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Saturday, June 29, 2013

How does your garden grow?

My garden crew has done an enormous amount of work that I have not bored anyone about, possibly excepting them. They cleared out the long dormant weed infested bed on the other side of the porch, and we planted RASPBERRIES!  This year's crop is small and making some birds quite happy. Next year.....





We moved the huge bed of orange lilies down to take over the small area around the lower drive.  When Hamilton was exhausted from digging trenches he got the thumbs up to send two wheelbarrow loads tumbling over the hill into the woods.  We sent them down with plenty of earth clinging to their rhizomes; I except the whole bank to be a blaze of orange next year. Or not.


All those lilies on the left--gone. The girls planted their mosaic stones and a few flowers while we consider what to do.


In the event anyone wonders about the lettuce tower, it is dwindling.  The greens now make salad for six, no augmenting with store lettuce.



Though the deer have not visited the lettuce tower they have munched on through the pansies.  Aided by the skunks, no doubt; I often smell they have passed when I go out in the morning.

It was so cool this morning after more rains over night the garden crew was assembled early to battle a grassy infestation in our mulch free sections.  Taking advantage of our hard work! Emily and I spent two hours and dispatched the worst; Laura and Hamilton cleared the colchim leaves that have died back.



A picture from last fall.  Colchim are fall blooming crocus.  In late July we can dig up this twenty five year old bed, replant many and make friends happy with the rest.

All this work this morning so Laura and I could go on a spending spree for marked down replacements for the pansies.  We only bought two more plants than the two we left for.


We put succulents in the old pebble pot.  For years it has held only the soccer ball; time for an upgrade.  The mustard pot now has little geranium types.  Really inexpensive plants may be without tags.  I have no idea. An old pot of pansies remains, to entice the deer.


Because instead of a cheap plant to fill the other pot, we found a cheap rose.  With lots of thorns.  I know from experience deer love roses.  May they get bloody lips from this one.


And a new hanging basket refill.  The plants from the old hanging basket went around the mosaic pavers.  We do recycle.

By the time we were done Laura and I were hot and sweaty and dirty.  One watering can was dispensed on the flowers around the pavers, where the sun had passed. The rest could wait until it was not so darn hot.




Right on schedule, thunderstorms from the heat of the day.  Rain forecast all day tomorrow. Good job, garden crew.


27 comments:

  1. Enough of your garden, did Sunny's seed sprout again?

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  2. No squirrel planted a new seed at the town hall road garage this year. When the deer came through and bit off half Laura's sunflowers, Kathy G suggested she should have planted them at the town hall, instead. The topped sunflowers simply appointed the last leaf as the new stalk and kept on growing.

    Now I'm sure you know more about sunflowers than you wanted,too.

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  3. You and the kids did a great job on the garden. Now...anyone want to come over here and fix this mess of mine up???

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  4. We have the world's second largest supply of orange lilies...they will be gone this year. There is only a certain amount of lilies that a person can take.
    Jane x

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  5. Your gardens make me salivate for times past... when we planted... and reaped.... from our own. But I read closely... and so at the same time breathe a deep sigh... we're not doing the back-breaking work.... I'm not getting rashes all over my arms (at least not from tomato plants).... and I can almost smell that early morning "earthy" smell of what is soon to be. You're darned right... it's hard work... but... oh! what a blessing it bestows on us in the long run. Very, very nice!

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  6. What type of lilies? If they were the plain day lilies you can't kill them; they'll make a nice display at the bottom of the hill.

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    1. I call them ditch lilies. That's where we see them all over Ohio. Plain ditch lilies.

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  7. I love your garden, Joanne! The good thing about rain is that you don't need to water the flowers and grass. :)

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  8. "Good job, garden crew" - yes, good job indeed! And I'm exhausted just from reading about all your work!

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  9. Yes, good job garden crew! Follow that with pats on the back and tall glasses of chocolate milk. With extra chocolate. This time next year, you'll look at those same beds and see why you did it. The whole garden is going to look wonderful.

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  10. Wow. I am super impressed at your garden, and all the work you have ALL put in. Wow.

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  11. Your garden crew is doing a marvelous job. Right when our deer problem seemed to be getting better a warren of rabbits arrived and ate my salvia beds. Gardening is a challenge.

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  12. Your garden crew are doing a super job....if they ever need to raise money they could hire themselves out.

    I like weather where you plant in the morning and it rains right on cue in the afternoon.

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  13. Your garden grows great! Those helpers of yours are doing a super job of bringing along the veggies and flowers and keeping the weeds in their place--somewhere else. Must be extra nice to have mother nature water things for you almost every day. When we get the heat--it's DRY.

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  14. Wow! Your garden is doing well. I didn't grow lettuce this year because I usually can't keep up to eating it when it is ready. My pansies also didn't grow for the first time in over a decade. This year I used seeds (straight in the pot) and there was just too much rain I think. Finally we're getting some sunshine so it'll be interesting to see how the garden grows. Have a wonderful Sunday.

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  15. Your garden's looking really good - well done youngsters. Very impressed with your high rise lettuce

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  16. You have all been busy, it's coming along well.
    Merle.......

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  17. That's a butt-load of work from a gang who came in recalcitrant and cranky several months back. Is there a cool swim or ice cream in the future soon?

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  18. Ahhhh... It looks like your garden is doing very well indeed. I hope the deer and the skunks leave your garden alone so you can have a good harvest.

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  19. I love how you are all working together to transform your garden.

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  20. Brilliant job! We are just about to begin tucking into the first lettuce from our version of the tower - it has worked spectacularly and really adds a bit of style to the veggie garden. We just have to make sure that Toby Too doesn't sprinkle it...

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  21. I am in love with your lettuce tower.

    Pearl

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  22. Raspberries are my favorite and you have those beautiful mosaic stones to access them now. Perfect timing with the rain to get everything all watered in nicely!

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  23. Hi Joanne, everything is coming along very nicely!

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  24. WOnderful garden you have there. I love the lettuce tower!

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  25. Beautiful, beautiful garden, Joanne! I'm so envious, both of your exquisite plants . . . and your crew!

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