Sunday, August 31, 2014

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!
 

Sunday, August 24, 2014

just working away

I know, every week I say it's winding down...but I keep finding more stuff! This week it was a nice sedum, purple emperor, a spiderwort, a perennial lobelia, some coreopsis, some nice iris from the farmers market, and more bulbs from Costco, daffodils and fritillaria.

It really IS winding down, though, and fall bulbs are turning up in all the stores. It's hard to resist them, but I'm trying to be discriminating, because I have a "few"  ordered too.

The front is looking really good. I love how big these grasses got.

 
and the Echinacea are thriving

 
The back doesn't look too shabby either. I've added some stepping stones to the pergola and planted the musk rambler roses that I ordered.
 
Some of the clearance items are behaving nicely too......

 
The week after next will be vacation again. The plan is to work on the grape arbor, and maybe some of the fencing in the front. I have a theory that if we put a short fence in the front along the deer path, it might redirect them around the tasty plants. They're really quite lazy, you know. Either way, I think it'll be a good addition.
 

Sunday, August 17, 2014

old farts and irises

Did you ever notice how old farts are attracted to growing and hybridizing irises? I have two new besties now, after recognizing (caving in to), my new iris addiction. One guy sells his irises at the farmers market. I've run into him a couple of times. He has over 1,500 varieties. I can only imagine how spectacular that must be in the spring.

My second new bestie, I just met yesterday at the pierce county iris sale. He's not quite as accomplished, (although both guys know each other), he only has about 800. See, that's the cool thing about irises, there are SO many. I'm pretty sure I'm going to be spending my winter studying irises.

Speaking of the pierce county sale, we went, I bought, I planted.
There's 3-4 black ones there, a really cool little one, and a couple of others that are going to be interesting. I also got some from my market buddy. I've taken to going down to the market every Thursday because he puts out different ones every week. I'm focusing on mostly blues and blacks, with a couple of bright orange, yellow and pinks thrown in for good measure.
 
This week, I also got a bunch of free ones. Someone was giving them away. So, now the irises go all the way across the back. If I don't like the free ones, I'll give them away next year. It's a giant happy science experiment, don't 'cha know.
 
The clearance rack was marginal this week. I got a perennial lobelia, a stokesia for the white garden, a couple of painted ferns, and a sedum. The nurseries are getting fewer plants. The season is winding down, and it's just too hot to take care of them.
 
I did find some of the first fall bulbs at Costco, though, and brought home 100 mixed daffs. I've had really good luck with Costco stuff, and we're just getting started on that one.
 
Last but not least, the pergola is finished......see that back door? no? that's the idea! It's just waiting for the two roses I ordered to be planted on both sides. That sale at Heirloom roses came just in time!
 

Sunday, August 10, 2014

clearance rack score~

It's been unbearably hot here, so the nurseries are dumping plants right and left so they don't have to take care of them. I don't mind.
This week, the major score was at Freddies. I scored a really cool sedum, and a Euconomis *pineapple lilly, that were originally $14.99, for $4.99. Of course I had to go back and check it out again, and I came home with a white plant for the moon garden, a campanula that looks great, and a purple rain verbena that just needs some love.

The rack at lowes coughed up a couple of nice perennial lobelias (hummingbirds love them), and home depot had a mystery Echinacea. At the local nursery, another specialty Echinacea that just needed some love.

I'll be headed back to depot this morning to check out a couple of grasses that I saw there yesterday.
Ya never know.....

The guy at the farmers market had some pretty cool irises that followed me home. He told me that he has 1,500 varieties at his house. Must be spectacular in the spring. Seems I'm working on giving him a run for his money. I'm expecting an order this week of iris and a fancy day lily.

I'm also starting to think about fall bulbs and keeping my eyes peeled at Costco for their bags of bulbs. You can't beat the price, and they do have some really cool ones if you know what to look for.
I've had really good luck this year with plants bought at Costco, and I can hardly wait for next spring.

I'll leave with some clearance rack scores.....and a couple from last year that are just outdoing themselves.



 
ps, the bananas love this heat, they're going crazy