The Pink Petal Gardens

2010-06-08T19:55:00.000-07:00

Some pics from around the yard this year. Here's my bike, love, love my bike. I think this is my fave thing in my yard.

My little bistro set in the front landscape with a teapot & some tea cup planters. We still need to add some new bark this year if we ever get some time from the rentals.

A little bench amongst some of our shrubs, barberry I think they are, with some gerber daisies (one of my faves) planted in a big tea cup pot

Some pink geraniums on the little fence table my dad made awhile back.

I got a shot of this little fella, he's living in that birdhouse.

I still need to tidy up around the shed, the birdhouse wasn't going to be there but since the birds have claimed it I guess it's staying, I didn't want the chair there either but they seem to like to perch on there.

These are just a few, I'll share more later like my square foot garden table top beds my hubby made for me this year.

Gardening Expenses

2010-05-23T08:40:00.000-07:00

FLOWER GARDENING (ANNUALS & PERENNIALS)

Miller's on Two Mile Ave.

1-johnny jump up 1.00

2-wood violets 2.00 ea.

1-seedum 2.00 ea.

2-hostas 2.00 ea.

Shade Perennial on Eastwood Dr

2-ferns 3.00 ea.

1-tall boy hosta 5.00

1-forsythia 7.00

1-maidenhair fern 4.00

Mayflower Greenhouse Green Bay

4-geraniums 3.50 ea

Canterbury Farms Green Bay

3-trailing coleus 3.39 ea

1-wire vine 3.39 ea

2-bacopa 3.39 ea

Urban's

4-giant purple surfinas 3.79 ea

1-trailing purple verbena 3.79

1-white nierembergia 3.79

3-butterfly impatients 3.79 ea

1-snow princess 3.79

1-millet grass 3.79

1-purple & white fortunia 3.79

VEGGIE GARDENING

Urbans

6-strawberry 6 pks 5.25 ea

1-6 pk early girl tomato

1-6pk salsa pepper

1-better boy tomato

1-banana pepper

1-wis. 55 tomato

Wolosek Landscaping

1 1/4 yards potting soil 24.40

Some Boring Stuff

2010-05-19T07:31:00.000-07:00

I've been crazy busy figuring out my gardens, starting some new veggie beds and digging out my garden junk err art lol and shopping for all the fun garden stuff. I don't have any pics right now to share but I hope to get some taken soon. My perennials got hit with snow then hard frost over Mother's Day Weekend. The damage wasn't too bad but a couple inches of snow in May is not funny.

After my veggie containers last year I decided that I really enjoyed the harvest and wanted to really expand. With working full time and doing some part time teaching scrapping classes I really needed something low maintenance so my hubby built me 3 table top beds that I will be square foot gardening in. I'm pretty excited about getting stuff planted to watch grow. We got the dirt last weekend put in so they are ready to go. The one 4x4 bed is just for strawberries and I got that one all planted this last weekend too and I can not wait to go out there to pick some fresh strawberries.

I was thinking about cutting back on the flowers this year, I think I say that every year, but after hitting the greenhouses and going through old pictures I'm sure there will be no cut backs lol. I was a little disappointed when I went back to look at last years pictures to find I didn't really take any especially after things filled in so that is a goal of mine this year to get better pictures to reference.

That's all I have for now. I need to get my costs documented and maybe I'll get some pictures taken the next few days too. I also want to do a breakdown cost for the square foot garden beds for future reference.

Salsa and a Recipe

2009-09-28T09:56:00.000-07:00

The past month I've been in Salsa mode. I've never canned salsa before so I really wasn't sure where to start. I didn't have many tomatoes that I grew to use so I had to pick up tomatoes from the farmers market. I ended up with 1/2 a bushel for I think it was $9.00. Then I also picked up green peppers, jalepeno peppers and onions. I do hope to plant enough to not have to go to the farmers market next year.

For my first batch of salsa I just cut up some tomatoes (after blanching them) and did a boiled water bath canning method with a packet of Ball salsa that I picked up at the store. This was just ok. After sitting for awhile it might be better but I definately didn't love it.

After doing lots of looking online I found a recipe that has gotten lots of feedback so I wanted to give it a try. I found the recipe at garden web, it's Annie's Salsa.

Here's the recipe with my own notes in parenthesis

Annie's Salsa
8 cups tomatoes, peeled, chopped and drained
2-1/2 cups onion, chopped
1-1/2 cups green pepper, chopped
3 - 5 jalapenos, chopped - 3-5 jalapenos equates to roughly 1/4 cup, so total peppers cannot exceed 1-3/4 cups. (I used 4 jalepenos)
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons pepper
1/8 cup canning salt (I used what I had on hand, sea salt)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped (I didn't add this, they say you can add it fresh when you open a jar which I tried once and did not like it)
1/3 cup sugar (I think next time around I will decrease this, I didn't really like the sweet taste)
1 cup vinegar - Pressure canning is no longer recommended, which specified 1/3 cup vinegar. Must include full 1 cup of vinegar for BWB processing. However, may substitute bottled lemon or lime juice in any proportions according to taste (for example, 1/3 cup vinegar, 1/3 cup lemon juice, 1/3 cup lime juice). Can use any flavor vinegar (white, cider, etc.) as long as acidity is at least 5%. (I used 1/2 cup vinegar & 1/2 cup lemon juice)
2 cups (16 oz.) tomato sauce (I just used a can which I think was 14 or 15 oz)
2 cups (16 oz.)tomato paste (I only added 8 oz because I didn't want it too thick)

Mix all ingredients, bring to a boil and boil for 10 minutes. Pour into hot pint jars, seal and process in a hot water canning bath for 15 minutes. Makes about 6 pints. >Cannot BWB quarts. If doing half-pints or smaller, process for the pint time of 15 minutes.

