Quick Trip to the Farm April 12, 2014

First poppy of the season - I never get tired of them.
Gretchen and Beckett in from New York for a quick visit.  So I ran up to the farm on Friday and went to my mom's on Saturday.  Lake on Sunday.  Went up to the farm mainly to water the hops vines that I planted last weekend, but on Wednesday my Colocasias arrived int the mail, so I had to plant them as well.

• Purchased 5 Blue Hawaiian Colocasias (elephant ears), 5 Mojito Colocasias, and 1 Borneo Giant Alocasia.  The leaves of alocasias point up, and the leaves of colocasias point downward.  Alocasias seem to be able to take more sun too.  I planted all 5 Blue Hawaiians right at the top of the Boardwalk.  I planted 3 of the Mojitos in the Shade Garden in the bed with the Burgundy Stem Colocasias.  The Burgundy Stems have mostly faded after going strong for about four years.  And I planted the other 3 Mojtos on either side of the Borneo Giant at the bottom of the Boardwalk.  Borneo Giants are massive (if given enough water and attention), the leaves can be 6 feet across and twelve feet long, a curiosity plant.  I thought I would give it a try for fun.
• I used my trombone sprayer and foliar fertilized the azaleas and camellias and the La Marne roses.
• The La Marnes are infected with powdery mildew again this year.  Very aggravating.  Saturday morning before I left, I sprayed all my roses with fungicide.  I haven't been bothered with Black Spot this year.  I saw a very little when it was still cool during the days, but the roses seemed to beat it on their own.  But powdery mildew threatens roses as much as black spot.  It really deforms the leaves and flowers.  Last year it was on all my roses.  Hopefully I have stopped it from spreading.
• I watered many of the shrubs, my new little hops vines, all my new perennials that I have planted over the last month or two, and my newest fruit trees.
• Cut back an overgrown salvia greggii Hot Lips near the house.
• Noticed that my Hartlage Wine and Venus Sweet Shrubs are in bud  They are still tiny - only about two feet tall and not really any branching of note, but they have flower buds nevertheless.  I can't wait to see if they have a good smell.  Sweet Shrubs, contrary to their name, do not always have a good smell.  If they have a scent it is wonderful, but some of them have no scent.  I have waited two years to get a bloom so that I can find out if I'm one of the lucky ones.
• Noticed that one of the mystery bulbs I dug up from the deserted house has finally bloomed.  As I suspected, it is a rain lily.  White.  I was hoping for something more interesting, but at least it is an impressive rain lily.  Large, pointed, waxy, overlapping petals on a strong, upright stem.  The few gray-green leaves of each bulb do not go dormant.   

Spring April 7, 2014

 

The Chinese Sacred Lilies are in full bloom.

 Our precious babies, Henry and Oliver Bonassin.

 Columbine and daisies.

 A few of the many Blue Bonnets on the property.

The Ox Eye Daisies are about to be amazing.  I know I use the works "beautiful", "amazing:, etc too much but nature is powerful.  It's hard to down play the impact of her display!

Weekend at the Farm April 5 - 7, 2014

I love when the George Tabor Azaleas are in bloom.  The color pink is beautiful.  The soil is limey around these parts, and azaleas like acid soil, but I grow them anyway because I love them.

Rain, rain, rain on Sunday.  Took Monday vacation and left for work on Tuesday morning.  Monday turned out beautiful - cool and sunny.

• William, Kim, their babies, and Nathan, Jess, and their baby came for a visit.  We watched the kids on Saturday while they went to the antique festival in Round Top.  Fortunately the rain held off on Saturday for them.
• Sunday was mostly a lost day for working.  It rained all day.  Rain is always wanted, so that's ok.
• I spread three loads of granite in the Shade Garden on Sunday afternoon.  Looks good.
• Dug up half dozen or so seedlings of Rudbeckia Maxima that was growing in the paths of the Vegetable Garden.  Moved it to various spots in the Star Garden and the Hot Border.
• Gathered Arugula and Lettuce from the garden for Sunday dinner.
• Planted 3 clumps of gingers that I dug up from the garden in Houston.  Planted one in the Medicine Garden and two in the Greenhouse Gardens.  I have one more clump to plant which I will do on Monday. 
• Spread some French Marigold seed in the Vegetable Garden in the beds where I planted the green beans and the squash last weekend.  French Marigolds deter nematodes.
• Spread the rest of the Laura Bush Petunias and the Baby's Breath in  Star Garden.
• Monday I spread a truckload of granite in the Star Garden in a few spots that I had left undone previously.
• Also spread several truckloads of granite in the Shade Garden.  It really looks good!  Not sure I'll have enough to finish before I run out. Fifteen yards has gone pretty far.  Farther than I thought it would.  
• Sent my husband in to town to buy wine.  There was nothing left but bad, cheap wine.  Sorry, we're just not that poor.  He had to take the mower in to town anyway.  It needed some sort of part.  It's always breaking.  We need a tractor.  Can't afford one - using up all our money drinking good wine, I guess.
• Cleaned up dead debris in the Star Garden around the Mexican Salvia.  Loosened the soil and seeded the area with Ruby Parfait Celosia and Cockscomb and Cactus Flower Zinnias.
• Planted the hops vines that Josh gave me for my birthday.  I planted two of them against the arbor that leads into Max's Garden - that's fitting!  Facing the arbor, Columbus is on the right and Galena is on the left.  I planted Brewer's Gold on the arbor that leads to the shed.  And I planted the fourth plant, Zeus, on the arbor that leads into the Long Border.  Josh has been encouraging me to build a beer Garden.  It would contain plants that have historically been used to make beer and other spirits such as Mead.  He gave me a book about plants that are grown for such uses.  I am indeed interested in doing that, but it is a big project.  I don't know if I have another one in me without help such as a mini front end loader.  Me, my shovel, and my wheel barrow are getting pretty tired working all by our lonesome.  And irrigation is always a head ache.  The farther I get from the house the more difficult access to irrigation  becomes.
• Watered here and there.  
• Weeded - always!
• Wandered around and around, wine glass in hand.  Planning, dreaming, and observing.

