Weekend at the Farm May 20 - 22, 2016

 This is one of the flowerbeds in the back yard.  Right now Agapanthes, bee balm, Easy Ned Daylilies, and Black and Blue salvia are blooming.

Arrived on Thursday evening, lots to do.  Friday was Bert's 65th birthday, and we had his kids for the weekend.  They arrived Saturday and left Sunday.

Friday I cleaned house.  Vacuumed, mopped and spread floor shine throughout the house.  Cleaned the baseboards, shook out the rugs, cleaned the bathrooms.  Made some soup, a carrot cake, marinated the leg of lamb, made a seven layer dip, yoghurt sauce for the lamb, and got together the garnish for the salad.

Friday evening went to Pam and Eric's party.  They are our neighbors on the right.  It was all local people, interesting group of folks, artsy like Pam.

Saturday spent all day swinging the kids on the swing, playing with the toys, walking around, etc.  Ashley and Allen and the boys arrived about five. After dinner  I put 65 candles on Berts cake, we sang and toasted him.  Took flashlights and walked down the road after dark with the kids.  Bert and I slept in the tent and let the kids have the bedrooms.  Ashley, Allen and the kids slept in the living room.

Everyone left early, right after breakfast on Sunday morning.  

Cut back all the spent Ox eye daisies, pulled up all the poppies, and cut back Verbena Bonariensis in the front beds.  Dumped everything in the compost pile.  Drove a truckload of compost down to the 

Orchard, pulled up spent strawflower, laid down the compost and sowed anise hyssop seeds and zinnia seeds.  Deadheaded zinnias.  Picked blackberries.  Pulled weeds.  

Spread a couple of wheelbarrow of white rock in some low places in the Star Garden.

Laid down some weed cloth in the Vegetable Garden and spread white rock over it, I'm not finished, but I made progress.  I'm thinking I will just cover up that yucky fungus since I can't get rid of it.

Watched butterflies.

Left about four.

Mexicali Rose - My Worst Gardening Mistake

This is the most invasive, aggressive plant.  I wish I'd never planted it.  When the stalk gets big it's really hard to pull up, and it is a really stinky plant.   But, it looks pretty good this weekend.

St. John's Wort May 16, 2016

My St. John's Wort is not the medicinal variety, this one is an ornamental.  A pretty plant, it is evergreen and will spread at a slow pace - it is not invasive.  It flowers at this time of year, the bloom time is short-lived.  Mine is growing in semi-shade, and it is very happy.

Feverfew May 16, 2016

My patch of feverfew is growing in partial shade, and it is very happy.  It reseeds reliably every year.  There is a double variety that I would like to grow, the flowers look like pom poms.  Feverfew is a medicinal herb that will stop migraines and reduce fever. 

Day at the Farm May 16, 2016

Arrived Sunday evening.  I babysat Koy on Saturday and she spent the night.  I did this at mom and dad's house where I am living since the flood.  The three of us had lots of fun with the baby Koy!  Josh and Amy stayed for lunch on Sunday, and I drove to Burton after that.  It rained and rained.

The deer are all over my blackberries unfortunately.  I still have a lot, but I don't know how I will be able to get to them before they do.  Shock wire?  Time to look into it.  I picked enough to make a cobbler for two.  And we picked two plums that had turned red.

It seems the deer like amaranth too.  They ate the tops off of all my seedlings.  They waited until I was really excited about their progress - they were about a foot and a half tall.  Grrr.

I worked hard today pulling up all my dead poppies and cutting away all the Ox Eye daisies. I spent about 2 hours in the Star Garden, 3 hours in the Rose Garden, and 2 hours in the Orchard.  I hauled a truckload of compost down to the Orchard and spread it in two of the beds I cleared.  I sowed Poinsettia Amaranth and Anise Hyssop seed.

Sentimental Rose Iris May 5, 2016

 This is a beautiful iris. I didn't have much luck with the new iris I ordered last fall.  This is the only one that bloomed.  They are all healthy, and I'm sure I will have blooms next year, but this year was a disappointment.  I assume it's because I have too many things growing around them.  I will have to be ruthless and pull up some of the surrounding plants before next spring.

