My Lovely Garden … Mon Joli Jardin

No matter the language, my garden is my paradise. To watch the lovely birds that nest in the trees and bushes. The bees, butterflies are such a joy to see.

Category Archives: Gardening


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The Flower Fairy visited the Cafe!

Friday, August 17, 2012

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Oh, plants are just so my passion, I cannot help it.  On Wednesday, I went out shopping for a few things, at the end of the day.  Found a great plant sale at a local supermarket and came home with a car full of perennials.

Well, guess what happened yesterday?  The exact same thing!  I went out shopping in the early morning .. found a great sale of colourful annuals and perennials.   Quite a few I selected for the little garden that I take care of at a cafe.  Time to add some slash of colour.

Then, I picked up some perennials that were in need of some love.  The salesperson was very helpful as she clipped away dead growth on a Tea Rose (my first ever!!!!)  and lo and behold, she discovered at least 20 new growth areas.  I’d only seen a few.  So this was a learning session for me.  She told me that removing the dead growth gives the plant more energy for new.

I am always learning about gardening, it is such a big world and love all the new items that I find.

So soon I was on my way home … car full of plants.   Mid-way home, I remembered those lovely perennial pots filled with sturdy plants, on for half price.   So, oh  my, I sought the next safe place to make a turnaround and then soon was on my way back to Home Depot.  Now, I normally don’t drive far out-of-town to buy plants, but, umm .. what could I do?  I’m under the spell of plants.

I chose a big shopping cart, marched into the store, shared a laugh with the sales clerk, put the two plant filled containers in the cart and then proceeded to head towards the area with bagged soil & manures.    I filled the remainder of the cart space with as much of these bags as I could, then slowly pushed the heavily laden cart towards the cashier.

So we had another long garden talk and then it was time to go to my car and with some creative moving around of plants, I was able to heft my most recent purchases into my little car.  And happily we chugged our way home.

Once at home, I removed all the plants, put them in containers with water to freshen them up.  Next I mixed up some bagged steer manure with some of my miracle mulch and filled 3 large Rubbermaid totes with this mix.

And then I gathered up all the things that I needed for my planting expedition at the cafe and soon was on my way.

It was a hot day.  And I was totally garbed in my anti-hornet attracting outfit: long-sleeved black shirt, black car-hearts and my trusty gumboots.  Whew.  To say that I was hot was an understatement.  However, that did not stop me for the next 3 1/2 hours to do my gardening.

I trundled my gardening supplies across the tarmac, over to the fenced patio, heaved them all over the fence and then got to work. First thing, tarp is spread on the flooring, materials & plants gathered to one side.  Then, I brought the poor, parched, dried out plant pots over to the work area.   It was a sad sight to see these, so I didn’t take any pictures.

One by one I emptied the containers of the hard, dried soil and replaced them with the refreshing new mix.   Then I arranged the plants as creatively as I could in the containers.  A thorough watering and an application to EM and they were finally looking full and happy.

I did take pictures of these and will post on my next blog.  They look a little sparse right now, but in a week or so, they will be flowering to beat the band.

As I gathered all my materials together to make a nice, tidy exit, I pondered on  my time spent there.   And anticipated the happy look on Dak’s face when he would open up the cafe this morning!  Surprises are great!  The Flower Fairy has visited!

Gardening, transforming, is so satisfying.  I know that all gardeners share this energy.  Positive, creative, satisfying!

At the end of the day, though, as I arrived back home and unloaded my car .. I realized that I did have a touch of heat stroke.  Which I haven’t experienced for years.  So I took care of myself and rested.  Realized, after I prepared supper that I wasn’t hungry, so out went that meal as I gave up trying to eat.  Rest was instinctive and so I did.  Feeling much better today.

Today, I will work in the shady areas of the garden.  Because .. I still have all those other plants to be dug into the side gardens.

Oh, happy days!


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Do Zucchini’s grow overnight into giant plants? And why are they spelled this way anyway?

Thursday, August 16, 2012

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I wake up in the mornings now, planning my days outside.

