This is snakeroot and frostweed. I am liking how this looks. This is the wild area in the Star Garden. I sowed a ton of frostweed seed last winter, so I have lots of it just about to bloom. This is a good fall pollinator plant. And I like have big leaved plants in the garden.
Bert and I drove up together on Thursday evening after work. I spent a little time in Mom's Garden pulling up Louisiana artemisia and weeding. I haven't spent any time in that garden for a long time. I didn't water it one time the whole summer until I seeded it last week. But it looks pretty good.
Friday morning before work I went back out to Mom's Garden. I filled up the water tank and fixed the fountain apparatus. It's working again, and looks fine, not sure why it stopped working. I finished weeding and I trimmed the Mdm Alfred Carierre rose. I watered.
Cleared out some basketgrass in the Greenhouse Garden. Did some watering in the Greenhouse Garden. While I was in there, I found the fourth Ninebark I bought at the beginning of the summer. I planted it, and then I couldn't remember where I planted it. I looked and looked. I finally decided it must have died. But there it is tucked under a sweetshrub. Mystery solved at last.
After work I raked the Greenhouse Garden and Mom's Garden. And I did some raking in the Rose Garden. I walked along the elderberry trail and cut away elderberry and Turks Cap so that one can walk freely without brushing against anything
Saturday. Up before daylight.
Nelly went to the vet on Friday and was finally spayed. She was still feeling punky on Saturday, poor thing.
I cleared paths in the Star Garden so they are mostly walkable now. Pulled weeds. Staked a few things.
I checked on the Orchard, pulled a few weeds while I was there. The little salvia are blooming pink and red, so pretty in the early morning. But they wither away by the time the sun comes out hard.
Everything looks pretty good.
Did some cooking and prep work for my NPSOT volunteers. We worked on plant sale activities from 1:00 - 5:00. Signage, plant tags and laminating plant signs.
Sunday. Up before daylight.
I planted 2 Bushy Lippia in the Rose Garden and one in the Orchard. I bought them from Ann about a month ago, and I finally got around to planting them. I was going to plant all three in the Rose Garden in a group, but I ran into a really thick peppervine vine. I scraped it with my scissors and poisoned it with a drop of Remedy / diesel in my oil can.
I spent all morning pruning my roses in buckets and my La Vesuve rose, fertilizing and watering. Hopefully October and November will give me a good show. I weeded here and there as I worked, poisoned vines, and watered beds.
I sprinkled some baking soda on nostoc algae in the Orchard. Either applying baking soda last year was a total success or the change in my watering schedule or a combination of both have really gotten rid of the problem. This little patch of algae is the only one I have had this year. It's an incredible transformation. It was a real problem for years. Now it is gone with this one exception. Wow.
I weeded a bit in the Orchard. when I went down there to plant the Bushy Lippia.
I watered in the Greenhouse Gardens.
I watered all my seed beds - two in the rose Garden and one in Mom's Garden.
Sunday was a beautiful day. I had a wonderful time working in the gardens.
Headed home to Houston after the football game.
This is a current favorite of mine. This came up from seed that I spread last year from a plant I purchased at Buchanan's. I now have one growing in both arbor boxes in the Rose Garden, the wild corner in the Rose Garden, and 2 beds in the Rose Garden. The mother plant did not come back. It was a rough summer last year, perhaps that's the reason why.
I arrived mid afternoon on Friday. Grandparents lunches with Koy and Cleo, then headed there. Bert is in Groesbeck with his boys. He joined me on Saturday.
Pretty hot when I got there, so I stayed inside for a bit.
I sowed Rattlesnake Master and Prairie Verbena seed in Mom's Garden. It's just occurring to me that Rattlesnake Master might not be the best name for a plant in a garden dedicated to my mom, but it's white and structurally it is very unusual. I watered it, and I can get 2 waterings in on Saturday and one on Sunday before I leave. That should get them going. I need a timer to really insure that they will germinate and thrive. There has been no rain to speak of in August or September here, so everything is gasping that is not irrigated. And Mom's Garden is not irrigated.
Saturday. The days have gotten so much shorter. It's still dark outside at 7:00. Drank coffee until it was light enough to go out and work.
I started in the Orchard. I did some raking and cutting plants leaning into paths. I deadheaded coneflower and spread the seed. I weeded. Poisoned the grass that spreads by stolons by cutting off the tops and putting a drop of poison on the cut. That seems to be working to kill the stolons. I'm keeping up with it, and the garden is under control. It looks real pretty in fact, and the butterflies are numerous: Julias, Zebra Longwings, Giant Swallowtails and Gulf Fritillaries. The Julias and the Zebra Longwings are especially exciting to see.
I watered The Choctaw Pecan and the Mexican Sycamore. Watered in the Rose Garden and Mom's Garden.
Next I worked in the Shade Garden. It is a garden that doesn't need work very often, sort of a self-cleaning garden. But It really needed some work today. I cut snakeroot and gingers away from paths. I cleared out basketgrass. I cut down yaupon and poisoned the tips. Raked. Still more to do in there. But it's worlds better.
Inside for a rest.
Sprayed vinegar in the Orchard, the Vegetable Garden, the Rose Garden and the Star Garden.
I watered the Rose Garden and worked in there as I watered.
Water the seeds again that I sowed yesterday in Mom's Garden.
Picked up all my piles of debris in the Shade Garden.
Sunday morning took a walk with Bert and the dogs, then drove to Houston. Koy, Cleo and I went to lunch at Birraporettis and then to see The Little Mermaid at the Houston Ballet.
