nestled all snug in their beds

Yesterday I spent most of the day planting......All these guys and some more, of course.
Each of the green strips represents at least 5 specialty bulbs not found anywhere locally....

There were also 2 witch hazels, 2 clumping bamboos, a native currant (great hummingbird plant), a wegilia, and about 400 bulbs from Costco. Right now, there's about 500 bulbs in the back....daffs, alliums, crocus, and hyacinths......and the same in the front, which also includes muscari, and some species tulips.....not too many big tulips...they're just deer candy. Maybe next year when the back is totally fenced and they can't get in.

Now I'm setting my sights on bulb clearance racks (although I don't really need too many more), and saving my pennies for the spring when Costco and the like will start getting in bare root perennials and trees.

Today, I hope to mostly finish painting the shop and put that project to bed too.....

Next up......a LONG list of things to finish, and a long winter of not finishing them.

painting!

Last weekend was beautiful, so I decided to take what was probably the last opportunity to paint on the shop......
before......

 

after.....a whole day on the ladder!

 

 

I really wanted to work on it more this week, and just finish, but the weather had other ideas. It was too cold, and most important, too wet and foggy to do any work. Today looks promising, though, it's still not too warm, but it's also not that 110 percent humidity fog that we've had all week.

I'm hoping to get most of the front done, and then finish up with the doors. The back side, the one you can see that is "natural", is probably going to stay that way, except for the door and trim. We'll get out he sun and moon collection that I have packed away and put that up to give it some interest.

 

The far side needs to be cleaned up first, but we'll paint that too, and then build our new chicken coop there.  One thing at a time.

artichokes, anyone?

Check this out.....grew it all by myself!!! From artichoke plants that I bought at the grocery store for $2.99. Pretty cool, huh?

They're actually purple ones, yes they're edible, and I certainly hope they'll come back next year. (they should). P.S. the deer don't eat them.....too prickly!

This week, the clearance bin yielded a few goodies....at home depot.....a black mondo grass for $3.50, which I divided into 3 and planted.....a half price hosta, and two daylilies for $1.50 each.
From the master gardener plant sale, we brought home a native currant - pink blooms in January, and a fall crocus (colchium).

I also used a bit of my local nursery gift certificate to get 2 witch hazels and some more allium bulgarum bulbs - the hummingbirds will love both of them.

Speaking of hummingbirds, we put up the feeders yesterday after watching two of them fight over the neighbor's fuschia for nearly an hour. I think he's out there right now, protecting his territory. Next spring, I have to plant some of those hardy fuschias....those little guys love them!

We also put out some Halloween decorations on the porch. I love my little owl guy!

 

This week, the weather is supposed to be great, so we're hoping to paint the shop. I have the paint (at least a good start on it), and if I need more, it's on sale. This'll probably be our last chance until next spring, so........

Finally!!!!

It FINALLY stopped raining!!!!
After having nearly 9" of rain here in the last two weeks of September (honestly, we were ready to build a boat!), it FINALLY quit, and yesterday was a wonderful day to get outside.

We cleaned up the garden a bit.....

and roofed the pump house with some clearance roofing we bought at home depot.

 

The next project here will be putting in the window and some siding. We're down to these kind of projects, little bits here and there, finishing the pump house, painting the shop (well, that's a big project), finishing the fencing, and, of course landscaping, planting, and landscaping some more.

 

Today, the plan is to try to prime the bare boards that they put on the shop when they did the roof, so that they don't get crummy during the winter.

It's nice to know the rain didn't ruin everything.....

and the passion vine has finally grown tall enough for the deer to leave it alone. I was fearing for its survival there for a while.....

 

off to mow and paint while the sun shines.....supposed to rain again tomorrow.