Weekend at the Farm April 28 - May 1, 2022

 

I drove up after work by myself on Thursday evening and worked from the farm on Friday.  Bert stayed in Houston to go to Zelda's birthday party.

• Before work I planted a Passalong Pink verbena in the Star Garden.  The owner of The Arbor Gate was singing this plant's praises, so I have been watching for it.  I finally found it in stock and bought 7 of them even though they were $11 each which is pricey.
• I planted 3 Jacob Cline bee balm in the Star Garden near the orange cannas in the center bed.
• During lunch I planted the rest of the Passalong Pinks - one in the front bed and the rest in the Star Garden.
• I planted 3 Mexican Mint Marigold in the Harlequin Glorybower bed.  
• I had a Heliopsis in a pot in the Vegetable Garden, and I planted it in the Rose Garden. 
• Watered in the Water Garden and the Rose Garden.
• Fertilized a few of my roses in pots.
• I began pulling up lettuce and forking it into the compost pile.  I have so much lettuce.  This was my best lettuce year ever.
• Saturday.  Drove to Madisonville for the family reunion.  Brad set aside a bunch of feed buckets for me, so I brought them home with me.  Yay.  Love those things.
• Sunday.  I worked in the Rose Garden for several hours.  I planted a coral Knockout rose in a bucket.  One of our party guests gave it to me.  Normally I am a snob about Knockout roses.  Too common to put in my gardens.  There is no denying - they are amazing roses.  But they are everywhere, and familiarity breeds contempt.  But the coral Knockout is beautiful and unusual, and I am thrilled with it.  I dug up some Creeping Jenny from the Medicine Garden and put it in the pot with the rose to give it a little soil cover. 
• Weeded throughout the garden wherever I saw a weed.  I cut salvia and Tall Poppy Mallow away where they were crowding other plants. 
• I planted an althea in the Gaye Hammond bed.  I rooted this althea from a cutting that I took from an althea in the town center of Burton last fall.  The soil fell apart when I removed it from its pot, but I think it will survive the shock.
• I cut back Tall Poppy Mallow in the Vegetable Garden.  And as much as it hurt, I pulled up a big poppy plant that was crowding my squash.
• I planted four silver sedum in a shallow feed bucket that I had lying around.  I set it in the Medicine Garden.
• I pulled up almost all of the castor sticks behind the Vegetable Garden.  Dumped them in an erosion spot.
• Sprayed herbicide in the Meadow wherever there were thick stands of the invasive grass.  Also sprayed the pepper vine at the bottom of the hill.
• Sprayed herbicide in the Orchard.  Sprayed herbicide along the fence line of the White Garden.
• I am excited to see that several Texas Vervain seeds that I got from Connie Gwyn last summer have come up. 
• Cleaned the inside of my car.
• Sprayed herbicide in the Star Garden and the Rose Garden.  
• Laid down some ant poison on some ant piles in the gardens.
• I walked the gardens for  long time noting what is next to bloom, areas where weeds are about to take hold, what needs to be cut back.  I watched a really weird green insect for quite a while.  I passed a very pleasant time.  Headed home to Houston about 3:00.