garden put to bed
It's been a long hot summer, but now everything's quiet. The annuals are out, the bulbs are in, everything is mulched, and the catalogs haven't arrived yet. I surf the web and make ambitious lists of veggies for next year.
The front flower bed did very well IMO. The butter daisies settled down -- i.e., one died and one never made much growth, but one became a giant and the other 2 did very nicely. The lantana also did very well, and lasted into several frosts. One lantana had a root stretching clear into Kansas. In late summer I planted some Salvia pitcherii and some Aster 'Monch' from High Country Gardens. The asters were horribly pot-bound and one never looked good (HCG will replace it if it doesn't make it through the winter), but the salvias just love it here and are still popping the odd blue bloom. A few weeks ago I added some specialty daffodils from RD Havens (aka Grant Mitsch), and Narcissus 'Mondragon', N. 'Hillstar' & Tulipa 'Antoinette' from Brent & Becky's Bulbs. Spring bulbs blooming in the lawn are so charming IMO, so I also planted N. 'Bahama Beach', Crocus 'Lilac Beauty', C. 'Romance', Scilla sibirica, and a grape hyacinth whose name escapes me, in a gentle curve echoing the driveway. All these also from B&BB. Some friends of mine went to a Korean wedding, at which they were given little favors of jonquil bulbs. They gave me a pair, and those are also now in the lawn.
The future is yet to come in the mail, but I have ordered, from Pickering Nurseries in Canada, 3 rose bushes for April 15. Kinda takes the bite out of Tax Day! I intend to plant Applejack, Dr. Eckener, and Alchymist in the front flower bed right up against the house, so A'jack runs up the side of the chimney, Dr. E tantalizes the kitten through the living room windows, and Alchymist wrestles me to the ground every time I go into & out of the carport. Bliss! I was in Phoenix for a workshop a few weeks ago, and happened to walk through a rose garden during some time off. Not much was blooming there, but the general rose perfume was still intoxicating.
The veggies are another matter. Next spring I hope to plant them all in a raised bed in the front yard, where I'm reliably reminded to water and weed. I have some large pots and hope to get boards & fasteners. Into the pots will go, I hope, potatoes from Ronniger's and leeks. In the 4x8' raised bed I would put globe artichokes, snow peas followed by tomatoes, lettuce, bok choi, swiss chard, and some plants that will repel the bad bugs -- marigolds and either feverfew or rue -- and some that will attract the good ones -- hyssop and dill. The idea is to grow myself stuff I like that either is too expensive in the store, or that tastes so much better fresh it's silly not to grow it, or that's so easy to grow it's ditto. I'll get 3 catalogs I've asked for (Ronniger's, Seed Savers' Exchange, and The Cook's Garden), plus lord only knows how many more, and will be in clover (New Zealand White from Johnny's Selected Seeds).
The situation is getting very elaborate, what with the raised bed frame, the soil I'll fill it with, where I'll put it, and tomato towers, seed starter kits, grow lights, and repairing the organ. Oh, yes -- the idea is, not having had any guests in the past year, I'll convert the guest room into the music room, swap the organ (currently in the living room) with the futon bed/couch, and also put in a table on which I'll have the grow light and tomato & artichoke seedlings. And have someone in to make the organ playable, and dig out some of my old organ music, and try to practice while defending the tomato seedlings from the kitten. My old organ teacher has already indicated she'd be happy to have me back. Somebody please remind me also to get the lawnmower serviced!
I even got a little something done in the sewing room -- but that's for another episode.
The front flower bed did very well IMO. The butter daisies settled down -- i.e., one died and one never made much growth, but one became a giant and the other 2 did very nicely. The lantana also did very well, and lasted into several frosts. One lantana had a root stretching clear into Kansas. In late summer I planted some Salvia pitcherii and some Aster 'Monch' from High Country Gardens. The asters were horribly pot-bound and one never looked good (HCG will replace it if it doesn't make it through the winter), but the salvias just love it here and are still popping the odd blue bloom. A few weeks ago I added some specialty daffodils from RD Havens (aka Grant Mitsch), and Narcissus 'Mondragon', N. 'Hillstar' & Tulipa 'Antoinette' from Brent & Becky's Bulbs. Spring bulbs blooming in the lawn are so charming IMO, so I also planted N. 'Bahama Beach', Crocus 'Lilac Beauty', C. 'Romance', Scilla sibirica, and a grape hyacinth whose name escapes me, in a gentle curve echoing the driveway. All these also from B&BB. Some friends of mine went to a Korean wedding, at which they were given little favors of jonquil bulbs. They gave me a pair, and those are also now in the lawn.
The future is yet to come in the mail, but I have ordered, from Pickering Nurseries in Canada, 3 rose bushes for April 15. Kinda takes the bite out of Tax Day! I intend to plant Applejack, Dr. Eckener, and Alchymist in the front flower bed right up against the house, so A'jack runs up the side of the chimney, Dr. E tantalizes the kitten through the living room windows, and Alchymist wrestles me to the ground every time I go into & out of the carport. Bliss! I was in Phoenix for a workshop a few weeks ago, and happened to walk through a rose garden during some time off. Not much was blooming there, but the general rose perfume was still intoxicating.
The veggies are another matter. Next spring I hope to plant them all in a raised bed in the front yard, where I'm reliably reminded to water and weed. I have some large pots and hope to get boards & fasteners. Into the pots will go, I hope, potatoes from Ronniger's and leeks. In the 4x8' raised bed I would put globe artichokes, snow peas followed by tomatoes, lettuce, bok choi, swiss chard, and some plants that will repel the bad bugs -- marigolds and either feverfew or rue -- and some that will attract the good ones -- hyssop and dill. The idea is to grow myself stuff I like that either is too expensive in the store, or that tastes so much better fresh it's silly not to grow it, or that's so easy to grow it's ditto. I'll get 3 catalogs I've asked for (Ronniger's, Seed Savers' Exchange, and The Cook's Garden), plus lord only knows how many more, and will be in clover (New Zealand White from Johnny's Selected Seeds).
The situation is getting very elaborate, what with the raised bed frame, the soil I'll fill it with, where I'll put it, and tomato towers, seed starter kits, grow lights, and repairing the organ. Oh, yes -- the idea is, not having had any guests in the past year, I'll convert the guest room into the music room, swap the organ (currently in the living room) with the futon bed/couch, and also put in a table on which I'll have the grow light and tomato & artichoke seedlings. And have someone in to make the organ playable, and dig out some of my old organ music, and try to practice while defending the tomato seedlings from the kitten. My old organ teacher has already indicated she'd be happy to have me back. Somebody please remind me also to get the lawnmower serviced!
I even got a little something done in the sewing room -- but that's for another episode.
posted by Carrie | 1:00 PM
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