Weekend at the Farm Nov 14 - 16, 2014

 We finally broke into the mead that my son and I made.  It has a lovely, floral bouquet, and it tastes pretty darn good (an acquired taste I'll admit, but not bad).  Pretty high alcohol content, too.  Making mead was a fun experiment, and a great memory with my son, Josh.

Took Friday as vacation and drove to the farm on Thursday evening after work.   Cold and rainy most of the weekend.

• It dipped below freezing Friday night and all the tender morning glory vines froze.  That's okay, it was just a matter of time.  I would have been dismayed if I was having the whole family over for Thanksgiving, but this year we will all be in Disney World.
• Friday morning I turned over the soil in the last two sections of the Long Border, pulled weeds, pulled up zinnias and perennial ageratum, and sowed almost all of the last of the wildflower seeds - mostly poppies.  I saved back some of the seeds to fill in empty spots.
• I dug up Ox Eye Daisies in the paths of the Rose Garden and transplanted them in several spots of the Long Border.
• I will move some more Ox Eyes tomorrow.  I need to move some into the Circle Drive flower beds.  Amy and Josh are thinking about getting married there with the guests in the driveway facing the wooded area we recently cleared.  That's fine, but in the early spring there is nothing growing in those beds.  The gingers break dormancy after the wedding has come and gone. And all the bulbs in those beds are fall bloomers.
• I collected lots of Hyacinth Bean pods from the trellis in the Long Border and put them in the house to dry out.
• Raked up some pine straw and mulched one of the Madame Antoine Mari roses in the Long Border.
• I received a few bulbs that I ordered from Old House Gardens - Double Tiger Lilies and Freesias.  I planted them in a plastic tub that I got from Albert Meyers (his cow feed gets delivered in them) and filled with potting soil.
• My husband rented a log splitter on Friday, and I helped him split the logs that he has been collecting all summer.  I loaded the cub cadet with wood, drove it to the house, and stacked it on the back porch, did that twice, helped for another twenty minutes or so then drifted off. 
• Saturday morning I cleaned the house - vacuumed, mopped, cleaned bathrooms.
• Will, Kim, Zelda, and Henry came for a visit on Saturday and spent the night.  The kids are so cute, we had a nice time - went for a walk around the place, and Zelda and I wandered round and round the gardens.
• After the kids left on Sunday morning I pulled up all the salvias in the Star Garden.  The light freeze on Saturday morning killed all of it.  I'm planning to break up the large flower bed in Max's garden into four beds, maybe five.  I will start that project when it gets a little colder and all the perennial plants are in full dormancy.  I'll have to dig up some of my Copper Canyon Daisy, Autumn Sage , and Pink Muhly Grass.  It will look a lot better, and I will be able maintain it more easily.  When everything was in full summer throttle, I did not like to walk into that huge bed and pull weeds.  A little creepy.  Anyway, I'll take all the soil that is in the spots where the new paths will be, and I will fill all the beds that have been set up.  My husband made 3 beds for me in the Star Garden out of cedar logs last summer, but I have never filled them because I had no soil.
• I moved Ox Eye daisy plants growing in paths to various spots throughout the Star Garden and Circle Drive.  I transplanted about 10 clumps of daisies to several beds in the Circle Drive.  I moved a lot of clumps to various places in the Star Garden - everywhere I saw a blank spot and envisioned beautiful white flowers blooming, I planted some. I have a lot more not go, not only are there still lots of daisies growing in paths, there are lots of plants growing under my rose shrubs.  They are too close, and they will block the beauty of the springtime roses.  The new beds I'm going to build will be good spots for them. 

Visit to the Farm November 2, 2014

Pretty rye grass coming up in the back yard.

• I expanded a bed with one green landscape strip along the back walk that leads to the Boardwalk.  I used the last of my compost - perfect timing, just before the leaves start to fall and I can make more.   Planted two Banana Shrubs.  Banana Shrubs bloom in the late summer.  The blooms are about two inches across, beige in color.  The remarkable thing about the flowers is the scent. - just like ripe bananas.  I planted them right next to the walkway so that the scent can be enjoyed.
• I spread Philippine Lily seeds in the new bed around the shrubs.  It is a partially shady area, perfect for the lilies.  I also spread seeds in several of the beds in the Circle Drive, some in the Ehrlicheer bed, and some in the Janine bulb bed. 
• I pulled up spent zinnias and salvias in the Orchard, turned over the soil, and spread wildflower seeds - California Poppies, Corn Poppies, Flanders Poppies, Drummond Phlox, and Bluebonnets.
• Raked up pine needles along the trail.  Mulched in the salvia bed along the back of the house.
• Watered all my new roses.  
• Kim stopped by with the babies for a moment on her way back to Austin- bathroom break.
• It was a gorgeous Autumn day.  Really lovely.  Stopped at Blake's on the way home to see Sammy.

