Yesterday I was zombied out because of a hard thunderstorm the night before. Today we worked outside, until it began raining again, weeding and pulling up excess plants. A few years ago I sowed a packet of seed identified as 'old fashioned garden' which has been prolifically self sowing ever since. We thin out around other things we don't want to be invaded. It is pretty tho. This was taken last year but it looks about the same now. This is the SW part of our gardens. I think the pink flowers are 'catchfly' aka seline armeria. Later in the summer there is Russian sage and tall garden pholx, tiger lilies, day lilies, lycoris, American beauty berry aka callicarpa and last year I put in some santolina and sage. There is also some byzantine gladiola blooming now. It is a wild flower in our area. Along the fence is a patch of echinacea with some scabiosa, day lilies, and a few others. Zinnias and rose moss have self sowed along the base of the wall and there have been some beautiful clumps of sweet william. The rose is American Pillar, which hangs over the wall. It is larger now and in full bloom. EP

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Hey Ceresone - Glad you started another journal.
My pile of mulch is no smaller than last week.
I have a couple of my melon plants coming up already. I planted a LOT this year - for me anyway. None are really tried and true varieties so I may end up with very few to actually eat but they're fun. I've planted Paradise melons, Juan Canary, Santa Claus, Crenshaw and seeds I saved from a yellow watermelon that will probably be small and seedy but oh well. I've been soaking my Moon and Stars watermelon seeds but they don't want to sprout and I hope they still do. I've seen those recommended several times so I was anxious to try them.
I'm down to only three pole bean plants so I guess I should plant some more of those. I think the rabbits have been trying them.
EP you must have beautiful gardens. I always enjoy your photos.

EP, what a beautiful garden. Maybe, someday mine will look halfway as good.
Spent about 3 hours mowing yesterday and got about halfway done, and will finish today.
Need to get after the poison ivy again and kill some more, it and me just don't get along.
Need some rain again so it will be easier to pull those dang weeds. Tomatoes are growing great, peppers not so good for some reason. Maybe they will pick up in a couple of weeks.
My peonies are blooming like crazy, really need to move some of them this fall. Iris are doing a great job too. Love those flowers, they are so neglected and so such a wonderful job of blooming.
Donna

Glad you started the journal for the week. Let's try to keep it going please. I do enjoy hearing from you all in my area.

Ceresone, you sound like me! I have so much to get done that I hate to list it......then, of course, there is the farm stuff like spraying for thistles that is my job. I also love to brushhog....we may get a second cutter so we can both mow at the same time. I have lots of wood chips from about three years ago tree trimming that I need to get spread. I still have some garden stuff to be done. I have run out of room for sweet potatoes so got to do something about that, may till up the spinach row....it didn't do well in the sudden heat we had!

We didn't get your rains EP, wish we had. I have been watering everything. I mowed yesterday and today and did some trimming. Still have more trimming to do, but it will have to wait. When I spray the thistles, my right arm and shoulder have to have a day of rest.

Blooming right now: biennial sweet williams (first for me and I love them!), lavender, sages, gaillardias, centranthus, alba roses, Bonica shrub roses and few other roses. My peonies are finished; my first lily, I think a cross between asiatic and trumpet is blooming; delphiniums, digitalis, bachelor buttons, and a few straggler lunaria and hesperis. My iris are just about finished. I do have 4 clems in bloom now.

I still have some plants in the ghetto to get out, but no rush as they are in largers pots.

Have a good evening everyone.

GD

It's been really dry here for a couple of weeks so I've been watering. Blooming right now are roses, dianthus, coreposis, stella d'oro and frans hals daylilies, malva, jackmanii and ville de lyon clematis and some annuals that I planted. Lots of other daylilies are budded out and all of the asiatic lilies have buds. Daisies are ready to burst open. My elephant ears are finally making an appearance this week, cannas have been coming up for about a month but very slowly. I have one I planted from seed last year already setting buds and it's only about a foot tall. I planted a new bed with 20 different dahlias and so far 4 of them are up. The taller sedums are budding and the ground cover ones are already blooming.