Yesterday I looked at my latest little area of beauty .. the three pavers that I installed at the end of the little cement sidewalk that ends about 5 feet from the cherry tree.  I’d chiselled out spaces in the hard packed clay soil to fit these in and they do look rather well.

And I added grass seed, topped with some soil and a thorough watering …. the grass should be growing in a week or so.  Whatever is left from the birds .. I do know that they like to nibble.

Grass is not my thing, but it does give the yard a lovely green quality.  And I’ve been forgetting to water the grass once a week … so am starting that habit.  It doesn’t take much .. but I hear the words of one my instructors at the Organic Master Gardening class .. just an inch of water per week will keep the soil moist so the living creatures can go on living and nurture the soil.  I want to keep them alive.

I also weeded the front patch of grass .. trying to nurture that back to a healthy green .. if I can keep cars from parking there, grrrrrr …  then a thorough watering.   And the final piece de resistance .. a liberal dosing of EM!  I’ve bought a huge, bright orange, 3 L watering can and so I filled that up 6 times with the EM/water mixture.

The changes should start appearing in a few days .. oh, hold me back from checking every 5 minutes.  And I will make sure that I keep this patch watered every week.

Bare soil, with no covering, is dead soil.   There needs to be a covering, mulch or plant materials, some water .. and this will keep the soil alive.

Looked around the little veggie patch, saw a surprise in one of the zucchini plants.  I swear there were only 2 tiny zucchini’s there the day before and now I see one that is nearly 5 times the size.  Do these things grow into giants overnight?  I have much to learn about growing vegetables.

And I think, why are zucchini’s spelled with two c’s??  I play around with the n’s, adding an extra one, short changing the c and then realize I need to correct. Sigh.

And I vow that next year, I will watch for the potato plants and will quickly scoop them up and grow them in containers.   They take up a lot of real estate in the garden and I plan to grow lots of garlic and more raspberries!

Looked at the little water feature hanging from a branch of the cherry tree .. glad I took the advice of my friend D, to put something in there for the birds to perch on .. when they finally visit the water.   She notes that the feature is too new for the birds .. they will use it when they become familiar with it being there.

Despite my great plans, I still haven’t planted lettuce in my little portable raised bed.  A situation that I plan to rectify today.

The day disappeared yesterday!  What with some necessary shopping.  Which included filling my car with plants that were on sale at a local supermarket. Three types of grasses, and other perennials that I’ve never used in my garden.,

I normally venture towards perennials, and am strongly attracted to herbs.  But sometimes it’s good to have a variety.  All the plants that I chose yesterday are strong, hardy and drought resistant.  My kind of plants.

Well .. on with this most lovely day.  Things to do.  Plants to plant.   And a little portable raised bed to situate somewhere.

And will I find time today to haul out my garlic bulbs, sort and choose which ones I will plant and which ones I will use and share?

🙂


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Just another lovely sunny gardening day … that’s all

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

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The lovely heat stays with us … and things are growing well.

Especially the Wormwood Artemisia absinthium .. it is growing very well with the Columbine and the two are almost intertwined.  I looked up some info on the Wormwood and read that the roots secrete a substance that inhibits the growth of surrounding plants.  Well, it had no effect at all on the Columbine.

I’ll propagate it in the fall and will add more plants around the yard borders.  Years ago I included this in a moth repellant that I mixed .. might do the same this year.

Lots of steady work in the yard .. pruning, digging.  Today I dug away at the hard clay soil and scraped out enough space to place 3 round pavers for walking.  Pics tomorrow.  Then I moved some of that lovely Miracle Mulch onto the pathway in this area.  Starting to look and feel good.

I’d scattered hundreds of Calendula seeds around the base of the cherry tree and can see them growing like crazy!  I’ll have lots of the bright flower petals soon, I think!

The birds are all having fun.  Yesterday I noticed the swallows having fun up above.   They were flying en masse and then one would chase the other and would flutter it’s wings!  Maybe a flying game.

