In the Weeds

YAY for Spring! Mulch is here!

2010-03-26T15:49:00.002-04:00

It's such a great day because today I had 12 cubic yards of mulch delivered. I wanted to share it with you via Flip Video. Enjoy!

Bloom Day for November 2009

2009-11-16T20:00:00.004-05:00

I'm a day late, but I have a surprisingly large number of fantastic blooms this month. We had perhaps one of the best days weather-wise this past Saturday. It was almost t-shirt weather.
Enjoy!

Here are some lovely annuals. The begonias above were planted in those pots in May. I can't believe they still look great!

Here is a purple coneflower that is trying to sneak in a bloom before it gets too cold.

This has been blooming since I purchased it in July and it continues to do well.

And this primrose, which generally only blooms in spring, decided to have come out once more for 2009.
Happy Blooms to all!

October Bloom Day - 2009!

2009-10-15T18:37:00.006-04:00

It's already the middle of October! Even though it's been dreary and cold (44 today!) here, there is still a surprising amount of color in the garden.

Various Rudbeckia, grown from seed.

Lots of what is still blooming well are the annuals.

I especially like these marigolds, grown from seed in the vegetable beds. They are so tall they fall over!

Butterfly bush is still going strong -- both purple and white.

Finally, these are my favorite mums purchased this year. It is a Pelee Mum and this picture doesn't do it justice.

Happy Blooms to all!

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - September 2009

2009-09-15T16:22:00.004-04:00

Here we are, already half-way through September. There are a ton of faded blooms and annuals that keep on giving. Here are just a few of what's blooming where I am.

Tall grass -- not exactly a showy bloom, but very fun.

Celosia -- grown from seed, thank you very much!

Japanese Anemone -- I love how they look like balloons before they bloom!

Other things still blooming:
Rudbeckia
Phlox
Butterfly bush
Orange Cosmos
Hostas
and more!

Project Digging: Labor Day Weekend Landscaping

2009-09-08T17:03:00.007-04:00

I finally got the courage to make some substantial changes on the landscaping in front of my house. Since buying my home last May, I've not really cared for some of the plants in the front of the house. It's somewhat difficult to see in this picture, but up against the house were some low evergreen shrubs and in front of those were some barberry bushes (that didn't get enough sun). In the spring there were some old tulips that threw up a leaf or two and even fewer that actually produced a flower.

So for the past week, I toiled over what to plant in this area and finally came to a decision and a plan of action. First we got everything out of the way... including a huge tree stump left in the ground from years ago. And then went to work on the soil (and amended it with homemade compost) and planted some really great plants.

In the back are Hydrangea arborescens 'Incrediball' which will grow to 5' tall with a 4' spread. Best of all they produce 10-12" balls of blooms! In front of the hydrangeas are hosta 'August Moon' -- I chose these because of their almost lime green color. And finally there are some deep purple/dark green coral bells in the front.

I'm going to finish this with some allium 'christophii' amongst the hostas and some smaller bulbs in the front. The big containers are filler for this year.

Trip to the Biltmore!

2009-09-02T17:50:00.006-04:00

While visiting North Carolina recently, we stopped by the Biltmore Estate. It was incredible. Here is a sampling of pictures from the conservatory and surrounding gardens in August.

Although it seems terribly expensive to visit the Biltmore ($55/person!!), if you spend the whole day there, it's worth it. Plus, free wine tasting.

These gardens have inspired me to grow zinnias and dahlias next year!

Zucchini in the news!

2009-08-31T09:04:00.002-04:00

Interesting news out of New Harmony, Indiana:
The town is auctioning a zucchini on eBay to help repair a clock.

Here's an article from the Indy Star. And here it is on eBay.

Success: Growing flowers from seed

2009-07-29T10:09:00.000-04:00

I can't say that I've had much luck with growing many plants from seed. Especially those that are started indoors.

This year, though, I've been very successful with 3 flowers. They are alive, growing and, most importantly, blooming. I'm sure there are other successes I'll have. These have helped boost my seed-to-bloom ego, so I could start going crazy here.

Above are some fabulous orange cosmos. These are in a new bed I created earlier this summer. Thus far they are stealing the show in the new bed. I'm really enjoying these and think I'll branch out to some more colors next year.

These wave petunias I actually grew from seed (I will NOT do this again). I started these bad boys inside in April and they have just now started to bloom! That's too long...I can be patient when it comes to my flowers, but come on. Hopefully these will stay around and continue to do well into the fall.

Finally there are some marigolds in the raised bed. I transplanted some of the seedlings as well, so they are here and there in the yard. These seeds were saved from a few years ago as well as some that were from Tod's parents' garden.

These are small successes for some, but large for me. I'll keep trying new flowers and we'll see what happens!

The first tomato(s)!

2009-07-28T16:53:00.004-04:00

The first tomatoes have arrived!

They were picked this weekend and they were Roma tomatoes (7/25/2009)
Since then, I've picked about 5 more (I have 2 Roma plants) and I made a delicious Salsa Fresca (see recipe below) with them!

I've also picked countless Sweet 100 cherry tom-toms and 2 large and in charge 'Better Boy.'

Salsa Fresca Recipe:

Lots of Diced Tomatoes (I prefer Romas)
Diced Green Bell pepper (add red and yellow if they are available)
Diced White or Yellow Onion
Dash of White Vinegar
Juice of one lime
Big handful of chopped cilantro

Mix and enjoy with tortillas!

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - July 2009

2009-07-15T09:00:00.005-04:00

The garden is full of activity -- between the blooms and the buzzes, there are lots of things happening. The bees particularly like the echinacea.

This red monarda was something I took home in the neighborhood plant swap. It was one of the neatest things to watch a hummingbird hover around it for some sweet nectar.

Pretty pink and yellow daylily. There are also pure yellow, orange with red stripes, double orange and red, and a deep burgundy with yellow strip.

Meadow Rue -- some of the smallest flowers in the yard, but some of the tallest.

The black-eyed susans are starting to open. Many were smashed in the Sweet Gum saga, but there should still be a good show.

And finally some beautiful light purple phlox -- huge blooms that seem to have doubled in the past year. I have some that are darker pink and white ones as well. These are the most prolific near the patio.

Happy Bloom Day and many more blooms throughout July!

These are traveling elephant ears

2009-07-14T14:26:00.004-04:00

A friend of mine was nice enough to orchestrate sending me (via postal mail) some fantastic elephant ear bulbs that his dad has grown for many years.

I received the package in June and the bulbs had already been started in some soil. One even had it's first leaf.

The picture on the left is when they'd been in the ground for about a week. The picture on the right is from last night. They've only been in the ground for about a month and they are growing like crazy!

Sweet Gum Saga Finale

2009-06-26T13:19:00.004-04:00

The sweet gum tree, which suffered a big loss last Friday, came down this morning. It was time for it to go.
I am amazed by how quickly the tree company workers were able to remove it in it's entirety.

I think the back of the house looks naked...and the family room (just inside of the patio doors it a lot brighter and warmer now).

Probably will need to move a few of these plants which prefer shade. Their getting full morning sun now and a bit in the evening, too.

Sweet Gum Saga

2009-06-22T09:28:00.004-04:00

Remember this spring when I posted about how my backyard sweet gum's days were numbered? About how I despised those little balls it produces? About how I thought it might be time to cut it down?

This weekend I got my wish...but not exactly on my terms...

Friday night there were storms with wind gusts up to 50 mph. My sweet gum lost a substantial limb.

This limb is easily 50+ feet and that hole on the side of the tree is at least 4 feet tall. The limbs reach higher than my house, too.

I'm getting estimates on having the tree removed.

Vegetable Garden Pics -- June 2009

2009-06-19T13:45:00.002-04:00

Holy mole-y, the garden is growing like crazy!

With all of the rain, things have been growing very fast. This picture includes a ton of marigold (which have since been thinned), onions, bell peppers, 4 basil plants (some of which has since been used for some delicious pesto), rosemary, cucumbers, green beans, and lots of mixed lettuce/spinach (some of which has been used for salads and sammy toppings).

And here are the tomatoes. The 'better boy' already has 5 or 6 green tom-toms. I can't wait!

This, compared to less than a month ago, is just amazing!

New (to me) herbs!

2009-06-08T16:25:00.003-04:00

Just confirmed what a couple of perennial herbs in the herb garden are!

This is winter savory.
I'm told it's good in green beans.

This is oregano. I have a lot of it and am willing to divide.
I'm told it's better dried than fresh.

This I still don't know what it is. It's an herb -- I know it looks like bee balm, but it's not...

Vegetable Garden 2009

2009-05-26T16:48:00.004-04:00

The vegetable garden is completely planted. This is strongly modeled off of the Square Foot Gardening method, with "Mel's Mix" as the planting mix of choice.

You can see both beds here. They are 4' by 8'. The raspberries are to the south of the beds.

This is the bed with the tomatoes. There are 2 Early Girl, 2 Romas, 1 Sweet Cherry 100, 1 Purple Cherokee, 1 Better Boy and 1 Brandywine.

There are also some sunflowers, 'Autumn Beauty' and a mound of zucchini and yellow summer squash each. There will be a trellis (like the one on the other bed for the cucumber) for the vines.

This bed contains lettuce, mesclun, and spinach. Nearest to the camera are a bunch of marigolds. There are also onions and carrots, green beans 'french fillet' and cucumber 'market more'. Basil, oregano, rosemary and cilantro are the herbs. And there are 5 peppers -- 2 California Wonder (green), 1 yellow, and 2 red (one is the 'Fat and Sassy' -- yes, it was only purchased because of it's name.)

For many reasons, I am hoping for some of the best produce and in huge abundance this year. I'm trusting in SFG and Mel's Mix...

My "how to" on Building a Rain Barrel

2009-05-21T11:18:00.006-04:00

Almost a year ago I purchased a 55 gallon drum via CraigsList. My intentions were to make a rain barrel and, finally, I've completed (well, almost -- you can see I need to do some more painting) this project.

I should have painted it before putting everything together. This was electric blue, so I found some spray paint, specifically designed to be used on plastic. This color is cocoa bean.

After all of the recent rains, this bad boy is full and ready to water.

Here are the steps we took to make this happen (which is a bit different than other instructions I've found):

Acquire large container. I'm told pop producers generally sell these for pretty cheap.
Remove old downspout and affix an adjustable downspout (I bought this one at Lowe's for about $8), so that the water will run directly to the input hole of the barrel.
Cut a hole in the top of the barrel (we used a hand saw for this, I'm sure a reciprocating saw would have make this simple)
Drill a hole near the bottom of one side (we used a 1" hole bit) -- this is where the water will come out, and one near the top of the opposite side -- this is where the overflow will leave
Cut a piece of window screen/wire mesh for the input hole on the top
Screwed the wire into the plastic to cover said hole
Installed super handy (and available at my local Ace Hardware, $10 each) contraptions that take the place of washers, silicone, etc. to make a tight seal for both the spigot at the bottom and the overflow valve
Attached 3/4" spigot and 3/4" bib (to attach a a drain hose)
Painted it (I suggest doing this at the beginning of your project)
Put it in place on 2 cinder blocks
Attached 5 foot hose to the overflow bib attachment
Collected water!