I ended up making 3 batches of this and it's mmmm good! My second batch scortched a little but I canned it anyway and marked the jars in case it tastes bad, all that work I really couldn't toss it out. I just won't use it for gifts :)

I only made two batches with the 1/2 bushel of tomatoes and I had lots of tomatoes left, probably could've made another batch but I didn't have enough of the other ingredients so I just blanched the rest of the tomatoes and put them in quart freezer bags to use in recipes this winter. Oh and after draining all the tomatoes as I made the salsa I ended up with 2 quarts of tomatoe juice too that I canned! I just cooked the juice for a bit in hopes to thicken it, put it in the jars added about 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and put them in BWB.

Harvest & Canning

2009-09-28T09:22:00.000-07:00

I've been busy busy with some canning and freezing. It's just me and my hubby but I enjoy canning and it'll be such a treat opening a fresh jar of salsa or jam in the middle of winter.

I made up about 4 batches of salsa so far and have been debating on making up some more, it's a lot of work but it's so good and with Christmas gifts I'm afraid we'll run out even before 2010. We'll see though I have a ton of apples to take care of right now.

Just this last weekend I picked up 3 pie pumpkins and I had what I thought was 2 other pumpkins the weekend before. I found out those 2 are ambercup squash, well I'm going to treat them as pumpkins and see how that works :) I spent all afternoon yesterday pureeing the 3 pumpkins and one of the squash. This was super easy to do and for $4.00 I got a ton of pureed pumpkin to use. I think I ended up with 18 1/2 cups total! I think I could supply my whole family with pumpkin for our famous choc. chip pumpkin muffins.

I am horrible at printing off recipes that I have found online so maybe I'll just note a couple recipes on my blog so I know where I can find them come next year :)

First the instructions for pureeing the pumpkins (I should've taken pics but I followed the same instructions over at Pioneer Woman)

First I snapped the stem off then cut the pumpkin in half. This was not an easy task and I was sure I was going to be heading to the ER with a my finger cut off or something. I ended up using my Ulu knife that we got in AK and it worked much better. Next scrape out the seeds, no need to get real picky with all the string stuff.

Heat oven to 350, place the pumpkins on a baking sheet (I put mine in cut side up) and bake for about 45 mins. or until tender when poked with a fork.

Let the pumpkins cool a bit and scrape the peeling off, cut into chunks and throw into the food processor and puree. Water might need to be added if they're too dry.

After pureeing I used my Pampered Chef measuring cup (the one that works awesome for p.b.) and measured out 1 cup at a time then put it into quart size freezer bags, squeezed the air out and stacked them into freezer.

All of this really took me longer than I thought, I'd say about 4 hrs. But I really think I'll be happy I've got all that pumpkin ready to use. I was anxious to see how good this pumpkin would be so I made up a batch of my choc chip pumpkin muffins right away. I thought they turned out pretty good, they seemed to be a bit sweeter so I think I could cut the sugar down on my recipe a bit next time.

Maybe if I remember I'll snap a pic of all the pumpkin stacked up in the freezer to share.

Harvest Time

2009-08-22T11:19:00.000-07:00

Wow Ive really been neglecting this blog. Today I want to share some harvest pics and post my notes for next years planning. Im posting the good & bad, how else will I know what works & didn't work :) Everything is planted in containers and on the deck this year, which makes it very convenient and much better attended.

First, the herbs. This year I planted chives, oregano & basil. I really haven't used many of any of these yet so I really need to think about what I need to plant next year. I do like the fresh chives cut up & put in the mashed potatoes we make from Schwans. The basil got attacked again this year by the japenese beatles and I really haven't used much of that either. The oregano is doing great but really haven't used that. But I haven't really started my "harvest" yet of my herbs so maybe I will end up using them. I hope to use the basil & oregano to can with some tomatoes. So I think I will probably plant herbs again next year. I do like the containers better this year than the little herb pots I used last year. Also I think if I cover my basil next year with some netting the end of July that'll keep the beatles off of it. I think I'd like to try cilantro next year to use for salsa.

Next is my patio tomato. This did not do so well. I think from the get go the plant got too much water and the roots didn't get strong enough, Im surprised I got anything out of this plant. Overall I was not happy with the size of the fruit or the quantity. I won't use the patio variety again instead I'll plant either Early Girl (I think thats what its called) or Better Boy next year. Last year I planted Better Boy and got a good harvest but didn't do much with what I got. Im thinking about maybe planting more next year and have a plan to can the tomatoes with some of the oregano and basil and also make some salsa. Since I didn't really get any big tomatoes this year I ended up buying 10 lbs at the grocery store at $.99/lb. for canning.

