Weekend at the Farm June 10 - 11, 2017

This is my Jacob Cline bee balm just beginning to flower.  So pretty.

This was a really good weekend here due to my seed collecting foray with my neighbor, Amy Thomeson.

• I spent most of the morning on Saturday in the Rose Garden.  I watered and fertilized around five or so roses.  Pulled weeds.  I raked in various places.  I cut back more tickseed.  I also worked in the Long Border once the sun got too hot because there is a section of the border that is mostly in shade in the mid morning hours.  I sowed some zinnias in the bed where the Carefree Beauty grows.
• The latter half of the morning I spent in the Star Garden.  I noticed that half of one of my La Marne roses had died.  I never water them individually like I do in the Rose Garden, I just thought they were getting a lot more water. I cut away the dead part and while I was there I weeded and sowed some zinnia seeds.  I dragged a hose over that I usually leave in the back part of the Star Garden, and I watered the La Marne roses on the smallest setting for several hours. 
• I went inside for lunch and then a nap.  I didn't wake up until 4:30.  
• I watered in the Rose Garden for a bit after that, and I sowed zinnia seeds in two spots in the Star Garden.
• Sunday, first thing, I walked my new prairie area observing new growth.  Lots of crabgrass that will have to be eradicated.  It crowds out desirables.
• I staked some Montbretia and iris that were leaning into paths.
• I continued watering in the Rose Garden and fertilizing.  And I cleaned up a bed that looked pretty messy with dead verbena stems.
• Bert took an old cattle gate that had partly rusted out, turned it on its side so that it was quite tall, and positioned it in the Orchard to use as an arbor for my hops vines.  I'm excited about that, it looks really neat. 
• Amy and I went seed collecting.  Hot but absorbing work.  And very rewarding!
• Swam in the pool throughout the day.  
• I weeded in the Star Garden and I raked the paths.  Looks much better in there!
• I sprayed herbicide in the Orchard, the Rose Garden, and the Star Garden.
• I dug up some of my purple skinned potatoes, about 20.  And I picked some tomatoes and eggplants. 
• Transplanted some buttercup turnera from paths in the Rose Garden to the Star Garden and beds in the Rose Garden.
• I staked the Indigo Spires salvia and the cleome in the Star Garden, they are very floppy right now.  I deadheaded the salvia, and I collected cleome seed and threw it in various beds in the Star Garden.  
• Late Sunday afternoon I raked the paths in the Infinity Garden and sprayed herbicide.  I also cut some seed heads of columbine and threw them on the bed next to the banana shrub in the shady part of the Star Garden. 
• Drove in to work on Monday morning.