Remember to close (aka turn off) the spigot, or your rainwater will just run out of the barrel...

Or, if this sounds too complicated, you can always buy one. If you're in Indianapolis, I suggest buying one from Keep Indianapolis Beautiful. They will plant a tree for each barrel purchased.

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - May 2009

2009-05-15T10:10:00.006-04:00

May is when things really start picking up around this Zone 5b garden. I've almost made it through one complete year at this house, so I'm still finding new gems (and some that are not-so-gem-like) that were left by the previous owner(s). Slowly but surely the gardens become more of me and less of them. Here are some thing I found blooming...

Many "firsts" happened this week:

The first peony -- our state flower.

The first blooms opened on the clematis vines. I'm not sure of the name of this pink one, but I really like it.

The first perennial geranium, barely peaking out of the foliage.

The first irises. I love the smell of irises--it reminds me of helping my neighbor in her garden as a child. (Anyone know the name for the bi-color bearded iris above?)

Other blooms have been around for a week or so...

Lily-of-the-valley lurks underneath the lilacs.

Huge alliums bloom balls of purple.

The azalea has several blooms this year.

One of my favorite blooms tells me that raspberries will be here soon!

And now we come to wonderful blooms for which I have no name -- any help is appreciated here!Interesting, almost neon purple-blue flowers with a black base.

Large bush that within a few days went from nothing to spectacular!

And finally, I believe these a bulbs, perhaps related to crocuses as they have similar foliage. These tiny white flowers I've found in the herb garden and near some peonies.

Happy Bloom Day to all -- may the next month be full of beautiful blooms!

Finishing projects... and a new tool for the garden

2009-05-12T10:19:00.004-04:00

With all of the beautiful weather, I've been able finally work on some projects that have been building up for some time...

The raised beds are complete. We mixed a final batch of compost/vermiculite/peat moss over the weekend. Peppers and tomatoes (I'm really no good at growing these from seed, I've decided) were purchased from a local garden center, Habig Garden Center (oh, how I love Habig's). The majority of things were also planted on Sunday -- bush beans, cucumbers, various lettuces and spinach, basil, oregano, carrots and more. We got a late start to a few things (lettuce and carrots, but we should get at least a salad or so). The carrots I ordered were order specifically because they can be planted a bit later. Mel's Mix (from Square Foot Gardening) is terribly expensive to create. I better get the best produce ever to compensate for all of the money spent on this stuff...

More detail to come on the varieties of peppers and tom-toms...

The rain barrel is almost done! It's primed--all I need to do it pant it. Right now it's that electric blue, which doesn't exactly complement the brick facade. I bought the special plastic paint in "cocoa bean" and, after two coats, this puppy will be ready to go. Must finish it before the big rain tomorrow!

A future "how-to" post on this one to come as well...

And finally, because sometimes I feel like a old lady, and because I am really in the weeds (they are everywhere!), I bought myself a Vertex GARDEN ROCKER!! This small contraption is built of magic--it works so well for weeding an area and not feeling like your back/knees/legs are going to aching the next day. I picked mine up a Meijer near my Mom's house for only $20. After using it only once, I can tell you that it is worth it's weight in gold to me!

Rain Gutter Gardens

2009-05-06T11:23:00.004-04:00

What a cool idea -- especially for those who don't have a ton of space.

Attach nice looking rain gutters to the side of your house for a row of garden.

This idea came all the way from Alaska via the Juneau Empire.

New plants for me!

2009-05-04T15:54:00.006-04:00

I recently acquired several new plants through various means and I am pleased to share some of them with you...This lovely bleeding heart was a present to myself. I've been looking for one and this one just so happened to be right in front of me as I was entering, of all places, Kroger, my local supermarket. I've found they have some gems from time to time.

This was a fun find for me at the Indianapolis Museum of Art's annual Perennial Premiere. There were many plants that I was familiar with, but some very new and unusual plants as well. I found this cordylis lutea and loved it. It's great for shade, which is what I have the most of...

I also saw a Heuchera 'caramel'; it was beautiful but a bit rich for my taste (they only had one size: BIG) -- I'll try to find it elsewhere, though.

Finally, my neighborhood had a plant swap this weekend. It was great fun! Each person brought some plants to spare and share and the hostess even allowed us to take some starts from her own garden.
Besides the bee balm pictured above, I got a few irises (white and a yellow), a beautiful variegated hosta, and a geranium among a few others.
I think we're going to do this semi-annually (in the spring and the fall) and perhaps a neighborhood garden club will grow from this.

There was an explosion in my garden!

2009-04-26T21:51:00.004-04:00

An explosion of color!

I really like these red tulips. Their petals are pointed instead of round like the rest of my tulips.

Purple lilac bushes by the back door perfume the air.

These minnow daffodils flower in bundles and are minuscule compared to the others.

More tulips, orange and pink, in the back.

As I was potting up some hanging baskets this weekend, someone yelled, "Your flowers look great!" as they drove by my house. It absolutely made my day.

Thinning plants back for a new water hose

2009-04-16T14:24:00.001-04:00

I was recently gifted a new watering hose, so I bought a spiffy container to keep it rolled up nicely. It was a bit wider than what I used last year. And I remember feeling like I was going through a jungle to get to the water spicket last year.

Thus my project from Sunday:

Remove old crumbling rocks that lead to the spicket.
Dig up surrounding plants that will eventually grow to cover said spicket.
Replace old rocks with wider paving stones.
Put in new water hose and container.
Fill in holes with wood chips.

I think the finished product looks pretty good. We'll see if I need to thin back the plants even more. The one in the back on the left (I think it's a tall phlox) will need to be moved most likely.

This took a lot longer than anticipated as every time I went to plant the starts that I had just dug up, I ran into another task (generally weeding) that needed to be done before planting.

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - April 2009

2009-04-15T09:43:00.003-04:00

Happy Tax Day Everyone!

Although it's been quite rainy and dreary here lately, many spring blooms are here!

I believe this is a crab apple of some sort. I can't wait to see it bloom as this is the first year I've been at this house; I moved in too late last year to see the blooms.

Hyacinths and daffodils are still blooming everywhere. A few tulips have even shown some color.

This is the first time I've seen these pretties blooming as well.

A view of the front walk. This reminds me of a colored Easter egg.

Snow in April?!?

2009-04-06T16:27:00.002-04:00

I love Indiana. I woke up to snow falling. I then spent an hour in my PJs and winter coat hauling and placing various sheets, towels, tarps and buckets on my spring bulbs.

I'm not sure if that was a good use of my time, but I did it and I bet my plants are happy for it.

Spring work continues

2009-04-02T17:24:00.002-04:00

The second garden bed was dug yesterday and I'm hoping it will be complete by the end of the weekend. 2 beds that are 8' x 4' -- according to SFQ that should be plenty of space for everything we're going to plant.

I started some petunia and marigold seeds on Sunday as well. Basil and some others will be started in a week or so.

The tree people removed all most ALL of the brush! There are some larger logs and a small pile of sticks left. But for the most part, all of the stuff is gone! Persistence paid off for sure.

I win.

2009-03-31T11:16:00.002-04:00

As I was leaving for work this morning a Wright Tree Service truck with a chipper attached to the back was pulling up by my house.

They were there to clean up what was left from the installation of a new pole and rerouting the line to my neighbors. We'll see how much they actually clean up.

But, nonetheless, I WIN!

My brand new vegetable garden bed

2009-03-30T19:25:00.006-04:00

Thanks to Mr. Nolen's comment to my previous post about Vegetable Garden plans for 2009, I've come to learn of Square Foot Gardening.

Thus it has come to be in my backyard.

First I measured and dug out a 4X8 section. Then lined it with concrete pavers (I chose these because they will last longer than wood, but were cheaper than composite wood-like material).

"Mel's Mix" from Square Foot Gardening consists of 1/3 peat moss, 1/3 vermiculite and 1/3 various composts. I found all of these ingredients at a local garden center.

Then once it was well mixed, we hoisted it into the freshly dug bed. Four inches in the ground and four above.
One down, one to go.

More beautiful spring blooms

2009-03-28T11:29:00.002-04:00

Daffodils and hyacinths blooming everywhere! They started opening their buds over the weekend of the 20th.

The aroma near the front of my house where all of the hyacinths are is amazing!

Why IPL is on my bad side...

2009-03-27T11:08:00.005-04:00

Last fall, we had the Great Back Yard Clean-Up of 2008...limbs were cut down and chipped, brush was cleared and I was feeling pretty good about the way things looked in the "thicket that was."

Enter IPL (Indianapolis Power and Light)...

After calling a few times to ask about limbs hanging over power lines and the neighbor's power line being a bit too low, I never got a response. I figured it must not be a big deal or they were overwhelmed with requests, etc.

But no -- this was not the case. Over the winter, they came out and trimmed back all of those branches and they even installed a new pole to re-route my neighbor's line into their house (woot!). What they didn't do was take a single branch of what they cut down.

No, they left this mess for me to clean up:

And this is only half of it. There are 3 larger and taller than me piles as well as random limbs, branches and even large logs. I've called and called and actually talked with a few people regarding this issue.

According to them:
1. they don't cut down limbs on non-primary lines, which these are
2. they don't clean up after themselves during unscheduled maintenance, which this was

So here's my question...If you don't cut down those limbs, why did you come out and cut them down? Someone could have taken 2-3 minutes to explain this to me and I would have said: FINE.

Here's my other beef. Since you did come out and cut these down, why didn't you let me know that you'd be doing it? And why did it take you 3 months to do it?
If you'd come and taken care of it when I called you, I would have simply chipped this up when I rented a chipper!!

Now I have to spend even more time and money to clean this mess up again.
Thanks IPL!!

How to Build a Compost Bin (and it's cheap, too!)

2009-03-23T21:58:00.005-04:00

Aside from the compost tumbler, I need another location to "store" lawn, garden, and kitchen waste to make beautiful compost.

Enter: the compost bin.

I wanted something durable (the old homeowners left a compost area of deteriorating chicken wire and metal rods), but not too expensive.

Here's what I used for my compost bin:

4 wooden pallets (thanks, Mom!)
2 metal "L" brackets
3 metal hinges
1 gate hook
several screws

First I cleared the area. Then I put two pallets at 90 degree angle. I secured them with metal "L" brackets.

One bracket on top and one on bottom on each of the sides. Four in all.

It looked decent with just the 3 sides. But I wanted to have a hinged "gate" on the front.

So I added a pallet on the front and raised it a few inches to ensure that it would swing freely. The front pallet is attached with 3 hinges.

Here is a view from the side to see how high the front was raised. This is supported with a concrete paver on the ground.

And here is the final product, with lots and lots of fun yard things inside. The front latches to the side with a simple hook and eye closure. I can open it easily and use the pitch fork to stir things up a bit.