I love surgar snap peas and they're so expensive to buy at the store so I thought I'd try growing them this year. Well I didn't get much out of it and I think I shoulda had them growing on a trellis. If I try them next year that is what I will do. I think they got dry a few times too cuz the bottom of the plant dried up on me.

Next the zucchini. I like zucchini, it brings back memories of baked goods my granmother would make. I love it fried up with some herbs too. Last year when I grew it in a container I think it got too wet because all the veggies just shriveled up. The plant is looking a little better this year.

And this year it looks like I might get something! So far just one but it's looking like I might get two off of it, a little less than I expected. Im thinking the container might restrict it more than if I planted it in the ground. We'll see how it goes the rest of the year.

Next are the beans. I planted yellow and green ones this year. I started getting beans probably 2 weeks or so ago and pretty much eat them raw as fast as they're to pick. So far I only have a sandwich bag in the freezer of them. I loooove green beans and would really like to have them over the winter to eat so I would definately have to plant lots more. I think I'd like to try the purples ones too. I actually planted these in two different containers so if I want lots more Im going to have to come up with a better plan for them.

Now for the tomatoes! I dont eat raw tomatoes, yet I planted lots (for me at least). Paul eats them though so thats good. I planted a cherry and a grape tomato plant in each of the wash bins, I probably could have gotten 4 plants in each one if I wanted. I can't believe how huge these plants have gotten and how much fruit they are producing! One thing though, I really expected the grape tomatoes to be quite a bit smaller than the cherry ones but they're really close to the same size. Paul hasn't been able to keep up with eating all of these and I really didn't have a clue what to do with them so I did some looking and found out how to dry them. I'll post details on that later. Now, even though I won't eat these raw I will eat them dried in pastas and sauces and possibly even just poppin them into my mouth (yes Im weird, how is that any different than raw). So, if the dried tomatoes work out as good as I hope I think I will try planting 3 or 4 of each of these plants.

And lastly my roma tomatoes. I had picked up a 4 pk of these this spring so I planted all 4 in this pot, I think they're doing alright in here, not too crammed. Im pleased with the outcome of this, the fruit is huge too, the romas I buy from the store are about 1/2 the size of these. I haven't quite figured out what Im going to do with all the romas yet and I should because they will soon be ready to pick. I might do some sauces or salsa with these.

That's all my veggies! I am really enjoying the harvest and would really like to try some other veggies I just need to figure out where Im going to put it all, I don't think my husband would be happy if I used the whole deck :) I really do like the containers though a lot less maintenance, so Im going to have to figure out what to do for more containers too. I wouldn't mind a waist high raised container which would mean Paul would have to make me some & investing in the lumber so we'll see.

Some Spring Cleanup

2009-05-17T20:17:00.000-07:00

I have been really behind this year in the yard and I have come to the conclusion (actually I come to this conclusion this time every year) that I have a love/hate for our oak trees. We have a couple of them that I would really hate for us to lose but in the fall and spring I really don't like the mess they make. Every spring I have to clean out our landscape & it seems like there's about 10 trees worth of leaves in there it's crazy. Here's what I got raked out today. And I have decided I really need to get this done sooner because it was a pain to rake up with the shrubs all filled in.

It's such a pain to dispose of all the leaves we collect around here, plus it's hard to coordinate the leaf pick up with my dh. So I've decided to scout out a spot somewhere in the yard to start a decent size compost. Our mower is a mulcher so I'll just mow the leaves & bag them then dump them in the spot and wait for it to be compost then use that next year in the beds. We'll see how this goes.

While I was out raking today I saw this butterfly fluttering around and enjoying my phlox & he was nice enough to let me get his picture :)

Pics and planning for the shed area

2009-04-15T07:00:00.000-07:00

It's so delightful to browse through these pics, everything is so brown and bare right now, these pics just make it so cheerful. While going through my pics around my shed I realized I didn't take as many as I had thought so hopefully this year I will be a little better about that.

This is an early summer photo (I know it's posted further down in the blog). This year I hope to get the little deck replaced before the flowers start poking through the ground too much so they don't get trampled on during the replacement.

I loved the tipsy pots but I think I'll try just three this year since the smallest pot was really hard to keep moist. Im not quite sure on the flowers this time but I think I want to change them up a bit. The little cone basket with the butterfly impatience in it did well so I will definately be doing that again. As for the fence table with the flower box I will do that differently since I was not pleased with the outcome last year. I haven't decided if I should use the fence again or mount the flowerbox under the window, I'm thinking of mounting it though to match the other two.

This side of the shed is really progressing & filling in nicely. I'll have to get my picket fence pieces painted before the flowers start coming up this year and I really shouldn't need to add any flowers in here.