And yesterday I dug up the first of my volunteer potatoes.  How exciting was that!   They have grown up amongst the raspberry canes and so I didn’t want to dig too deep .. I’ll check for more in a month or so .. when I’m digging up and moving the raspberry canes.

I’m changing the shape of the garden again, a bit at a time.  Plan to grow lots of garlic!  And speaking of which, next week I plan to sort through my current harvest, which is drying in beneath the sundeck.  I’ll choose the largest cloves and will plant them in September.  And will use up the smaller ones for cooking.

I plan to try to grow carrots next year .. and maybe a few other veggies.

Lovely day .. back outside to work before the sun sets .. which it is doing, earlier and earlier!

🙂


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I drew the winning ticket! However, it wasn’t for me!

Monday, August 13, 2012

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We went to a car event on the weekend .. many hundreds of classic and stock cars of all kinds.  I took lots of photos, only to find out later that I’d accidentally smudged some sunscreen on the lens … so although I love the photos, they all have that slightly blurry effect!  Sigh.

As we were parking, dh pointed out the Martin Mars water bomber that was flying overhead, so I scrambled to take a picture and was able to take a quick one!  What a magnificent plane this is!  Wonderful to see it flying .. just for fun!

Several times on that day, Sunday, we found ourselves stuck in a long line of traffic … so during the first wait, I looked outside the car window and rested my eyes on the calming greenery of a little wooded area .. it helped me avoid the “argh” feelings of being stuck in traffic.  And eventually … traffic inched along and soon all resumed speed.

Beautiful weekend.   Lots of lovely skies.   Many birds sighted.  People in a holiday mood.

At the end of our day at the car event, we were on our way out and gave in to the volunteers selling 50/50 tickets and bought ourselves a strip of them.  We waited around to see if we would be the lucky winners.  The volunteers were busy tearing up the perforated tickets and mixing them up very well.  One of them called over to me and asked me to draw the winning ticket!  So, facing away from the large ticket container, I swirled my hand around through the tickets .. which one shall I choose?  Finally I plucked one up and handed it over to the gentleman in charge.

Woe, it wasn’t one of our numbers.  However, the money is going to a very good cause, so we are happy about that.

As we left the area, we could hear the announcer telling everyone the lucky number!  And I felt happy that somehow I was able to be a part of the connection in the outcome of the lucky winner!

It was wonderful being away and doing something very different from our everyday lives … on a sunny Sunday!

Today I spent some happy time in the garden . .visiting with my good friend D.  We spent hours and hours talking about creative things.   Good energy.

I happily showed her the changes in my garden since her last visit.  She has grown vegetables for years and so I ask question after question.   And get the answers that I add to my growing veggie gardening information bank.  I’ve really only started growing veggies last year .. so every year I get a little better.  Still haven’t tackled the whole tomato pruning thing yet.  Lots to learn yet.

Here it is, nearly mid-August .. we’ve really only had full hot summer since the beginning of July.  I feel as if I “should” be farther along in my gardening than I am.

There are half-finished projects here and there.  I have been successful in some things and have cleared away hundreds of gardening pots to give away. And washed (in the same water, so as not to waste) plastic bags that once held soil or manure.  Dried them in the sun and they are ready to take to the recycler.

Slowly, slowly, the hundreds of chores that I have listed in my mental “to do” list are getting done, a few at a time.

Recently, I’ve devoted many hours .. a whole day even .. to completing little jobs.  Like, one section of the front yard .. weeding, pruning, mulching.  Another involved one side garden .. that I am so happy with.  There are more to do.   And although I know that gardening will never be finished …I am truly enjoying the journey!

And tomorrow, I plan to get up real early and start again.

It is so tempting to just run outside in the morning, but, there are litters to be cleaned, floors to be swept, little daily household chores.  Better to be done with them first thing in the morning and then I don’t have to think about them till the next day.

It’s been a day!  Another great one, of course!

🙂


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Do plants collect marbles in their root systems? I found one that did!