All together I spent less than $20 on all of the hardware. The pallets were free. It took me less than an hour (all together) to build.

*Note: it will save you some time and energy if you drill pilot holes in the pallets before drilling in the screws.

Dwarf Iris just missed bloom day

2009-03-21T14:45:00.000-04:00

This little guy and several of his friends came out on the 16th (just after Bloom Day this month). I haven't been home in a few days (traveling for work), so I'm not sure if there are any more delights blooming now. But I had to share this....

Purple Dwarf Iris
First bloomed 3/16/2009

I made compost!

2009-03-20T14:35:00.004-04:00

Last summer, I built a compost tumbler out of a trash can. I added all sorts of fun things to it: grass, leaves, dirt, spent plants, food waste, etc, etc. I added a few things over winter as well, but things didn't get moved around too much since it was cold.

This week I finished the compost bin (a future post, I promise!) and I decided to see just what was in the compost tumbler. After digging out some leaves, what was left of the Halloween pumpkins, and a few other bits and pieces, I saw it: COMPOST!

I always wondered how I would know it was ready. How will I be able to tell it's compost? What will it look like? How long will it take?

Well, it was obvious what was ready once I got to it. In total I have about 1/2 of a trash can. So far I've used some to amend soil that was dug up where I am creating a new vegetable bed. I used the amended soil throughout my flower beds.

Things to never plant -- Sweet Gum Tree

2009-03-16T14:24:00.005-04:00

I inherited a Sweet Gum tree with the purchase of my first home. Last summer it had big, green spherical seed pods. And in the fall, the foliage was beautiful. But then winter came and the interesting green pods are now brown and spiky.

And the seed pods are making a mess in my back yard!

They are prickly and hurt my feet when I'm walking around in flip flops.

In addition to this, a large branch fell out of this tree last fall when we had some strong windstorms. At some point before I moved in, the tree lost it's trunk. It's a wonky tree with lots of stubs because it's close to the house, many branches have been trimmed back.

I think the sweet gum tree's days are numbered. And it's a small number.

March Bloom Day 2009

2009-03-15T22:00:00.005-04:00

Today was beautiful and my crocuses thought so, too. So much that they decided to bloom today!

While picking up a couple of items to finish the compost bin (future post about that coming soon!), I noticed that my local Ace hardware had pansies. I picked up a couple of pots and was on my way.

It was a big day of working in the yard: raking and mulching the back flower bed, raking and seeding the front side yard, and working on the new compost bin.

I love spring.

Also...another blog by me!

2009-03-11T14:37:00.003-04:00

You might notice my blogger name has changed to KayGee...no longer Greenthumb Guthrie.

That's because I decided to start a second blog!! This one is more general...not as focused on my gardening endeavors. I'll keep posting here, but feel free to enjoy the other one.

iwantogotothere.blogspot.com

"I want to go to there..." -- made famous my Tina Fey in 30Rock.

The first buds of the year!

2009-03-11T10:04:00.004-04:00

The very first touch of color has arrived in the garden! The crocuses haven't bloomed, yet, but the yellow buds are out in full force! I will definitely have something for bloom day this month.

And if that wasn't enough, there are buds and bits of green of all kinds throughout the garden beds...

Spring time --one word -- WOOHOO!

Seeds, magical seeds

2009-03-05T16:52:00.003-05:00

I just received my order from Botanical Interests. I didn't buy too much from them -- starting seeds and successfully seeing them though to true "plant hood" has been somewhat of a challenge. So I'm going with the "easy" seeds this year.

Carrot Asian New Kuroda -- I chose this one because it indicated that it's "one of the sweetest carrots your will ever eat." (First year for growing carrots)

Bean Bush Tavera (French Filet) Organic Seed -- I chose this variety because it is a bush bean (I'm just not sure we have room for a pole bean) and because it had french in the description and I knew what they meant by haricots verts. (First year growing beans)

Cucumber Marketmore Organic Seed -- These were new this year and they just screamed "I'm delicious and easy to grow!!" So I bought them. These will be trained to grow up a trellis. I've not decided if I'll start them inside or just wait until it's warm enough outside. (Second year growing cucumbers, first time from seed)

I also purchased a packet of the Real Shady Mixed Seed in hopes of turning what was an overgrown area into a pretty area of blooms. We shall see!

Big Plans for 2009

2009-02-09T16:34:00.004-05:00

Spent some time this weekend thinking about the veggie garden this year. As you may remember, building new raised beds is amongst the big leftover projects of 2008 (building a new compost bin is another one).

I'll be going from one bed to two and from roughly 80 square feet to 120. And while I wish the raised beds would have been completed last fall, I know that it will get done early this year because I have big plans for the vegetable garden in 2009. BIG PLANS! Well, big for me.

Here's a lovely sketch (kudos to Jason for getting my paper into digitally recognized content) of those plans:

So here we have the sketch (and a key on the right). The two new raised beds will be approximately 6' by 10.5' each. And they will be full of veggie goodness. I'm hoping that we've allotted enough space (but not too much) for all of this.

More on this soon!

Orchid Excitement

2009-02-05T13:50:00.004-05:00

With the weather so cold and lots of snow, there isn't much motivation these days to blog about gardening.

However, there is a bit of exciting news about an orchid I've brought to my office:

It might RE-BLOOM!

I purchased this orchid from a big box store in July and the flowers were present until October. I read up on how to make them re-bloom quickly. I clipped the stem back to the next node. A few months later, I brought it to work, where it lives amongst a co-workers orchids in a east-facing window.

And now...there are three "branches" with buds growing! I have no idea how long it will take for them to bloom, but I am hopeful that it will be soon.

Bloom Day (or lack there of) Jan 2009

2009-01-16T16:38:00.005-05:00

The blooms around here are lacking, that is for sure.
My desire to even think about outdoors (a whopping -11 degrees this morning!) is lacking as well.
My lone new bloom is the poinsettia from the holidays.
There are still a few of the same from December's Bloom Day, too.

It's cold and all that I want to do is stay under the covers.
Keep warm, everyone!

The great bulb experiment of 2008

2009-01-06T10:09:00.007-05:00

A few weeks ago, I found some bulbs in the garage. I had forgotten to plant them in the fall and it now being truly winter, I wasn't sure what to do. I consulted Carol at May Dreams Gardens, a fellow Indianapolis gardener (who is much more knowledgeable than I).

Would they survive? Should I plant them? Should I force them? Should I just save them for next year? Should I throw them away or into the compost pile?

Mind you this is when we had about an inch of ice on the ground and the high a few days before was 15. She said if it warmed up enough to thaw the ground before Christmas, she'd suggest planting them. If it didn't warm enough, try to force them in a container.

As luck would have it, there was one glorious day of 45 degree weather! Not that warm, but maybe just enough to get them into the ground to see what would become of these forgotten pretties.

I got the bulbs in the ground. They had already started to grow in the garage. On the left you see muscari. These are what I most concerned about in terms of living. They seemed a bit dry and brittle.

I planted these under the sugar gum tree in the back where I had planted some tulips earlier in the fall.

The minnow daffodils on the left were starting to grow as well, but they are larger so I'm not as concerned about these. Some of these went in the back by the butterfly bush and other are in front of some hostas in front of the fence. I also planted some wood hyacinths and a few other small bulbs in front of the lilac bushes.

And that is the great bulb experiment of 2008. We shall see if they bloom come spring time (that is of course if the squirrels haven't dug them all up)! It will be a big surprise, too, when they do appear because I certainly didn't plan where everything went.

Bloom from this summer

2008-12-21T14:29:00.000-05:00

My aunt and garden mentor sent me home with some plant starts this summer. Among them was what she called a moon flower. I planted the starts and waited patiently. In September, it happened! A bloom and what a beautiful one!

From my research this seems to be a Datura Wrightii. Some common names include Moon flower, Jimson Weed and Thorn Apple.

It has some hallucinogenic qualities I hear and is considered poisonous. YIKES! I like it enough to keep it around, though.

We'll see if it decides to come back next year. Several of it's common names I found for it included the word weed, so it's likely that it will come back even stronger.

I don't remember seeing any of these seed pods, but they look pretty neat.

Happy Holidays!

2008-12-19T13:37:00.002-05:00

Happy Holidays to everyone!

My stockings are hung and so is the mistletoe.
The tree is bedazzled and so is my mantle.
Poinsettias are here and so are the cinnamon smelling pine cones.
Presents are wrapped and the cookies are baked.

Here's to a great weekend of holiday cheer!
(I'll be seeing the Polar Express tonight in 3-D!)

Bloom Day December 2008

2008-12-14T19:51:00.007-05:00

Oh the weather outside is frightful, and nothing is growing in my garden. Inside, it's another story. I have houseplants galore--many of which are passalong plants or ones I've seen at the store and thought were interesting.

Surprisingly, many are blooming right now, which makes for a great bloom day post (the indoor edition).

This little gal is in my bedroom and it matches perfectly. The little white with pink stripe flower just appeared this week.

This is a passalong plant; I have no idea what it is. I gave some starts to my mom. Her plant is probably 4 foot in diameter. It develops these pods of tiny white flowers.

This is a bloom on a spider plant that I started from a co-workers plant.

This is the end of a Wandering Jew (I don't know the technical term). I bought a huge hanging plant of this from a gal at the Broad Ripple Farmer's Market this summer. It stayed under my sugar gum tree until fall and was then divided into 3 plants for me and 2 for my mom.

Finally, this Gerber Daisy was a hostess gift from Ginger that I received today. I hosted a new tradition in my new house: a holiday baking day (girl's only)!

A better way to view the garden

2008-12-05T10:32:00.006-05:00

While I can't be outside right now (I think the high today is 28 degrees...brrrrr), a project that has now been completed does influence how I see the outside.

Earlier this week, this is what I looked through to see the front yard:

Single-pane, aluminum windows; original to the house, built in 1964...the epitome of energy efficient ;)

Now, THIS is what I look through (ta dah!):

Beautiful, double-pane, wood windows from Pella; tres chic; and the best thing...I have screens for my windows now! This means I can actually open them on fine spring days.

Yay for home improvement.

Do you see what I see?

2008-12-02T15:56:00.005-05:00

It's not very often I am home when there is light outside these days.
Isn't winter great (<--sarcasm)!?! Today, however, I had to run home to accept the delivery of my new windows (WOOHOO! <-- not sarcasm). Looking outside of my patio door, I saw birds--lots and lots of birds.

Do you see them? They are the black dots.

What about in this picture? Do you see what I see?
I see a bunch of unfinished projects from this fall. I see the stack of pavers that I am using to edge my new vegetable garden beds. I see the old pieces of rotting wood that used to be the edges of my vegetable garden. I see crates up against the fence that will eventually be the "walls" of my compost bin. And I see the leaves that were going to be put in that bin to make wonderful compost for next year.

I see all of the projects that I can think about this winter while I am trapped inside, waiting for spring to come.

