I really have to get more hellebores

You just have to love something that's blooming on Christmas!

Not helping with  my spring fever, though.

I've been surfing the plant websites already, making my list and checking it twice. The last couple of years have been about filling up the space. This year is the year of cool. I'm looking for fragrant and reblooming varieties of things, and the cool and unusual. We'll see how that goes. I totally miss cruising the local clearance racks, though, and most of the nurseries around here are closed between Christmas and new years. BAH!

Watching the hummingbirds.....

and the other visitors

and counting the days to the flower show.....hope I win tickets this year! Leaves more money for plants.

is is bad to have spring fever on christmas??

'cause I have a major case of it already.....it's going to be a LONG winter.

This week there was a clearance rack score.....a HUGE itoh peony, regularly $68 for half price. Had to have it, and it's already nestled in it's new home. I'll be headed back to that clearance sale because I saw a BUNCH of things I wanted.....maybe that's what gave me the fever.

The seed catalogs are starting to pile up too......not helping at all.

So, the project after Christmas is to build the small raised bed boxes for next spring and a nice one for potatoes. As much as we've tried (and had success before), the potatoes in the garbage can thing just isn't working.

Y'all have a great Christmas.....I'll be here drooling over seed catalogs and wishing for the flower show!

BRRR!!!!

It's been very cold here, and the yard looks like someone took a blowtorch to it. Too cold to get outside and chop on stuff, although it hasn't stopped these guys.

They'll be out there all winter, believe it or not, and we've had a MAJOR war going over the feeders.
It's amazing to see them out there in the snow and everything.

Not much gardening news, too cold, too frozen, although I did get the first of the new year seed catalogs, and I'm definitely eyeing a two for one daylily sale tomorrow. (they won't be shipped until spring).

I also entered a contest with Subaru to win tickets to the flower show. Now THERE"S something to look forward to. (besides making next year's wish list)

one last round

The weather has been unseasonably mild here, although super wet, and the garden is still going...
There's one iris that's particularly confused. I don't know what the name of this one is, but it smells like grapes. LOVE IT!

 

This guy is still going too.....

 

In floor news....we got tired of the bump, so we took a skill saw to it. There was no surprise to find out that the glue underneath was not stuck to the concrete at all......IT's all stuck to the board..

In the gift that keeps on giving.....we've gotten hosed yet again.....JERKS!!!!!

still going.....

so, here we are at the first of November already.......It hasn't frozen here yet, although it usually does, and the garden is still hanging in there!

I know, it's all looking pretty scraggly....but, it's hanging in there.

This week, the clearance rack brought me a fuzzy kiwi, a daylily "roaring 20s", and a couple of wooly thyme. Pickins are slim, but there are still a few interesting things to be had. I might just have to go back for that half price ITOH peony I saw at the nursery. Even at half price, it's still a bit spendy, but it was HUGE.

Looks like the holidays are happening here, so, we'll be doing a bunch of little things on the house. Next week, we'll be cutting a hole in the floor to remove the bubble that's come apart. I think if we cut out the bumped up spot, fill the space with something, and put a rug over it, it'll work for now. The new flooring is going to take 4-6 weeks to arrive, and then it has to acclimate here for at least 2 weeks. I'm not going there until after Christmas......probably sometime in February. I'll be glad when it's done, just not looking forward to it.

The monsoon season has begun!

It was a dark and stormy night.....no, really it was...winds up to 40mph and raining sideways here.
Consequently, there's not much happening in the garden at the moment....
although, I did manage to score two daylilies, one black and one pink, and a peony "sorbet", at the farmers market this week. I ran out between drenchings and got them planted asap, now just hoping they don't drown.

From this point out, it becomes about next year.....what worked this year, what didn't, what's on the wish list, and what's going to be the theme for the coming year. I've already decided the garden focus this year will be on rebloomers and fragrance. I'll also be working on my iris collection.....fewer free ones, and directing it more to the blues, blacks, and whites.

