A perfect day for working outside and I did for three hours this morning.
I had a backsliding moment this morning early and decided I didn't want to milk and just dump the milk. Everything I own is filled with milk. I have made a gallon and a quart of yogurt and a pound of mozzarella so I decided to let Willow's calf nurse...........probably a mistake. When I separated them this morning she had bawled continually. At least now when I do milk she can't get so antsy for the calf that I am in danger. She is safely confined in the stanchion. So be it!
The dogwood by the drive is now in full white stage of bloom. I am always amazed at how quickly things progress this time of year.
The 'broken' oakleaf hydrangea 'Snowflake' is surviving so far. I remember to water it every time I fill the bird bath. That location was a good idea.
I think the uprooted apple tree is still alive too, at least it is green under the bark....but no buds yet.
I spent the morning planting the order of bulbs I got from the neighbor boy (a school project). I planted 14 glads, 2 Stargazer lilies, and 6 dwarf lilies. I am anxious to see what I have.
Next I cleaned the foundation bed, east and south sides. Mostly dead nettle, and maple and elm salings. I also pulled a lot of the honeysuckle purpurea (which isn't fragrant like they said). I may be forced to more drastic measures on it.
This is the cleaned corner of the bed outside the dining room porch. I think I spotted a couple of 4 O'clock seedlings. Rudbeckia is back, feverfew, and the poppies have self seeded here and there. The Jackmani Superba clematis that I accidentally whacked off last year is back! Everything looks promising.
This is a long view of the front foundation bed. The tall blooming shrub is a viburnum, very fragrant.
and a closeup of the bloom,
I filled my garden cart with weeds which I will toss on the compost pile.
I also did a final cleaning of the Grass Bed. I cut the white buddleia down to about 18 inches, saw some green tips starting. I see the Black and Blue salvia is returning..........and poke. I will bring out the big guns for that (diesel). The burned off grasses are up about 12 inches now and the iris don't show the scorch anymore.
List of flower beds:
Cellar Bed - partly done
Grass Bed - done
Foundation Bed - done
Hyperion bed (in front yard with Little Lamb hydrangea) - done and partly mulched
Garden Fence Border - done
Humming Bird Bed - mostly done (need to kill out a rampant native eupatorium)
Ash Tree Bed - required very little just chopped a weed or two
New Bed - needs serious attention
Driveway bed- likewise (thinking of doing away with these two beds)
Garage wall Border - Dreading this one
Concrete Ramp Bed - drastically cutting this one back.
Annabelle Hydrangea bed - needs mulching to kill out henbit, chickweed and deadnettle
Yellow Iris in back fence bed - ignore!
The trimmer is being stubborn; we are putting in a new plug and hope that fixes the problem. It is a Stihl and usually it is trouble-free and was a week ago.
6 eggs yesterday; the two girls are still on the nests.. Hatch day should be around the 24th of this month.
Your flower beds look so pretty. I'm glad you're having nice weather. I went outside to try to work today but it was cold and really windy. I was sloshing around in water two inches deep so I came back in. I hope we don't have more rain any time soon.
ReplyDeleteIt was windy and cold here today too,yeasterday it rained cats and dogs all day,but at least we didn't get any bad storms. Your flowers are pretty! Blessings jane
ReplyDeleteIt was a perfect day out here in RockyWorld yesterday, too, I've got to get a post put up. Love your viburnum. I have two that I got from FreeTreesandPlants a couple of years ago. They probably would've bloomed this year if it hadn't been for the setback of almost dying last summer from the transplant during the drought. In fact, I thought they hadn't made it thru the winter, it took them so long to leaf out.
ReplyDeleteWhat the heck is dead nettle? You keep posting about cleaning it out. Is it a weed then? Or just something you grow that is prolific?
I love seeing your place!
ReplyDeleteWhen you let your hens set, do you separate them from the flock before the chicks hatch or do you let nature do its own thing? We've never gotten to the hatching point yet and I've heard all sorts of opinions on it but all I've ever seen in real life is separating them.
I hope you all see your answers here. I will try answering in one post on the blog and see how that works out.
ReplyDeleteFirst: Ilene, it is a weed, a winter annual, the botanical name is lamium purpureum, aka dead nettle.
I may start just calling it ground cover and ignoring it, but it is much coarser than the decorative lamiums and the leaves are not decorative. It should turn yellow and die as soon as hot weather hits. It is ugly then too. I try to pull as much as I can hoping the next year it won't be so bad. It is in the same category as chickweed, winter annuals that will soon die.
Speedkin:
Ideally, I would separate the setting hens from the rest of the flock, but every time I have tried that by moving the nest to a safe pen, the immediatly quit setting. Now if these nests were closer to the ground, it wouldn't be so worrisome about the babies hatching if the nests weren't so high off the ground. Mine are about 36 or so inches. I will have to watch very carefully so they don't fall out when they all hatch out. If we have a successful hatch, I will move both to the other side of the pen, a 6x6 area and let the rest of the girls have their old quarters.
During the day, I shut them out of the setting hen side and at night when I know they won't bother the two on the nests open it up so they will all have a place to roost.
I am keeping my fingers crossed on all this.
Oh how I envy your big mower and dump trailer. No wonder you can get as much done as you do! Looks like a zero-turn mower to boot. You have all the good toys... :-D
ReplyDeleteI too enjoyed that perfect spring day-wish we had more of them-the wind has been really too much.
ReplyDeleteLooks like you are getting lots done. I hope to get Indian Giver dug and divided in the next few days. I will email you when I put it in the mail so you can watch for it.
Take care...........
Kris, I tell you that zero turn mower cut my mowing time in half! My elderly (she was my age then)neighbor that we bought the farm from kept telling me I needed one....She had a big honking 56 inch cut that she paid over $10,000 for....no way would I do that. I think my Gravely is a 42-inch cut and not nearly that much. They are expensive though. The saving in time if the zero radius thing. It is an engineering marvel.
ReplyDeleteI had a little John Deere 30 inch with a steering wheel and it got so it hurt my arms to use the thing.....it did not have power steering.
Now you know why I enjoy mowing.
Bev, bless you for remembering. I know right where I am putting in. In the front bed with the Hyperion and Little Lamb Hydrangea.
Oh how sweet, if hatch day is the 24th...right on Easter!!! Glenda the garden looks wonderful & i can almost smell the blooms you describe. My beds are really starting to perform nicely, too...:)JP
ReplyDelete