Gorgeous Canna leaves. The Purply-red one has red flowers and the orangey-green one has orange flowers.
- Arrived on Sunday afternoon. Babysat Blake's three while they attended a birthday weekend for their friend Justin. I stopped at the Arbor Gate on the way home and bought more lantanas and sedum Mexicana.
- I did an immediate inspection of my plants in the Rose Garden. I lost one plant to the voles - completely gone, pulled under the ground and eaten. It's kind of creepy when you think about all the life going on underneath your feet.
- Monday. Worked.
- During lunch hour I ran the hose down two places where voles have eaten my plants.
- I planted 3 lantanas in the Star Garden.
- Pulled some weeds.
- Deadheaded basil.
- Pulled up zinnias in the Star Garden.
- Tuesday. Worked.
- Up before daylight and started working. I cut away lots of basil in the Rose Garden that was blocking new plants or crowding roses.
- Pulled up zinnias in the Rose Garden that were looking scraggly.
- Weeded in the Bulb Bed.
- I pulled up a large patch of ageratum that had overtaken in the front of my Cinco de Mayo rose in the Star Garden. I planted a lantana nearby.
- I pulled up lots of spent zinnias behind the Cinco de Mayo rose and cut away ageratum that was crowding the rose from behind.
- Cut away ageratum that was crowding the paths.
- By the time I was finished there was a huge pile of debris. I was finished by 7:45 and logged on for work.
- During lunch I pulled up half a dozen or so okra plants that were finished producing. Okra is a big-time host for nematodes, but my okra grew like gang busters nevertheless, and produced bumper crops. I had French marigolds growing next to all of my okra plants, but it didn't seem to help - or maybe the nematodes would have been much worse if they weren't there. I did a bit of cleanup in the Vegetable Garden pulling weeds, pulling up sunflower plants, and pulling up some basil plants that were in the way. I trimmed the Grandpa Ott morning glory vines so that I don't have to stoop to get through there.
- I put 4 of my sunflower seed heads out, 2 nailed to a tree near the bird feeder and 2 on the squirrel feeders. The squirrels have already found them and they are munching away at the seeds.
- I saw a garter snake coiled up in one of the holes that I make when I run the hose down into the ground to get rid of voles. Interesting that I noticed it at all because the holes are only a couple of inces wide and the snake didn't move. Okay, that is a bit creepy.
- Bert got me about yard and a half of mulch and brought it home on the trailer. After work I mulched 2 wheelbarrows of mulch in the Bulb Bed and under the Harlequin Glorybower tree.
- Wednesday. Took half day of vacation.
- I fertilized the three camellias that I planted last fall.
- I spent about 2 hours in the Vegetable Garden. I prepped one bed with a humus and manure mix then sowed arugula. Then, because I can't help myself, I also sowed some lettuce seed. Now everything will be over-crowded and struggle! Will I ever learn?
- I raked up some pine needles from my good spot behind the Rose Garden and mulched a large area in the Vegetable Garden. I'm not going to pant anything there right now, so I want to keep the weeds down.
- I cut away basil and marigolds crowding paths. I staked a few things. And I cut away parts of my remaining okra plants that were crowding paths. They are almost finished producing, but I probably have a couple more weeks.
- I cut away some of my sugarcane that had fallen over. I stripped the pith away on one of the stalks I cut and chewed on the cane. Sweet! Next time I have a grandchild here I will share the experience with them.
- I harvested the sunflower seed heads from six or so plants and pulled up the plants.
- I pulled up all the zinnias that were growing in the buckets. They were gangly and blocking paths. I pulled all the seed heads off and tossed them in the beds so that I will have plants next spring.
- Finally, I raked the paths and sprayed herbicide.
- Next, I worked in the Rose Garden for a bit laying down some mulch here and there.
- I spread more mulch in the Bulb Bed. Pulled weeds in the Bulb Bed and surrounding areas. All the sunflower seed heads I put out on Tuesday were completely empty of seeds this morning, so I replaced them.
- I lost 2 more plants from voles on Wednesday.
- In the evening after work I walked the edges of the Meadow - the growth is too tall to walk through the middle, at least not without tall boots on. Because of the heat I haven't done that in a long time. It smelled wonderful, so green and earthy.
- Thursday. I took the day as vacation.
- The weather was humid, but the temperature is definitely easing up.
- I spent the whole day mulching, and I finished off the mulch that Bert got for me. I came upon a baby copperhead in the Harlequin Glorybower bed. I killed it with the shovel.
- A lot of the mulch went in the back. I did some mulching in the Kitchen Herb Bed and on that side of the path that leads to the Boardwalk. And I filled in the washed out area at the top of the path on the other side. I mulched around my Little Bunny grasses. It looks a lot better there, and since it is up against the house I wanted to get that area done. I would have mulched more along the path, but I see the Strawberry Begonias that Debra gave me have survived. I thought they died because it got so dry before I realized that sprinkler zone wasn't working. I didn't want to smother them.
- The lycoris (Hurricane Lilies) are blooming right now in the Rose Garden. These are the true old fashioned ones. The ones from China bloom about 2 weeks prior to these - and I had a terrible year with those. None of the ones in the Circle Drive bloomed. It was pretty strange, actually. Not a single bloom. I assume it was because it was so dry.
- I did more mulching in the Bulb Bed. I mulched around my young roses in the Star Garden (Cinco de Mayo, Katy Pink, and Julia Childs). I pulled up lots of old zinnias near my Cinco de Mayo rose and got rid of the crowding. And I cleaned out the area around the Julia Childs rose and laid down mulch.
- I staked several plants leaning into paths.
- I staked all my Philippine Lily stalks in the Circle Drive so that weren't leaning into paths. I pulled up a little vine that creeps along the ground every year. It's easy to pull up, very weak and spindly stems. Pulled weeds in the bed closest to the front of the house. Last winter I threw a bunch of Beautyberry seeds into that bed. Since we created that area many years ago, all I've ever had growing in that large bed are Hurricane Lilies. The sprinklers don't hit it very well, so it isn't easy to plant something there and have it survive. It's always looked pretty forlorn. I've been steadily digging up those bulbs and moving them to other places. And I think Beautyberry will do there. It's native and will pretty much survive any drought conditions you throw its way. About half a dozen have taken root in there. So by next year they will be tall shrubs. Should be a good change.
- I cut a large limb off my Almond Verbena in the Star Garden to make space to walk on the adjacent path.
- This winter I am finally going to get rid of one of the beds in the Star Garden to make more space to walk. It will involve making a new garden area just past the Greenhouse Garden. I will dig up all my red / purple cannas and Schoolhouse lilies and a Salvia. I will move them to the new garden. And then I will fill the bare area in the Star Garden with crushed granite. Although I dearly love the rough and tumble flower craziness of the Star Garden, I notice that it isn't the Star Garden that I constantly stroll. It is the Rose Garden where there is lots of room to walk. In the Star Garden I brush against leaves and branches when I walk, and without consciously realizing what I'm doing, I avoid that garden.
- Generally did lots of cleanup - weeding, staking, lopping - job well done.
- Headed home Thursday afternoon after the maid left. Friday we have Airbnb guests arriving.
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