Weekend at the Farm October 27 - 28, 2018

This is white snakeroot.  It's in full bloom in the Shade Garden right now.
Saturday morning went to Blake and Josh's for Sam and Charlie's birthday party.  Charlie is two and Sam is four.  To the farm after that, arrived about 5:00.  Sunday was beautiful weather.

• The roses I planted last weekend look good.  No leaf cutter ants or deer attacks.
• I spent most of the day clearing out the Star Garden of all the ageratum.  It is on the wane, and it's time to sow fall seeds.  I pulled all of it up in the two long beds.  And I weeded.  And I cut back and pulled up a couple of Mexican Sunflowers that had fallen over.  I hauled away four truckloads of ageratum and other debris.  
• The Mexican Sunflowers (Tithonia) are in full bloom.  They are gorgeous.  Butterflies were all over them all day long:  Monarchs, Queens, Black Swallowtails, Hairstreaks, Sulphurs, Skippers and zillions of tiny ones that are too fast to identify.  It was wonderful to watch them.
• The garlic I planted last weekend has sprouted.  And the parsley I sowed two weeks ago in the Medicine Garden has sprouted. 
• I spread Philippine Lily seeds in various places.  But the real effort for that will be next week or so.
• I planted 3 marjorams in the Kitchen Herb Garden.  I just love the smell of marjoram.  The label indicated it is an annual, but I think of it as a perennial.  It definitely can withstand the winter in Burton.
• I went down to the Orchard and pulled up spent zinnias and weeds in the Jujube bed.  I painstakingly pulled up dollar weed out of that bed as well.  Then I sowed lots of Coneflower seeds.  It was kind of funny because I went to several spots to sow seeds and saw that I already sowed seeds in that spot.  I get pretty industrious with my seed-sowing and forget where I have been.  But it's always a pleasant surprise to see these little "forgets".  Yay for me and my efforts towards next year's beauty.
• I spread Coneflower in two of the areas that I cleared in the Star Garden.  And I spread some Coneflower seeds in the back bed where I pulled up all the white Four O'Clocks last weekend.
• I deadheaded roses.  I should have sprayed for blackspot but didn't get around to it.
• Drove home about 4:00.