Week at the Farm March 3-9, 2016

Rainy day at the farm.

Arrived Wednesday evening. It seems as if everything has grown inches! I walked around a long time looking at everything.  What an amazing place, I thought to myself. I love it here.  

Bert trimmed the trees in the Shade Garden and Circle Garden.  He cut off all the low hanging branches. It looks wonderful! I am very happy with his efforts.

Thursday morning we took a walk around the place.  Then I set to work.  I had 12 yards of compost delivered last weekend so it would be ready for me when I arrived this weekend.

Composted around my Pearlbush, Snowball Bush, my small Altheas, white Sweetshrub, Cl American Beauty, Mmll Franziska Kreuger, some of my bulbs and irises, my small Hydrangea, Veilchenblau, and  one of my Yultide Camellias

Cleaned out the Kitchen Herb Garden - always a pleasant job, so fragrant. 

Turned over the soil and added lots of good compost to two spots in the Vegetable Garden and planted two tomatoes - a Beefsteak and a Champion.

Drove into Giddings with Bert.  Went to the feed store and bought cottonseed meal, ate lunch at City Meats.

Composted around my two banana shrubs along the back yard path. 

Did my usual strolling around the gardens until dark.

Friday morning I slept in.

Spent the morning in the Rose Garden watering and side dressing roses with compost.  I got about five beds completed plus the Almond Verbena, Althea, Martha's Vinyard rose, Antoine Mari rose, Marie Van Houtte rose in the Long Border.

Leaf cutter ants have stripped about five of my roses bare.  I saw the ants on Wednesday evening when we arrived, and I put down some poison, but I didn't notice several trails where they were on my Ballerina roses and my Zeperine Drouhin climber.  I wasn't able to find the nest because it was deep in the woods.  If I don't find the nest I will be battling the ants all summer.

Prepared the soil with compost and planted three more tomatoes - Celebrity, Top Gun and Yellow Pear.  I planted two of them in pots.

Prepared the soil and planted 3 Sweet Peas under a trellis in the Star Garden.  I usually sow seed, but I didn't get around to it in time.

Side dressed my Autumn Sages, Butterfly Bush, and Ehamanii in the Star Garden. Side dressed one of my Giant Ligularias, my Sawtoothed Japanese Aucubas, and the Firespike in the Shade Garden.

Bert ran the weed eater in the back yard until all that was left was dirt.  I raked the area and spread Centipede grass seed.  I ran out of seed before I was finished so we will have to go buy some more.  I don't know why we have never made it a priority to grow grass in that back yard area, but it has always been just mowed weeds. 

Walked round and round past dark.

Saturday morning up early.

Put compost around the two Mahonias and the elephant ears in the Shade Garden and the Climbing Pinkie, the Sweet Olive, Banana Shrub, and the two Ellen Bosanquet Crinums in the Star Garden.

Worked in the Rose Garden in the morning, watering and composting.

Prepared the beds and planted 2 more tomato plants - a Celebrity and a Better Bush.  Sowed 2 rows,16 feet long, of Dixie Speckled Butterpeas.

Composted my 2 Spicebushes and my pink Firespike in the Star Garden, and my Sweetshrub and Columbine next to the Greenhouse.

I planted 6 salvias in the Star Garden - 2 Rheas, 2 Blue Bedders, and 2 Evolutions.

Headed home to Houston for Nancy's birthday.  She is 50!

Spent the night in Houston and babysat for Nathan and Jess on Sunday.  Returned to Burton Sunday evening.

The only thing I did when I arrived was put a scoop of compost around my suffering Blackberry Lily.  It's supposed to pounr rain next week, and I want to have as much done as possible in terms of soil preparation.

Strolled around until dark. The plums trees are blooming, all the Altheas have broken dormancy, the roses are starting to leaf out.  Spring is here!

Monday morning, Mom and Dad came for a visit.  We had a nice day.

Tuesday morning, rainy.  But it cleared up by noon.

I prepared two more beds and planted Celebrity and a Sugary tomatoes. Prepared a bed and planted three eggplants.  Prepared the bed where my beautiful marjoram is growing and sowed pattypan squash seeds.  Also tucked some seeds in with my tomato plants here and there.

Put down compost around my year-old hydrangea in the Star Garden the two Bridal Wreaths in the Circle and around my Debutante Camellia.

Weeded in the Star Garden for a long time.

Prepared the soil in the middle section of the Long Border and planted 3 Indigo Spires and 3 Laura Bush Petunias.  These petunias are heat lovers, and reseeders.  I have always loved them.

I spread compost around my two Chaste Trees and placed compost on the soil covering my pineapple lilies.

I sprayed all my roses for black spot.

Walked round and round and round well past dark.

Wednesday, our last lovely day of vacation.  

It rained all night which is perfect since everything has a layer of good rich compost around it.  I will have to research as to whether the fungicide I sprayed last night still had an effect since it rained a few hours later.  It definitely had time to dry, no question about that.

I see the beginnings of tiny mulberries on my Pakistan Mulberry tree!  I wondered how that would look, and now I know.  The tree doesn't bloom, the berries just sprout from the branch.  Interesting.

My Jujube tree is just beginning to leaf out!  

Reluctantly cleaned up and headed for home.