Flower power

Something not baby related. (Yes there is a life beyond baby). 

I finished all the outside flowers 3 days before she arrived. Nothing like last minute here

The potato vine is facing in towards our deck, so the deer can't eat them. 

There is lemon balm to help with mosquitos control. The outside facing flowers aren't attractive to the deer. 

I like this small pot, if we have people over it is small enough to put on our patio table

The deer love this pot!!!

The deer love my host as

The greeter at our front door

Needing a home 

And the blooms in these popped while we were having Lizzie 

The munchers the baby fawn is small, so I give mama a break for eating my geraniums 

Spring Flowers

Crazy me is not giving up on planting this year. These are going to customer sites over the next week.

I will work on stuff at the house after that ( likely Memorial Day weekend )

For those that saw them on Instagram and wondered what plants were what..

I like to have a couple of bigger plants that are "thrillers"  and then "spillers" which will trail over the sides.

King tut grass that is the "Center" tall item of the pots. The tag below is hard to see, so extra picture of them in the pot.

I'm not normally a geranium girl, but hubs convinced me they looked pretty.

Also known in some parts as million bells

Another new plant for me. They are mostly green now, and waiting for them to pop with color.

I've used this before. Looks a lot like Perennial Sedum, with pretty little flowers

this will grow and add a nice silvery color to the pots.

as long as no deer around, these will flourish in the pots.

the final product.


I always top off my pots with a fresh 2-3" of a moisture control -soil. It helps keep them fresh, if they don't get watered every day. I like to take it to the top of the pots so the trailing stuff doesn't  have to "jump" over a big lip.


These pots are about 2 1/2 feet wide.


Next week I'll show you some much larger pots that I do..

Grotto

What would you want to see in a grotto?

 

What beautiful plants do you imagine surrounding Mary?

 

We may have the opportunity to makeover this grotto area?

 

Looking for inspiration and vision for it. Right now it has a bunch of Yews, that are way overgrown( as seen on the right hand side ) which pretty much block the view of Our Lady. Someone also let the Ivy grow way out of control, and it has taken over a lot of the rock.

 

The pavers leading up to Our Lady will likely stay. 

 

I feel she needs a bench to sit on, kneeler, or both.

 

Are you one for roses, hydrangea, something blue, something white, something pink, something yellow?  Or just all  natural shades of green.

 

It is in deep shade.. flanked by stately Maples and Pines.

 

 

Would love for you to leave links to your favorite grotto's in the comments.

Busy blogger

I apologize for the long time since the last post. Things get super busy this time of year. There are never enough hours in the day, or days in the week. 

So how about some pictures of what's been going on, it'll be easier. 

After my last dr appt, I went shopping for plants. 

Those plants turned into these pots

And 

So the first pots were delivered several weeks ago and look like this currently 

They like their home. 

There was another trip to the plant nursery after work one evening. 

Some have made it in the ground on following evenings 

And when it gets dark, I've been working one nieces 2nd birthday gift. Sorry MacK it won't arrive on time. 

Letters A I & P from her alphabet picture book. With love from Michigan. 

So much to do, spent Saturday of the holiday weekend working in our yard. Weeding, and trimming and weeding

On the Sunday project list

Gardening on: a budget

Spring has Sprung!!

Daffodils are the first sign of spring in my yard. We have a bunch that come up in the woods. Best part about them, they come back year after year, with little to no effort on my part. They are an awesome pop of color after the long dull brown winter.

So many people know the business my husband is in, so they ask for lots of tips this time of year. Everyone is so over the winter blah's and is ready to spruce up their piece of the Earth.

What are the biggest constraints homeowners have in making their place what they want.
A) TIME
B) MONEY

I'm going to offer some suggestions for Spring on how to achieve some of your outdoor goals without breaking the bank. 

For the record, my experience is in the Midwest with hardiness zones 5-6. If you don't know what zone you are, you can look Here to find out.

Without breaking the bank tips:
Attend a Plant Swap -- They are generally held in the spring..when it is perfect time to divide up your perennials

Start from Seed- annuals  & veggies - ( not for everyone -- will take a while for color ) the Pro to this is seed packets are inexpensive.

Farmers Market finds  --I often find awesome deals at farmers markets.

Out of Season Perennials -- Once nursery stock is past it's prime, they usually discount the plants, because who wants to buy a shriveled up looking plant..  Yes I DO !  because it will be 75% off & come back next year looking perfect.   A nursery by me has what they call a "hospital area". I love looking to see what I can get a bargain on.

Craigslist or bartering sites- in our area, many people post things for free; including plants, rocks, and landscape materials, they are looking to get rid of, all you have to do is pick it up.

Help a neighbor in their yard; in exchange for some divided plants. ( hostas, daylilies, sedum, herbs, all divide up well ) I have a neighbor who I often help and she repays in plants that have overgrown their spot; or divides them up & gives me some.

Purchase bare root plants - less expensive than fully bloomed varities; the downfall, is you may not see the full potential of your labors, for another year.   Great tips on Planting bulbs  Packaged bulbs are less expensive than their expensive potted versions..

Construction site finds. I am always on the lookout for plants in the way of construction. **disclaimer** please be sure to ask before you dig, as you can be considered trespassing if you don't have permission. I've saved lilacs, daylilies, and hostas from the bulldozer.

Join a garden club. Gets you in touch with other gardeners, most gardeners like to share their plant species with other people.

Perennials  I try to use as many perennial plants as possible. Reserve annual plants for pops of instant color or places you can't plant flowers, like pots on a deck. Perennials come in many colors, and they come back year to year.

