Showing posts with label gardening. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gardening. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Friday, June 13, 2008
New flowers, new fence.
The title pretty much sums it up.
Even though our midwestern summer has been rainy, severe weather-y and pretty much awful, we've managed to make some progress in the yard.
Three weeks ago we planted our little hearts out. We bought a bunch of perennials for the flower bed around the pond (joe pye weed, arizona blanket flowers, tiger lilies, cat mint, black-eyed susans and something else i can't remember) and planted violas around the front. The violas are awesome and much more weather-resistant than the pansies we planted last summer. We also planted snapdragons along the back of the pond (Forty of them — it's going to be insane when they get tall) and some zinneas. Last year's perennial additions (salvia, sedum) are thriving and look really nice, if a little massive. It's been fun watching everything bloom...I'm sure we'll have some changes to make based on how everything grows in, but we're happy so far.
The two big pots on our back patio are full of multi-colored begonias and a blue flowering vine (I keep forgetting what it's called, but it gets big and fluffy and fabulous). We also have smaller pots of marigolds and impatiens, which are thriving. I'm a little frustrated with the begonia pots, as there appears to be a bird picking at the blooms. They look a little ragged right now, but I hope they will fill in as well as they did last summer.
Our two front pots are full of happy red geraniums. My mom thinks geraniums are an old lady flower, but I love them. We also planted a verbenum bush out front, which is supposed to get up to 10 feet tall. It's well on its way.
We split a few hosta and planted those throughout the shade garden under our pine trees, along with two bleeding hearts for a little bit of color. (Again, kind of old lady, but I love the little pink heart-shaped flowers.) We also picked up a hanging basket at the farmer's market — giant white impatiens and fuchsia — and hung that under the trees. And there's a big, cheerful pot of pansies on the table.
And finally, the fence. Mattie is SO happy. She can't wait to go outside, and sits by the back door and looks at us like "Um, hello? We could be outside having fun right now. What's the hold up?" We love being able to play with her in the yard.
Of course, it's been raining constantly since we completed all of this work. Great for our plants, but not so great for enjoying them.
Oh, the irony.
A few pictures of the yard...and one of our happy puppy, too.
Even though our midwestern summer has been rainy, severe weather-y and pretty much awful, we've managed to make some progress in the yard.
Three weeks ago we planted our little hearts out. We bought a bunch of perennials for the flower bed around the pond (joe pye weed, arizona blanket flowers, tiger lilies, cat mint, black-eyed susans and something else i can't remember) and planted violas around the front. The violas are awesome and much more weather-resistant than the pansies we planted last summer. We also planted snapdragons along the back of the pond (Forty of them — it's going to be insane when they get tall) and some zinneas. Last year's perennial additions (salvia, sedum) are thriving and look really nice, if a little massive. It's been fun watching everything bloom...I'm sure we'll have some changes to make based on how everything grows in, but we're happy so far.
The two big pots on our back patio are full of multi-colored begonias and a blue flowering vine (I keep forgetting what it's called, but it gets big and fluffy and fabulous). We also have smaller pots of marigolds and impatiens, which are thriving. I'm a little frustrated with the begonia pots, as there appears to be a bird picking at the blooms. They look a little ragged right now, but I hope they will fill in as well as they did last summer.
Our two front pots are full of happy red geraniums. My mom thinks geraniums are an old lady flower, but I love them. We also planted a verbenum bush out front, which is supposed to get up to 10 feet tall. It's well on its way.
We split a few hosta and planted those throughout the shade garden under our pine trees, along with two bleeding hearts for a little bit of color. (Again, kind of old lady, but I love the little pink heart-shaped flowers.) We also picked up a hanging basket at the farmer's market — giant white impatiens and fuchsia — and hung that under the trees. And there's a big, cheerful pot of pansies on the table.
And finally, the fence. Mattie is SO happy. She can't wait to go outside, and sits by the back door and looks at us like "Um, hello? We could be outside having fun right now. What's the hold up?" We love being able to play with her in the yard.
Of course, it's been raining constantly since we completed all of this work. Great for our plants, but not so great for enjoying them.
Oh, the irony.
A few pictures of the yard...and one of our happy puppy, too.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Garden girl.
Nate and I had yet another productive weekend. I'm not sure why, but we are super motivated to get things done around the house right now. I wish this motivation extended to other areas of my life. Like diet and exercise.
Saturday we had a garage sale with Nate's parents and their neighbors. While it wasn't our highest-grossing sale, we got rid of a ton. And everything that didn't sell was immediately carted off to Goodwill — all but the mini Christmas tree (garbage) and Nate's ab roller. They don't take ab rollers. Probably because it would gather as much dust on their shelves as it did in our basement. So we left that curbside with my in-laws' NordicTrack.