Leek Flowers Opening May 6, 2016

See the dry pod still hanging on some of them? That is super cute.

Four Days at the Farm May 5 - 8, 2016

I love this canna, given to me by Janine Snapp.  So pretty when the sun is shining through the leaves.

Arrived Wednesday evening to join Bert.  Bert is living here because of the flood.

Wednesday was a lovely evening after the sun set.  The air was filled with the scent of Nicotiana and interestingly, Oakleaf Hydrangea flowers (which until today I did not know smelled wonderful).

I spotted a trail of leaf cutter ants in the Rose Garden when I took my twilight walk so I hit it with ant poison.  When the days get hot they forage at night.  What amazing insects, I hate them, but they are amazing.

Thursday I spent a pleasant morning pulling weeds in the Orchard.  I threw the spent flowers into the woods next to the Orchard so maybe they will reseed next spring which would be very pretty.  I threw them in a spot where Bert doesn't mow.  When I walk around I see flowers everywhere, but they are never allowed to bloom because they get mowed down.  We can't have knee high grass around the house just so the flowers can be allowed to grow.  It encourages ticks and snakes.  We don't live in a wild flower meadow.

Bert had 4 yards of 3/4 inch limestone delivered to the house so I can fill in a low muddy spot in the driveway.  I realize it will just route standing water to another spot, but if it is not right in the middle of the driveway then I'm okay with it.  I shoveled a bunch into the low spot, and I carried several wheelbarrow of rocks to a low spot in the Medicine Garden.  I have no problem with mixing different path surfaces together.  Most of the paths in the Medicine Garden are covered in decomposed granite and now there is a six foot long area that is white rock.  I still have a huge pile of rock, but I will use it all, you can be sure of it.

The butterflies and bees are everywhere.  So pretty.  The bees absolutely love the poppy pollen.  In the morning when the poppies open the bees are all over them and they fly away with their hind legs completely yellow with the pollen.  Very fun to watch.

Bert pushed me in our new tree swing which has a huge arc, I love it!

Friday morning I went straight out to the Vegetable Garden and collected all the squash blossoms, filled them with ricotta, fresh thyme, garlic powder, salt and pepper.  I will cook them later as an appetizer.

Watered in the Rose Garden for a couple of hours.

Cut away Hojo Santo that springs up in all the wrong places.

Hauled two wheel barrows of compost down to the Orchard and covered several places that I weeded yesterday. Spread Anise Hyssop seed across the compost.

Didn't really do much today except deadhead roses and watch insects.

Took a nap.

Did some house cleaning.

Bert and I sat on the porch and watched the birds at the feeders.  The hummers were especially fierce, chasing each other back and forth.

Made my squash blossoms, and then we went to dinner in town.

Saturday morning, I went straight out to the Vegetable Garden and cut my squash blossoms.  Stuffed them with Parmesan and ricotta, garlic, salt, pepper.  Put them in the fridge for later.

I fertilized the tomatoes, the first time since I planted them.  I kept meaning to do it, but I just never got around to it.

Spent a couple hours in the Orchard weeding and laying down compost.  I sowed some anise hyssop and some Golden Giant amaranth.  Most of the wildflowers are still blooming, so I will wait another week or two before I clean out all the beds and seed them.  Today I only seeded spots that were bare.

I walked under the Oakleaf hydrangeas and noticed that the bees were all over them, attracted to the pollen.  I've never noticed before that it is such a bee attracter.  Interesting.

Cut back and dug up some of my lemon balm.  What an invasive!  You look up one day and it's the only thing in your herb garden!  It had smothered my Rosemary and my oregano, I rescued them just in time.

I transplanted a couple plugs of thyme that were growing in the paths - one to the Medicine Garden and one to the Kitchen Herb Garden.

I watered by hand my little starts of purple verbena that I planted a couple of weeks ago and other plants that looked like they needed a little helping hand.

A rock hit one of the plate glass doors while Bert was mowing.  It shattered it.  He nailed up a board over the hole and will have to order the glass.

I wheeled a couple wheel barrows of the rock over to a path in the Star Garden, four wheel barrows to a path in the Shade Garden, several over to the swing that Mark and Jere gave me.  Bert is going to put down a cedar frame around the swing and I'm going to fill it in with the rock.  I think that will look nice.

