winding down.....

but not completely done yet!
This morning, the paper was all about labor day and back to school. How did we get here SO fast???
Things are starting to wind down a bit...we just have one big project left, roofing and painting the shop, and the nurseries are starting to empty out for the fall. Time to make plans for what to do during the rainy season and order wish books for next spring......

The clearance bin at lowes this week had a couple of good things...two nice agastache for the back garden, and a huchera that needed some love. They'll all be fine by next spring.....that's the fun of the clearance bin.

We also got a nice little dwarf plum tree from lowes that we'll be planting today, and the fall bulbs are starting to arrive in stores. I already have 100 daffodils and crocus in the garage, waiting for a bit of a cool off to be planted........

Blooming in the garden this week,
a beautiful black daylily

 

a wonderful smelling Asiatic lilly that I bought on clearance

 

and a super hot pink coneflower (also from the clearance bin).

I've never done all that well with coneflowers, so I'm hoping that they come back next year.

 

Today, I'm out to take pictures of the flower beds, so that next spring, I'll know what's coming up.

This week, there's a clearance sale at a local nursery.....going to check it out!

 

Damn deer!!!!

They're eating everything. Even stuff that's supposed to give them a tummy ache, like rhubarb leaves (poison), potato tops (poison), daylilies, Echinacea, geum, BANANA plants. How do deer know that banana plants would even taste good??? They're not native!
I had to chase these guys out of the back yard just this week.....

Yes, that's 3 babies, triplets, three MORE eating machines....and we have a nice smorgasbord, just sayin'. We've fenced pretty much the whole area, just one little place where we need a gate....I can hardly WAIT until we get that done.

Today, I'll be moving my poor hollyhock from the front to the back. It seems to be extremely attractive (and tasty). I'm not sure it can take much more mowing.

This week, the clearance bin had some great things.....a tree peony "high noon" for $8, and a sedum called "chocolate drop" for $1. Who can resist a sedum called chocolate drop?????
Costco also started putting out their bulbs, so I'll be picking up a bag or two every time I go. They have 50 daffodils for $11 and 100 crocus for the same price. Too early to plant them, but not too early to buy.

Miss kitty (ziggy) is settling in nicely.....she 's getting along well with the doggies.

And working into her role of internet assistant.....

As long as she doesn't get ahold of the credit card and buy cat toys.......

sunflowers!

I'm loving these sunflowers I planted in the garden......
chocolate

and a variety called "solar flare"

I'll definitely do both of them next year, and I think I'll have plenty of seeds to share.

This week was all about watering, watering, watering. It did rain a bit on Friday night, but not enough to make a difference, and the sprinkler is out again.

I managed to score a few bargain plants. The discount rack at lowes yielded a campanula and a painted fern. Fred Meyer had a sale on perennials, so a coreopsis and a perennial lobelia followed me home, and the local nursery had some markdown too. I scored 4 lilly bulbs, a yellow lupine, and a huchera that had to go in the back, so it wouldn't end up being deer food.

This week it'll be all about the watering AGAIN. It's supposed to be dry the entire week. Nothing else special going on, just the usual weeding and planting the occasional bargain.
The shop roof is SUPPOSED to get started in a week or so, and then I'll get to work painting it to match the house. That ought to take quite a while.

Off to move the sprinkler!

it's filling in......

I know, there's still a lot of dirt there, and I'm cringing at the potential water bill this month, but, it's starting to fill in a bit in the front.....

 

I was buzzed twice last week by a very hungry hummingbird, and it's pretty cool how the dragonflies hover over the labyrinth in the afternoon. This reflects the best of the lowes clearance bin, and a few others.....I just keep thinking how great it's going to look next year, if it all survives the winter and doesn't freeze or drown.

 

I'm starting to look at bulbs, daffodils and the like to put in both the front and the back. When we moved from the other house, I dug up some of the more special ones, but left the daffs and hyacinths for the new owners. They're going to have a nice surprise in the spring. I've been shopping for some specialty ones, and I'll get some regular ones from Costco and the like. That'll be the next phase of planting..for now, it's watering and weeding every day.

the best of the clearance rack

Well, the planting season is winding down. It's been pretty hot (for here), so most of the nurseries are in maintenance mode. They'll be more sales and bulbs) in the fall, but for now, there's not a lot of new stuff to choose from.

This week brought the best of the clearance bin from a couple of places. Most of these plants just need some love (and water), and to get in the ground and let their roots run free. Right now, the perennials look pretty nappy, but next year, when they have a chance to come out new, it's going to be great.

We're working on the pump house (no pics), and mostly just watering, watering, watering.......

Today, we're going to look and see if we can spend our gift certificate to the local nursery.....(If they have anything worth spending it on).

The next major project will be the roof on the shop, and then painting it. Should happen soon, as soon as the contractors get back from vacation.......

cruise control

this week, it was all about the weeding. With the dirt done, we're into maintenance mode now..
weeding, watering, and adding plants when they come up. I made my weekly trip to the lowes clearance bin, and brought home two red hot pokers, a variety of daisy, and a white salvia for the moon garden.

We also scored a $100 gift certificate to a local nursery from our realestate agents, so, that will go to good use.

In house news....the old house is all done, spent the week wrapping up little loose ends with final bills. The new owner seems to be happy and was out there weeding like a maniac yesterday. Good for her.

Things are settling down now, and most of the big projects are done on the new house for now. As soon as they re-roof our shop, I'll be painting it, and we've been cleaning up some of the accumulated building junk that managed to appear during the construction of the new house. I'd like to have chickens again in the spring, so we're trying to clean out the chicken coop area in order to rebuild the fence. All in good time......

I'll leave you with a cute kitty pic. She loves her strawberry box, but is outgrowing it. I've saved her a salad box to graduate to. We'll see if she loves that too.

It's coming along!

Today is finish the dirt day.....this is all I have left, just a bit of cleanup. That was 45 yards of dirt. My aching back!!

Yesterday we worked our way through the plants in waiting. Mostly in the back, but things are perking up and starting to look like something.....

 

Now it's just a matter of MORE plants and water, water, water, oh, and weed, weed, weed. Our big projects are pretty much done, just one more, roofing and painting the shop. (to be done soon).

We're also going to work on the pump house for the cistern and the patio next to it. All in good time.

 

I've also been told I've never put a pic of the finished labyrinth on the blog.

well, here it is...

 

now if we could only keep these guys from eating everything.....

 

 

In other news, miss kitty is settling in nicely, and the best news of all...

The old house is SOLD!!!! DONE!! the new gal is moving in as we speak and the check is already in the bank. Glad to have that off our plates!!