RIP: Raised Garden Bed

2008-11-10T17:04:00.005-05:00

This weekend was one of many triumphs. The rest of the brush/limb/tree pile was chipped into tiny bits (it was left over from the last time we rented a chipper). The lawn was mowed and leaves collected. Many annuals were uprooted and composted. Indoor plants were repotted and brought inside.

But one of the most exciting things done this weekend, was tearing apart the raised garden bed. This is where the tomatoes and the zucchini were earlier this year and where the previous homeowners planted tomatoes and squash and eggplant for years and years. You can see it in this photo it's small, but it's the best one I have.

But now it looks like this:

This bed is approximately 4' x 20'. While this was plenty of space for the sparse garden of 2008, I have big vegetable plans for 2009. So we're going to build 2 beds in it's place. This one runs east-west. The two new beds are going to run north-south and will be 6' x 10'. We'll gain 40 square feet and it will all be usable space (where as at the end of this bed, it was pretty messy and the boards didn't align correctly at the end).

Look for a post soon on the finished product! Well, it could be spring by the time this happens. Perhaps the sun gods will bestow some more 60 degree days on me, but I'm not going to hold my breath.

Someone should tell those hornworms they are too late!

2008-11-06T11:42:00.007-05:00

A week or so ago I decided it was time to compost the tomato plants. While cutting them into smaller parts, I noticed some small white things on some of the leaves. Upon closer examination, I see there are more and they are attached to the ugliest, most disgusting thing ever: TOMATO HORNWORMS!

ACK! Someone should have warned the hornworms that they were a bit too late. They didn't get a hold of my tomato plants until after I was through with the harvest. Nevertheless, we squashed them. No hornworms are going to go into my compost pile. I found three in all. And they all had these little white things on them. I had no idea what they were, so I consulted my good friend Google on the matter.

According to this article they are parasitic wasp cocoons. They are wasp larvae that attach themselves to the hornworms, eat it's insides and eventually kill the thing. Good to know me and the wasps are on the same side.

Some days I do really like fall

2008-11-04T10:18:00.003-05:00

Like the other day, when Tod and I went for a walk around my neighborhood. We collected pretty leaves to press. They will perhaps be used next fall in Emily's wedding.

I like fall colors.
I like fall smells--pumpkin, bonfires.
I like fall sounds--crunchy leaves.

Crisp, but sunny days. We've been really lucky to have such wonderful weather in November. I hope it stays around for my big clean-up weekend this weekend!

My new favorite garden tool

2008-11-03T10:31:00.005-05:00

With fall clean-up comes several special projects this year. It's my first fall at this house and there are several projects I'd like to accomplish before winter settles in.

I've found a new favorite gardening tool for edging the flower beds.
Enter the Fiskars edging tool (I thought they just made scissors). I picked this guy up at Lowe's.

And it's done some amazing work at my house so far. I forgot to take a before picture, but here is an "after" picture of the bed between the sugar gum and the patio.

You can see the lovely edge the tool has created. And it's so easy. I assume I could have done this with another hoe, but I felt like this tool would make the job so much easier.

You can see the clumps of grass and soil it unearths when in use. The grass will go to the compost bin and once I have some bulbs planted beneath the tree, I'll add some wood chips on top.

Garden Sketch: by the Mailbox

2008-10-27T09:29:00.004-04:00

This is a small space that I've prettified with some plants.

I made this sketch with my Tablet PC...how do I have a Tablet PC or even know about them? Because I work for a company that creates and sells Ink enabled (I won't write it here, because it will come up in everyone's email thanks to Google alerts)software to schools. But if you are really, really interested (hey, we're doing really cool stuff for education), Google search "Tablet PC replay education." A post about the company will be the first result. You can take it from there. :)

Anyway, I created this picture in InkArt, part of Microsoft's Experience Pack.

It has all of the flowering perennials and I make mention of the bulbs, tulips and hyacinths, that are planted there. This is the one spot, thus far, at my new how, that is truly mine. I dug up everything and put in what I wanted and took out what I didn't. More sketches to come for sure!

Vacation Pics, Part Two (Grand Canyon)

2008-10-24T14:23:00.002-04:00

If you've never been to the Grand Canyon, you're missing out. This was my first chance to see one of the coolest 7 Natural Wonders of the World. It is amazing! It's very difficult to really understand how big it really is.
We drove along the South Rim, stopping at several points to look out over this massive hole in the ground. You can see the different types of rocks in layers, which indicate how old they are.
And of course, there's the reason the Grand Canyon exists: the Colorado River. We didn't actually hike down the canyon or get to the river -- hopefully, though we can on the next trip! You can hike down, ride mules, go rafting and more. An entire vacation could be spent in the Grand Canyon alone.

Fall Clean-up 2008

2008-10-24T09:34:00.002-04:00

Fall clean-up will be happening this weekend. I need to get busy like the squirrels.

Moving the compost pile will be first.

Then...
The tomato plants will head to the compost pile.
The sad-looking annuals will head to the compost pile.
The leaves will head to the compost pile.

Oh, and the rest of the bulbs will be planted.

Those are the goals for this weekend. According to the weatherman, Sunday looks like the best day to do it.

Vacation out West , Part One (Sedona)

2008-10-17T15:41:00.004-04:00

The view from our suite. We stayed at the Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliff Resort in Phoenix, AZ. One day it reached 100 degrees. Luckily I was just a few paces from the pool. That's where you could find me most of the week.

ROAD TRIP: Here is the Bell Rock near Sedona in the Coconino National Forest. They call this area red rock country...because the rocks, the "dirt", everything is well...red.

Quick side trip to Montezuma's Castle. This homestead actually had nothing to do with Montezuma, but the first folks who found it figured it belonged to him, but it was actually built by the Sinagua tribe about 600 years ago. I watched a squirrel race about 100 feet up the cliff to continue to build his home.

These are just a few highlights from vacation and more will follow soon.

Vacation out West

2008-10-06T21:24:00.002-04:00

On vacation this week!

Got to Phoenix on Saturday and spent the day on Sunday at the pool.

We're doing some traveling throughout Arizona now and taking lots of pictures. Future posts will include some. :)

All in a weekends work: Tree trimming and brush clearing

2008-09-29T22:39:00.009-04:00

When I bought my house this spring, I really did fall in love with the yard. It was just the right size for my first yard, there was an area already there for vegetables, and lots of flower beds, too. I also liked that the yard had several mature trees--my house was built in the 60's as one of the Indianapolis 'burbs (now it's a part of the city, for sure). I also appreciated the fully fenced back yard with some trees growing around the fence line which provided some privacy.

Here's what I saw once I took off the new homeowner, rose-colored glasses:
Mulberry trees, overgrown bushes and shrubs, mulberry trees, brush piles, rotting wood piles, over flowing flower beds, mulberry trees, and a raised vegetable bed that was sure to be falling a part within a few years. Oh, and did I mention mulberry trees?? So that is what led to my fall project list.

I know the list is long, but I felt like these things really need to happen now instead of later (I'm now re-thinking the list...considering I'm not yet done with even one of these things and it's practically October).

My parents came to town to help out this past weekend to assist with cutting down trees, trimming up shrubs, and chipping it all.

I immediately took my post at the chipper rented from Sunbelt Rentals. A word about Sunbelt and my experience with this chipper: On-line it says that this is a 4" chipper. This means it should chip up anything with a 4" or smaller diameter limbs, sticks, etc. I called to ask a few questions about the chipper and was told it is actually 3" and was immediately "up-sold" to the 6" chipper (amounting in about $125 more). I declined. When the guys went to pick up the chipper they said it would only handle 1.5" diameter---excuse me? But you said 3" on the phone!
The chipper worked fine...for about 5 hours off and on...then white smoke bellowed from the belt and no more chipping occurred. Mind you this is Saturday at about 4:40. They close at 5. We called and they wouldn't take back the chipper that day (had to wait until Monday morning) and they wouldn't let us come get another one.

Nevertheless, the work was not finished.

My dad, aka Rambo, is seen here sharpening his tools. He is preparing to tackle the back edge of my lawn, where these woody shrubs have grown out from the property line about six feet.

He and mom are just getting started on the area.

And this is what it looked like when they were done! I've gained about 5 extra feet of yard!

Now I can see my neighbors and the transformers back here. This is unacceptable. I'm going to check out ornamental grasses that will grow tall in part shade.

With the chipper dead, Tod and I decided to just start piling it up by the maple tree in the back. On the left you can see the pile of wood chips we were able to create. On the right you can see the new brush pile. That new brush pile is about 7 feet tall and 12 feet long. Now I either have to rent a chipper again or see if there is a tree service who will come out and chip it up and leave the chips for me.

Sore

2008-09-29T11:12:00.003-04:00

Backbreaking work this weekend...hauling, digging, raking, dumping, cutting, moving, chipping, stacking.

I can't wait to get pics up. I can see a huge difference in my yard, but I'm not so sure if you were a new visitor to my house, you'd notice.

My bulb booty bounty

2008-09-21T20:32:00.005-04:00

Many reasons for the name of my post...
1. I love alliteration. It is one of my favorite things to use in fun writing opportunities (I serve as the VP of Funness, aka Social Chair, at work and have to get co-workers excited in e-mails. Alliteration is way to do that...)
2. the word "booty" is used in the post to pay homage to Talk like a Pirate Day, which just took place on September 19th. According to this website which schools you in how to talk like a pirate says that, for pirates, booty is treasure...which is exactly what this was! BURIED TREASURE!
3. And lastly, it is certainly a bounty! Check out these pictures...

This is an entire work bench in my garage. On it there are all of the bulbs that I dug up from my old place. There are alliums, tulips, daffodils, crocuses, a few minor bulbs, and a couple of surprise lilies.
That postal box on the left is full of seeds from Tod's mom--we went through her garden and gathered tons of seeds! (Those are California Poppies peeping out.)

This is a picture from the side that was cut out of the above pictures. Those are the surprise lilies and muscari.

This picture is of the top of a bankers' box. It is full to the brim with tulips and a few crocuses.
All together digging all of this up took four trips to my old place (and Tod helped on two of those trips). All of these beauties are going to go in my new yard soon and there will be tons of beautiful color next spring!

Fall projects: raised vegetable garden beds, edging, bulb planting

2008-09-16T19:17:00.004-04:00

So there are a number of projects I'd like to complete before it gets too cold to be outside. I'm making an ambitious list--after all, this is my first fall in the house. This is a great time to do plenty of projects--it's cool outside and the rush of things to do in the summer is gone.

