything done during the week, as I don't get home until about 5pm or so. Oh well.

>209 fuzzi: If it's any consolation, I used to be there, and I empathize.

Today, I was reminded that pulling weeds is not the half hour process that I always seem to expect. I managed to clear about two square yards, with an astonishing amount of weeds yet to go. I intend to persist until the ground freezes, but we'll see how well I withstand the cold.

>210 Lyndatrue: gloves help with the cold as well as limiting skin damage. :)

I cannot imaging gardening without gloves. I have canvas, cotton, and leather gloves, all suited for different purposes. The cotton ones sometimes make it to the wash, but usually, they just wear out.

Today, there were leaves. Many leaves. Autumn has arrived. My own Crimson Maple has lost perhaps half the leaves; nearly all of them go to the side of the house, against the garage. This makes raking very convenient, since that's where the bins are. The Sycamores at my neighbor's house are beginning to drop their leaves. I hate those trees. Hate hate hate. Okay, I'm better now. I have only seen a few clustered up against the back fence, but I know the onslaught's coming.

Beautiful day.

I agree. I chop down all sycamore volunteers on my property. They grow incredibly fast, their leaves are like leather, and they throw down fertile seed.

The leaves do make excellent rough mulch though. They blocked weeds in one of my bramble patches for two seasons.

It's been a long while since I posted anything here, but I wanted to note that I had a crew come in and clear out most of the weeds. They did a better job than the fellows I had in the spring (and there's no damaged or buried sprinklers, which is a relief). Still, if I can't manage it in the spring, either I'm going to have to get rid of most of the beds, or sell the house.

I did some cleanup of my own, including removing all the curved bricks that I used to make raised beds for the tomatoes. It'll make it easier to bring out my cultivator in the spring, not having anything in the way. I started raking the maple leaves, and putting them in the cans. I probably should have done it before now, but the massive cleanup necessary had just nearly broken my spirit. Well, that, and all the craziness that the world has seen, of late.

Tomorrow I'll get the (very overdue) grocery shopping done, and try to get my life back on schedule, more or less.

It's about to turn cold, and it's an enormous relief to get the major part of the cleanup done.

Spring will arrive in just a few months. There's a lot to do.