Time at the Farm May 17 - 23, 2021

 

This is Standing Cypress, the yellow color is rather rare.

• Monday.  Vacation day.  
• I went straight down to the Orchard to work.  The incredible explosion of Brown Eye and Tickseed and Tall Poppy Mallow happens within a 4 week period.  The Orchard went from orderly to jungle-looking in that space of time.  It's hard to pull up flowering annuals, but they were completely covering up my daylilies.  I also pulled up Henry Duelberg salvia that was interfering with my daylilies.  It is still extremely colorful down there despite the amount of wildflowers I pulled up.
• I pulled up lots of ageratum.  I don't like it to get dense in there.  Too hard to spot snakes.  But unfortunately the ageratum was already covering some of the beds, so I fearfully pulled it up.  
• I began trimming my grapevines, I don't like those to get out of control.  It makes it so hard to prune them in the winter if I have allowed them to weave in and out of each other.  I cut back to where I see grapes.  It is a constant job, so it is always a work in progress.  But I try to keep after it.  An ounce of prevention...  I cut away growth on the main trunk of each vine, the main trunks of the vines should be kept clean.  I have 3 grape vines.
• Weeded, weeded, weeded.
• I loaded the truck twice, piled high with vegetation that I pulled up.  
• The basil that I sowed everywhere last year re-seeded, and several of the paths in the Orchard were covered in basil seedlings.  I pulled up the large ones and need to spray the rest.
• The blackberries are ripening, so I ate berries as I worked.  I need to pick a bowlful to bring inside.
• Inside for a late breakfast.
• Back outside to the Orchard to do more culling and weeding.  Two more truckloads of debris.
• I spent some time in the Star Garden creating and erecting chicken wire barriers against the Four O'Clocks and the iris and here and there in other spots.
• I cut back lots of Ox Eye daisies that were flopping over. 
• Worked in the Rose Garden for quite a while pulling up Tickseed and cutting away plants that were getting in the way of day lilies. 
• I planted the last several David Verity cuphea in the Rose Garden and one in the Star Garden.  Also planted a milkweed that I had on hand.  And planted several Mexicana sedums in the Rose Garden.  Love that stuff, although the gold Mexicana is even better. 
• It poured rained for a long time, so I was forced inside.  Didn't do much after that. 
• Tuesday.  Worked.
• Before work I sowed a few zinnia seeds in the Star Garden.  And I sowed a few French marigold seeds in the Vegetable Garden.
• During lunch drove to town for groceries for Bert's 70 birthday party.
• Sprayed herbicide in the Orchard.  It's supposed to rain, but I went ahead and sprayed anyway.
• The sun came out, so I sprayed herbicide in the Rose Garden here and there.
• Rain - steady after work, so nothing was accomplished in the garden.
• I walked briefly out to the Meadow.  It looks really pretty right now.  Brown eyes, horsemint, spotted bee balm, Eastern Gamma Grass, Standing Cypress, Tall Poppy Mallow, Canadian rye grass, native sunflowers,  red Gaillardia, Indian Paintbrush, Indian Blanket, Texas thistle, Coreopsis, Mexican Hat, and others - all blooming right now. 
• It stormed and poured rain all night.  I worried and worried after the cardinals that are nesting in the Veilchenblau rose at the Rose Garden entrance.  How will they fare? 
• Wednesday.  Worked. 
• Made gumbo for Bert's birthday party.  Smoked turkey leg, collard greens and shrimp.
• After work I clipped and staked and pulled up various things.  
• Came up on another copperhead right by my hand as I was pulling weeds near a Rudbeckia Maxima.  It was under one of the giant leaves, and I was pulling a weed right next to that leaf.  Yuck.  I had Bert come out and shoot the poor thing.  I don't want to get bitten.  I've become quite fearful of them.  Mentally, I am afraid I'm getting a phobia.  
• I re-potted a Pink Pop agastache.  I originally planted it in a clay pot that was too small because it was the only thing I had on hand.  But I pulled a waning coreopsis out of a larger pot and put the agastache in that.
• Walked the Meadow taking pictures with my new app called Seek.  It identifies native plants and gives me information on them.
• Thursday.  Worked.
• I cut away Sweetspire growing in the path in the Shade Garden and in the Circle Drive paths.  
• Pulled up a very thin vine in the Shade Garden that creeps along the ground.  It snakes all along the edge of the Shade Garden every year.
• I deadheaded Ox Eye daisies in the Circle Drive beds.  
• I did something super-awesome over the lunch hour.  I moved about 20 purple colocasia from paths in the Shade Garden over to beds.  Sweaty work.  And the soil in the Shade Garden is dense with roots - almost impossible to penetrate without a lot of effort.  But I got them all moved to other beds in the Shade Garden.  Yay for me.  I have been dreading that chore.  Last summer you couldn't even walk in that path because of the purple colocasia growing there, and I promised Bert that the next year I would move them. Promise kept. 
• Deadheaded more Ox Eye in the Circle Drive beds.
• Weeded in the Archduke Charles bed.
• After work I sprayed herbicide along the outside and here and there inside Mom's Garden, the paths in the Shade Garden, and a few spots in the Star Garden.
• Dinner in Brenham for Bert's birthday.
• Friday.  Worked.
• Deadheaded some Ox Eyes here and there.
• Did some clean up in the Vegetable Garden - staking and cutting plants away leaning into paths. 
• I turned the soil in the long narrow bed and sowed some grey stripe sunflowers in the Vegetable Garden.
• Bert got me set up with my new toy - my flamethrower - and I burned up a big swath in the Meadow of invasive grass.  Amy Thomsen told me to burn it, not to wait until next season, so that I can burn the seeds. Then she said I'd probably have to do another burn to get whatever germinates after that.  It is extremely hot work, and I was covered with soot when I stopped after only 20 minutes - I was dripping sweat.  Sweat was getting in my eyes.
• Made a pot of beans and a cake for Bert's birthday party tomorrow  The entire family - both sides of our children will be all together for the first time in many years.  Pictures will be taken for sure!
• After work I went back out to the Meadow and did some more burning.  
• Saturday.  Bert's 70th birthday party.  16 adults and 10 children.  It was a madhouse because it rained most of the day.  All of us (and 4 dogs) stuck in the house.  We eventually moved out to the porches - front and back - and talked and / or smoked cigars.
• Sunday - Oliver, Wes and Finn spent the night.  It rained all day Sunday and no gardening was attempted.