Tuesday, June 28, 2005
My Lily List
I have decided I want to get some of the awesome Citronella Lilies I seen on Oldroses's site and I also want to get my dirty little hands (from working outside) on some Casa Blanca lilies. More lilies came to mind last night while I was doing the dishes with the window wide open and I realized that some of the lilies I planted along the fence at the side of the house last year are very visible. This of course now has me wanting to hand wash the dishes rather than shove them in the dishwasher. Before going to sleep last night I was flipping through a magazine which mentioned these lilies and the fact they have a wonderful vanilla scent to them and that is when I realized I must track some down no matter what the cost, even if it is the last thing I purchase this year for my garden. Obsession has now set in. Can you just imagine washing those dishes and having a nice scent like that float in. Hmmm a little piece of heaven I think. Of course the Citronella lilies will be in there amongst the orange and white lilies.

Today one of my co-workers spotted packages of begonias with 2 plants in each marked down to two for $.99 and got them for me. I was so elated thinking of where they would look good when I realized that they may prefer a shady spot. MY bubble busted however I do have one side of the house that seems to be semi-shaded so I am going to try them there and cross my fingers.

I took some pictures but since I have just about used all my allotted space on flicker I will just post this one of the Winnipeg Parks Rose, it is the best anyways.

Garden view june 27,2005 014

I can squeeze one more picture in,

Garden view june 27,2005 017

This looks a little perverse however it is one of the hens & chicks getting ready to bloom.

I will follow up with more photos in a couple of days when I get some space on flicker back.
"May All Your Weeds Be Wildflowers"
Planted by crazygramma at 8:29 PM 5 comments
 
Monday, June 27, 2005
More rain, More weeds
I can not believe this it is pouring rain once again. We did get a dry weekend which allowed me to go out and pull all the weeds. This took me the full 2 days since they of course just love the rain and grow fast.

I was going to take pictures last night of the gardens since they looked so good being weed free and all but then I decided I would cut the grass tonight after work so all would look great. Big mistake it is raining and that will not happen unless the weather clears up.

On the planting side of things I put in the remainder of my alyssum seeds along the border of one of the back gardens, the rest of the baby's breath seeds, purchased another Shasta daisy, 2 carnations (pink & white combo), 2 pansies which are red with white trim, 2 red begonias. Yes I went to the nursery that is moving locations, can't help myself.

Also put into the ground (freebies) were numerous portulacas, 4 yarrow plants, some more lavender, and then about 6 other plants all the same that I can't remember the names of. These mystery plants actually grow into a small bush with very dark maroon colored leaves which then go red through the fall. I have planted them in various area in the back gardens hoping that they take off and then can be transplanted to the front yard in between the lilac bushes. I also had some carnation cuttings given to me about two weeks ago that have been in water and since they seem to of grown good roots I placed them into the ground as well. I have not had any luck with carnations what so ever but now I am thinking with four of them at least one should survive. Maybe all this rain will help all the newly planted flowers and seeds take root. Here's hoping. I also moved a stray pansy which was growing in the grass and placed it into a garden.

I have identified 3 mystery plants in one of the back gardens they are Black-eyed Susan's. Actually my friend who gave me these last year reminded me what they are, they were pretty sad last year after being re-planted but they are now about two feet high and waiting to bloom. The hollyhock has bloomed and looks great. I noticed that the dusty millers have grown twice the size they were last year and they have buds on them. This was a big surprise to me since I had no idea they even flowered so I can hardly wait to see what kind of flowers they have. Also another plant I did not realize would flower is one of my hens & chicks, I thought it was some kind of mutant plant since it shot up into the air and looks a little perverse, however it too is going to do some kind of flowering. Both these plants are just ones I used last year to fill in space on the ground and never really gave them any thought, in fact the dusty millers I thought would not come back at all after the winter but were left in the garden because I did not have a chance to take them out in the fall. Lots of other plants are growing from seeds planted which I am anxious to discover as well. And of course the roses are all looking great in spite of the leaves being chewed. The red Winnipeg rose bush has a very strong fragrance that fills the area without having to even bend down to smell.