Spring Flowers - Columbines April 7, 2014

 Columbine are some of the most amazing flowers ever!  Their gorgeous spurs are unforgettable.

Spring Flowers - Spanish Bluebells April 7, 2014

 

My Bluebells bloomed unusually late this year due to an unusually late freeze.  But they are so pretty.  The armadillos or the voles pulled them up on top of the soil this year, and I spread them around to many flower beds around the house.  They ended up making a great show after all. 

Spring Flowers - Azaleas April 7, 2014

I love the ephemeral beauty of the George Tabor Azaleas.  Azaleas are such a fleeting pleasure.  They last just a short time.

An azalea in front of my Mexican Buckeye tree, also in bloom.  This Buckeye has gotten quite tall.  The other two that I planted at the same time are not in spots that gets the same amount of irrigation.  It has really made a difference.  They are half the size of this one.

Weekend at the Farm March 29 - 30, 2014

What a perfect weekend.  Sunny and cool.  I tried to get the kids up here for a visit - the weather was so beautiful - but they all had plans.

• The Little Blue Stem grass that I seeded in the clearing in front of the house has sprouted.  What I love about seeds is that I'm always amazed and surprised when they sprout - even though they always do.  Those feelings happen every time I come upon some ground that I have seeded, and I see the little green darlings dusting the ground.  That is a pretty pleasant experience to have so often.  Lucky me - to be so easily pleased at something so simple.
• Saturday morning I vacuumed the whole house and shook out all the rugs.
• Went to the feed store in Carmine after that.  Bought cottonseed meal to fertilize the fruit trees and Contender Bush Bean seeds, red seed potatoes, and White Scallop squash seeds.  I will plant all that this weekend in the Vegetable Garden.
• Saturday spread 4 loads of crushed granite in the Star Garden.  I wasn't going to do the two center, circular walkways because I covered them in crushed granite two years ago, but my husband convinced me to do them.
• Saturday afternoon I turned over 4 beds in the Vegetable Garden, added cotton seed meal to the soil, and seeded two of the beds with seed potatoes and two of the beds with squash.  I'm growing the squash for the blossoms.  Squash blossoms are a delicacy.
• Sprayed herbicide in the Vegetable Garden, it was pretty weedy in the paths.
• Saturday evening I walked round and round looking at everything, glass of wine in hand.
• Went in to Carmine and ate at JW's Saturday night. 
• Some time in the middle of the night on Sunday I woke with fever.  Didn't feel well all day, achy and feverish.  I blame Brenda C who was coughing up a lung during a meeting on Thursday.  And I will call her up on Monday and let her know! 
• Went into town on Sunday morning with my husband to get the Cub Cadet tire repaired.  Couldn't get it done, though, and burned the entire morning trying.
• Also went to Home Depot to get a few things.  I bought some succulents to plant in a pot in the Infinity Garden.  I just love them!  Every shape imaginable, they are fascinating little plants:  Crosby Jade Plant, Donkey Tail Burrito, Belle Blue Pachyveria, Cobwed Cebenese, Aloe Vera, ET's Fingers, and Hens and Chicks.  I also bought 3 two gallons Lorapetalums to put in an empty spot around the pool.  The pool area looks the worst of all the places on the farm.  I am not a landscaper!  Cottage gardening is what I can do because it is totally unorganized.
• Planted the succulents.
• Planted the Lorapetalums.
• Turned over another bed in the Vegetable Garden, mixed in some cotton seed meal, and seeded it with Contender green beans.  Also tucked in some squash seeds and green bean seeds in a few other places.  Inter planted with French Marigolds.  The marigolds I seeded last weekend have already sprouted.
• Sprayed herbicide Sunday afternoon round the pool, in the Orchard, the driveway in front of the house, and the Rose Garden.
• Broke up some clay pots that were crumbling and threw all the shards at the entrance to the Rose Garden.  It looks pretty good, decorative. 
• Loosened the soil and seeded a couple more places in the Star Garden and in the Orchard with Goldsturm seeds, Maxima seeds, Scarlet Flax, Baby's Breath, and Laura Bush Petunia seeds.
• Sunday evening I walked round and round, wine glass in hand, looking at everything and watering here and there with my watering can.