I loved the geraniums in the window box, I can't remember if I had two or three but I think this year I will definately go with three. The million bells didn't do so great I think because I didn't keep it moist enough so I don't know if I'll do those again or not. It seems like there are some varieties that do great and some that don't. I also had a vine in the box that went to the ground, since the lilies grew up to the window I don't need a vine to fill in but some sort of foliage would be nice or maybe fill in with some white allysum. I love the pink and I think I'll be going with that again this year.

Another view of the side of the shed. It gets a little bare up closer to the front but Im hoping things fill in some more and spread that way instead of planting some more. I did plant 2 foxglove in the bare spots late in the year so we'll see if they come up again.

Here's the shade side of the shed. I loved the little purple butterly impatients and will definately do those again this year. Maybe there will be more colors available. The coleus also did very well I think this one was called mosaic, I'd have to double check, I love all the colors in it. I think instead of the begonia in the middle I'd rather do another impatient or something that trails a little more. Otherwise this basket looks good but Im hoping to do some pink rather than yellow & purple this year, we'll see what's available.

For some reason I don't have a pic of the flower bed on this side of the shed. It's complete though with some transplanted hostas, bleeding hearts and some astilibe I bought last year.

Thats it for this area. Going through these is really giving me the itch to get out and work in the yard and get everything ready for the planting season.

Spring is here!

2009-04-13T11:48:00.000-07:00

I think :) One never knows with the WI weather. It's still kind of cool out 40's & 50's but Im sure those beautiful 60's & 70's are just around the corner and hopefully without one last snowfall.

I haven't had a chance to even venture out into the yard to see what's poking through the ground because I have been sick with bronchitis and I was lucky enough to have the flu 2 weekends ago too. Hopefully I'll get a chance to venture out this coming weekend to start some spring yard clean up.

I think it's time to start making notes for flower purchasing too so I can start budgeting that on the tight budget Im giving myself this year. I slacked off on my notes last summer so hopefully I'll be able to go back through my pics this spring to see what changes I want to make & what flowers I want to repeat this year.

Hopefully this week I'll get a chance to make those notes on here, it'd be nice to be ahead of the game :) I think the greenhouses will be open in under 3 weeks so I better get organized.

Finally some pictures

2008-08-02T09:08:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd get some pictures posted today and make some notes for next year.

I think I'll just post one area a day so I don't get overwhelmed. I'll start today with the area under the maple tree between the garages. This is where I put my bike, which was suppose to go in the backyard. I do like having something in this spot so I think I'll probably do this again until I get the blocks in for a raised bed. This spot obviously gets most shade so the flowers I bought are not doing their best since they're not getting the proper amount of sun. So I need to plan this area out better for next year if I use the same set up.

Here is a pic from late spring, soon after I planted it.

This is from the end of June

And here's what it looks like now

What I like about this spot:

I really like the bike, I think it works great for right here.

The hanging pot from the tree

The pots of coleus are doing great, they are placed here until my bleeding hearts are ready to be cut back along side the garage then I will move them over there. I definately like the coleus better than the impatients Ive tried the past few years. By now, if I had impatients, they'd be spotty and looking sickly.

NOTES FOR NEXT YEAR

Buy shade flowers. I like the sweet potato vine and the coleus in the front basket. There is allysum in there but it doesn't bloom because there isnt any sun. So for next year maybe plant a sweet potato vine, and a couple coleus (shorter versions) in the front basket.

For the side baskets I think the sweet potato vine would do good in there or maybe the butterfly (or is it the dragonfly) impatients like what I have by the shed. If I did sweet potato vine I think I need to add something else with bright color. Ultimately what I want for the side baskets is for them to be completely covered, the petunias did not do that for me.

Keep the 3 pots of coleus but plan them this time. They were a late thought this year so I didn't have a choice in what I wanted since there was nothing left in the stores to buy. I think each pot has the 4-packs in it.

The hanging basket I haven't decided if I want to have that there next year or not, if I do, I need to choose shade flowers for it.

Put in a fresh layer of decorative mulch

Since this is just one pot right by this area I'll add this one to this post. This is my whiskey barrel that gets mostly shade. Ive been planting impatients in this for the past few years. This is the first year I've tried coleus (and it won't be my last) I love it!

This pic is from the end of June

And this one is the end of July

NOTES FOR NEXT YEAR

I really love the coleus but I think I might want to try a variety of flowers next year, maybe something that'll hang down the edges of the barrel then maybe more of a difference in the heights of the coleus so the ones in the middle are a noticeably difference from the ones around the edge. I really like the mosaic coleus in the flower box on the shed and that one is a little shorter.
I like the star and I've had it there for years but I've been debating on this star that Sherrie has for sale that you can plant flowers in ever since I saw it in April. I think that would look nice in place of the plan star.
Keep this area more cleaned up! It seems to be the collection area for leaves and debris (and sawdust when dh is cutting things outside of the garage :) )

Ok, I think that's it for today. If I keep up with my notes for next year, my gardens will be so much prettier than this year. I should really dig out the tags from the flowers so I can list the exact flowers I want to try different and make it a lot easier when shopping the greenhouses.