Fall Projects:

Plant bulbs -- I have tulips, daffodils, irises, crocuses, alliums, and a few others (that is all from the old house, which I dug up and brought with me). New bulbs include hyacinths, minnow daffodils, dwarf iris, more crocuses, and wood hyacinths.
New bed in the side yard -- at some point a previous homeowner thought it would be smart to put down a ton of pea gravel in the side yard. My goal is to dig out about 6" of a section of this, along the privacy fence, and put in some plants. It's under a big maple tree, so these plants have to like the shade. I'm thinking hostas, astilbe, bleeding heart, spring bulbs, wood hyacinths, etc.
Raised veggie beds -- I have one now...but the soil is trash, it runs east-west, it's too close the raspberries, and the wood is rotting. I think I want to create 2 beds that run north-south, with fresh soil, encased in the composite decking so that it will last longer and I don't have to worry about painting it and making sure bad things don't leach into the soil.
Clean up the raspberries--these things are running wild! There are black-eyed Susans, a peony, a rose bush, and lamb's ear through out and at the edge of the raspberries. In an ideal world, I'd put in a post at each end with wire between to get the brambles to grow up, instead of out.
Prune trees--this is a massive undertaking. Everything is so overgrown. My dad is coming to visit next weekend with the "machula" (aka the chainsaw) to work on this. I'm renting a chipper for this as I don't see how I would possibly burn everything that will come down. I anticipate easily gaining 6 extra feet on the back of my property once all of the shrubs are trimmed back.
Re-seed the lawn--honestly, it's more weeds than lawn and with the addition of more land near the back, we'll want to seed that, too!
Edge the flower beds--was gifted some black plastic bed edging and I purchased a bunch of limestone recently. None of my beds have a clean edge and this should be done.
Thin flowers--since I've not lived through a full season of the flowers here, I don't want to get too crazy since I don't want to pull out flowers. BUT...some things have got to go..or be moved at least.

Can I get this all done in time?? I'll keep you posted on the progress!

Bloom Day -- September 2008

2008-09-15T20:37:00.004-04:00

Well, there are a few flowers the high winds didn't destroy yesterday. The elephant ears look like they've been pelted by a B.B. gun and the black-eyed Susans are partially horizontal. I had 3 good size (~12'-15') fall out of the sugar gum tree. Thankfully it didn't fall on the house and only damaged some of a butterfly bush and ripped my patio table umbrella.

Now for the blooms!

This little bee is getting his fill of pollen from the golden rod.

Some of the hostas continue to bloom through September.

The Japanese anemone does as well.
I'm assuming this is some sort of morning glory. It is a bright blue with purple stripes. At first I thought it was from the clematis that grows close by.
The tall phlox continues to bloom and be incredibly beautiful and fragrant just outside the back door.

The mums are blooming on the front steps, the hanging baskets of petunias and geraniums continue to add color to the front of the house.

What bulbs to order? Minor bulbs, spring bulbs, summer bulbs...

2008-09-12T13:41:00.002-04:00

It's dreary outside and fall has certainly started showing it's face around here--falling temperatures, leaves turning.

I'm debating about what, if any, bulbs to order. I dug up a huge bounty from the old place and need to get those in the ground. But it just feels right to order some more!

Minor bulbs do a good job for some low lying, early spring color. Color is something I definitely need in the front yard. It's just too plain up there for me!

But I remember before I bought the house, there were hyacinths blooming in the front and so were a couple of sparse tulips. I love hyacinths...perhaps I'll buy some of those. Tulips I have a ton of...but they are one of my favorites. You can never have too many.

I think I might check out Habig's selection. they had some lovely dwarf irises a few years ago that I really liked.

It sho' wasn't a fungus -- Squash Vine Borers

2008-09-04T14:27:00.006-04:00

So remember when I said that a stinking fungus attacked my squash and zucchini?? Yeah, a few weeks ago in this post.

Well, it turns out I was wrong! I consulted Carol, over at May Dreams Gardens, another Indiana gardener and asked for her opinion. "Squash vine borers," she said...er, wrote...in a comment in my blog.

While I believed Carol, I wanted to see it with my own eyes. A few articles I read on the Internet said you can find them gnawing through the stems of your vines if you catch them earlier enough.

With steak knife in hand I marched out to the last crookneck yellow squash plant and slit that sucker down the middle. Sure enough, there were two little culprits responsible for destroying my last squash plant.

So naturally my response was to stab them, several times each, and them burn them with the rest of the vines in the fire pit.

You can see them there on the left in the middle of the picture. They were less than an inch long and cream in color with a spot of brown on the end.

Upon further inspection I also found these little brown dots and whole load of ugly, nasty little creatures. You can barely make them out in the picture, but this webpage has a better image.

SQUASH BUGS! EVERYWHERE! I found tons and tons of these little brown eggs on my squash.

These suckers when into the fire, too! BURN SUCKERS!

I think next year I need to wage organic pesticide war before these take over another veggie garden of mine.

"Name that Plant" forum makes me swoon

2008-08-28T10:59:00.004-04:00

Magic and the power of the Interwebs have combine forces in the "Name that Plant" forum on iVillage's GardenWeb.

In my last post, I put up some pictures of beautiful, but name-unknown plants. I decided to try my luck with the forum. I believe I first saw it in a comment on another blog.

I'm happy to report that in less than a day, both of my blooms were identified!

The tiny purple buds are from a meadow rue plant and the magenta flowers are a Japanese anemone.

So anytime you're not quite sure of what plant you have on your hands (be it a weed, a tree or shrub, or a flower), go to the Name that Plant forum, post a picture and watch the magic happen!

Some pretties around the yard

2008-08-26T22:19:00.003-04:00

Time to share pictures of some pretties in bloom!

Black-eyed Susans! There are a ton of these and they are stunning!
I have no idea what these dainty flowers are. They grew from a woody stem and at first I thought they were columbine because of the shape of their leaves. These blooms are about as tall as I am.
This is another plant that I don't know. The buds look like a furry sphere and then they bloom into the little purple buds that you see here.
I believe this is butterfly bush. It's pretty and tall and has several stems.
And more black-eyed Susans--'cause they are so great!

But now for some happy and some lycopene

2008-08-21T17:36:00.005-04:00

Finally, the tomatoes are getting very, very close to ripening and being eaten! Well, the cherry tomatoes have been doing well for awhile now. I still haven't taken that off of the vine, waiting for it to get delicious and red. It's a 'big boy' tomato. I also have an heirloom variety, 'Pink Caspian.'

I'm so glad these aren't dying...yet.

Ack! What is happening to my vegetable garden?!?

2008-08-20T13:07:00.005-04:00

From the looks of this lovely crook-neck squash you'd think I'd be basking in an plentiful bounty o' veggies right now.

But you would be wrong. "Why's that?" you ask. Because I have a visitor called verticillium wilt (at least that's what I believe it is...this site told me so). This visitor to my garden has decided to kill all of my cucumbers, squash and zucchini.

This is the end of the squash that still looks fine. But the stem and it's first major leaves are wilted and grey/yellow now.

Remember earlier this summer when I was so proud to have produced my first vegetable? The magic is gone and reality of a fungus has set in.
These are my three zucchini plants. The fungus got all of these as well.

These two pictures are a closer look at the stem close to the ground.

Here's one plant that literally crumbled apart when I tried to take a closer look.

Does anyone have any suggestions? A few people have suggested crop rotation (plant non-vine-y things there) or solarize my raised bed next year...what would you do?

Do your part, you buffoon!

2008-08-18T15:49:00.006-04:00

So I recently read a blog post asking people if they recycle, why they recycle and how they recycle.

Although I am a fairly new convert to the whole "green" movement and recycling and all of that know-your-carbon-footprint shenanigans, I am trying to do what I can and tell others to do it, too.

Here is a somewhat all-inclusive list of what I'm doing to --go green, go local, go whatever...

RECYCLE...okay people THIS IS NOT HARD (at least not in Indy).
Keep Indianapolis Beautiful (KIBI) has a fabulous webpage of where to take all of your recyclables including everything from bathtubs to old CDs (much more is recyclable than I ever thought, by the way). The easiest things to recycle are paper, plastics #1 and #2, glass and aluminum as most recycling locations take these and in some cities (Indy included) they will even do curbside pick-up.

Other items I physically take somewhere else to recycle:

plastic bags (I'm trying with the canvas and fabric reusable ones and I do really well remembering to take them with me to the grocery, but always forget when I got to Target, Lowe's, etc) -- Sprawlmart and Kroger accept these (Kroger will also take plastic packaging and dry cleaning plastic
cardboard --Republic Services has a location near 86th and Ditch that accepts cardboard. Almost everything comes in cardboard packaging--this can be recycled (or some can be put in the compost bin)
Plastics #3-#7 -- this one is new. I just found a place downtown that accepts #3-#7 called Indianapolis Recycled Fiber so I'll be hauling it a trunkful at a time (gotta conserve gas!)down there. Almost all food containers (yogurt, dips, fruit, butter) seem to come in #5 so I was seeing a lot of that end up in my trash can.

COMPOSTING! So you all know about the compost tumbler and the compost pile. And we already know (from the To Compost or not to Compost post) that all yard and food waste (that is veggie and fruit) go into the compost pile.

Oh, and the newest helper for the compost pile: the compost bucket from World Market.

A W.I.P. (work in progress): the RAIN BARREL. The goal of the rain barrel is to collect rain water and save it for the times when you need to water the lawn. You can use water collected in the rain barrel--it's not treated like the water from the hose and, best of all, it's free!

And, of course, growing your own food is keeping it local, organic and tasty.

I buy as much as I can from Thrift Stores (like Goodwill!) and garage sales. The plan is to re-use or re-purpose it for my house. Granted sometimes this takes some imagination and crafty skill, but it is amazing what you can find. (That will be a future post...)

So, that is a good introduction to doing your part. Oh, and ride a bike instead of driving when you can.

My ReadyMade Proposal

2008-08-05T08:34:00.009-04:00

This is my proposal for the ReadyMade Garden Challenge of 2008!

I bit the bullet—I bought a house! I’ve been living in my new abode now for just over two months and I’m ready to embark on my first big project in the garden (while being thrifty, eco-friendly, and pocket-book conscious).

The project centers on a fire pit and incorporates aspects that will encourage birds and pollinators to stop by and enjoy. I have a movable fire pit now---which has created many burn spots in my yard (oops). So I will create a “perma-pit” either with the one I already have or by building one into the ground.

My plan includes reusing items I already have (such as pots and trellises) and items I hope to find for free or next to free (like the pile of bricks left here by the previous owners or the free wood chips that a local tree service will deliver).

I will have to buy some items such as a bird bath or fountain. A bird house will have to be made or purchased. And flowers must be purchased.

As you can see, there are some plants that already exist nearby, including some tall grass, Daylilies, Black-eyed Susan, and Evening Primrose. These will be thinned and additional native perennials that attract birds, bees and butterflies will be added. Ideally, I’ll incorporate flowers such as columbine, butterfly weed, false sunflower, purple coneflower, and other flowering perennials recommended by the Indiana native Plant and Wildflower Society (of course depends on what the local nursery has in stock).

Finally, not directly in the space, but just beyond it, I’ll be building a rain barrel that will catch rainwater from the down spout and allow me to water my new garden with free water. The barrel I already have for this project is a very industrial, bright blue. As is, this would stick out like a sore thumb in my yard. Therefore, I will repurpose some old wood, rope and scrap metal to cover the outrageous blue.

There is a huge amount to accomplish in one month; but, with the right tools, some really good friends to help, and some luck, I’ll have a fabulous haven for s’more making and bird bathing.

DIY: No-sew new-to-me chair (for the garden room, of course!)

2008-07-30T16:11:00.006-04:00

Here is the before pic--a hideous, I'm thinking 70's chair with lime green velvet and a funk that made the birds fly away. I think this is the one that had a mouse living in it at some point.

Why do I own it? Because I saw fabulous "bones" and a fabulous price ($7.99 at Goodwill). It shall be re-claimed for my garden room, where I am attempting to bring the outside in.

PROJECT TIME!

Tools and materials you'll need:

needle nose pliers
something with a flat edge for removing staples (I use a flat head screw driver)
gloves (these things are just dirty)
hand sander
spray paint
2 yards of fabric (the pretty kind)
2 feet of muslin or plain fabric
2 feet of quilt batting
2" foam (for the cushion)
staple gun (and staples)
clear glue (I used Welder in the red tube) -- NOT hot glue
embellishments, cording, etc

Steps:

1. Strip off all of the fabric, staples, glue, foam, padding, etc. This is what mine looked like when I was all done.

2. Take your pick--strip, sand and stain OR sand and paint. I chose the later because I wanted a lighter finish than the wood. Plus, I wouldn't know how to care for the caning properly to stain. I used 1.5 cans of spray paint on this one chair to get good and even coverage.

This stuff was the easy part. I'd done all of these things before. Now I was embarking to new territory--re-upholstery!

3. Making the seat.

First I put a layer of muslin over the squiggly metal pieces and trimmed my 2" foam to fit into the seat. Next I covered the foam with a layer of batting and now it was time for my fabric (sorry I didn't take pictures of these steps!)

Staple the fabric in the middle of the front of the chair, pull firmly and staple the opposite side in the middle. Make sure you have a couple of inches overhang. Work slowly to the sides. On this chair I was lucky enough to have a indentation where I put the staples. The most frustrating part of this entire project was making sure the fabric lies flat and still looks nice. On the corners I made a fold so the fabric didn't bunch.

I then took an Exacto knife and cut off the excess fabric. I finished it with some golden braid, which fit perfectly into the indentation. I used the clear glue to adhere it to the chair.

As for the top I re-used the cardboard insert and the brads from the old chair. I re-covered the brads using a different fabric and I adhered this using Aileen's craft glue. I then took fabric and covered the cardboard insert (again with the clear glue)

Once it was re-covered, I attached it to the chair using the Welder glue.

Voila! The finished product! A vast improvement for the eyes and for the nose.

Oh, oh it's magic!

2008-07-24T09:32:00.005-04:00

Da-dah!

It's the first "fruit" of my labor. The first zucchini has come off of the plant and is ready to be eaten.

I call this magic, because just a few months ago I was putting the seeds in a peat pot. He was planted in early June, so I think we would have had some earlier had I put him in the ground earlier. Moving prevented that.

This guy is about 10 inches long--on Monday he was only 4 or 5. I think the water from the storms really helped. There are about 4 more currently growing getting ready to be devoured.

With the first zucchini comes my first zucchini recipe:

***While you have an abundance of zucchini now, they are hard to come by or expensive in the winter. Grate zucchini, measure the right amount and store in freezer bags. Then you'll have the necessary ingredients for this tasty treat year round.

Zucchini Bread (I loved making this with Mom when I was a kid)

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 1/4 cups white sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla extract (the expensive stuff is well worth it!)
2 cups grated zucchini
1 cup chopped walnuts (some people think the walnuts are optional, I think these people are crazy)

Directions

Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch loaf pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.

Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini and nuts until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool.

**Can be stored in the refrigerator for a few weeks or frozen for months.

YUM!

July Bloom Day!

2008-07-15T10:50:00.004-04:00

Firstly, it's important to welcome a new friend at In the Weeds. Freddie is our resident flamingo. He comes to us by way of the local JoAnn's fabrics and I think he's just fabulous.

Phlox in many colors all over the back of the house. Light purple, bright purple, and white are blooming now.
Coneflower--so pretty and it makes the bees happy.
Gaillardia 'Arizona Sun' -- this is the first flower I personally planted at the new house. I think it's taken a liking to it's new home.
Daylilies are everywhere! Most of them are this double, orange variety. But I have a few beautiful creamy pink ones.
Finally, shasta daisies hidden amongst the coneflowers and others (read: weeds) in the side yard.

All of the veggies (except the peppers) are blooming: tomatoes, cucumbers, squash and zucchini. There are still a few rose buds, salvia, and geranuims.

The black-eyed susans are budding. They are going to be spectacular!

Craft time: Scarf canopy!

2008-07-14T14:17:00.008-04:00

So this project is from the summer when I broke my foot (broken foot occurred during the epic weekend in Nashville, when Noah and I visited my friend Laura).

Nevertheless, it's a fabulous craft DIY project.

What you need:
Assortment of scarves (mine was a patchwork so I wasn't too particular)
Hot glue gun and glue sticks
Scissors
Fishing wire
Needle (with an eye large enough for the fishing wire)

Steps to make this fabulous creation:

1) Arrange the scarves how you'd like for them to fit together. I tried to make it so I would cut as little as possible. I also hung mine over a twin bed, so make sure it's wide and long enough.

2) Cut the pieces so that they fit together with about 1/2 inch over lap.

3) Hot glue gun time! Go slowly; complete an end before adding any length.

4) Once all of the pieces are assembled, determine where you would like your "hanging points." Again, mine was over a bed, so I put the canopy on the bed (like a blanket) and found the corners. Stitch a piece of the fishing wire through the canopy (it's best if it can go through the seam where 2 scarves meet).

5) Tie a knot in the fishing wire and hang. I used small plastic hangers from 3m (the ones with the sticky piece that can easily be removed). The canopy will look like it is hovering over the bed, since the fishing wire is clear.

This is my finished project--some are more transparent than others, some are patterned and others are solid.

Garden Goodies Recipe: Asparagus and Tomato Salad

2008-07-09T12:39:00.006-04:00

This delectable dish has become a fast favorite. It's quick, easy, and you can make some changes to alter the flavor. Almost all of the ingredients come from the garden.

1. Blanch the asparagus. (Blanch = boil just for a few minutes until bright green, then place in a bowl of ice cold water to stop the cooking.)

2. While the asperagus are cooling, chop up 1/2 of a small red onion and a handful of cherry tomatoes in half.

3. Chop up several leaves of fresh basil.

4. Layer onions, tomatoes and basil on the asparagus and drizzle with the dressing of your choice (so far I've tried balsamic and italian).

5. Optional add-ons: goat cheese crumbles (I think this is not optional, as it is delicious), pine nuts (definitely optional, as it is expensive), oregano

6. ENJOY!

A Tear was Shed

2008-07-08T10:59:00.003-04:00

Last night I headed back to the old homestead to pick-up a few things. To my chagrin, but not to my surprise, the old garden is in shambles. A tear was shed.

Now don't get me wrong: this was a rental property and I did leave my flowers there (to be dug up later) when I moved out about a month ago.

HOWEVER...
No less than half of where I used to have flowers has been mowed over--day lilies, coreopsis, hostas, ivy, mums, irises, peonies....these are all things I know were there, but are no longer. Last year, the same guy cut down the rose bushes while they were still flowering!

Now, the part that hasn't been mowed over is basically a weed bed, not a flower bed. Oh there are lilies, salvia, cone flowers, and alliums peeking their heads out from the drudgery, but it doesn't look good.

I'm conspiring with the neighbors (the ones who face my old place) to do some work once I get my plants out of there. As of right now the plan involves, a lot of digging, newspaper, mulch and ground cover. The plan will be fleshed out in entirety at the housewarming over many pints of delicious keg beer.

Photos from Chicago Botanic Gardens

2008-06-26T10:53:00.004-04:00

Here's a brief collection of pictures from the Chicago Botanic Garden visit:

The rose garden was in full bloom during our visit. What I appreciated about the CBG is that there were signs describing the when these specific types of flowers bloom, where they thrive and when historically they were popular.

There were a few greenhouses. This orchid is in the tropical greenhouse. Orchids were growing on the limbs of a tree.
A picture of the Walled English Garden. The wisteria was blooming. It was very lush and green. I really liked this one.
A collection of cone flowers in the English Walled Garden.

There I am in the bulb garden enjoying a view of the aquatic garden.

I will definitely plan on returning when I am in Evanston again. It was a great place to enjoy the outdoors. It was free (sometimes a charge if you have a car) and you can even bring in your own cooler of drinks and food. You have to appreciate a garden that encourages you touch everything (in the sensory garden), that provides useful tips (and a free pepper plant!--in the veggie and fruit garden), and has a 3-island Japanese style garden.

Raspberries and the Battle de la thistle, Part Un...

2008-06-24T15:13:00.011-04:00

When I was watering the veggies last night, I noticed bright red spots---RASPBERRIES! Let the feast begin. I am so excited. I picked a few and almost finished the bowl before I got inside to share them.

Tonight I'm bringing out the thick leather gloves and a long sleeved tee to get as many as possible before the birds and rabbits figure it out.

The thistle behind the raspberries are officially taller than me. It's time to say "Au revoir!" to this monstrosity.

UPDATE: Battle de la Thistle, Part Un:

The enemy was taller than me. He was prickly and irreverent to my pleas to leave the raspberry patch. His roots were ingrained deep into the earth. He wasn't leaving without a fight.

I approached, took a deep breath and charged at the thistle. My leather gloves as my weapon, I uprooted them one by one. There were some injuries on my side: a few of the brambles were blindsided by my hand and got tied up in the duel.

Hours later, my brow was furled it was over and the heap of no-good weeds lies by the vegetable bed to prove my success. Soon they will be laid to rest in the compost pile or the fire pit.

I was pleased that we'd won the first battle and was kindly rewarded with a bowl of berries. But know this is one of many battles I'll have with the thistle. Ne'er will I let them grow as tall or strong as they had during "The Great Weeding Lapse of '08."

Cycling to the Chicago Botanic Gardens

2008-06-23T13:54:00.005-04:00

We took a mini-vacay Thursday - Sunday up to Evanston to visit Pentzer this weekend and brought the bikes along for the trip. I decided that I needed to visit the Chicago Botanic Garden and with plenty of bike trails leading up there according to their website(http://www.chicagobotanic.org/visit/biking.php), it made sense to bike there.

The path we took consists of taking the North Branch Trail, which leads through the Skokie Lagoon, to the north and came back south via the Greenbay Trail (excellent Chicago-land trail map site). We "mapped our ride" using mapmyride.com, a very cool website that allows you to draw your route on a Google map (so you can include trails, parking lots, parks, etc. All in all the trip was just about 19 miles and the best thing was the garden in the middle (pictures coming to a new post soon!).

Along the same vein, Whitney and I are truly considering the brand-spanking-new downtown sprint triathlon. The best (and perhaps grossest) part: swimming in the canal!

