A Weekend at the Farm Nov 30 - Dec 2, 2012

This is a Queen butterfly.  It is one of several milkweed butterflies, the Monarch being the most well known.  They are plentiful right now in my garden, sometimes 4 or 5 at a time hanging off a butterfly weed or a salvia.  This Queen is in the Shade Garden, sipping nectar from a flower of a Giant Ligularia.

It was another beautiful weekend with great weather and no humidity.

• I received four shrubs in the mail from Woodlanders.  Two Sweetshrub (Calycanthus x raulstonii 'Hartlage Wine', a Sweet Olive (Osmanthus fragrans 'Fudingzhu', and a Sweet Olive (Osmanthus fragrans aurantiacus.  The sweet shrubs have burgundy colored flowers that can smell very sweet, but scent is variable on these plants, and it's possible to get one that has no scent.  Obviously that would be a blow, I'm buying it for the good smell.  But only time will tell.  They are only sticks right now.  I might not get a bloom for several years.  I planted one of the Hartlage Wines in a bed next to the entrance to the Greenhouse that I made several years ago that currently only has Columbine growing in it.  I had a Sweet Olive growing there, but it died in the drought last summer.  I extended a bed on the other side of the Greenhouse and planted the other Hartlage Wine.  Both spots get regular water now, so they should be pretty self sufficient.  I planted the Fudingzhu in a bed that I built next to the path that leads to the Boardwalk behind the house.  Sweet Olives are evergreen, so they are good plants to locate near the house.  The aurantiacus was placed in a bed that I made last weekend next to the back gate.  I already have one growing in a bed on the other side of the gate, so they are a pair now. 
• Spent time on Saturday building a bed and expanding a bed.  Didn't do much else on Saturday because I wasn't feeling well.
• Repaired the stone edging along the back of the house.  My husband put up a gutter along the entire back of the house to stop the erosion in the flowerbeds, so I reset the stones and filled in the spots where the soil had eroded away.  That took some time.
• Shredded leaves. Leaves!  Leaves everywhere!  I shredded about ten bags of leaves and it looked exactly the same as it did before I started.  That's ok, though, because I love this time of year.  This is how I gather mulch for all my gardens and how I get a huge start on my compost for next summer.  I need the leaves!  It's a lot of work though.  My back muscles get really tired. I love my awesome leaf shredder, the best Christmas present I ever got.  Spread shredded leaves in the beds along the Boardwalk.
• Deadheaded roses.
• Watered shrubs.
• Watched butterflies.
• Cut away dead vine debris off the arbor at the entrance to the Rose Garden.  It was blocking the growth of my daffodils.
• Partially cleaned up a section of the Long Border.  Needs more work. 
• Spread seed in various places - Corn Poppies and Johnny Jump Ups.
• Weeded, weeded, weeded
• Marvelled at all my bulbs popping up.
• Planted some bulbs that I unearthed when I was planting my Althea cuttings several weeks ago.  I don't know what they are.  I planted them on their side because I couldn't tell which side was up.     
• Lovely, lovely weekend.