Im slacking off :)

2008-07-30T11:49:00.000-07:00

I have been neglecting this blog lately, I guess I've just been enjoying the flowers and not making any garden notes. I have been snapping pictures here and there and I need to get those loaded and sorted so I can take some accurate notes on here. I will have to say though that I am pleased with some of the beds. I do need to make some adjustments to some pots and work on a couple beds and plan my future beds for next year.

Hopefully this evening I'll get some of my pics sorted and get them posted on here.

Oh and the "holding bed" is doing great with some additions from my garden too. I kind of like the idea of having an area to place flowers until I have a spot or need for them. I could even get some perennials yet this year and put there to use for next year in new beds, hmmm something to definately ponder.

Busy, busy!

2008-06-26T06:59:00.000-07:00

I haven't taken many pictures lately but I sure have been busy in the yard. This last weekend I took a 4 day weekend to celebrate our 3rd anniversary. At first our plan was to go to Wis. Dells and do a couple things but dh asked if I'd rather start on the deck redo that we've had planned. Well I chose the deck! So, dh tore our old deck down and got most of the new one framed up and wow is it going to be a BIG deck, I can't wait til it's done. While he was working on the deck I just did some putzy stuff around the yard, I finally got most of the trim painted on my shed & I restained the door, now I just need to replace the deck on the shed and get some mulch in the flower beds and that area will be done. Oh yeah and I need to get some shutters put on too. The back yard is a mess but it'll eventually get back in order again and all the decking material that's been laying around since last year should be in the new deck!

There really aren't any perennials blooming right now but anyday now they will be. Thankfully I have lots of annuals to brighten things up. I think my nieces lilies will be blooming back in the "holding bed" (that's what I've decided to name that section since that's where the flowers that don't have a home currently go until they do have a home lol) soon. I did pick up some foxglove for 1/2 price last week and I have no idea where Im going to put it but I couldn't pass it up because I loooove foxglove. I also picked up some Irish Moss 1/2 price that is suppose to go in between my pavers under the arbor. I just need to get the pavers now :)

Oh yeah I also finished up 3 of my glass plate flowers this weekend (actually it was 4 but one broke) so I'll have to get some pics of those.

That's all for now, maybe I'll get some pics this evening if it's not raining. Some of the annuals are filling in nice while some of them seem to be a little slow.

Irises

2008-06-10T11:00:00.000-07:00

Amongst all this rain we've been having the Irises around the yard have started to bloom. It actually wasn't raining last night so I went outside and battled the mosquitos and gnats to get some pics of these beauties.

These light purple ones I took this weekend, they were the 1st to bloom and they are in the clump of flowers that I am housing for my niece until they buy a new house so I've been enjoying them and I like her colors better than mine, maybe I should snag a few of them hehe :) Nah, I don't have a spot for them currently.

Another color of my nieces

And these are ones I planted by my fence this spring that were from the garden group I went to in May and got for free! I was excited to see what color I was going to get. The color is ok, not my fave but I like it, for some reason it reminds me of a rootbeer color, I know I'm weird lol.

In this same flower bed the asiatic lilies are getting super tall, makes me wonder if they'll get taller than me and I would expect some buds to be coming out on those in the next couple weeks. The iris on the other side of the fence didn't give me any blooms :( Oh and the clematis that I thought wasn't going to do any thing this year has just taken off! It must like all the rain we've been getting. I'll have to get a pic of that too and I need to add some more chicken wire to the arbor so it attaches to it.

Besides the Iris in bloom my Peonies are just starting to bloom. I found one opened up yesterday. This is my sadest looking bed this year but it's getting tore out this summer so I didn't do anything with it. The peonies are still my fave though.

One last one, I finally found a bike I just loved and I found liners for the basket so I was able to get it planted this weekend. I like how I have it propped up against the tree, unfortunately there's usually vehicles parked there so I don't get a chance of enjoying it as much as my other flowers, I may end up finding a different spot for it. The tires need some tlc too. I can't wait for the surfina petunias to start filling in some more, it'll be gorgeous soon!

Some pics

2008-06-02T19:13:00.000-07:00

I loooove how my flower beds are coming together and all the little "embellishments" (some would say "junk" lol) are really adding a bit of whimsy to the yard. There's still lots to do and even a little bit more planting oh and still more treasures to pick up :) I just thought I'd share some pics that I quickly took last night.

This is the shed, pretty much everything is planted, now I just need to work on the shed. This is the fullest I've had the beds, I love it. These are my hanging tipsy pots that I finished planting yesterday, I really like how they turned out, hopefully they won't dry up too much in the small terra cotta pots.

The birds love all the little bird feeders I've added around the yard. They're quite the little piggies actually. I filled one feeder last night and it's almost empty already! Here's a pic of a feeder I just whipped together yesterday. I think I want to add some crystals to it or something, it needs some bling :) I have a bunch of tea cups & I think I'm going to make some to sell.
Oh and the lily of the valley is in full bloom and smelling absolutely wonderful! I wish it lasted all summer long. I think the peonies will be opening up in the next couple days.