I am going to move my Russian sage to the side of the house because it is totally lost in the sweet peas, however I am not sure if I should wait until the fall or if I can do it now. Any ideas?

If it is not absolutely pouring rain tonight I am going to take pictures tall grass and all to get them posted. Until then happy planting.
"May All Your Weeds Be Wildflowers"
Planted by crazygramma at 5:46 AM 1 comments
 
Saturday, June 25, 2005
Plant SOS
My daughter has bought a hanging basket and it is starting to die on her. I have no idea what they are but I suggested putting it in the shade. She of course has sent out an SOS call to all gardeners. She is post at Live Love Laugh that is on my links list. I am sure any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you
"May All Your Weeds Be Wildflowers"
Planted by crazygramma at 8:50 PM 2 comments
 
Friday, June 24, 2005
I am sick of rain
I have had it I really don't mind the rain so much but thunder and lightning totally freak me. We had an office golf thing today, and I have to admit I really don't care for the game, and I really don't like it when thunder and lightning are happening while I am out in the open. However having survived this trauma we all proceeded to the covered deck at the club house and were enjoying a drink and a few laughs when all of a sudden there was one horrendous bang as lightning hit a nearby transformer. Before I realized it I was shouting almost hysterically " I hate this shit" Thankfully most of the group had been drinking out on the course so they all had a big laugh. I was more than a little embarrassed and then had to explain why it terrifies me so much. This is a childhood thing from Ontario where I once witnessed a cow getting hit as well as a few trees.

The skies opened up and it rained so hard that the roads were being flooded. I have been having a water problem in my driveway since January and the park management has yet to do anything about, in fact the last time I mentioned it to the manager she told me it couldn't be that bad. Well the driveway is starting to sink and when I got home tonight I had to use the back door because of the water level by the stairs. Here are a couple pictures I took

water problem June 24,2005 002

water problem June 24,2005 001

I am just livid when I called the manager tonight and told her something has to be done she just told me that she would see to it Monday, I was going to tell there will be no pad rent until it was fixed but decided I better wait until I calm down. ARRRGGGGH I just want to scream. And that is my big gripe for the day. Inhale Exhale

Good news is the torrential rains and hail did not destroy my gardens.
"May All Your Weeds Be Wildflowers"
Planted by crazygramma at 9:04 PM 3 comments
 
Thursday, June 23, 2005
A nice day
The clouds and rain disappeared overnight and we had a wonderful day here. Tonight I cut the grass as soon as I got home though just in case. If I had to wait another day or so it may of needed a thrasher. However when I started to use the weed eater it was very feeble so I had to give that up in order to re-charge the battery. Mental not made check battery before cutting grass and re-charge if necessary. Oh well not a big problem I pulled out the shears and did all the trimming in the front yard and pulled weeds from the front garden. It sounds like a lot of work but the front yard is pretty small and so is that garden. The majority of yard and the larger gardens are all in the back. While I was pulling weeds I discovered some sage hiding in between the day lilies, I left it there because it smells so nice when I am weeding, this is from the previous owner and I thought I have pulled it all out last year along with the day lilies. Surprise they are both back.

My neighbor's from across the street came over to look at my gardens and chat, as we went through the arch and up the side of the house I was thinking how great this area is going to be once everything starts to grow and bloom. This is going to be an ongoing work in progress for awhile I think but worth it. If I do get the yellow roses that I mentioned the other day I may put them along that side of the house for my anchor plants.

When we got to the back and went through the gate of my arbor they were amazed at the way everything is blooming. It is almost like stepping into another room they said, I can't help but feel pleased about that since I just thought it was me who liked that feeling when I go into that area. I am pleased to report that my Hollyhock has three big blooms on it and the Sunflower has three flowers as well even though the leaves are still pretty droopy. The roses look like they have double in blooms as well. Even though I really suck at taking photos I am going to try and get some decent ones that show the feel of my gardens and then I will post them for all to oh and ah over LOL

Forgive me if I sound like a braggart but this is the best my gardens have ever been and I am really pumped.
"May All Your Weeds Be Wildflowers"
Planted by crazygramma at 8:37 PM 5 comments
 
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
This is Summer?
Who turned out the lights? I got home tonight and had plans of going outside to admire and weed the gardens. By the time I ate my dinner the sky started to turn black and within less than three minutes it turned completely black. As I type this I can see a wind tossing about the trees in my neighbors yard and the rain staring to fall. The rain is not coming to hard as of yet but I do believe it will hit us hard any minute.