Saturday,  August 11, 2012

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I don’t know why I have begun to type November instead of August for the past few days!   Maybe in November I’ll start typing August!  The mind/hand/keyboard connection is a vicarious one!

Yesterday, time moved very slowly .. I really wanted to do so much in the garden but the motivation just wasn’t there … I think part of this was due to the fact that I really want to do so much and then things just start to pile up in my mind and I just need to erase my mental list and just focus on what I’m doing.

So after lunch and a few cups of Yorkshire tea, I did that.    And felt much calmer and more energized.   Sheesh . .I’m turning myself into my very own person bossy-boss .. time to stop that game!

I focused on one of my side gardens .. I’m so proud of that!  I’ll post a picture, but really want to show the before and after … in order to truly appreciate the transformation.

A few years ago I’d planted a row of little cedars and they have been growing nicely .. except that 2 of them had grown too close to each other and there was a gap between the next one in the row.  I debated whether or not to leave them as they are until the fall, when the weather is cooler.  But .. I’m feeling a little cocky now that I have lots of EM ..  so I decided to dig up the one little cedar and move it over a bit.

Lovely root system .. I carefully dug out an area and gently planted it.  And braced it up with a length of tubing and tied it with a string .. to guide it to grow straight.  Looked at it this morning and it’s looking happy.  Fingers crossed.

Lucky me .. I was digging up and moving another plant when I saw something shiny tangled up in the roots.  It was a little marble all nestled in the middle of the root system!  So it appears that I’m not the only one with an eye for sparkly things!  This plant also collects them!  Nice surprise, that was.

Went to check on my lovely garlic, drying underneath the sundeck.   And … what do I see!!! Two scapes growing happily in their corkscrew manner .. one sporting a lovely flower and the other one has gone beyond that, into seed mode.

Oh, how they must have chuckled to themselves  ..  they were able to avoid my search for them, so I could make garlic scape pesto!    The funny ways of things that grow add to the allure and mystery of nature and growing things.

Noticed Youbou & JaneE having a staring match .. cute to watch them.  They are so similar in personality and size.  Very sweet.

Not exactly sure where  I’m going to place my masterpiece of a raised bed .. somewhere in a sunny spot.  And I’ll plant some lettuce !!

The tomatoes are still growing and flowering.  I know that I should remove some of the flowers, there are too many for the length of the growing season left, but just can’t bring myself to do that.

Well .. a lovely day .. what more can I say.

🙂


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Time for a playing day .. in the garden.

Friday, August 10, 2012

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One think that I like about gardening is that I can spend one day working very hard outside and the next day I can play if I want to.

Playing means to me .. things like .. finally sifting the beach stones that I’ve collected, separating the tiniest stones and rounded rocks from the vegetation that has been mixed in.  Ending up with little buckets of these and a bucket of fine sand & grasses, to use on a garden bed.

And putting together a little raised bed from boards left over from a project that dh has done for the yard.   I had to get help from him in putting them together.  I won’t even go into the details of how I was trying to assemble the boards, but his way made more sense.   I am just not gifted in building things with wood.  I learn really easy, but the hows and whys are just not part of my creative bent.

So I ended up with a raised bed that is truly creative .. in that it is not perfectly square and two ends are higher than the sides .. but this will go on the ground and filled with lovely mulch and so no one will ever be the wiser.

DH looked at my results, shook his head and laughed .. I told him that it was just perfect for the garden .. a true garden is not perfectly square and in alignment.

Next in my playtime . . I separated the seeds from the dried flower pods from the white flowering sage plant.  I’ve read in one of my gardening books that sage would make a good garden border, so I’ll try that.  Free sage border, gotta like that.

Then I decided to cover up my tomato plants.  Having given away yards of Remay years ago … I wasn’t sure what to use in place of that .. so ended up fetching some Ikea lightweight cotton sheers and spent some time wrapping up some of the larger plants .. I’ll take pics later today.