Didn't do any more work.  Took lots of walks through the gardens, Bert pushed me in the swing.

Sunday I was up before day light.  Left to go to Blake's house for Mothers Day brunch.

Flowers in the Rose Garden May 5, 2016

Poppies and Bees May 5, 2016

Oakleaf Hydrangeas May 5, 2016

Last night I discovered that these hydrangeas have a really great smell.  I have these growing alongside the boardwalk down to the Orchard.

Weekend at the Farm April 29 - May 1, 2016

Arrived Friday afternoon.  Joined Bert who is living here ever since the flood, and will continue to live here until the repairs are complete.  I am living with my mom and dad during the week.

• I have been seeing a lot of Monarch butterflies and butterfly larva which is a good thing since the species seems to be struggling.  My intention was to buy several milkweed plants this week at the nursery to further encourage them, but it slipped my mind. I have four or five, most of which have sprouted from seed, but I'd like to plant even more.
• I worked in The Orchard for a bit on Friday afternoon.  I pulled up spent poppies and weeds and wildflowers that were flopped over into the paths.  I have zinnias and anise hyssop and amaranth that I want to sow as soon as the wildflowers are finished blooming which will be a few more weeks.
• Saturday morning I strolled through the gardens with my coffee, then got ready and Bert and I headed to Kingwood for Zelda's 4th birthday party.  Got back to the farm about 4:00.  
• Sunday morning I decided to go ahead and cut down and dig up the Kolkwitzia Amabilis in front of the dining room windows.  I was going to wait until fall, but decided to do it now.  To open up a view of the flowerbed I dug up 10 or so clumps of iris and moved them to other flower beds in the Greenhouse Garden.  While I was in the Greenhouse Garden I put down two wheelbarrows of compost around my columbine so the seeds will have a hospitable place to fall and reseed.  Those beds are covered with leaves which makes good mulch therefore bad seed beds.
• Drove to the Antique Rose Emporium and bought two Marie Pavie roses for the spots where I dug up the shrubs.  They stay to about 3 feet so they won't block the view from the dining room windows.  I also bought 3 milkweed plants for the Monarch butterflies and 4 Texas Pink Phlox.  I've always wanted some of the hot pink phlox like my Grandma had in her yard.
•  I transplanted some perennial rudbeckia that was growing right up against the landscape edging over to some spots nearby but better positioned.  Then I planted the 4 phlox behind the rudbeckia, and then I planted the 2 Marie Pavie roses behind the phlox.  I still had plenty of room so I planted one of the milkweed at the edge of the bed closest to the porch.  That way I can easily glance frequently at it to see if I have any monarch caterpillars munching away. 
• I pruned my Mmlle Franziska Kreuger rose because it had fallen all around itself from the weight of itself.  New red growth was coming up from the middle of the shrub.  It looks much better.  This is about the only rose I pruned this year.  I decided to let them just do their own thing this spring.  In August I will give them a good shear for fall flowers.
• I planted the other 2 butterfly weed in the Star Garden, pulled some weeds, and composted in several spots. 
• Swang (swung?) in the tree swing for a long time, Bert pushed me.  Strolled around the gardens.

Before and After - Clearing Out a Bed May 1, 2016

I decided, at Bert's urging, to remove the 2  Kolkwitzia Amabilis in the bed outside of the dining room because it blocked the view and the flowers were just not that pretty.  The 3 pictures below are before I dug them out.

The next picture is after I cut one back, I considered leaving the other one in place but Bert wanted it gone.

The next picture is after I cut back the second shrub, but the stumps are still there.

The below photo is the two stumps after I dug them up.

 I hauled away the debris to the burn pile, I didn't want all those sticks in my compost pile.

Here is the finished bed.  I transplanted some rudbeckia from the edge of the bed to more in the middle of the bed.  I planted 4 hot pink phlox and 2 Marie Pavie roses and 1 butterfly weed.  I also moved lots of iris clumps to other beds to open up the area.  I planted some sedums in there as well to see if I can a ground cover to take over.  Not a good time to move iris, but it had to be done.