This is bad I have lights on at 6 pm it is so dark. I thought we were having summer.

On the advice on Sylvana I was brave and went to the nursery which is having the big moving out sale yesterday. I only had 10 minutes in there because they close at 5:30 not 6 like I thought. No problem I grabbed the soil I need for the rock garden 12 pansies, 6 yellow and 6 purple ones, also 3 Lobelia for $.97 each and made my way home.

Oh here are the torrential rains.

The total cost of all this was $13.86 not bad eh? They were all planted about 10 minutes before it rained last night, however I think I have to move the Lobelia as I put them in full sun and I was told today they like some shade. Well they will have to stay put until we get some dry weather. Sad to report the Sunflower does not look very healthy, I don't know if it is getting too much water or not enough. How frustrating I thought for sure when I bought one already going it would be OK.

I now see lightning and the rain is even more intense. I am hoping there will not be any thunder. Also if the Sunflower is getting too much water then it may be toast after this rain storm.

Last night I decided I like the shape my gardens are taking, they are looking more like the Cottage Garden style than I realized. This was done only by accident, when I first started the gardens 2 summers ago I just planted for the fun of it and put plants and seeds into the ground with no particular order in mind, and concentrated on covering the ground with plants of all sorts in various colors, (a trait of mine that drives my friend crazy). Now with the addition of roses,iris and more plants I realize that the garden quiz I took in a gardening magazine was dead on when the results said I was the Cottage Garden type. I had a good chuckle when my neighbor who has the huge Clematis came over to look at my yard, she noticed the nasturtium growing all in a perfect row and knew who had planted them. They are doing great by the way and I can hardly wait for them to bloom.

Also I may have lucked out on bricks to do a path up the side of the house where I am ever so slowly planting the wildflower garden. One of the guys who works in the same office as me has a huge amount of bricks that he and his wife ripped up out of their driveway and yard. I asked him to give me a price and he was going to talk to his wife to see if I can just take them. Wish me luck on this one, free is good but a low price on used bricks is ok too.

Ok now I feel like I am back in Ontario the thunder has started. We seldom get thunder or lightning here, for that matter when I was still debating about moving here I was told there was little rain or snow because it is desert, I was rooked.

Strange weather now all is calm outside again and the sky is brighter. No problem I am going to stay indoors and read other garden blogs and garden magazines as I plot out my next project for the yard.

Planting gardens = Dirty nails = Pretty gardens. The Theory of Gardentivity.
"May All Your Weeds Be Wildflowers"
Planted by crazygramma at 6:02 PM 3 comments
 
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
Flowers for Rachel
A big 29th birthday bouquet of daisies for my daughter Rachel today. Happy Birthday!


June 20,2005 001

I hope your day is as cheery as these flowers.

Love you.
"May All Your Weeds Be Wildflowers"
Planted by crazygramma at 7:24 AM 3 comments
 
Monday, June 20, 2005
Bloom View
I managed to get the rocks I wanted for the small rock garden on Saturday, however it continued to pour rain so they were just dropped close to the area where I planned on using them. Here we are in the middle of June and it was so miserable outside I actually made a stew for dinner. No big deal about the weather though I got lots of house cleaning and movie time in.

Yesterday was a treat though it started out with dark clouds by noon it had cleared off and felt like an early spring day. After my other half left for another week of trucking I went outside and cleared the area for the rock garden, right now all that is there is the plastic and the rocks because being the rocket scientist that I am I never thought to get any dirt. This means a trip either on my lunch break or after work to Walmart. Oh oh.