One last bunch of my bleeding hearts. They are getting huge! They're on the downside to blooming now so I think I can probably split them soon.

And this is my little baby bleeding heart plant :) It must've been a stray seed from last year. Look at how cute it is with the two little blooms on it. I was going to dig it up to give away but Im not sure yet :)

Veggie Gardening

2008-05-29T06:44:00.000-07:00

So I decided besides doing all my flower gardening this year I am going to try doing veggies in containers. I can't wait to get my little area off the deck set up and start planting my veggies. I am hoping by doing a container garden close to the house I will have more control of it. I tried a bed one year and the critters ate everything as it came up then the weeds took over, so maybe this way will be a little easier.

Here's what I'm trying
Amish paste tomato
Better boy tomato (I think that's what it was called)
Green pepper
A hot pepper (I forgot the name)
Yellow onions
Italian basil (I'm thinking I need a couple more basil varieties)
Cilantro (Im starting this by seed, I could not find a plant anywhere

I wanted to do a salsa garden so I think I pretty much have it covered. I think all of these will be great for spaghetti sauce too!

I got a rickety old table to put some of my containers on and then I have an old galvanized laundry tub on a stand. When we add on to the deck Im hoping to have a place to put my veggies.

Besides all those veggies I decided I wanted some green beans and thought why not buy the pole beans (which was pretty hard to find this late in the spring btw) and plant them to climb up the arbor. I also bought some goard & mini pumpkin seeds to climb the arbor. This all might be too much for it, but I would just be thrilled if my arbor was completely covered this year, and how cool will it look this fall when the goard & pumpkins are hanging off of it. We'll see if what I envision actually happens :)

Well that's it for now. If it's not raining after work I hope to get more planted. I would get more done if the pesky gnats & mosquitos weren't trying to carry me away as soon as I walk outside and I swear insect spray doesn't even phase them.

Garden Goodies (or junk as some would think)

2008-05-28T12:28:00.000-07:00

I just realized I didn't post pics of the garden goodies I got last week. I was searching for a bike and ended up get so much more lol. A guy in town has TONS of stuff to dig through and if your bring your creativity along with you, the options are endless with the things he has.

Here's what I got: a metal owl, a huge lightweight pot, a metal planter, a wood lamp base, some old light fixture parts, a chandelier, a huge bowl that is actually wood-it's from IKEA and a rusty bird bath

The chandelier I hope to get painted then adhere some teacups to it to put bird seed in then hang it from my arbor. The birdbath I might paint up and mosaic the bowl, we'll see how much ambition I have with it lol.

And here's 2 bikes I've gotten and I have to decide which one I want to keep.

Is it really the end of May?

2008-05-28T06:56:00.000-07:00

I had to cover all my annuals last night because we had frost warnings! I don't know how cold it got but when I got up this morning at 6:30 it was 34 degrees, brrrr! I sure hope that was the last time I needed to cover them. One good thing about the cold, I am really really hoping that it killed off some of the young gypsy moth caterpillars, I don't know if the cold even phases them but I can hope :) I am so afraid that those darn things will end up defoliating all my trees.

I took pictures around last night but didn't get them loaded onto the computer yet, so I'll probably post those this evening. The lily of the valley is in full bloom and smelling beautiful and my bleeding hearts are in their prime right now and wow did they have a lot of blooms this year. After they're done blooming I will be splitting some of them to share. I might just do a few because I may have a fundraising perenial sale next spring for the snowmobile club I am in so I'll be needing some to donate to that. The phlox is all blooming too, some of it is on the downside. Next will be my peonies, I can't wait to see them blooming. My peony bed looks pathetic but I didn't really want to make any improvements to that this spring because our deck addition will be going in part of that bed.

I've still got lots of planting to do and Im still searching for pole bean seeds (everyone is sold out) and cilantro. Then I think I should be all done with my purchasing...hopefully at least :)

Flower Purchases

2008-05-24T06:16:00.000-07:00

I just want to keep track of everything I've purchased this year that way it'll help me out for budgeting and knowing what to buy next year.

SHUTTERS
5/17/08
2-sweet potato vines 2.85
1-diamond frost 3.35
5-geraniums 3.35
1-6pk allysum 1.65

REEVES
5/17/08
2-redwine vine 3.69
2-creamy white vine 3.69
5/24/08
1-6 pk deep purple allysum 1.89
1-6 pk coleus 1.89
5/27/08
2-yellow gerber daisies 3.69
1-yellow trailing snapdragon 3.69

TWO MILE AVE. PERENIAL SALE
5/12/08
3-hydrangeas all for 10.00
5/17/08
Hosta 5.00
Hosta 4.00

URBANS
5/12/08
4-light purple firefly impatients 3.79
2-red butterfly impatients 3.79
5/16/08
4-surfina petunias, giant purple 3.79
2-pink million bells 3.79
1-peach million bells 3.79
1-ivy geranium 3.59
5/22/08
2-surfina petunias, giant purple 3.79
2-surfina petunias, lime 3.79
1-peach million bells 3.79
coconut liner 4.50
5/24/08
2-ivy geraniums 3.59
1-white geranium 3.59
2-yellow begonias 3.79
1-purple (?) 3.79
1-better boy tomato 1.15
1-Amish paste tomato 1.15
5/26/08
1-green pepper 1.15
1-hot pepper 1.15
1-italian basil 1.15
mini pumpkin seeds
bag of onions

