Wednesday, May 21, 2008

More Work

Some more plantings and moving around. Planted the Sambuca nigra 'Black Lace' and moved the Hyacinths, but I think I broke one so I may have a hyacinth pop up next year if I didn't just kill it since it can't store anymore food now with no leaves. Moved the bleeding heart towards the front since I needed something there. It was much easier to dig up than I thought! Really shallow rooted. Moved the black elephant's ear to the left side behind the burning bush (too small to see) and moved the succulent again since I didn't want to move the juniper. I really like where it is at the moment and there is plenty of space for it to spread. So far, I like it! We'll see how everything does!



Below are some of my finds from last Sunday, the last day of May Market. #1: Caladium, #2: Hakone grass (shade tolerant!), #3: Thai Caladium, #4: Jack in the Pulpit, #5: Sambuca nigra 'Black Lace' and #6: blue hosta.






Sunday, May 18, 2008

Volunteering at May Market

So today I put in my 4 hours for Phipps at May Market doing the green room teaching visitors how to "go organic." Still need more Phipps hours though to get to my require 18 minimum! Prior scheduled volunteer time I arrived early (hours early!) so I could get a good parking spot and did some more shopping. Found a Sambuca nigra 'Black Lace,' two Caladiums (one freebie and one for $1!) and a Hakona grass (shade tolderant grass!). I also got a freebie tomato! Never did find my white Hellebore though :\ I got the required fondant dipped strawberries as I have each year since discovering them and this year they even had some of the fondant for sale so I bought a $4 brick to be used later! Mmm....! There were these GORGEOUS peonies that were a cross between the herbaceous type and the tree peony type, but required full sun, none of which I had! Hardy like the herbaceous kind, but colorful like the tree type! Someday...

Saturday, May 17, 2008

Today's Results




It's getting there! See? I know it's kind of hard to tell, but once the plants have a chance to grow a bit it'll look nice!

My Finds








Mystery fern (below left) & close up of mystery fern (below right), toad lily (left), foam flower (right), Black Krim tomatoes (above, one in pot and one in ground), ostrich fern (above right) and an Allium bud (above left).



May Market

It was way too early yesterday morning, but I did get to May Market in time to not only get a good (FREE!) parking spot, but between my two neighbors and I, we cleaned out 5 of the 6 Black Krim Tomatoes! I took two and they each took one. They both bought many more tomatoes because they had more sun since they were planting in their front yard also. I did bring my map that my friend, Jen, drew up for me. Picked up a foamflower, which is really neat if you have never seen one! So delicate looking! I got two ferns, ostrich and the other one didn't have a name on the tag. Hopefully, when I go back tomorrow (Sunday) to volunteer I can still get the name. I also got a toad lily, not what I was thinking of at the time of discussion, but unique leaves! Quite fleshy and big... I also got two air plants and a jewel orchid on top of all that (that was probably the most expensive purchase at $28!). Would've bought more had it not been rainy, muddy and cold! My $40 super lightweight umbrella from the Tokyo airport broke while I was there! I was left to borrow my neighbor's umbrella since she had a coat on with a hood. That did not make for enjoyable shopping! Lesson learned: Do NOT bring an umbrella with you while plant shopping! DOH! There was also a Japanese Maple 'Filigree Lace' there for $40! Too bad it wasn't there LAST year when I went! I spent like $70 for the one I have and I'm not so sure it's the type that I had wanted! Not lacy enough!

So anyway...woke up late today and moved the succulent in the front yard, planted the foam flower, put the toad lily in, moved some saffron crocuses and placed the unnamed fern where it said on the map. Rain started falling so I didn't get to the fern, but it looks good where Jen said to put it! Just needs to get "taller" so that it can enhance the Japanese Maple as it gets lost with dark brick as its background. It's essentially the same color as the maple! I think I'll pick up a white hellebore tomorrow if there are any left. I really do need something in the middle up front. I think I also need some plants with winter interest too. I need to also get some pictures of the plants I bought so ya'll can see what they are.

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Just Some Plants

Ok, so all these plants aren't mine! Just the bleeding heart! I can't believe it bloomed! Shocked. The other plants are in my neighbor's yard. She has a ton of stuff growing. The fuzzy thing is a poppy flower bud! The purple flowers is a money tree and the white flowers is some kind of creeping plant.



Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Anti-Growth



As I take walks around the blocks in my neighborhood...I notice everyone else's yard is growing and blooming, but mine??? I have the same plants, but mine are barely peeking out of the earth and theirs are like "Hey! Look at me!" I wonder if it is the shaded yard I have or what? I am beginning to wonder if I even deserve the title "Master Gardener"??? Or maybe my plants are in culture shock in my yard?

So here's what I took pics of today....left: close up of a thyme bloom. So dainty! Top right: bloom of this creeping plant I took a "cutting" of. Below: dainty blue flowers from this shade plant I bought...forget the name at the moment.
To the left is my front yard again...see how SLOW things are growing??? To the right is my Heuchera blooming! I had no idea they bloomed! Just thought the leaves were a pretty color! Or maybe I did when I bought it, but forgot :)

So down below....to the left is my bleeding heart...not bleeding yet of course! Nothing is....ugh. Below are my two alliums in bud, one even has TWO buds! Woohoo! I only planted the one just last year, not sure which now, but the other one has been in there for two years now.



Thursday, May 1, 2008

The Backyard


My little herb garden...chartreuse oregano (will have to save this come fall since it comes back!), lemon verbena, variegated thyme and 3 different lavenders.


The patch in front of the garage...the shepard's hook has two Vanda orchids on each hook and a Hoya carnosa in the middle.


Close up of the patch in front of the garage. This was not well planned. I just shoved bulbs in there last fall to prevent them from dying. There is a black beareded iris (I will have to move this as it is too close to the wall!), garlic, dill, zucchini (planted after i took the pic) two different types of lillies, a lipstick strawberry and a oregano that survived the winter! The potted plant is my new partial shade/shade honeysuckle! Need to figure out a trellis situation for it though...whether I buy a trellis or make an invisible one with thick fishing line hooked onto the garage itself.

The corn gluten is working really well! The dandelions are starting to bloom. It's like a bright yellow flashing light that says to me "Hey! Dig me up!" Makes for easy weeding! The clover has gone crazy, but at least it is beneficial to the grass by putting nitrogen back into the soil. The new grass I sowed is coming in nice and green. I also just ordered some rhizomatic grass from gardensalive.com so hopefully the bare patches will fill in! That way if it is as tough as it says I can start putting the corn gluten in the lawn too! The ferns that I thought were dead are *slowly* making their way up! Now I can start planting those other shade plants I bought!

Putzing Around

Pulled lots of dandelions that are flowering. Planted yellow snapdragons in my planters out front with the pansies. Checked to make sure my peacock lily bulbs aren't too far up though so that i wouldn't dig them out. Pinched back flowers on my pansies. My alliums have buds! One was only planted last year and I got it at May Market for something like a buck! Can't wait! My red hydrangrea is D-E-A-D! I knew it when I got it last fall. :( The little Japanese Maple made it! So did the Heuchera, which I was glad to see. I was worried about those two. I need to trim the Heuchera.

Planted my dill in the backyard and I was really surprised and happy to see that I still had worms in the garden, but they might be the red wigglers that came with the compost I put in last fall! I have not see those large night crawler type worms in a long time. I think they all died when bf used non-organic fertilizer and weed preventer. :(

Last Sunday I made a great find on my way to a fish auction. I saw this nursery on the side of Rt. 8 and had to stop by on my way back. I got lucky...I had 10 minutes! Picked up a shade tolerant honeysuckle! Can you believe that?! I also got chocolate and orange mints, two packs of habanero pepper starters since I sun burnt bf's seedlings! I got that dill I planted there also. I was a happy camper :D

So I tried to figure out where to put my hardy banana, but i have no idea where to plant it! I think I should move the Alliums after they are done. I don't like where they are. I also planted a black elephant's ear a few days ago. It looked pretty weak when I got it in the mail, but hopefully it will grow well! I got these creeping plants too awhile back from Lowes. They're chartreuse and I hope they will grow and cascade over the wall. It would be pretty. Hopefully they won't overtake the garden...I am always hesitant to plant things like that! Planted the two sweet potato vines near the Japanese Maple so I hope they will cascade down the hill and look pretty too! The lillies in the backyard and the garlic are up! Lots of activity going on here! I think my Cyprepedium has died though :( Ugh....2nd one already! Can't get the dang things to grow!

Here's a pic of my front yard: