Columbine April 10, 2016

Ehamanii Canna April 10, 2016

Ehamanii gets very tall.  It is still early spring, so the plants are still small.  The flowers look really pretty today.

Weekend at the Farm April 9-10, 2016

Arrived Saturday afternoon after attending Wes' birthday party.  He just turned one.  Pretty dry around here, no rain for many weeks, a top soil dryness, we have had good rain this spring and the woods look healthy.

I decided I'm going to dig up the Kolkwitzia Amablis Pink Cloud shrubs outside the dining room windows.  Not enough bang for the buck.  Unimpressive flowers for a shrub that completely blocks the view outside.  I'll do it this fall.

The poppies I got from Maedell are in full bloom right now.  So pretty.

The armadillos are back.  I see signs of their digging everywhere.  Little bastards. Frown.

Raked the paths in the Vegetable Garden where the fungus was making a comeback, and I threw it in the woods.

Cut away plants that were stretching into the paths.

I decided that I really need to clear the paths in the Rose Garden where the Homestead Purple Verbena has taken over.  I was going to leave it, but there are too many places blocked off.  I transplanted a bunch of it to other places which is the thing I didn't want to get into today, but there you go.

Put down compost in various places.

Got out the ladder so I could reach some Peggy Martin canes, and I tied them up against the chain that I'm training her on.  Spent some time tying Zepherine Drouhin canes against the cedar arbor that I'm training her on.

Planted 2 Buddleia hybrids, Buzz Velvet and Buzz Sky Blue, in the Star Garden.  Also planted 2 Agastache Kudos Coral plants in the Star Garden.

Watered in the Rose Garden.

Laid down more compost.

Bunched and tied daffodil greenery to get it out of the way.  You're not supposed to cut it because the dying greenery gives energy to the bulbs.

Spent some time in the Vegetable Garden weeding.

Checked on the bees and removed the feeder.  

Climbed inside the fence Bert built around my African Hostas and weeded.

Sprayed herbicide in the driveway, Shade Garden, Orchard and Rose Garden.

Put down ant poison in the Orchard.

Put a wheelbarrow of compost in one of the front flowerbeds and called it a day.  We left after the Masters was over.

Weekend at the Farm April 2 - 3, 2016

Spent Saturday showing Blake and Sammy our new house, then went to see Josh and Amy's new house.  Arrived at the farm Saturday evening.  Spent the evening with Mark and Jere drinking wine and talking about the kids-quite a turn about.  The kids usually get together and talk about us!

Beautiful day on Sunday.  Cool, no humidity, not a cloud in the sky.

Leaf cutter ants stripped my Zepherine Drouhin climbing rose.  It's a once a year bloomer, so it won't have any flowers for another year.  Aargh!

Spent the morning in the Orchard weeding and putting compost around my grapes, all across the arbor beds.  I seeded the area under the grapes with Red Garnet Amaranth and Juana's Orange Amaranth.  The Red Garnet has red leaves and red seeds.  Juana's Orange is an ancient variety with orange seeds.

Spread compost around the Anacanthus in the Star Garden.

Watered the Sweet Olive which I am trying to bring back from the brink.

I spent a couple hours in the Rose Garden watering all the perennials.  It hasn't rained here in a couple of weeks.

Stayed Sunday night and drove back in the morning and got ready for work in the new house - which is very convenient to work.

Yellow Iris April 3, 2016

I dug up this iris from the house on Nixon Lake Road.  This is a pretty, old fashioned variety whose flowers barely makes it through one day before they melt in the sun.  The new varieties have thicker, more robust flowers.  I love the old ones and the new ones.  I like to imagine the woman that grew this little yellow iris 50 years ago that was delighted with the pretty flower - she had no way of knowing that years later they would make leaps with their quality.  Who is to say we are better off?  This little iris is still here, and it endured through decades of droughts and neglect.

Belinda's Dream April 2, 2106

Belinda's Dream looked really pretty this weekend with big, fat, perfect blooms.

Flying Jenny

My mother told all of us a story during Pizza Night about  spinning around on a Flying Jenny when she was a girl.  Bert built one the very next weekend.  He will carve out seats on each side.  Old fashioned fun.