I was on my hands and knees, pulling out grass and plantings from an overhead bird feeder, when I noticed a young Anna hovering above .. finally settling on the  tiny perch of the hummingbird feeder.  And the camera is at least 10 feet away.   So I quietly observe this little visitor.  I believe it must be one of the babies, there is still fluffy white downy feathers on the lower part of its body, and tiny little markings at the outer edges of the eyes.   He watches me and I watch him .. timeless magic.   One of those gardening moments that money cannot buy.

Sigh.

Next I mix up dilutions of EM so that I can install some perennials in one of my newly tidied side gardens.  Which gives me an idea .. one rainy day .. I will spend some time looking through photos of the past few years and I’ll show the transformations that I’ve made in the yard.  Creating areas of beauty from badly neglected spaces.   If I hadn’t taken the photos, I would have forgotten how much I’ve done.

I planted several lavender plants, carefully removing them from their plastic pots.  Soaking their roots in EM, trowelling out a space and putting them in their new home.  Gently tamping in soil around them and a final watering of EM.

Then I notice that the sunlight has disappeared .. .dusk has arrived.   I walk around this garden edging … noting where I’ll be digging in more plants and then finally decide that the time needed for this chore is going to take hours.   So might as well pack it in for the day.

Thought back over my day, what I’d accomplished .. and reflected on my playing time (that’s where creativity kicks in and time stops) and decided that I’d had yet another most wonderful day in the garden.

So, time to take a mug of freshly brewed Yorkshire Tea (the lovely loose leaf type) and go outside for another playing day.

🙂


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Thankful for the help on the WordPress Forum! They are wonderful! And also, more about my gardening life

Thursday, August 9, 2012

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Thank goodness for the so very helpful contributors to WordPress.  I’d been plagued with rather distasteful ads on my working pages of my blog .. they had all of a sudden appeared and I had no idea how to get rid of them.

So I posted on the WordPress Forum: “ Offensive ads showing on my blog ..how to stop them from appearing?” and received the most amazing help – easy to follow steps to get rid of these types of ads, which are add-ons and they are disgusting and sneaky.

If you have experienced these, then by all means, please visit the forum and you’ll find these most helpful links to get rid of them.

Now I am much happier.

So, back to gardening!

Yesterday I toiled away at the front yard  ..  completing the removal of invasive perennials that I’d let grow just to keep the area green in an easy manner.  Time to make changes and remove them.  Make room for more natural and still drought resistant type plantings.

All pulled, dug, cleared & clipped and then  top dressed with tree chippings to keep down the weeds and keep moisture in.  I didn’t take a before picture, thought of it too late.  But I will take an after picture.  This area will look a little bare  ..  I intend to pick up some woodland type plants, ferns, etc. and plant them there.

Then I began the task of pruning one of the two lilac trees that are on either side of our driveway.  For hours I clipped away at dry branches and overgrown trunks.  Some branches had grown about 4 feet over the tops of nearby cedar & bamboo plants.

At the end, I was much happier.  Noticed the chickadees flying through … and thought, oh no, they’ve lost some perching branches.   But  ..  looking around, I see thousands more of branches in our yard for them to perch in.  You see, I love the wild and natural look and am happy that there are zillions of hiding places for my winged friends.

Now the light comes through for the plants and they will grow even more!

Spent a few hours clipping away at the branches,  so that they would fit in my Rubbermaid containers, nice and tidy, so I can take them to the local municipal yard for them to compost.

And so I arranged the 3 large yard bags and 5 Rubbermaid containers into my little Echo.  How did I do this, you may ask?  Well, I pushed, shoved, squeezed and forced them all to stay in the car.  Even had one of the yard bags on the front passenger seat.  Ha ha ha …. It did look a little funny, but I was able to load the car up.

And this morning, first thing, I drove to the yard and offloaded them.   Now they will be chipped and mulched and be part of the garden dressing in the municipality.  No waste.

So now .. for the rest of the day, I can play in the back yard and be creative.   I’ll share that tomorrow!

And also for now I can enjoy a lovely mug of Yorkshire tea .. made with the loose leaves … such a very delicious treat.