Introducing Sam Hamilton Born October 28, 2014

Since I am a fan of nicknames, I am sure that Sam will eventually  answer to:
Ham Samilton
Sam I Ham
Sammy Hammy
And the list goes on.

Weekend at the Farm October 25 - October 26, 2014

Our newly stained deck.
Arrived at the farm about 3:30.  Beautiful drive.  All the grasses have gone to seed along the highway, their fluffy heads are so pretty in white and beige.  The grasses undulate like waves in the ocean - green, tan, and pink.

• The wild onion seeds that I planted two weeks ago have begun to sprout.  And the wildflower seeds that I planted last weekend have begun to sprout.  In gardening, there is a clear relationship between hard work and success.  I love that part about this hobby!
• Saturday morning I cleared out two beds - one of the plum beds and one of the apple beds.  I seeded the apple bed with Drummond Phlox, Bluebonnets, and corn poppies.  I seeded the other with California poppies, red poppies, and Catchfly.  The soil was pretty dry, so I turned on the sprinkler for about 30 minutes before I continued on.  I had turned it off in order to discourage the gross fungus growing on the gravel down there.
• Gathered Philippine Lily seeds from the seed heads that have dried out.
• Saturday midday my husband and I went to the Rose Emporium and I bought 5 rose shrubs:  Marie van Houtte (introduced in 1871, it is a yellow and pink blend), Madame Wagram (introduced in 1894, a tea rose with particularly large flowers), Madame Joseph Schwartz (introduced in 1880, it is a white sport of Duchess de Brabant), Louis Philippe (introduced in 1834, this is a red china rose), and La Vesuve (introduced in 1825, it is a pink China rose that is a more robust version of the famous rose Old Blush ).  I also bought 3 Blackfoot Daisyies.  Blackfoots are drought tolerant.  I have a sunny, dry spot that I'm going to plant the daisies and one of my rose shrubs. 
• Stopped at Home Depot and bought a sack of rye grass seed and some stain.  I'm going to stain the deck that my husband built this summer.  And I'm going to seed the back yard.  Last April the back yard was bare dirt when we had the Crawfish Boil in April.  We might have Josh's wedding here next year on April 19, so I'm planning ahead - no bare dirt yard.
• Saturday afternoon I partially cleared the Mayhaw bed and seeded it with wildflower seed.  Cleared the Mexican plum bed and seeded it.  Partially cleared and seeded the three-in-one apple tree bed.  I'll tackle at least one more tomorrow, but I don't want to pull up all the salvias and zinnias yet.  The butterflies are thick out there.
• Late Saturday afternoon I spread rye grass seed in the backyard with my fertilizer spreader.
• Sunday morning I planted all my roses with fertilizer and leaf mulch.  Surrounded each of them with chicken wire to keep the rabbits at bay until they harden off a bit.
• Madame Wagram and Madame Joseph Schwartz where Pearlie Mae and Honey Sweet used to be.  Dug up Pearlie and Honey and put them in a shady spot to see if my neighbor wants them.
• Marie van Houtte at the far end of the Long Border, and I planted the Blackfoot Daisies near her.  It's dry in that spot, but I think I can keep the rose alive with a little vigilance, and the daisies are drought tolerant.
• La Vesuve - in the inside bed at the entrance to the Rose Garden.
• Louis Philippe in the bed with the two Dame de Couer roses
• Dug up some Tropical Sunrise cannas that had showed up in one of the rose beds in the Rose Garden.  They had become a huge clump and were totally crowding out my Star of the Republic rose.
• Planted the main clump in the Star Garden, and put some in the shade to see if my neighbor wants them.
• Transplanted Ox Eye Daisies from paths to various spots throughout the gardens.
• Sprinkled sevin dust on my brussels sprouts.
• Mulched Antoine Mari rose, a weedy place in the Star Garden, around Archduke Charles, and several other places.
• Pulled up spent salvia in the Morninglory Tree bed.  Big ant pile, got lots of stings.  Put down ant poison in several spots.
• Sprayed herbicide in the Rose Garden.
• Fertilized my brussles sprounts, mustard green, and collards.
• Spent some time training my Fortune's Double along the front fence.
• Pruned the shrubs along the front of the house.  October isn't really a good time for that, but I did it anyway.

Snakeroot October 25, 2014

 Snakeroot blooms in the fall.  It looks particularly pretty with these white Moonlight Caladiums that I planted in the spring. 

Grandmother

Grandmother has a hymn book with great silver clasps, and she often reads in that book;
In the middle of the book lies the rose, quite flat and dry;
It is not as pretty as the roses she has standing in the glass;
And yet she smiles at it most pleasantly of all;
And tears even come into her eyes.
I wonder why Grandmother looks at the withered flower in the old book that way?
     - Hans Christian Anderson

La Marne Roses October 19, 2014

 This is one of my favorite views of the house.  My son told me today that he wants to get married here.  What a compliment.  He is thinking April 19.