Literally in the Weeds

2008-06-17T14:32:00.002-04:00

So at the new place, I literally have more weeds than plants. It's incredible! How in the world did the thistle get taller than me? I got a small section done over the weekend, but it took over an hour.

It's going to take me forever to get out of the weeds.

Making a Compost Tumbler -- I'll tumble for ya!

2008-06-16T13:26:00.012-04:00

I can take absolutely no credit for the creation of this idea, only for making a post of step-by-step instructions. Anthony at The Compost Bin has a couple of posts about it and that's where I read about the Compost Tumbler; but, I wanted to post about how I did it.

So, I made a compost tumbler for less than $20--instead of paying $200 for a fancy one.

What you need:

A plastic garbage can with a lid

2 bungee cords

a drill

about a foot of screen typically used for windows
hot glue gun and glue

a hole-making drill bit

This is the one I used--2.5".

It was less than $10.

Step One: Cut a hole in that box! (People who get that SNL reference are LOLing now...)

So I drilled several holes in garbage can. These are necesary for aeration. (Optional: Take a utility knife and "clean-up" the edges of the circles.) These don't have to be circles, I just thought this was the easiest since they have a circle-making drill bit.

Step Two: Cut the screen in large enough pieces to cover the holes.

I just used a pair of my rusty garden shears and made the square large enough to overlap about 1/2 an inch.

*If you have a great hardware guy like my Vince at Ace, see if they will sell you just a foot from the screen they use to repair window screens. I got mine for about $1.25--much less than the $10 I would have paid for several feet of screen in the roll (that I will never use.)

Step Three: Cover the holes.

I used my hot glue gun with normal glue. I found the best way was to place the screen on the hole on the inside, then to glue around the circle.

Step Four: Put in your favorite goodies that are ready to composted!

Important to note--be sure you buy bungee cords that fit over the top of the trash can...you don't want you compost to spill out when you tumble it.

I tumble (read: kick around) mine every 3 days or so. I'll update you on when I have wonderful "black gold."

Here is the finished product before going outside (Yes, I did this project inside. It was raining so I just put down a sheet in the kitchen.)

Bloom Day and I'm back!

2008-06-15T23:30:00.006-04:00

Lots of things happening in the weeds and in the house these days...here are a few things that are blooming around these parts...

Geranium--this is one of the perennial types...it looks a bit beaten from all of the rain, but the flowers are hanging on.

Primrose--again looking very beaten from so much rain, but this is a big bunch of yellow brightening my day. They are right outside of the kitchen window.

Various roses--big bushes, tall climbers and this guy. He appeared from the thistle a week ago or so.

More roses--this one is a huge bush by the patio.

I know I should know what this is...but I forget. I'm still learning what everything is in my new yard.

Other things are blooming--the strawberries, the zucchini, a cone flower or two, the hostas, a few peonies are still left, too.

Gone for a long time...

2008-06-03T17:26:00.001-04:00

I've been MIA because the big move happened over the weekend. I'll be taking pictures of the new yard soon.

Here's the best thing about my new place: RASPBERRIES!

The Bloom Day I missed

2008-05-20T22:26:00.009-04:00

I was on the road to Houston for work on the 15th and as it turns out my computer is out of hard drive space. So I am pretty late for Bloom Day. But here are my pictures anyway:

Columbine--I have a couple of these in the yard, but this one is the best. Each year, I collect seeds, but I haven't been successful to grow them from seed.

Wood Hyacinth--this is the first time these have bloomed (since I moved them Fall 2005) and they are beautiful.

Lilly of the Valley--this is the only one I have. I think my aunt gave it to me a few years ago thinking that it was a hosta. I think it's great now that it's bloomed. Hopefully it will spread.

Allium (I think this one is "Purple Sensation") --I planted 5 of these but only 4 grew a stalk with blooms. But I think they are really cool. I've seen tons of them in gardens in my neighborhood.

Those are the majority of what is blooming. The strawberries have some flowers (berries coming soon!). I also have some sort of summer bulb that is blooming a light purple flower. The foliage indicates some sort of ornamental onion.

Garage Sales and African Violets

2008-05-12T08:24:00.006-04:00

Mom and I ventured out on Saturday, May 3rd for the annual Highway 38 garage sales. Now this is the 5th year for this and it is a BIG deal to Pendleton. The town practically shuts down for it--just like during the Heritage Fair. I guess small towns can do that--you know so people can buy other people's crap.

A couple of thoughts on garage sales on the highway:

It's on the highway, where there are few stops and the speed limit is 55. At times, I felt oddly unsafe while traversing the 2 lane road to look at someone's trash.

It's on the highway, where there are generally not neighborhoods or subdivisions. We would go for quite sometime before finding the next sale. We even ventured miles from 38 looking for the posted barn sale or huge sale.

The happens from Noblesville to New Castle. We made it from Noblesville to Pendleton; Lapel runs through it. This is the country--farms, trucks, and livestock. We're not only looking at other people's cast-offs, we were looking at country-kitschy cast-offs.

Don't get me wrong: we had a good time and found a few good things, but the majority wasn't all that great. It was open on Friday and I think the good stuff went that day.

But the find of the day, in my opinion, was the biggest African Violet (above) that I have ever seen. I purchased it from this oh-so-adorable lady in Clarksville. She was the cutest thing and grew all of her African Violets herself. She told us how to take a leaf and create a new plant. And, BONUS, since the violets had only ever been given rain water, she gave me a gallon of rain water to take with me to keep them happy.

Moving...meh...

2008-05-09T10:40:00.007-04:00

Official Moving Day is May 31. Everyday I am overwhelmed by how much I have to do before then. I'm off to a good start, though. My Virtual Garage Sale is happening on craigslist.com. I've put some things on FreeCycle and hauled about 2 loads to the Goodwill. But I still have a lot to do.

The inside is daunting--but deciding what to take from the garden is even more so. Here's a list of what I hope to dig up and re-plant at my new place:

Tulip (3/4 are coming with)--these are quite possibly my favorite thing in the spring. I would have liked to somehow tag them to know when ones are which color, but that's for another year...

Iris (1/2)--these are budding, not yet blooming. But they smell so wonderful. Some are from Edna's, my late neighbor, garden. When I think about my love for a beautiful outdoor space, I can definitely mark her as an influencer. So I have to take some of these, but several were here when I moved in--I won't take them all.

Crocus (1/2)--I just planted a good 100 of these last fall. I'm definitely taking some with me.

Allium (3/4)--I just planted all of these last year as well. The 'purple sensation' are blooming right now and they are just beautiful.

Daffodils (all)--these are too beautiful to leave and they were the first bulbs I planted.

Minor bulbs (a few)--I really like the dwarf irises, the Grecian windflowers are good ones, too.

Muscari (lots!)--there are a tons of these and they are just beautiful when they bloom. A big sackful is coming with me (even though they were already here).

Hosta (a few)--some of the smaller ones are coming with me; the big boys can stay

Perennials I planted that come with me (at least most of them): delphinium, coreopsis, columbine, creeping phlox, day lilies, other lilies, lily of the valley, Beard tongue, asters, and sage.

A few things that existed in the yard prior to my arrival that I think I should get to take some of: lilies, clematis, lilac bush starts, maybe a rose bush, and these little blooming bulbs that I don't know what they are.

What I'll leave behind: Rose of Sharon, the lilac bushes, most of the roses, a lot of minor bulbs, the peonies, many irises, the wisteria that refuses to bloom, one of the clematis vines, the mums, periwinkle, weeds, weeds, and more weeds.

I'm taking a lot--but part of the reason why is that I know these won't be taken care of once I leave. It's a rental property and few renters care about keeping a garden, especially one that is larger than the amount of grass. I'm being selfish, but only because I care. I feel like an adopt-a-plant caretaker--I have to keep these precious creatures in my possession to ensure their survival.

Delicious Smells

2008-04-30T22:56:00.007-04:00

This week has been the best for opening the windows (well, it was, at least, before it got too chilly). Here's why: the lilac bushes a blooming! And, my are they doing it well. This year they got to bloom and smell and everything--where as last year a terrible frost came and destroyed the buds. They've grown to be almost as tall as my upstairs windows, so the spring breeze made my house smell wonderful.

I even cut some and took it to work. Co-workers were happy to look at the tulips and smell the lilacs. This is a change as they typically complain about gnats flying around (supposedly from my potted plants). **On a sad note: I had to say good bye to two lovely indoor plants this week. One just never looked the same after vacation and all of the leaves were droopy and yellowed. The other had spider mites--something I wasn't ready to deal with. I took them to greener pastures and wished them well.

I'm starting to get antsy about buying plants. I know I shouldn't I need to wait until after I move. There is no reason to do it now...but every time I pass a garden center I hear them calling me. They keep telling me to come and buy them! I've already picked out a couple of amazing house plants at Habig's in Nora. I won't blog about them until I have them in my possession, though.

Update on the seedlings: many have died, many have starved, many have been cut at the throat due to space constraints. I know this is all for the best in the long run, but it is sad to have to see them go. I think we're going to need some pots for planting before the big move.

Tulip Thief!

2008-04-27T23:17:00.005-04:00

So at some point today between when I came home around 3:30 pm and when I left again around 7:30 pm, someone or something decided it would be a good idea to pluck the heads off of 10 or so of my tulips! Why would someone do this!?!

I don't know who or what would do this. But if I found out, I can promise that I'll track them down and break their grubby fingers/paws/mitts.

Do you think it would be a squirrel? Like this guy in the picture? You'd think they wouldn't just pull off the flower and only strategically get some of the flowers around the edge of my yard.

In the words of Stephanie Tanner from Full House: HOW RUDE!!!

When it's all worth it

2008-04-26T23:15:00.008-04:00

Earlier this week, I came home one day after work and it was one of those days when you know the work you do is all worth it.

It was a perfect day--warm, sunny, not too hot, and plenty of flowers blooming in the yard. On this spring day, I was particularly proud of my spring bulbs and knew that all of the hard work of digging, separating, and re-planting last October was worth it.

These pictures don't nearly do it justice, but hopefully you can get a sense for what it looked like. I was particularly happy with the tulips on this day. The daffodils are almost all done at this point--wilty and brown. But all of the tulips looked great! There are still some buds to come, too.

Other happenings on this nearly perfect day included reading in the hammock and a walk around the block with Whitney (we made sure to stop and look at other people's yards, too).

Not sure what these guys are, but I have a couple in the "extra" bulbs bed.

Even the New York Times says to grow a garden.

2008-04-22T13:41:00.005-04:00

Sunday's New York Times Magazine had an interesting article, in The Green Issue: Why Bother?. It's a long article, but basically boils down to suggesting people grow a vegetable garden. (Thanks to Tod for sending it my way...)

It battles the idea that no matter what you do--become a locavore (eating only locally grown items), buy a hybrid, install solar panels, etc--there is always the possibility that someone is "undoing" what you've just not done. We are already in this mess, so Why Bother?

The reason why: "If you do bother, you will set an example for other people. If enough other people bother, each one influencing yet another in a chain reaction of behavioral change, markets for all manner of green products and alternative technologies will prosper and expand." So basically create social change.