(Yes, that's right — an outdated, mostly unused set of exercise equipment for free! Let me know if you want their address.)
Yesterday we spent most of the day on our hands and knees in the yard, digging out a particularly ferocious type of ornamental grass. Actually, Nate was hopping up and down on a shovel, and I was on my hands and knees. I was on the shovel first, but quickly realized I was probably going to end up with a broken leg, or a head injury. I am not coordinated enough to hop on a shovel near a pile of rocks and a big hole.
Anyway.
The previous owners planted a tiny patch of this grass around the pond a few years ago. I think their goal was to plant something that looked natural — but as I pointed out to Nate yesterday, there is nothing natural about a man-made pond in the middle of a city lot. Especially one with a plug-in waterfall.
The grass was okay, but when it got wet it got floppy and started to smell. And it pretty much doubled in size since last year...it even smothered one of my salvia plants. So it had to go. We just didn't realize removing it would be such a production. That stuff is nasty; it was like a woven rug of roots underneath. It took us hours to pull out. We are both sore and a little cranky today.
But now we have an empty flower bed to work with! Which is equal parts exciting and frightening. I am just learning how to garden...I love it, but I have no idea what I'm doing. And there is a real art to selecting the right plants — you need varying heights, textures and colors. I know it will take time to get things right, but I want it to be right RIGHT NOW. (Stomp.)
We spent an hour or so wandering around my beloved Gerten's last night — looking at plants, getting ideas and taking notes. Nate's mom brought me the Minnesota Gardener's Guide, which is an incredibly helpful resource. (She is also an incredibly helpful resource; her yard is stunning.) I want everything. I don't know what to pick, it's all a bit overwhelming. But I have to figure it out, because this is the weekend I've set aside to get everything planted. So, tonight — between watching last night's episode of Desperate Housewives and tonight's season finale of Gossip Girl (yay!) — I am going to flip through my book, review my notes and make a plan. I am not going back to Gerten's without a list...otherwise there's no telling what we'll end up with.
Pictures of the grass early last summer (before we edged the flower beds), yesterday's little project, and the end result (that last picture is a little dingy, sorry.).
Saturday we had a garage sale with Nate's parents and their neighbors. While it wasn't our highest-grossing sale, we got rid of a ton. And everything that didn't sell was immediately carted off to Goodwill — all but the mini Christmas tree (garbage) and Nate's ab roller. They don't take ab rollers. Probably because it would gather as much dust on their shelves as it did in our basement. So we left that curbside with my in-laws' NordicTrack.
(Yes, that's right — an outdated, mostly unused set of exercise equipment for free! Let me know if you want their address.)
Yesterday we spent most of the day on our hands and knees in the yard, digging out a particularly ferocious type of ornamental grass. Actually, Nate was hopping up and down on a shovel, and I was on my hands and knees. I was on the shovel first, but quickly realized I was probably going to end up with a broken leg, or a head injury. I am not coordinated enough to hop on a shovel near a pile of rocks and a big hole.
Anyway.
The previous owners planted a tiny patch of this grass around the pond a few years ago. I think their goal was to plant something that looked natural — but as I pointed out to Nate yesterday, there is nothing natural about a man-made pond in the middle of a city lot. Especially one with a plug-in waterfall.
The grass was okay, but when it got wet it got floppy and started to smell. And it pretty much doubled in size since last year...it even smothered one of my salvia plants. So it had to go. We just didn't realize removing it would be such a production. That stuff is nasty; it was like a woven rug of roots underneath. It took us hours to pull out. We are both sore and a little cranky today.
But now we have an empty flower bed to work with! Which is equal parts exciting and frightening. I am just learning how to garden...I love it, but I have no idea what I'm doing. And there is a real art to selecting the right plants — you need varying heights, textures and colors. I know it will take time to get things right, but I want it to be right RIGHT NOW. (Stomp.)
We spent an hour or so wandering around my beloved Gerten's last night — looking at plants, getting ideas and taking notes. Nate's mom brought me the Minnesota Gardener's Guide, which is an incredibly helpful resource. (She is also an incredibly helpful resource; her yard is stunning.) I want everything. I don't know what to pick, it's all a bit overwhelming. But I have to figure it out, because this is the weekend I've set aside to get everything planted. So, tonight — between watching last night's episode of Desperate Housewives and tonight's season finale of Gossip Girl (yay!) — I am going to flip through my book, review my notes and make a plan. I am not going back to Gerten's without a list...otherwise there's no telling what we'll end up with.
Pictures of the grass early last summer (before we edged the flower beds), yesterday's little project, and the end result (that last picture is a little dingy, sorry.).
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