Worked in the Orchard with my wheelbarrow. I pulled up all the ageratum. It has finished blooming, but has not started to throw off seed. I weeded the area and sowed Ox Eye daisy seed and Coneflower seed. Tied up some flopping goldenrod. Yanked up Sweet Autumn clematis seedlings. There are a few bad spots of weeds in there still, but it looks pretty good. I dumped all the mist flower in the Meadow. I cutoff stems of Shinners Sunflower seed heads and spread them in the Meadow. This plant is too unruly for my gardens, but it will be perfect for the Meadow.
I pulled up the ageratum in the iris bed in the Star Garden, also before it set seed. I dug out some giant blue mistflower and potted it up for the plant swap that will be in a couple weeks. I don't want the tall mistflower in the iris bed. It is an aggressive seeder. I also dug up a clump of Southern Wood Fern for the swap.
I continued pulling up ageratum in the Star Garden. It has an incredibly extensive root system, so I do not need that stuff to throw off seed. I weeded as I went. I pulled up all the Mexican sunflower plants that had fallen over. I don't know why I love those plants so much, they are unruly. They get 10 feet tall and topple over. Often they will continue to look good despite that because the roots are still in the ground. If that is the case, I will let them live because they bloom their hearts out in the fall and are much-loved by the butterflies.
I sowed seed, about 50 5 inch pots of the short goldenrod that I got from Ann Thames, coneflower, roughleaf coneflower, eupatorium rotundifolia, and Heliopsis. Right now I have so many gallon plants in the Vegetable Garden, a dozen Passalong Pink, lots of John Fanick phlox, elderberry, native passionvine, Coral Bean, and some I can't remember as I sit here writing notes. I will rid myself of some of them at the plant swap.
I planted a shrubby blue sage (that I got at the spring plant swap from Swee Leng) and 6 or so salvia azurea (from the fall plant sale) and Ashy Sunflower (from Buchanan's) in the Rose Garden.
We finally got a good rain - the first half of October and September were very droughty. I sowed Black Eyed Susans, Clasping Coneflower, Indian Grass, Prairie Parsley, and Cow Pen daisy along the trails just before the evening gully wash. Job well done.
I dug up a good-sized Giant Coneflower and potted it up for the swap.
Weeded in the Vegetable Garden, too late unfortunately, because all the weeds had dropped their seed.
I prepped beds and sowed lots of Ox Eye Daisy seed in the Rose Garden. I also collected seed from my Hyssop Leaved Thoroughwort.
I spent quite a bit of time dividing day lily clumps that did not bloom well last summer. Finding places for all the day lilies is a challenge. I started digging up salvia and planting the daylilies in those spots. I have more than enough salvia.
I prepped a bed in the Vegetable Garden with leaf mold compost and planted 6 Brussels sprouts plants.
I moved 2 mature Texas Orange Lantana in the Orchard. I put them in the same beds, but I moved them from the edge of the beds to the middle of the beds.
I potted up a flat each of Hyssop Leaf Thoroughwort and Ivy Leaf Mistflower.
Cleaned up in the Shade Garden. I raked the paths, all debris goes into the beds. Cut away or pushed back plants that were leaning into the paths. I cut some branches away. Pulled up Snakeroot growing in paths. The Snake root is blooming right now. And I can see my darling, reliable little Fleabane seedlings coming up. They make a charming stand of white flowers every spring. And they like that shady little spot. My toad lily is blooming. It is not as full as it was in the past, but it still shows up every year, long may it last.
I dug up some double orange daylilies that had spread into the paths. I stuck it in one of the rain barrels until I decide what to do with it.