WIGGINS
5/12/08
1-yellow begonia 3.69

GARDEN GROUP
5/21/08 Everything was free
clump of asiatic lilies
clump of irises
clump of ladies mantle
clump of thistle
spirea shrub

MOM & DAD'S
2-clumps of a hosta
1-clump of a sun tolerant hosta
1-clump of another hosta
Some cuttings from yellow clematis

RUSSELLS
4-purple coleus
3-green coleus
1-purple fern leaf coleus
1-sweet potato vine
2-mosaic coleus
2-Ireland bells 1.95
3-astilbe
1-vine

SHOPKO
3 bags potting soil 3.64
goard seeds

Garden Club

2008-05-22T09:46:00.000-07:00

I joined a garden group through my church's summer connections and yesterday we met for the first time. Coleen hosted it and she has lots of flower gardens and had lots to share with us ladies. I love getting mature perenials from other gardeners. I actually got everything, with the exception of the spirea, planted last night. They really helped with filling in the beds and I can't wait to see everything bloom! Coleen shared some asiatic lilies, irises, ladies mantle, and thistle I think it was plus a spirea shrub for my landscaping.

Here's a pic of my goodies loaded up into my wagon ready to be planted.

I also decided that I wanted to have a bike in the garden with flowers planted in the baskets. Im really looking for a rusty one but I guess I can't be too picky. I wasn't sure how I was going to get my hands on one of these bikes so I called the local radio station that has a buy & sell call in show and asked for a bike on there. I didn't get not one but 4 calls from people with bikes! I picked one up on my way home from work yesterday and to my surprise it came with the baskets! What a bonus! I will be checking out 2 more tonight and since Im the type that has a hard time saying "no" I will more than likely end up with at least 3 bikes! I have a friend who will take one of them, if anyone who lives by me is interested in one please let me know, my husband would greatly appreciate it LOL. He wasn't too impressed with the one I had at the house and really loved hearing that he will be making a delivery to Waupaca with another one hehe. Anyway, here's the bike I picked up yesterday. I'll get pics of the other ones tonight & I'll also post some pics of ones that have had flowers planted in them to tempt you with wanting a rusty bike of your very own :)

What's blooming

2008-05-22T09:27:00.000-07:00

Lots of flowers are coming up which is exciting but right now just the phlox and the bleeding hearts are blooming. The peonies have buds on them and I would expect to see some flowers in a week or two.

Here's some pics of the blooms. I took these before I weeded and Im still waiting for the lawn to get mowed :)

The pholox are looking even better now, especially after I weeded :) These are the ones over by the shed, the ones by the fence aren't quite blooming yet. I think I'll get some more pics tonight since I got more planted, or maybe I'll wait until the lawn is mowed ;)

Spring has finally Sprung!

2008-05-22T09:18:00.001-07:00

It's finally half way decent out and the flowers are starting to bloom! It's still getting close to freezing at night so I haven't planted the annuals yet. I think after tonight we should be ok. I haven't posted for over a week because I've been busy working in the flower beds weeding and planting. I think my beds are finally getting full, I've gotta work on the shade side and the front of the potting shed yet and plant some glad bulbs and I think I'll be satisfied with the perenial portion of the beds. I'm hoping after this weekend I will have everything planted then onto the fun embellishing with the garden art. I've also been tossing around the idea of starting a bed in the back corner of the lot, we'll see though.

Will it ever warm up?

2008-05-13T17:14:00.000-07:00

Spring has just been hesitant to come the flowers are still pushing on regardless though. Im actually surprised how much more they've grown in 9 days. I actually had a chance to do some weeding last night. The beds look so fresh and clean after the weeding but kind of bare too, I need lots more flowers :) I also picked up a couple annuals yesterday. Im trying a new impatients that Urban's got in this year, it's a trailing impatient, Im excited to see how it does this summer.

I took some more pics when I got home from work of the beds. The bleeding hearts are starting to bloom. The plants seem small, but Im sure they'll be getting pretty big soon. The phlox is starting to open up too, I love phlox, I just wish it lasted longer.

The peonies are coming up good, the usual 2 plants don't look like they'll get any buds again this year, Im not sure what the deal is with them. Maybe after I transplant these when we redo the deck it'll be different.

A pic of my biggest peony plant.
My sea of lily of the valley which was here when I moved in. I've shared lots of this with family and friends. I can't wait for the flowers, it smells so good when it blooms.

The hosta bed where the bleeding hearts are coming up.

Some close up shots of the bleeding hearts.

The white bleeding hearts never get very big, they look really small this year.

I think the hostas are really hesitant about coming up this year :)

The begonias and trailing impatients (butterfly & firefly impatients) I picked up. I haven't decided yet where they're going to go. I initially bought the yellow to go with the red but Im really liking the yellow with the purple now.