We're pretty much done with structures in the garden, although I would love a moon gate for the white garden....now it's just a matter of filling in, and working on the food part of the garden......maybe a tea tree, some more spaces for pumpkins and squash, and a new box to plant potatoes in, just for fun.

In house projects, there is that little matter of replacing the hardwood floors. Not looking forward to that, but it has to be done, and the sooner the better. We're going back and getting new quotes from folks now. It'll probably happen after the first of the year, when the holidays are done and the heat has been on for a while.

The good news is, even though it's been raining every single day (over an inch last Wednesday alone),
some of the plants are still hanging in there.......gotta enjoy them while they're here, it's going to freeze soon.

p,s,,,,,,that daylily was a Costco buy last spring....I'll definitely be looking for more of those kind of buys next spring!

still going.....

but winding down even faster now....
Although I still find myself surfing the 'net and looking at pics for next year's wish list.

This week, a few new dafffodils joined the crowd, and a pink hellebore that caught my eye.

Still looking for the elusive "jade tiger" hellebore, but I'll find it.....

The Echinacea are still going, but the rain didn't help them. They just get all moldy and crummy from the water.

The monsoon season has definitely started, so it's inside projects on rainy days from here on out.
It's also going to freeze at night any time now, so everything will be really done soon. That's OK, we can start with a clean slate for next spring.

I'll definitely be focusing more on rebloomers next year....that daylily there is on it's second round, even this late in October, and there's an iris out there DETERMINED to put up a flower. Just hope it happens before it gets frozen to death.

p.s. check out this peony.....it's all ready for spring! I just hope that nice potential flower makes it through the winter.....this one is a really cool yellow!

 

Just a note.....in house news.....we're a bit more finished on our floor drama, I'd say about a third of the way. Now we just have to find someone to fix it, move all the furniture, completely tear up the floor and replace it (including all the baseboards), and repaint probably after the first of the year. Good times! (NOT!)

Still going.....

Here we are, nearly half way through October, and the garden is still going.....gotta appreciate it while we can, it's going to freeze any day and turn the whole thing to mush!.

 

Last week, I planted over 500 bulbs in the back.....these are all from Costco, and I have to say, they were great quality. I highly recommend them.

I still have a few more specialty ones coming, and you just never know what may catch my eye when the stores start selling their fall bulbs at a discount. (gotta make room for that Christmas stuff)

 

The clearance racks are  pretty much done, there's really nothing left to sell, although I did score a couple of sedums at the depot, and a couple of daylilies at a master gardener sale.

 

Next week, we're headed to the rhody species sale. It's not all rhodies, and there can really be some interesting stuff there. It'll be a nice break from the rain. (and the tornado warning we had yesterday!!)

 

Otherwise, it's off to weed, and during the monsoon season, work on glass and plan for next year.

Good thing Schreiners Iris and Oakes daylilies both have wishlist features on their websites.(or IS it??)

 

still going.....

here we are at nearly the first of October, and the garden is still going......
The clearance options are fizzling out a bit though. I did manage to find a couple this week from a nursery that is closing for the season.....Coming home with me, a little hosta called "mouse ears", two white gaura, a couple of half price hostas, and an anemone.

I also scored some 25cent irises at the farmers market, as well as some Jerusalem artichokes to plant for next year.

Next week, the garlic goes in, as well as nearly 300 daffodils and whatever else is out there hiding in the garage.

takes a lickin' and......

you know the rest.

We seem to be through most of the hot weather, at least after today. The garden is looking a bit worse for the wear. I just got tired of constantly watering. A couple of things gave up, but not much, and they'll be just fine next year.

Some of the daylilies are still going strong. Gotta love those daylilies!

Up to this point, the focus on the garden has been filling the space. The goal for next year is to re-arrange where necessary and really focus on fragrance and re-bloomers. Both the daylilies and the iris have re bloomers in their ranks (these are some of the daylilies), and they really do extend the season.

 

I also got tired of the icky looking squash vines (they all had powdery mildew), so yesterday I decided to harvest the bulk of the squash and pumpkins. I'd have to say the acorns were quite successful this year, and the bon bons were right behind. There were only 2 spaghetti's, and I'll be hoarding those, thankyouverymuch.

 

 

There's still some pumpkins out there. I'll give them another week or two, but some of them are pretty good size right now.

 

 

Next year, I'll try to get these guys up off the ground for better air flow, and hopefully the mildew won't take over.....Same with the tomatoes. Although we have a bumper crop, it could be better if they were supported better. The slugs would leave them alone, and the rain wouldn't affect them so much....live and learn.

 

ok, really, we're ready for fall

It was nice when it rained for a day, it really was, but now the weather is back to nearly 90 degrees again, and that's just not making the garden happy. I thought I was done with watering......

This week, not much on the clearance front....a nice rudebeckia from home depot and a corepsis and a pineapple lily from the clearance rack at safeway. I did get a couple of packages of daffs (too early to plant), and some more iris from someone who was giving away some named varieties for just the cost of shipping. I can hardly wait until next spring to see what the iris row looks like!

I'm working on saving a bunch of seeds, too. Some sunflowers and some of the coneflowers, not to mention the poppies. 

Some pics from the garden.....
nicotiana "chocolate smoke".

 

colchium (I think giganteum)

 

An artichoke that went to bloom.....

and the bananas are going crazy!

 

I SO want one to bloom......maybe next year...

So, onward and upward....Already making a wish list for next year and a project list for the winter. We'll just see how that goes!

slim pickin's this week

Yes, it's getting to be fall. The bulbs are coming out and the nurseries are getting empty, even though the weather is still 80 degrees.

This week, we built a fence.......no, it won't stop the deer, but we hope it'll at least make them have to think. See, the problem is not  only that the eat everything, but also that whatever they don't eat, they step on. It's an exercise in frustration.

so, we put up this fence with the idea of re-routing them a bit. They won't jump where they can't land easily, so they'll at least have to walk around. If it works, maybe we'll continue it across the front, although I kind of like it open, like it is now.

In the clearance rack......3 nice pink Echinacea from lowes, another Echinacea, coconut lime (been looking for this one), and a huchera, snow angel, for the white garden. I also scored a couple more $3 daylilies (they're a mystery), and a crocrosmia Limpopo for the back garden. Another bag of Costco bulbs came home, (some drumstick alliums this time), and some fancy daffs, again from lowes.

I'm also waiting for some fall bulb orders to arrive, some placed last spring. The discount was just too much to resist.

This week, some maintenance, a trip to bloomin' bingo and the market, and who knows?

Also starting on the wishlist for next year....it will definitely include more cosmos.

And you just can't have too many irises.....

labor day, ALREADY!!!

Wow, that summer flew by....here it is labor day already and the rainy season has begun. (of course, it's a holiday). The nurseries are starting their clearance sales, although, there's not much left to clearance......

This week, a new Echinacea and another different sedum, some bulbs from Costco to add to the collection, and a couple of the last irises from the farmers market. We're off to another clearance sale today, and I'll keep looking until there's nothing left.

I did make a great yard sale score for $10. This is one of those frost-free ones, and they originally cost about $50-75. I think I'm going to put it out by the white garden with some sedums in it.

 

We're on a bit of vacation this week, so some projects will get completed. First up is the grape arbor. The poor grapes have no where to go right now, and they need a home. Next, we're planning on putting a picket fence along the front property line. I think if we can re-route the deer, it might help with the munching....we'll see. Can't hurt.

 

Some projects we're planning for the winter....drip irrigation in the veggie garden, a couple more raised beds for pumpkins and potatoes, and who knows WHAT else.

 

I'm also planning on working some glass mosaics over the winter. I've decided the back yard theme will be glass, and there's plenty to go around. I'm looking at yard sales and the like for a clear glass bowl to make a solar lighted mushroom. Pics when I find one.

 

Last but not least, a shout out to Costco.....

These are all things that came from there last spring, in their bag'o plants. Worked out pretty well, I'd say. I'll most definitely be checking them out again next spring!

 

 

oh, one more thing.....it must be fall, the colchium are blooming!