Every town has an inexpensive plant nursery. We drive about 45 minutes to a resonably priced plant nursery, that is well worth the drive. Prices are around 1/2 off the regular prices in my area. I never buy from the big box stores ( the orange place or the blue store ).. .. stuff is usually over priced; and generally not help in picking out selections there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

So how have I put all these into action around my house.. My house, is like the shoemakers children, often neglected, bare-footed if you will. We really have not purchased a lot of plants around our house; partly because I hate to send good plants to the landfill.

So we have 3 foot egg rock borders on the rear of our house foundation; courtesy of rock that was going to go to the landfill. We purchased black diamond edging to finish it off.   rock is $$$ a ton.

On the shade side of our house, we have a border of Hostas, courtesy of a construction project where they were going to be tore out and disposed of.

On the sunny side of our house we have a border of daylilies courtesy of a church building project and they were not a part of the new design.

I have an herb garden, of plants from a plant swap.  Chives, Marjoram, Thyme, and Mint. I supplement it with annual herbs each year.

I have another garden started from bare root plants, raspberries, strawberries, hostas, roses, daylilies.

I have some various plants from my neighbor, when she divides or thinks I need some of her roots.

I keep room in my veggie garden area, for donations, until I find the perfect spot in my yard. I never refuse "free" plants. I always am willing to dig something up & share with a friend if needed too.




Next I will write about :
Most common thing people ask for: C O L O R    How do I add Color to my landscape.

Caught red handed

Finally was up when the deer came meandering thru our pasture. 

Momma had 2 babies with her who did not like to be photographed & they did not listen. She had to keep waiting for them while they frolicked 

This is the only shot I got of one of the young ones

Veggie Garden.

I have a 10 x 10 garden ( semi raised bed ) that I plant my veggies in.

I think it is very cool to be able to plant from seeds, but I just don't have the time for that, so when I'm at the plant nursery buying flowers for the business, I pick up a flat of "veggies" and they sit, and sit, until a weekend  like this past one comes & I finally have time to prepare the garden and plant. Also in my colder climate, you have to be on the ball, to plant from from seeds and actually produce something from it.  A lot of people who do grow their own seeds here, start them indoors. This girl ain't got time for that.

I hadn't been out to that corner of the yard in a few weeks. It looked like a jungle. We have this stuff that is from the bamboo family that grows out of control!! It was about 10 feet high  today. When 3 weeks ago, this stuff was only a foot tall. So I had to get that cut back, and dig it out. ( the pile that I cut out of the garden ( below).

Then I cut back the "chocolate mint" I thought would be cool to plant a couple of years ago( stay away from mint ) it overruns anything very quickly.  I  then cut back the ornamental grass that is out of control too.  (this part of the yard gets neglected).

Hubs started the rototiller for me & I went to town, mixing it all up. I don't worry about weeding it too well before rototilling, because green stuff is good for soil composition, and I'll be careful to watch out for anything unwanted in the next week that may resurface & knock it out then.

So planted in my 10x10 plot.  1 - san marzano tomato plant ( I bought it about 1 1/2' tall.)
2 - Roma Tomatoes ( about 9" tall when purchased )   3 Cilantro plants   ( salsa anyone)
2 - pots of italian basil, which turned out to be about  8 plants ( hmm pesto )
4 cell pack of red bell peppers    , 1- lemon thyme   1- rosemary plant.

My yard is frequented by deer, bunnies, groundhogs, squirrels, and ?? lots of wildlife.  I put a 2 ' metal fence around the garden, to deter any of the little guys.I have metal stakes in 4 corners, and  I also put fruit tree netting on top of my plot, I can easily slide it on using the metal corner stakes.  This helps deter the tall guys that might be able to lean over the 2' fence. My plot is on the west side of our property & receives full morning sun, I usally water in the evening, when it's cooler. ( not everyday) but usually every 3rd- or 4th day.

If the bunnies are really bothering, & trying to dig under the fence, I may put hair out ( they think a human is around then) or the other trick is "mens" urine. ( helps deter deer too ). I don't spend money on any fancy tonics, or $25 a bottle spray tricks. If they eat my tomato plant, It'll cost me $2 to go replace it.   Once or 2twice a year, I may splurge and treat the plants to some organic fertilizer, it's made from beet juice.

Mosquitoes

Everything you wanted to know about Mosquitoes

Interesting facts: only the females seek blood from humans and animals. Life Cycle is only about a month.

Not a big fan of them. I have a great tonic that I spray outside a couple of days before company is coming over for outside events. Definitely spray over any standing water areas.

So you will need

+  hose end sprayer.
+ 1 cup Lemon Dish Soap  ( must use lemon )
+ 1 cup Lemon Ammonia   ( must use lemon )
+ hot water



Pour the soap & ammonia in the hose end sprayer, top it off with HOT water.  No need to saturate, just gently cover all areas of your lawn, bushes, etc, ( I avoid doing my veggie garden ) if you have any standing water areas, you definitely want to spray some over them. The soap in the  mix, helps you see where you are putting it & when you are close to running out & need to mix another batch. ( I have 1/2 acre, and use about 5-6 batches to apply to my yard. )

This does not 100% eliminate mosquitoes, nothing will guarantee 100%. It does a pretty decent job, keeping them under control. If you are having a party on a Saturday, I would advise spraying this mix like Monday-Wednesday-Friday to get them under control.


Leave me any questions in the com-box.