I've seen this happen to me in the past year, for example. Historically, I've not been particularly interested in recycling, "doing my part for the environment" or considered my "carbon footprint"--now I recycle everything I can. This includes creating a spot at home to keep recyclables: plastics, newspaper, aluminum cans. Towing cardboard to the Wal-Mart parking lot (the only place in town where I can find it's accepted). Carrying reusable fabric bags, recycling the plastic bags (when I forget to get them) is something else. Now there is the crazy idea of composting leaves and coffee grounds so they don't go into the landfills. I'm using cloth napkins at dinner and cleaning with old rags instead of paper towels. Spring is finally here and so is the opportunity to bike to the grocery, the pool, to lunch as well as work. Two years ago these things would be the last on my mind, but now I am consciously thinking of them everyday.

But how much of what I do matters?

The author states that while it seems like a "why bother" state, planting a garden might be the key to getting out of it. "At least in this one corner of your yard and life, you will have begun to heal the split between what you think and what you do, to commingle your identities as consumer and producer and citizen. Chances are, your garden will re-engage you with your neighbors, for you will have produce to give away and the need to borrow their tools."

Trowels up! Go grow something! :)

The Bloom Day I missed and Earth Day!

2008-04-21T23:13:00.014-04:00

Happy Earth Day! I am posting a few days late to Carol's Bloom Day--partially because I've been busy, but mostly because these pretties didn't appear until just after the 15th. I couldn't not post all of these pictures. So it works out perfectly that today is Earth Day.

This is why I love bulbs: your hard work and effort from fall comes full circle in spring when your flowers are in full bloom, filling your yard with their sweet scent and vibrant color.

Daffodils are planted around the the huge tree in my front yard. These were some of the first bulbs I purchased and I've not touched them at all since. They just keep multiplying with no fuss.

Some yellow tulips along the sidewalk.

Creeping phlox along the side yard. These look a bit more white in the picture than they really are. They are actually a light purple. I love this ground cover because in the spring it's almost all flower, but then it looks like a bed of pine needles for the rest of the summer and fall.

More ground cover: this time creeping myrtle or vinca vine or periwinkle (Vinca Minor). Mark the neighbor has an entire corner of his lot covered in this.

New this year--more tulips. These are even more beautiful in person than the picture can capture.

And the last of the tulips. At least those that are blooming now. I forget the name of these, but they are just the right pop of color right in front of the house by the steps.

Finally, these are called Grecian Windflower (Anemone blanda). I planted these in the fall of 2006 and was pretty unimpressed last spring--this year, however, is a different story. They have definitely quadrupled their number of blooms. This tuber is good to put under taller spring bloomers since it stays closer to the ground.

What have I done!?!

2008-04-18T10:08:00.004-04:00

First, the good news: tulips have appeared! Pictures will be posted soon.

Bad news: So I took the domes off of the plants earlier this week and they seemed to be doing fine. Last night I came home to check in on them--the pots were dry, half of the seedlings were wilty, some were brown. I think I just killed a large number of my seedlings--I just didn't pay enough attention.

Instantly, I went into panic mode. I grabbed water, grow lamps, and the plastic domes. I've recreated the sanctuary that my little guys were so used to in hopes of keeping some of them alive.

I've been so preoccupied this week with the stress and anxiety of buying my first home that I let these guys suffer.

Speaking of adding stress to life---here are a couple of things I have to consider regarding "the move" which is supposed to happen late May:

Which plants to take from the rental...I've spent tons of my own money on my flowers (mostly bulbs) in my yard. Mom thinks I should leave everything there; everyone else says I should take them. But what to take and what to leave is a difficult choice. Ensuring that they won't die in the move is important, too.
What about my seedlings? It will be after the frost date, but do I put them in bigger pots, harden off, put in the ground--all before leaving and then take them with me?

Aside from moving all of my stuff, I have to consider moving all of my plants as well. Oh..there is so much to do in 6 weeks!

Oh where oh where are my true leaves?

2008-04-14T12:26:00.009-04:00

It has been several weeks now since my seeds have germinated and I am anxiously awaiting some true leaves to appear. The magic happened--but now I feel like we're in a stand still.

The squash and zucchini are getting some (but they are getting too big for the peat pots). I did notice that the cilantro is getting it's first real leaves, too.

I just read on YouGrowGirl.com that I need to remove the plastic domes to allow for better air flow. Done.

Now to learn about when to thin back and harden off.

Oh and the black-eyed susan still hasn't germinated. It says it could take up to 30 days to do so, so we've got another week or so until they should appear. I might have put too much soil on them to germinate, since they require light.

First House!

2008-04-13T23:50:00.002-04:00

Oh and I forgot to mention...I put an offer on my first house today! I'm a huge ball of emotions and can't wait to know if/when I'll get it.

The best part: it's a whole new canvas--inside and out--for me to make magic!

The muscari are here...and so is the cold.

2008-04-13T23:37:00.008-04:00

Despite the dreary weekend weather, the muscari have made their appearance in my yard. These are some of my favorite in my yard. The look like they are cascading down the hillside.

Before some of the Orr Fellows came over for a pitch-in Saturday evening I was able to go capture some of what was blooming outside and bring it in. (The tulips are from Kroger...none are blooming in my yard yet...although there are many buds which will soon become flowers!)

Mom said it's supposed to get below 30 degrees tonight. I didn't cover anything...here's hoping it doesn't kill everything.

Argh the rain

2008-04-10T22:27:00.004-04:00

Dear Nature,
I understand that you are trying to make up for last summer when you forgot to give us rain (for basically 2 months), but enough is enough already! We don't need more rain! Half of my freakin' irises have no dirt around their roots because it's all been washed away.

Please, save the rain until mid-summer when we will really need it.

Oh, and since I'm writing--what is up with a high of 47 on Saturday!?! I mean a Tuesday, maybe I'd understand that, but a SATURDAY!

Yours truly,
Washed out.

Weekend fun and my first fallen soldiers.

2008-04-08T11:17:00.009-04:00

Finally the weekend weather was on my side. It was decided that the swing hammock I picked up late last fall needed to be hung. Here was the challenge: the huge tree in my yard doesn't have a branch lower than 20 or so feet. The lowest branch, however, does branch into a V, which I thought was the best place for the hammock. I bought a chain big enough to support a person's weight and my thought was to run the chain through the V and hang the hammock. Sounds easy, right? Well yes--but the weight of the chain was too much for me to just toss up over the branch. Enter Neighbor Mark (who without fail has assisted me with countless projects, garden suggestions, and simple, good-neighborly know-how). I asked him to borrow a ladder. He did even better: a ladder and a rope with carabiner. I believe there were about 15 attempts from the top of the ladder to lob the rope up to the branch and have it land in the right place. After hanging it too low the first time, we succeeded the second time. I can't wait to enjoy a read in the sun soon!

I'd like to take a moment to reflect on the seedlings, namely the sunflowers, who lost their battle to make it to the yard. They (like the bachelor buttons on the left) have outgrown the tops of the seed trays. So I decided to take them out and sit on the top shelf of the green house. Within less than 24 hours, the seedlings were limp and wilted. What have I done!?! I've learned two valuable lessons here: 1. Learn what seeds to start indoors in your zone and what to sow directly in the ground. ThrifyFun.com has a pretty good list. 2. Don't start sunflower seeds indoors in zone 5--they grow too quickly.

On a positive note, I did notice some pepper seeds have germinated finally. I think the only seeds that haven't popped up are the black-eyed susans. The next challenge is figuring out how to get these seedlings big enough to take on the world.

The first daffodil!

2008-04-08T09:48:00.003-04:00

Finally, we have a daffodil! It was a gorgeous weekend, in the 60s, sunny and has stayed warmer since then. I think we'll have a number of blooms around the yard soon. WELCOME SPRING!

I've made my order

2008-04-04T22:26:00.005-04:00

I got sucked into the deal from Michigan Bulbs--I made an order of $40 to save $20. Mom picked out a couple that she wanted, including the Barlow Mixed Columbine (also called Granny's Bonnet--it looks like two flowers combined into one) and Coral Bells. To the order, I added strawberries, Golden Marguerite Daisy, and Bush Delphinium. They were all buy 3, get 3 free so it seems like a good number of plants for ~$30 (including shipping).

I tried to order these online, but there was a problem with the coupon code. They took care of me on the phone, though. I'll be interested to see how large these plants are, if they are bareroot or potted, and what they look like when they arrive. Previously I've only ordered bulbs from catalogs.

Speaking of which, today my Twinkle Toes arrived from Breck's--these were part of my fall order. Had I realized before ordering that they need to be lifted in the winter, I probably wouldn't have ordered them. I really don't like needy plants. Having to dig them up (also called lifting) in the late fall is under the category of needy in my book. But maybe they'll be worth it. Based on the pictures from Breck's, they look like they'll be fun flowers. (I'll take a picture of mine when they bloom for comparison.)

To compost or not to compost

2008-04-03T19:57:00.004-04:00

This week has been a whirlwind for sure--I'm excited tomorrow starts the weekend. And the best part: Sunday's high is 65! Sounds like possible top-down weather in the car...FINALLY!

Recently, I've been thinking about starting a compost pile. Sounds like an easy decision to make, but you have to consider where to put it, if it's going to take a lot of time to keep up, and, most importantly, what kind of container to use. Tons of sites are happy to sell a $300 composting bin, but that seems a bit excessive for creating "dirt."

Making compost requires "green" (nitrogen-rich items, like grass clippings and kitchen scraps) and "brown" (carbon-rich items, like leaves and cardboard). The benefit of making compost is the rich, humus that is created and the refuse saved from landfills.

Items to avoid putting in a compost pile: meat/dairy scraps, slick color newspaper pages (the black and white are okay), treated wood, oils, sunflowers (they are toxic to other plants), and pet waste.

Interesting things I didn't know you can put in a compost pile: coffee grounds/filters, hair, eggshells, cotton or wool fabric, and dryer lint.
Coffee shops will even give you their coffee grounds for free. Some, it seems, have them out for you to take a bag full. Starbucks calls this "grounds for your garden." I learned this from Anthony over at The Compost Bin.

It seems like it will take roughly 3 months to get some good, rich compost that can go in the yard. Perhaps all of the work is worth it.

Pesky Catalogs Tempting Me Again

2008-04-01T17:18:00.004-04:00

I'm constantly receiving catalogs from nurseries and bulb companies. They lure me to look because they are offering me a coupon or 50% off or something. And I'm almost always certain to buy it! Almost all of my bulbs have come from Breck's. They say my tulips are shipped from Holland, but who really knows. This time it's Michigan Bulb Co. I just got a catalog from them with $20 of free gardening products (with an additional $20 purchase, of course).

So, now I'm going through the BOGO (buy one, get one) pages to see if there is something out there that will add happiness to my garden. Sooner or later, there will be no more room!

I think I'm going to see if Mom can find anything she really likes. After all, we have a blank canvas at her place.