Weekend at the Farm March 18 -19, 2016

Heritage Rose.

Arrived at the farm Friday about 9:30 after attending the Round Top annual herb sale.  I got some good treasures! Nathan and Jess arrived Friday evening and left the kids and dogs on Saturday to go to a party.

Planted some Saratoga Apple Blossom Nicotiana in the Shade Garden from a flat that I bought at Buchanan's.  Very pretty pale pink color which will show up well in the shade.  Nicotiana needs some shade or dappled sunlight.

Everything is starting to have that spring rush of growth.  Some of the daisies are blooming.  I see flower stalks forming on my amaryllis.  The double tiger lilies have sprouted.  The azaleas are in full bloom, gorgeous as only azaleas can be.  Old fashioned Clyde Redmond iris are really blooming in the Star Garden, but no where else yet.  The wisteria blooms are buzzing with bees.

Played with Wes and Oliver until their bed time, got them all stirred up and then let their folks deal with getting them to sleep.

Saturday morning, breakfast with the kids then their folks headed out.

I planted 3 Self Heal in The Long Border.  It is a mat forming medicinal herb that blooms blue flowers in the summer.  It is used to treat cuts and inflammation.

I planted all but two of the remaining Nicotiana in the Star Garden and the Medicine Garden.

I filled a green glazed pot with potting soil and compost and planted two Bi-Color Sedums.  This is a pretty little green and white sedum that I bought at the herb sale.  I just love sedums! I placed the pot in the Medicine Garden. 

I amended the soil in a pot in the Medicine Garden and planted a Clary Sage.  Clary Sage is a medicinal herb.  I re-positioned the other two pots and cleaned them up.  Unearthed a huge spider under one of the pots.  Biggest one I've ever seen.

Sprayed herbicide in the Rose Garden, Orchard, Star Garden, and driveway. 

Played trucks with Ollie.  Wandered around with Ollie and Wes.  Made mud pies. Played in the fort. Collected rocks in a bucket.

Planted 2 Peachie's Picks Stokes Asters in the Star Garden.   Fall bloomers, I need more fall bloomers.

Planted 2 Texas Betony and 3 Jacob Cline Bee Balm in the Star Garden.

Drove to a patch of bluebonnets and took pictures of the boys.

Weeded in the Vegetable Garden.  The squash, speckled butter beans, and pole beans have sprouted.

Sunday, played with the boys until they left about eleven.

Put cages around my tomatoes and set up cages for the cucumbers and pole beans that aren't next to the arbors.  Sowed a few seeds here and there where there were empty spots.  Weeded some more trying to get rid of the last of the Elbon Rye - that may have been more trouble than it was worth.  Time will tell. Filled all the empty black buckets with compost, mixed it in with the soil and seeded them.  I seeded one with Borage, two with Anise Hyssop, one with Crimson Red Amaranth (my mom ready an article to me over the phone about amaranth.  I was intrigued.), and one with Valerian. Seeded my last empty bed with Opopeo Amaranth.

Watered in the Rose Garden for a couple of hours.

Adjusted all the sprinklers.

Planted the last two Nicotiana and one Self Heal in the Medicine Garden.

Headed home about five.