Lots of things are blooming, daylilies, snapdragons, roses, the mountain flower, my mystery plant, the alyssum, phlox, daisies (my oldest daughters favorite), my clematis. So first thing this morning I went out and snapped a few pictures to share.

June 20,2005 003

This is the Winnipeg Parks rose I put in this year.
The baby breath I planted around this rose is starting to grow, but I think the roses may finish blooming by the time they really take off, I will have to remember to put the seeds in earlier next year.

June 20,2005 004

The mountain flower in the very weedy garden. I am leery of getting right in there to weed as there are some seedlings coming up that I don't want to step on but I will figure it out tonight because it does look awful.

June 20,2005 002

The Morden Sunrise rose in full bloom. Those are not weeds around it that is the Baby breath trying to survive.

June 20,2005 008

My Clematis finally in bloom I am sure the white one I planted with this one is dead.

And finally one more photo of a flower most people love the famous Snapdragon.

June 20,2005 006

I am not sure why this is such a pleasing flower but I suspect it is partly because the snapdragons are usually just such a unassuming presence in a garden and remind us of mothers, grandmothers, and the gardens we seen as children. I do love them and plan on planting some more next year.

On the dangerous side of life one of our major nurseries is relocating to the other side of town and they have started a 30% off sale to clear their stock. I work three blocks away from there so I am not going to wander over for the dirt I need because I know what will happen.
"May All Your Weeds Be Wildflowers"
Planted by crazygramma at 5:32 AM 2 comments
 
Saturday, June 18, 2005
Rain Rain and more Rain
I had great plans for this weekend for things I was going to to outside. The main project was to get the small rock garden done in the messy corner at the front of the house. However we have had rain since late Thursday night so it looks like I will be lucky if we even go get the rocks I have lined up. Getting the rocks is actually one of the main things I need to worry about since I drive a little two door car so with I really need the use of the pick-up while it is home this weekend.

With all this rain I am very happy that I came straight home from work an Thursday night and mowed the yard and pulled weeds etc. I purchased a Sunflower plant the other day it was on sale half price ($4.99) and I couldn't resist, I cannot not even tell you how many time I have tried to grow these from seed and had nothing happen. This is a dwarf version so it will only get to be about 3-5' tall. As always nothing is ever simple when it comes to planting something new in the garden. In order to plant this where I wanted it I first had to dig up the Yucca plant because it was not happy there, I think it was getting too much water, so now it is in a clay pot on my deck until I can find a spot where it won't be overwatered. The second chore was to move the iris further back against the corner of the fence in order to fill in the spot where one of the Hollyhocks died. That all completed I pulled a few weeds and planted the Sunflower. This was not as time consuming as it sounds since the ground was soft and there is a lavender plant in there that scented the surrounding area every time I brushed against it while working.

Here it is sitting in the newly tidied up garden area.

June 15, 2005 001

I have to admit that once I was finished planting the Sunflower I stepped back to admire my handy work only to discover that I had planted it with the flower facing toward the fence so I had to dig it up and turn it around.

The rain and sunshine mixture we have been having has done wonders for the gardens and I am happy to report lots of seedlings are sprouting up and one of $6.17 rose bushes I planted by the front arch has developed a bud, this is the red rose bush. The Sunshine rose bush in the back looks wonderful with all the orange buds waiting to open.

Speaking of roses we have a lady who comes into the office every Friday to sell us some fresh eggs and she was admiring the roses on my desk from my garden. We got to chatting and she was saying that when they bought the property the previous owners had lots of yellow rose bushes that she cut right down in order to erect a chicken coop, these all came back and are in the middle of the chickens running around in full bloom. She said that she feels they should go to a better place and will let me know if I can go dig them up for my garden. Horray more roses and only for the cost of a bit of labor.
"May All Your Weeds Be Wildflowers"
Planted by crazygramma at 4:29 AM 1 comments
 
Wednesday, June 15, 2005
A Little bit of garden chatter
I am going to have to send someone into the stores for me to get only those things I require. I can not be trusted if there is a plant department. When I left work tonight I went up to Walmart to drop off a film to be developed. Baby pictures. After being told it would take 2 hours I decided to look around and see what there was. Big Big mistake I walked out of there with about 20 plants, mind you some were in containers holding 6. All but 3 got planted tonight and they will be going into the small rock garden I am going to do this weekend at the front of the house. Most of what I got are annuals just to fill in some spots, petunias, nicotina, that sort of thing.