There are a lot of things that need moving but I haven't decided where to put them yet. I have 3 Hibiscus that I planted from seed last year and thought had died coming back. 2 of them are already over a foot tall! I couldn't believe it! There is a wild pink that I dug up and brought home and planted year before last that promptly died that have been resurrected. How can that be after 2 years of not even being seen? lol

Have fun,

Nancy

I have had a really good day! First, I took my neighbor lady to a local greenhouse I discovered a couple of weeks ago. She has a beautiful yard and gardens and two water features so it is lots of fun to tour. I also bought (like I needed any more plants!) a red clematis 'Westerplatte', persicaria Red Dragon, a perennial white gloxinia and a red iris. I have already planted everything except the clematis but it is in a gallon pot and can wait.

I also plowed up some more garden that had never been plowed before. I was really dreading it, but it worked up beautifully and had very few rocks! It was terribly dry, but looks like good soil. I now have space for pumpkins, squash, more tomatoes and whatevery else hits my fancy. I also got the sweet potatoes planted. A good day altogether.

I am watering every day but it sure isn't the same as a good soaking rain.

Are you all getting this nice cool weather. I was actually cold this morning and wore a sweatshirt to work outside. I told DH I wanted to get all the labor-intensive stuff done while it was cool. I can't take the heat like I used to.

Just found two neat surprises: I forgot I planted malva sylvestris and it is back, also I have a pale pink hollyhock which I love, and a red gaillardia that I never planted! Evidently one of my gaillardias 'Dazzler' morphed and a bird dropped a seed or the wind blew it because it is in a bed that never had gaillardia before. I love those surprises.

Nancy, I don't think you can kill hibiscus. I planted several plants of hibiscus moscheutos (rose mallow) a couple of seasons ago. The man doing the fencing dozed up dirt over them to maybe 3feet, totally buried them. Nothing last year. This year that pile of dirt had tons of weeds so I sprayed it with Roundup, killed all growth. Today while I was tilling my new spot of ground, I saw these plants about 36 inches tall and realized it was my rose mallow, up through 3 feet of dirt and looking good! I will let you know how they bloom.

GD

Cool day today, looked like rain most of day but not a drop. Glad I went ahead and watered everything.

My elephant ear is finally deciding to peek out and several cannas. Something keeps eating the leaves off my nasturiums that I have in a planter out in front of my shop. The ones up near the door are doing fine.
Coreposis blooming and stella d'oro getting close to. Peonies are still going great.
GD, I agree with you about the heat, I can't take it like I used to, but doesn't bother DH at all. Of course, if I would lose some weight it might help a bit. lol.
Donna

Nancy and GD, How hardy is the malva sylvestris. I have ordered one and wondered if I should plant in a pot or in the ground.
James

Malva sylvestris has been very hardy for us. It has a long tap root and self sows. We remove the unwanted seedlings. Ours is in full bloom right now and very beautiful. On a trip thru New Mexico we noticed it is planted at the rest stops among crab apple trees, which is proof of the hardiness. Have 3 colors of hollyhock blooming . We need to spray both the malva and hollyhock with pyrethrim to protect from those things that turn the leaves into lace. I foget what they are called. Blooming now.. Indian blanket, seline armeria, ensata iris, fairy rose and American Pillar rose, byzantine gladiola, love in a mist and veronica. It is still overcast and cool here.EP

I am loving this cool weather! I planted out an order of daylilies yesterday and my leftover tomato plants. I put them on new ground (the tomatoes). My dad always said that would help with the disease cycle. I think I won't spray them just to see what happens. Now, I need to mulch them.

What do you all do about slugs/snails eating holes on things. I have an infestation of those tiny ones and they are driving me crazy!

Malva sylvestris is a new plant for me. This is just its second year, but I think they all came through OK. Only one is blooming. It is that really dark and not so striped one. I think I got the seed free from T & M. The blooming one is in full sun and the others get some shade.

