Tag: outdoors

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Digging up the beds

While going out to the mail box this morning, I stood in the middle of my front yard and took a good hard and long look at my flower beds. They are pretty, but I need a change. I know I’ve been planing my flower beds all winter, but truth be known I went for all perennials, since I have loads of annuals in the gardens.

After looking at some of my annual beds, I’ve decided they look tired and need a whole new look. Without even really giving it a thought, I went straight to the garage and grabbed a shovel.

For the rest of the morning, and even into the early afternoon, I dug up plants and transplanted them in every available space, until I refresh my soil, build up some beds and then put the plants and herbs back, in a different look and order. To say that I’ll ever be satisfied with my gardens and that they will remain the same for at least three years running, is never going to happen. I’m still not finished up digging up and rearranging beds, but got a good start today. If it hadn’t started raining, I would have stayed outside longer.

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An arbor for the garden

Once again I’m on another hunt for a awesome wooden arbors for my gardens, but this time I’m looking at various ones that is going to be sort of a focal point in the back yard, besides my flowers. While looking over my plans that I have been making all winter, and also looking at various arbors, I actually am no closer to deciding exactly the ones that I would like. (Yes, I would like more than one, since my back yard consists of two acres, a small portion of which is our family pet cemetery. To some this may sound rather odd, but we love our pets and they are part of the family.

While browsing, I found all sorts of different styles of garden arbors. Now I’m not sure I want to go with wooden ones. After we had the deck and front porch built with another material that doesn’t have to be treated and there is virtually no upkeep, I’m having second thought about having wood way out in the back yard.

To me, some arbors make up a great deal of a garden’s personality at times. Also it shows the garden owners personality also. So while I’m just looking at various arbors even the vinyl arbors which I don’t care much for, I’m thinking about which kind I’d like to use. It’s time to start shopping for the outside of my house, and the gardens and I have a lot of ideas to put to work.

 

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Thining out the Iris

Goodness…I never thought that iris would have so many babies and spread like wildfire, in one winter, it seems. But mine did! No, I’ve never dug them up in the fall, like the books and other people say to do. (not everyone does this, but most that I have talked to do.)

I’m going to ask everyone I know if they would like some irises. I have plenty. The colors vary from light blue, dark blue, lavender, a really light purple, a dark purple, yellow and a few (that I am going to keep) that are such a dark shade of purple that they look black.

I’m trying to figure out what to plant in the spaces that I am going to have when I thin out the irises. I’ve been thinking of various flowers of different blooming times. It won’t be until I shop though and something catches my fancy before I know what is actually going to be planted.

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Seed for the front yard

Deciding to seed all the bare spots in the part of the front yard that isn’t walk ways and flower or herb patches, turned into a science experiment.  I did this last week, and honestly didn’t think the seed would take, as it was some of that high bred, BS kind…that I never use. Leave it to a man who doesn’t garden, to come back with extremely pricy, bionic grass seed, when I asked for simple, cheap, American made, no frills grass seed for shady areas. SMH

I followed the directions on the bionic seed…which took a scientist to understand, and then spread straw lightly on top, which wasn’t in the instructions, after which I watered it until I knew it was saturated. I did notice that grass is coming up. In small clumps. I know I spread it evenly, as I took great pains in doing so.

My theory is…it is because I followed all the high tech directions and didn’t use my own gardening instinct, since the “Do you know how much that cost?” question kept coming to my ears. Okay, the husband only said that once, but still…it ticked me off. I’m going to look at the yard tomorrow in a fresh light, so to speak. If those bare spots are still in the yard, I’m going to go into town and get my tried and true grass seed that only costs 3.89 for a ten lb. bag. (Instead of the last seed that also came with a BIONIC price tag of 10.00 for 3lbs!

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Changes in the weather

Is warm weather coming early here, or is it just a tease? This is what I asked myself when I got up this morning and turned on the news and weather. Today when I went into town, it was sunny and about 45 degrees. Not bad, but would have been better had the wind not been blowing.

According to the weather report for the next few days, It looks as though it will get into the 60’s tomorrow, but there is also a chance of rain storms, which around here…might mean also a chance of tornadoes. Scary thought.

Weather like this though, makes me want to get out in my gardens and at least putz around… pull out anything dead or any of debris that has gathered. I’m itching for warmer weather to do this and start spring cleaning them. I have a feeling though, that because the weather has been so mild this winter, that summer is going to be a dangerous one. Lots of storms and tornadoes, or just the opposite and droughts. It wouldn’t be the first time that my feelings about such things were right.

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More seed catalogs and strange weather

This winter has been very non typical to this area. I’ve also been getting my garden magazines and seed catalogs much earlier than usual. I’m not complaining about that, because I can do garden planning now.

The animals have been acting odd too. My husband and I noticed that the skunks didn’t hibernate this winter, the geese in the wetlands behind my house never left like normal. In fact there are more going into the sanctuary.

My son saw a honey bee yesterday. For quite a few years there were no honey bees seen at all. Every one of our boxes out in the field were empty, which didn’t help our financial situation. This makes me wonder what this summer is going to bring.