I was reading Snappy's blog and he mentioned the tranquility of a garden after a stressful day at work. I could not agree more I love to go out there at any time of the day and just putter or sit with a cup of coffee. I now have a plastic lawn chair out there, since the wooden ones are to heavy to always lug around.

Here is a discovery that I have just made since I am on the topic of tranquility in a garden. One of the garden magazines I have just purchased has a story in it about a Taoist Garden which is usually fairly small but planted in a very calm manner and most of them are in between buildings. The very exciting part about this article is they are showing all these wonderful photos and you just want to be part of it and explore. Well this particular Taoist Garden is in Vernon,B.C. only an hour away from where I live. Guess where I will be going very shortly? I promise if we are allowed I will take lots of photos to share.
"May All Your Weeds Be Wildflowers"
Planted by crazygramma at 9:10 PM 2 comments
 
Gnomes You Say
Ok now that Oldroses and Snappy have posted pictures of their Gnomes here is one that my daughter sent to me last summer. He is not your average Gnome though



gnome

Isn't he too funny?
"May All Your Weeds Be Wildflowers"
Planted by crazygramma at 7:12 PM 4 comments
 
Monday, June 13, 2005
Evening Garden Walk
First I'd like to thank the people who have shown off their garden shoes, Oldroses, Live Love Laugh and the Obsessive Gardner. I know there must be others so please don't be shy flash those shoes.

I have resolved the problem with my license at work so once again I am able to do what I do.

The ritual evening chore of watering the yard/gardens was left late tonight as I was downloading the bloglines site and chatting to my daughter on line. As I was doing what all gardeners do I was checking the great job of weeding I did yesterday. No really to be honest I was seeing if any of the latest seeds I planted 48 hours ago have grown. You all know what I am talking about I have read the confessions on your blogs. Well to my surprise and delight the alyssum has started to bloom, I have about 4 little flowers and more coming, these were not there yesterday when I was weeding, only the white has started to bloom I can hardly wait for the purple, and I was thinking of buying some because I was getting inpatient for the flowers in that spot. Also in bloom now is the daisy in the garden by my deck and the Melva is stating to gets some leaves on it.

Here is a picture of my miniature rose in the front garden.

Bunch of blooming 018

I hope the one I planted this year survives it has a nice pink rose on it.

The side garden is very slow getting started but if nothing else it will be set up for all the biennials to bloom next year as well as the iris and lilies along the fence line and the side of the house. I seen some great stepping stones made from resin at Walmart that look like cobble stones for about $6.00 each so I may get some for the pathway when they go on sale.

I asked around for some big rocks because I have a real eyesore at the corner of the fence in the front yard and the neighbor never helps to keep it tidy. Here's what is looks like right now

Bunch of blooming

What I plan on doing is cutting all the grass and weeds back and maybe some of the dead branches on the tree, lay down some landscaping paper, place some big rocks in the area and plant some good groundcover.Any good ideas on fast growing ones that won't take over the entire lawn? Hopefully it will all take and I won't have to look at this every time I go out into the front yard. Man some neighbors drive you crazy, this is the same one who has bug (aphid)infested Virginia creeper that grows over my fence. He caught me cutting it off my side of the fence a couple of weeks ago and told me I should get him to do it, I just replied that I only cut on my side because I can't stand the bugs when I am working over there. He went away not a happy camper but what can you do I was not rude I just stated a fact.
"May All Your Weeds Be Wildflowers"
Planted by crazygramma at 8:16 PM 2 comments
 
To work or not to work
That is a question I have been asking myself since last Wednesday. I sell insurance and in order to do that we must have a license which has to be renewed every two years. In order to renew we must take courses to give us the required credits. Mine was coming due for renewal so I called our head office to verify how many credits I needed if any and was told I only needed 1/2 a credit, that said I went home that night and did a couple of online courses and submitted everything the next day.

