At the Farm During the Pandemic July 27 - August 2, 2020

• Monday.  I spent the whole morning in the Star Garden after I made an inspection of all my new plants to make sure the armadillos hadn't upended any of them.
• I planted 2 Malabar spinach on the arbor at the front.  I planted them on the side of the arbor that is  gravel, so I have no idea if they will do well there.
• I planted a Coral Honeysuckle on the other side of the arbor.  Last year I planted a passionflower vine there, and it never came back from dormancy after winter.  That is the third or maybe fourth passionflower vine that I've tried to grow through the years, and none of them have made it. I don't know if it is voles or cold - I don't think it was a water issue.  I won't try that again.  
• I worked on beds at the outer edges of  the Star Garden that tend to get neglected.  I moved three Ox Eye Daisies an one clump of Moudry grass out of paths and into beds.  I pulled up a wildflower (I can never remember the name of it) that spreads by underground runners.  It has a purple flower.  It's pretty in the late spring, but starts to look ugly.  I yank it up, but some always ends up spreading and blooming the next year.  I did some trimming at the bottoms of my blue Vitex trees.  I don't like when I can't see under my trees / large shrubs like my almond verbenas and my vitex shrubs.  I cut the bears breeches down to the ground.  The leaves were brown and full of bug holes.  They will come back strong in the fall for one last show.  I trimmed my red shrimp plant so that I can walk through that path.  I cut away a greenbriar vine that was covering one of my olive trees and poisoned the cuts.  As I was doing that I decided to cut down the olive tree (a gift that never really suited this place) and plant a native tree this winter.  I scooped dirt back in the beds - most of the beds have been destroyed by the armadillos and smoothed out the soil, it always looks like a hurricane came through thanks to those pests.  I raked each of the paths after I cleaned out the beds. Weeded, weeded, weeded.  I noticed a peavine had taken over on my snowball bush.  So I cut it away.  While I was in there I saw that Veilchenblau was a mess, and growing into my snowball bush.  I knew that was happening, but it is such a big job that I've been ignoring it.  I started cutting dead limbs away, and I cut one of the really thick canes that was the biggest offender to my snowball bush.  Looking at it I didn't really know where to start.  It's the classic climbing rose that was completely neglected and allowed to get completely out of control.  I decided to pick three canes and cut them off and let new young soft canes grow, then train those.  I went through about 8 beds before I took a break and had a Job Well Done beer. 
• Tuesday.  Worked.
•  On my lunch hour Bert showed me how to used the riding mower.  With the deck lowered but the blades not moving, I rode around knocking down the camphor weed growing rampant in my Meadow.  Camphor weed is really invasive in my opinion.  It has really taken over.  In the fall I will rent a shredder and shred everything.  But in the mean time I don't want the camphor weed to bloom.  It's pretty fun riding on the mower!
• I worked in the Rose Garden.  I planted some lantans.  I staked zinnias.  And I weeded.
• I dug up a big group of Montbretia that I had allowed to multiply for a couple of years.  But it was growing in a shady part of the Star Garden.  Who knows how it got there, but it only takes one random Montbretia bulb to create a monster.  
•  Wednesday.   Worked.
• I cut all the dead debris off the Montbretai and planted them in various places in the Long Border and the Rose Garden.
• I worked in the Rose Garden for some time.  I planted the rest of the lantana that I bought last weekend.  I'm definitely having a love-fest with lantana right now.
• I sowed a packet of Love Lies Bleeding in the Vegetable Garden.  I have tried sowing amaranth several times in the past month and none of it has germinated.  Some of it was really old seed, but not all of it.  Strange.  Trying one more time even though it is late in the season, we might have an early frost before it sets its seed.
• I sowed 3 packets of zinnia seeds in the Rose Garden. 
• Sprayed herbicide in the Rose Garden and a few spots at the edge of the Star Garden. 
• Thursday.  Worked.
• I planted 3 Little Bunny grasses in the bed along the back walk.  
• Staked some zinnias.
• Watered all my new plants and seed beds (I do that every morning.).
• Replaced the water in the bird bath.
• I sprayed herbicide along the Boardwalk Garden the paths in the Greenhouse Garden and around Bert's sculpture and the path leading to it.
• Fertilized all my young plants.
• Friday.  Worked.
• First thing in the morning (as usual) I watered all my pots and young plants.
• Picked okara.
• Adjusted the sprinkler timer in the Rose Garden.
• I put mulch around all of my young lantana.  I used the last of my mulch, always a sad time for me!
• Josh drove the boys up for the weekend.  They are always a joy to be with.  
• Sunday.  I met Josh halfway and we made the switch with the boys.
• When I got home I worked in the Rose Garden for about an hour.  Pulled weeds and staked a few things.