🙂


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Watching the birds .. spreading the Miracle Mulch .. enjoying the hot summer sun

Friday, August 3, 2012

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I almost did some time travelling into the year 3012 .. good thing that I check my typing as I go!

Anyway, continuing to enjoy these most lovely of sunny days.

Standing outside yesterday, I was thinking back to the cold snow months of January and onwards.  Snow tumbling down.  Me, outside with birdseed and suet blocks, furiously filling out the bird feeders so that the birds would have lots of food.  Tromping through the snow.

Not caring if I had warm clothes on or not, the most important objective for me was to ensure that all the birds who visited our yard had enough to eat.

Remember looking outside the basement window, marvelling at the sight of a Flicker, crouched down on the gravel by the sundeck, pecking away at some insects.   That was lovely.

But .. back to the present.  And enjoying the warmth of the sun as I took a break and revelled in the antics of the Redbreasted Nuthatches, the Chestnut-backed Chickadees .. taking turns at the bird feeders.

I was all set to write about the various shapes of leaves ..but . that will be something that I can attack at a later date.

For now .. I just want to look at the antics of the birds.  Used the motor drive of the camera to capture all kinds of flying movements of our little visitors!

Then … it was back to work.

I’d ordered 5 yards of Miracle Mulch (leaves, tiny branches, no bark, etc.) and it was sitting on a tarp in the driveway.  I’d promised DH that I’d clear this away in 2 days.  Oh, wow, that was a promise that I just had to keep.   That is, if I wanted to keep on ordering this lovely material for the yard.

So yesterday I shovelled for hours, slowly moving the mulch to  ….the front side yards, the back side yards .. and on and on.

And today, I finally finished!

This material is so lovely for the ground .. it protects the soil, and retains moisture, thus less watering needed.

I want to order 5 more yards in a few months so that I can top up everything again.  I was told of someone who ordered over 240 yards of this material .. oh, I would just be in mulch heaven if we had enough property so that I could order that much.

Today, I planted more Mondo grass, some other perennials and topped up the surface with the mulch and the one side garden looks lovely.  Pictures to follow.  Including photos of a few years ago .. when this was just a blackberry patch.  That was a story.  I so love transforming little areas of yards …

So tonight I will EM everything in the yard . .that should take a few hours.   I love this part.  A few days after treatment .. such an amazing increase in leaf colour, fruits, flowers .. just magic, I tell you!

🙂


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Enjoying the wonders of the skies as I toil in the garden .. eye candy for the gardener!

Thursday, August 2, 2012

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Basking in the warmth of the sun, I find myself out in the garden again.  Only this time, for the past few days, I’ve been busy, busy, busy.

Pruning the buddleia’s that have been taking over the sidegarden.

Pulling out the annuals that reseed themselves year after year, claiming nearly every inch of the garden beds.

Clipping, bagging and transporting the superfluous garden branches etc.

Joy at finding garlic bulbs that were growing, hidden away among the plants.  These I will dry and replant in the fall.

Taking lots of time to just look up at the sky.   Feeling much happiness at the ever-changing vistas .. cheering me up constantly.

Listening to the tiny chirps of the chickadees, nuthatches and bushtits as they cavort around the yard.

Cavort .. not a word I would usually associate with these tiny birds, but they do seem to be to be such little sprites of cheerfulness.  They really brighten up my world and I am so glad they visit.

The bushtits seem like little whorls of energy, filling the trees with their twittering sounds as they gather together on the branches before flitting away to visit another yard.

And the chickadees .. the yard will be quiet, until, suddenly, I hear the little nasal chirps .. seeming to say “I’m here .. I’m here”.  They are so sweet.  And smart.  When the bird feeder is empty, they will tap their tiny beaks against the sides of the feeder as if to say .. “hey up .. this needs refilling”!

I’ve been noticing the variety of leaf shapes in the garden also.  Tomorrow I’ll post the pics I took yesterday.  There are reasons why nature has chosen the shapes she has for the many food plants.  I don’t know the why’s and wherefores, but, perhaps, something else to study up on.