This was done the beginning of May and my license was due June 4, I did not think about it again until Wednesday when I got a fax from the Insurance Council of BC 4 days after the expiry date telling me that I need more credits. I called them and was told I can't work until I get the credits and that it will take another 10 working days to process the paperwork. Well Thursday I did paperwork and Friday I took a holiday day. Today I get to sort stuff in the storage area but at least I can wear jeans.

I think I should just book holidays until this is sorted out. I am really mad it took them over a month to let me know I needed more credits and waited until after the expiry date to tell me. Also the fax did not get sent to me until 4 in the afternoon. Ugh the slow wheels of government paper pushing.
"May All Your Weeds Be Wildflowers"
Planted by crazygramma at 7:05 AM 0 comments
 
Sunday, June 12, 2005
Roses Roses Roses
Well I am just thrilled to actually have roses growing in my garden and blooming.

Here is the Morden Sunrise rose that I absolutely love

bloomimg roses June 4,2005 001

Excuse the weeds it has been raining however they are gone now I spent hours outside today pulling them.

Here is one of the orphan roses I rescued from my friends deck last summer since she was going to throw it away.

bloomimg roses June 4,2005 003
Beautiful isn't it? I am so glad I adopted the poor thing.

And here is another photo of my climbing Dortmund it is going crazy.

bloomimg roses June 4,2005 002

And really if you think it has had a growth spurt check out my mutant rhubarb, this plant almost scares me.

Bunch of blooming 006

Please click on this one to see how big the leaves are, good thing I do not use fertilizer on this.

I have lots of plants blooming right now and weeds galore, yesterday I bought a phlox and another plant with some great yellow flowers I believe it was called an Ozark Mountain Sunburst.

And here is something that will put a smile on your face. Even though I love to garden I just freak when I see worms, probably has something to so with my older brothers and their friends throwing them at me when we were young. Anyways I was weeding and grooming around the front arch yesterday and all of a sudden this worm shot straight out of the ground and landed about two inches away from where it came up, this happened right in front of my face. At first I thought it was a snake which I am terrified of as well, being just a worm helped a bit but not much and if I had not seen this happen I never would of thought it possible. I just about peed myself. I went to a back garden to work to give it time to go away LOL.

Also I got to babysit my grandson last night it was such a treat.
"May All Your Weeds Be Wildflowers"
Planted by crazygramma at 7:35 PM 3 comments
 
Wednesday, June 08, 2005
Die hard Gardner
Call me crazy but after three days of continuous rain I was getting antsy about not being outside. So in the rain at 6:15 am this morning I donned my favorite gardening shoes, a jacket, clipped up my hair and ventured outside.

First things first I rolled up the hose and sprinkler because clearly this is not an item I need out in the yard at the moment. Having done that I carted the four big pots of Iris over to the side of the house and proceeded to plant every one of them despite the rain snaking down the back of my neck and making it's way down my back. I then decided to take a quick tour of the gardens to see how many weeds where around before it really start coming down. Really I was already soaked and a slight shiver was starting to take over my body. So with dripping hair, wet shoes and clothing I proceeded. I must admit this was not the usual slow stroll and admiration time that I normally have, it was more like a small sprint.

The Morden sunrise rose bush has about six orange buds on it teasing me with promises of a wonderful display of flowers if the sun ever decides to make an appearance again, also the climbing Dortmund has produced some great flowers, but with the rain I have been really unable to be out there to admire them, my miniature rose in the front garden has opened all of its buds and looks splendid and those at least I can adore while getting in and out of my car while coming and going to work. Everything is starting to bloom or on the verge of blooming and I am not worried about the excess weeds because once the sun comes back out I will deal with them and take the time to enjoy the flower show.

As my mother always said when we complained about going out into the rain.....