Donna, I wish you hadn't mentioned the "w" word.....of course, that is probably 85% of my problem too. I tried to mulch some after my planting. I have tons of old wood chips and after two wheelbarrows, decided I had done enough. I told DH I could have done that all day long a few years back.

I still have maybe a flat of my light blue delphs to get planted and a few various other things whose names escape me at the moment.

I also need to finish the garden.

Our daughter is coming down either today or tomorrow to bring Louie, the cat, for us to babysit while they vacation. It will be fun. He is a delightful cat. While, we don't have animals in the house, we don't mind him (for a while!).

Has anyone gone to the mostly Amish Farmer's Market in Fordland. I am wanting to check that out for the local honey.

Have a good weekend.

GD

GD

Morning---hope everyone is going to have a good weekend. We have never done much over Memorial weekend. We were always making hay and the cows had to be milked so just never planned much. We went to two cemeteries yesterday and put our flowers on the graves. Will BBQ for the family sometime this weekend when all can manage to be here.

This has been a busy Spring. Wind blew down my old apple tree so have been redoing that bed and trying to keep up with the weeds--and I mulch good every year---and they still come. Moving and dividing some daylilies and have added some new perennials---Solidago 'Fireworks', Phlox 'David', Nepeta 'Walker's Low', Knautia 'Mar's Midget', Euphorbia dulcis 'Chameleon', Achillea 'The Pearl', Aster 'October Skies', clematis 'The President', Anise hyssop 'Golden Jubilee', phlox 'Blue Boy', pink platycodon balloon flower, artemsia 'Powis Castle'. Asclepias tuberosa butterfly weed and hydrangea arborescens Wild Hydrangea from the Conservation booth at Baker Creek Festival. Planted a Cleveland pear tree to replace the apple tree.

I like the nepeta and phlox so well this is the third time for the nepeta and second for the phlox--- planting it in different areas. My 'David" didn't stay white last time I planted it but wound up a magenta color. Hope this time it stays white!! Most of these plants came from Bluestone Perennials. They are small when they come but have a good root system and really take off.

Happy gardening everyone-------Susy

Isnt it strange, how the smallest thing can give your spirits a lift!! i think the female baltimore oriole has stayed here this year!!she seems to have a nest in the east pasture, and comes each morning, to eat at the hummingbird feeders. have a oriole feeder out, but think its like the cows, whats not theirs looks better.
and, it helps some that my son has finally found a job, he moved here last year to help with his dad, and found a good job, only to have the plant close.
i seem to have early and late peonies, some are over with, while the pink ones are just starting.the back deck is overloaded with pots, everything from tomatoes, trees, perennials, and annuals. rying to give the perennials and trees a head start for planting this fall, they were so tiny when they arrived.
bantam chicks scheduled to arrive monday, have 75 full sized chicks in my dining room now, waiting on their house to be finished(not as bad as it sounds, have pens)but, after all this is a farm, i'm sure about everyone has had chicks, goats, calves, etc in the house some time or another.
gldno, every time you mention thistles, i feel guilty, i've had the sprayer sitting there a week, still on my to-do-list, whick keeps getting longer.going to try to finish the mowing in a bit. cold mornings, and hot days here, still no rain. think its going to be a bad summer.
had several starving puppies dumped on us this week, i just cant take in any more, but it breaks my heart to see such callous acts, our county has a program where you can get a spay card for the price of a rabies shot. but, best not speak of dogs, was called ignorant on another forum, for saying law wont help with dog problem--but thats another story, lol.well, best get busy, fix lunch, and get to mowing. think i'll sit the sprayer on the tractor, and do two jobs at once.
have a nice holiday weekend, folks, and remember the reason for the holiday.

We had a typical farm day yesterday......we were expecting our daughter in from K.C. when a neighbor called and told us our Holstein heifers were in an adjoining neighbor's field. Well a good hour later we had them back and moved safely to a well-fenced field. I told DH I was calling a fence company Tuesday and get a price on new fencing. It will require some bulldozing, so will get pricey, but chasing cattle is the pits.

I haven't done much today, but will have to get busy tomorrow with watering. I agree that the summer doesn't look promising weatherwise.