Yesterday, being so hot .. I spread out some containers of dried seaweed … to dry them out further so I could crumble them up and thus take up less space in the downstairs area.

Then, finally, time for the 5 yards of Miracle Mulch to arrive … and so for a few hours last night, I spent the time filling up wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow .. taking each load to the side yard, to topdress the bare garden soil.   This lovely mixture can also be used in the veggie garden .. which is lovely.  I know that the 5 years will quickly disappear ….as I carefully spread it around on all of the sidegardens.   Lovely to look at and perfect for retaining the moisture in the soil.  And .. no tree bark .. just fine branches, leaves and twigs.

So .. that will be my day today .. all day . .shovelling and moving the mulch.

Time to get started, methinks!


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Working in the sun, planting, digging, sorting .. having fun outside.

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

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Oh, so sadly I learned of the passing of the wonderful Maeve Binchy .. from Bridget’s blog:  http://arignagardener.wordpress.com/author/arignagardener/

Maeve Binchy, is, bar none .. the most gifted writer there has ever been .. she captures the heart and soul of everyday people in everyday situations.

I have all of her books and re-read them from time to time, noticing more nuances with each reading.

Oh, how very lucky we are to have had her in our world.  Bless you Maeve.

Flying has been very much in my world I am very happy to say!   Loving the skies, clouds and birds up above .. my joy is increased when we are up in the air flying from here to there.

The skies have been sporting such beautiful cloud formations lately .. and my little camera has been clicking away at every opportunity.  Some of the clouds are stupendous in their beauty and gracefulness .. shifting and changing as we pass by ..and I cannot pass up the chance to take lots of photos as we do.

I see animals, boomerangs, people in the puffy cloud formations … scenery .. all sorts of things.  Quite beautiful.

Working hard in the garden during the week so that I can relax and just absorb the peaceful beauty of the lovely skies and scenery on the ground.

I’ve been mixing large quantities of EM during the past few weeks, and last night I applied quite a bit on some newly transplanted cedars and bay trees.   I know that you are not “supposed” to transplant perennials in the hot sun .. but I took a chance and started digging in late afternoon .. followed by a very liberal dousing of EM. And today I noticed the plants are looking just fine!

I’ve come to depend quite heavily on the EM (effective microorganism) mixture.  It gives the same results, pretty well, as brewed compost tea .. however, I haven’t put together a tea composter (with aquarium tubing and motors) this year.  Perhaps next year.  For now, though, my EM is the magical elixir for all things growing in the garden.

The strawberry plants have started to flower again.  Same for the tomatoes.  The snapeas and the sweet peas .. same story.   And the growth of the bay tree in the back, along with the bay laurels and the willow .. well, these are growing into lovely giant plants.

Yesterday I was busy reshaping one side of the yard.  Down on my hands and knees, with only a few garden tools, I busily dug out weeds, created a shallow edging at the forefront of this garden bed and found yet more garlic from a few years ago.  I’m drying these and will plant them in the main garlic bed in September.

I also pulled out invasive plants, too many crocosomia, Euphorbia and a few others.   Now I want space for the cedars to grow out and up.   And more space for the lavender and rosemary plants.  Plus, I’d like to grow a variety of lavender plants, to make a lovely lower border at the front of this garden area.

Working in the blazing sun, getting dusty and dirty, wearing my sturdy garden outfit, I feel quite happy in my world.  Getting lots done sometimes and not so much in others.

Spent some time today in clearing away fence boards and the mess that accompanies new fencing in the yard.   A few hours into the lifting, carrying, sorting and tidying and I was quite ready for a tea break.

Now .. time to go back outside .. to enjoy the sun and to plant some more perennials. Does it ever end!

Tomorrow I’ll be getting 5 yards of that lovely Miracle Mulch for the perennials beds:  http://www.miraclemulch.com/

Lovely.

Now .. time to get ready to go back outside.