"You're not made of salt"

And thank goodness I am not because as soon as I got back in the house I headed straight to a warm shower. Ah gotta love being able to turn a tap which produces hot water.
"May All Your Weeds Be Wildflowers"
Planted by crazygramma at 7:21 AM 4 comments
 
Monday, June 06, 2005
Cats, Dogs & Wascly Wabbits
Ok this blog is going to help Old Roses I hope. We had torrential rain here yesterday afternoon so being the garden addict that I am I went to the store and headed straight to the magazine rack where I decided on two magazines to buy. Since I couldn't and didn't want go out in my yard anyways I figured that I could at least settle in with a couple of good gardening magazines.

Once I was all settle into my pj's and onto my favorite chair I started leafing through the pages. Here is where the help is coming from for Old Roses the 1st magazine (Easy-care Landscaping)has information on what plants to put into the garden to help keep out dogs,cats, deer and little fluffy bunnies. Here are the lists

1) Avoided by rabbits: calendulas, chrysanthemums, columbines, four o'clock, foxglove, gladiolus, hollyhocks, impatiens, iris, larkspur, morning glories, nicotina, snapdragons, sweetpeas and verbena

2) Avoided by deer: ageratum, begonias, chrysanthemums, columbines, coreopis, cosmos, foxglove, iris, lavender, monarda, purple coneflower, rudbeckia, Shasta daisies,verbena, vinca, yarrow and zinnias

The article says that unless the rabbits and deer are starving they will not eat these, it goes on to advise to plant these on the edges of the garden and your prized flowers in the center of the garden since both the deer and rabbit nibble on the edges of the garden furthest from the buildings. FYI this magazine is an American publication in case anyone wants to buy it.

Now for those wonderful cats and dogs we can plant the scented coleus to repel them as well and here is the web site to visit to find a dealer closest to you www.dogs-gone.com. This plant is dicribed as having attractive thick, silvery leaves and blue blossoms.

I sure hope this helps.

Here is a photo of my miniature rose bush in the front garden backyard May 15,2005 008

Click on the picture for a better look.

I was given more iris to put along the side fence and I think that is all I need now although I do want to also do the side of the house with them as well. I am going to mix a few lilies between them in the fall for some extra blooming time next year. Three small evergreens (which I am allergic to)were left on my doorstep as well as some wild flowers so I will be busy tomorrow night if the rain will let up long enough for me to plant.
"May All Your Weeds Be Wildflowers"
Planted by crazygramma at 8:27 PM 4 comments
 
Thursday, June 02, 2005
A garden stroll
We have a break in the rain finally with some sun coming through the clouds. My poor back which I managed to strain on the weekend helping with the pool is finally feeling better, so I think having not been able to do yard work was a blessing as I did rest.

I could not resist going for a walk through the yard to see what is happening out there.

Here's what I discovered. Blooming sweet peas,rose buds bursting forth, snapdragons in bloom, some kind of ground cover I planted last year has produced the tiniest little yellow flowers, weeds, sprouting seeds for the wild flower, poppy seeds coming up, the baby's breath may be coming through as well but there are so many weeds in that area I can't be sure, day lilies opened, one of the dahlia in bloom, numerous leaves on the $6.17 climbing rose bushes finally.

I have one dead dahlia, some foreign plants coming up, but all in all I think most plants are holding their own. The grass is very green and very thick, yikes there goes my back again.

More destruction of leaves on the rose bushes in the back so I really must spray this weekend if it dries up outside.

I currently have all my windows wide open to enjoy the fresh smell of the air which is being blown around by a soft breeze. Ah life is good.

I thought about going out to pull a few weeds but I will rest one more night. This weekend I am going to just cut the grass and enjoy the gardens as they are.

Here are some pics I took the other day of some of my gardens.

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In the background to the right are my sweet peas going crazy just before they bloomed.

Here is a picture of the first rose on the climbing Dortmund, however it is not a very good one.

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Finally here are some funky flowers that have come up in the front garden through the lilies, and of course once again I have no idea what they are.

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They are nice and I either planted them last year or they blew in from somewhere.
"May All Your Weeds Be Wildflowers"
Planted by crazygramma at 8:12 PM 3 comments
 
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