Weekend at the Farm March 14 - 16, 2014

 

The forsythia is in full bloom right now.  So pretty!

• Took Friday off to go to the Mercer Plant Sale.  Met Nancy and Lisa there.  Bought 3 Butterfly gingers of an unknown variety (they were really inexpensive), 2 Kinkaku Butterfly gingers, several Gilt Edge Toad Lilies, a Mock Orange, a Styrax Japonicus 'Emerald Pagoda' which is a small tree that blooms white flowers.  I hope I can keep the Mock Orange and Emerald Pagoda alive.  They are both very special trees.  I also bought 2 ground covers called Frogfruit and 2 Spreadleaf asters.  Looks like it's going to drop to 36 tonight.  I hope they stay alive.  I bought $100 of herbs right before the temperature dropped into the 20s a couple of weeks ago.  They didn't make it, needless to say.
• Went to Burton after the plant sale and did absolutely nothing for the rest of the day - napped and lounged and made a pot roast for dinner.  Bert arrived that evening.
• Saturday morning I shredded leaves that I raked last weekend.  Spread some of the leaves in one of the new beds I made and piled the rest up next to the Vegetable Garden.  That is officially the end of leaf shredding for the 2013 - 2014 season.
• Saturday morning and early afternoon I loaded 4 truckloads of crushed granite and spread it in the path that extends from the gate by the Rose Garden all the way to the house. 
• Wandered round and round Saturday evening as I often do, looking at everything, planning, and contemplating life at the farm.
• Sunday I worked in the Orchard for a long time pulling weeds and raking.  I turned some soil over in several places where it was really weedy.  
• I planted all the plants I purchased on Friday.  I put several of the gingers in the Star Garden as well as the ageratum, the Frogfruit, and the asters.  I planted the Toad Lily and the Kinkaku Gingers in the new bed in Bert's Garden.
• Spent the rest of Sunday spreading crushed granite in the paths of the Star Garden, and I finished the little area leading into the Rose Garden that was unfinished.
• My back is aching from all the work!

Digging Up Bearded Irises

 This lot next to a small market in Carmine, TX has a stand of bearded irises that have probably been there for half a century.  I dug up some clumps for myself and Janine Snapp.  I planted mine in the Long Border.

Four Days at the Farm March 7 - 10, 2013

 Above, there are 100 double campernelles about to bloom, and 50 singles that are in full bloom.  Cheerful even on a cloudy day.

 These are double daffodils.  Josh gave them to me for my birthday.

We finally got internet in Burton.  We had it many years ago and cancelled it in an effort to cut costs.  Drove in to Houston on Saturday evening for dinner at Triniti for Nan's birthday, then drove back to Burton.  Cold and rainy Friday and Sturday, but I never complain about rain.

• Spent most of Friday shoveling crushed granite into the cub cadet, driving it over to the Star Garden, and spreading it in the paths.  Then the cub broke down.  We put it on the trailer and drove it into town to get repaired.  That put a serious crimp in my weekend plans.  Twelve yards of crushed granite and no way to move it over a long distance.  We had it dumped in the front of the property because those heavy dump trucks can really mess up the driveway.  After that I concentrated on the path leading to the Rose Garden.  It is almost finished.
• Pruned several roses in the Rose Garden - the Cadenza, the Star of the Republic, several Belinda's Dreams.  I did some additional trimming on the Bermuda's Kathleen to make the path more manageable. 
• Pulled weeds in the Orchard and the Star Garden.
• Sprayed herbicide on several paths and in the bed that the 75% sculpture sits.
•  Raked leaves around the pool and piled them up next to the shed.  Too wet to shred.
• Cleaned the small oven.  Vacuumed the bedroom and shook out the rugs.  Cleaned the toilets and sinks in the master bath.
• Raked in the Shade Garden, but couldn't get real motivated to work in such cold weather on Saturday.
• My husband put some cedar posts in the Noisette bed in the Rose Garden so that I could pull the long canes upright and out of the path.  Noisettes are low climbers or they can have a sprawling, waterfall habit.  It looks much better, and definitely more passable.
• My husband and I drove in to Carmine so I could dig up some bearded irises I spotted under a tree in an empty field. I'm bringing a clump to Janine Snapp, and I planted several clumps in the Long Border and in the front flower bed.
• Transplanted a plug of Clerodendrun Bungeii to the Shade Garden.
• I planted 4 wild onions in the Rose Garden that Janine gave me last week.    
• Fed the bees some sugar water on Monday evening. Foolishly decided to wear my garden gloves instead of the bee gloves.  Stung six times, maybe more.  My hands are throbbing! 
• We had the propane folks come out and fill our tank.  This is the first time we have had it filled since we built the house.  There was about 20% left.  $472.  Cub Cadet repair $378.  Expensive weekend.

Laying Down Crushed Granite Paths

 It is absolutely an improvement when gravel is laid down in the paths.  Too bad it doesn't last forever.  To keep everything looking good this has to be re-done every couple of years.  A lot of work!  I had to stop working on the Star Garden paths because the cub cadet had to go into the shop for repairs.  It started spewing black smoke.  The gravel pile is pretty far from the Star Garden.  So now I'm working on the path leading into the Rose Garden.  It all has to be done, so the order doesn't matter.

Weekend at the Farm February 28 - March 2, 2014

My Rocky dog did not enjoy my grandchild as much as I did this weekend.

• Will, Kim and the kids came to the farm and spent the night.  Beth and Ashley and the boys came up for the day.  The weather on Saturday was pretty nice, but it turned extremely cold and rainy on Sunday.
• I had twelve yards of crushed granite delivered on Friday.  Lots of work to do before the Crawfish Boil on April 26.
• Laid down two truckloads of crushed granite amongst the stepping stones at the entrance to the Star Garden.  That's all I had time to do before the crowd arrived on Saturday.  
• Sunday morning I planted 3 Dittany of Crete, 3 Rosemary, 3 French Sorrel, and 3 Berggarten Sage in the Medicine Garden.
• I planted 6 Mother of Thyme in the Star Garden as ground cover and 3 Onion Chives in the Kitchen Herb bed.
• The white and purple bearded irises I rescued from various places are loaded with buds.  Hopefully the freeze didn't do them in.
• I planted 7 sweet pea plants in the Star Garden.  The rabbits ate all of the ones I planted from seed.
• Salad from the garden for dinner on Saturday evening.  
• Everything is budding out.  It is the most exciting time of year in the garden.

 

Paperwhites March 1, 2014

 I love the smell of the paperwhites.  And they are one of the only things blooming in February.  Very special plants.

Plum Trees in Bloom March 1, 2014

 The temperature dropped below 25 the day after I took these pictures. I hope I get some plums this year.  Last year a late freeze killed all my tiny little plums.