Four Days at the Farm October 10 - 13, 2013

We spent a great four days together.  We had a baby shower on Saturday for Nathan and Jessica.  We also got some good rain on Saturday morning and all day Sunday.

• Spent a lot time on Thursday cleaning up the Orchard.  I cut away loads of zinnias that were sprawling in the paths.  I cut away blackberry vines that were reaching their nasty arms into the paths.  Yuck.  Pulled weeds.  Fall is all about culling.  The weather lets up a little and the plants go insane!  Clip, trim, shear, hack - a lot of that goes on in the fall or a person can't walk through my gardens.
• Raked the Infinity Garden paths.
• Raked the paths in the Rose Garden.
• Raked the paths in the Shade Garden.
• Raked the paths in the Star Garden.
• Dumped most of the debris in the compost pile.
• Cleaned up the Vegetable Garden, and my husband put away the sheets of wire mesh that I use to hold up plants.
• Turned over four of the beds in the Vegetable Garden and sowed Southern Giant Curled Mustard seeds, Bright Lights Swiss Chard seeds, Red Winter Kale seeds, Chiogga, Red Bull, and Golden Beet seeds, Red Sails lettuce, and some more Royal Chantenay Carrot seeds, 
• I also sowed a package of Red Sails lettuce seeds in the Star Garden.
• I actually did a lot of seed sowing while I was there.  I sowed lots of flower seeds.  I spread Delphinium seeds in the Long Border and around the Joe Pye Weed.  Grandiflorum chinensis, alatum, and Belladonna.  I sowed Mckana Giants Columbine and Rocky Mountain Blue Columbine in various places.  The Columbine seeds I sowed last weekend next to the Greenhouse have already sprouted (I love it when a plan comes together).  I sowed Purple Queen Corncockle in the Daffodil Bed.  I sowed Ocean Pearls Corncockle in the Long Border.
• I sowed Sorrel seeds in the Infinity Garden.
• Last weekend I went to Arbor Gate and bought a few plants.  So I planted all of them: A Flapjack Kalanchoe in a pot in the Infinity Garden.  A White Duranta in the Long Border (they get really big and I needed an anchor plant).  Six Myrtle in the Infinity Garden, they were used in Knot Gardens in the 1500s.  A Joe Pye Weed in the Star Garden, a healing plant.  Two Peter's Bee Balm in the bed by the Master Bedroom (bee balm is bergamot, the ingredient in Earl Gray tea that makes it taste like Earl Gray tea).
• Planted 14 Snowflakes along the fence line in dappled shade in the Star Garden.  It is one of the wettest spots in the yard which Snowflakes like.  Covered them with chicken wire so the armadillos won't dig them up.
• Friday I cleaned house to get ready for the baby shower.  I vacuumed, cleaned the bathrooms, shook out and washed the rugs, cleaned the leather furniture, dusted, cleaned windows.
• On Saturday morning I mopped and laid down floor shine, put flowers in vases, and everything else that goes with having 30 people at your house.  It was a happy day and a happy party.