Here's the red one. I hope these impatients don't get all spotty towards the end of the year like the regular ones do. They sure are pretty right now. Still deciding where these will go too.

The bleeding heart bushes on the shade side of the shed. I really need to get some mulch/bark in there to help with the rain run off on the roof, it makes such a mess.

Some shots by the fence, here's some day lilies, sweet william and an asiatic lily.

A shot of the phlox by the fence.

The clematis is looking better than the last pic of it, I definately have hope for it now. Now I just gotta wait and see if it'll get some blooms on it.

And this is the last pic for tonight, this is the label for the clematis, I keep forgetting the name of it so I thought Id put a pic of it on here even though it's a little blurred. Maybe I should've whiped the dirt off it before the pic. It's a clematis chalcedony.

What a beautiful spring day

2008-05-04T20:36:00.000-07:00

Well this weekend didn't turn out half bad after all. Sunday was just beautiful, sunny and in the high 60's. I was able to get out in the yard and get some much needed yard work done, this is only the 2nd time I've been able to do that. I got the front landscape all cleaned up and boy I sure wish I had a better place to get rid of the leaves, it sucks to have to arrange getting the trailer to get them loaded up and hauled to the compost. Those who have curbside pick up sure are lucky.

I also got some pics of what's coming up in the flower beds. It's exciting to see all the flowers poking through the ground.

The beds don't look so good since I haven't done much with them yet but heres some pics from around the yard.

Here's some of my peonies with tricolor seedum (lovely basement windo huh lol)

Not a really good pic but do you see the little spikes poking out of the ground. That's my hostas! I love hostas and I need more :) These are late ones I think because My niece's hostas area already all opened up and full, it'll be awhile before I see that with these.

This is the same bed as the hostas, these are my bleeding hearts coming up with a few tulips (which I don't like) scattered around. Im planning on splitting these this year, they're getting a little out of control. If anyone has any tips on when/how I should do that please share.
Another pic of the bleading hearts.

This is one of my asiatic lilies over by my fence. I got these last year and boy were they showy, I loved them, I think I might pick up some more of these this year, my beds are so sparce I would definately have room somewhere for some. Hmm a closer look at this pic looks like something has been munching on these, I just might have to spray these.

Ok, Im such a novice gardener this pic is proof lol. Last year I bough a clematis from Home Depot because they have a one year money back guarantee on their perenials. Ive had clematis before but they died. I decided to just leave this one be because I wasn't sure if I was suppose to cut it back or what, well it looks kind of sad but look there's some new growth going on there, do I cut the old stuff off now? I don't know, Im just so excited that it's got something on it after last year. I might even have to buy some more this year, if I can figure out what to do with this one.

Another asiatic by the fence. Or is it one of the orientals by the shed hmmm.

I think this is my oriental lilies by the shed.

Here's the front of the shed with creeping lemon thyme around the stepping stone that I transplanted last year, Im surprised how much it's spread already, I think I might have to add some more of this to the shed area. You can also see the 2 yellow colored seedums, and the rest is weeds :) I need to add to this part of the bed but dh is suppose to be replacing the little deck which scares me because I can just imagine what the flowers will look like when he's done. Last year he smooshed the seedum, we'll see if it comes back.

Here's a view of the shade side of the shed. All I have there are 3 bleeding hearts that my sister gave me and one tiny hosta. This year's goal is to get more in this part of the bed because once the bleeding hearts are done that's it. I do have a window box, last year's addition and that helps. Maybe I'll plant some impatients or coleus for some color. Id really like to keep perennials in there though.

Another view of the shade side of the shed with my bleeding hearts coming up. This was after I weeded it all. As you can see I have some rain run off problems, not sure what to do about that.

Hey look another lily. I think this one is my oriental by the shed which means the others are all asiatics by the fence. I dunno, at this stage they all look the same LOL. Or maybe it is an asiatic, I thought I cleaned up around the oriental b4 the pic. I dont know Im all confused now lol.

Now this is a day lily that I can't wait to see bloom because I don't think it got any blooms last year. I bought it from someone who was have a perenial sale at their house, they were thining out some of their beds. The other plants are sweet william, something I purchased 2 years ago from a lady out by my work. I didn't think these were gonna do anything but look they're looking pretty good. There should also be some foxglove in this bed from the same lady but Im not sure if it'll come up. The rest of the stuff you see in this pic is weeds :D

That's all I have to share for now. If you have any tips at all to share, please do, I love learning new things about gardening.

My new gardening blog

2008-05-02T10:15:00.000-07:00

Well it's that time of year where I should be heading out to the yard to do my gardening...if the weather ever breaks. I haven't even had a chance to get out and get some early spring pics it's been so crappy outside.

Anyway, I thought I'd start another blog all about one of my other loves, gardening. I hope you enjoy browsing through my blog. Basically I'm just starting it as a place to keep track of things going on in my yard and to have a spot to keep all my links to other garden blogs and sites. I hope you find my garden blog helpful too.

Maybe I'll get a chance to get some pics loaded on here soon, if I get out this weekend to get some pics.

Thanks for stopping by.