Susy, you made some good choices on perennials. I usually get mine from Bluestone also. I love David, but it sure doesn't spread for me. I may risk digging it up and dividing it. I just put some tiny seedlings of Welsh poppies into larger pots to grow on. Next I need to tackle about a million seedlings of digitalis. I just dumped the rest of the packet from last year into a milk carton bottom and I think they all germinated. This was my first year for them to bloom and I really loved them.

Ceresone, glad your son found work. These are precarious times. The forum where they called you ignorant are the ones I steer clear of!! Who needs an internet insult!!
We can usually get those much closer to home.....

GD

Anyone ever have the experience of working all week and looking back at the end to say, "by the way, what was it that made me this tired?" LOL I know I was busy,but can't remember what all I did to get there.

One thing that has finally gotten finished (an "I want") is the little water feature thingy for the patio. We did one of those half barrel, with a pitcher pump and a small pond pump things to look at and listen to. Haven't found a single floating plant for it, but grouped some potted things like the black elephant ear, calla lilies, etc. around it to make it look like a water garden. Tried for various pots, heights, textures, etc. Found an old length of clay well tile that would stand up behind the barrel...a gallon pot just fits into the top and hangs by the rim for some hanging type plants. Dug up some Houttuynia (Cameleon plant) to use near the water because I saw that in a water garden kit at Wally. Didn't know before that it can be grown sitting in water. A neighbor has Louisiana Iris growing in her water garden that winters over for her...I will be getting some of it to grow in a large pan with no drain holes hidden behind other pots. All in all this should make an enjoyable place to have morning coffee. My not so enthusiastic DH thinks it will cause more trips to the bathroom. LOL He sure knows how to be a wet blanket... pun intended!

All the roses are winding down except the Rugosas...had to do some clean up on some around the patio that would look ratty otherwise. Cornelia was my star performer this year. I was not happy with her last year, but she has finally come into her own. Hundreds of blooms and such a rich peachy color with the cooler weather. Peonies and Iris have finished here.

We decided to let the veggie garden rest this year, so just working with the permanent plantings for this year, and some tomatoes in a huge pot. Had plenty of asparagus
this year for putting up and eating. We do have leaf lettuce in an herb garden area, so enjoying wilt lettuce salads. My freezers are full, anyway. I freeze in fruit jars, so it keeps well past the usual time recommended. I freeze my corn in enough water for cooking and same with green beans.

Looks like this will be a repair and build kind of year. We have had electric fencing around the place, but decided it was time to do more permanent stuff to cut down on weed eating chores as we get longer in the tooth.

I, too, need to get some wood chips down in some beds. DH has been going about looking for all the volunteer tree seedlings popping up where they don't belong. Elms, locust, persimmon, and black walnut are the worst offenders... but then there is the sneaky rose of sharon, golden rain tree, and mimosa. Depending on where they hide out, they can be 6 feet tall before you notice them.
Millie

Just came in from my morning work.....may go back out later (and may not!).

I watered here and there and still have the waterer going in the potato patch. I took a short break to brush hog a trail through the tall grass in a west field so DH could get down there to the fence and do a patch where the blasted Holstein heifers got out a few days ago. While there I mowed about 30 minutes or so. I can't believe all the grass with so little rain, not complaining, just wondering.

I think my Baltimore Orioles have left me. At least I haven't seen them for a few days. I am so thrilled...I built a bird house and nailed it to a tree along the drive and a Carolina wren is building in it! I just figured it would be decorative but not used.

I cleaned out a flower bed of hesperis before it could reseed again. For some reason this year it was covered with aphids. This is a bed I considered moving, but now I see several iris so may just convert over to mostly iris in it.
Moving things is not my favorite garden chore!

Blooming now, some Alba roses, Bonica shrub rose, Aloha rose, Jeanne La Joie rose, a white one, three or four clems, digitalis, larkspur, Husker's Red penstemon, snaps, nepeta, gaillardia, achilleas, lavender and sage, centranthus, a white oriental poppy, Nimbus geranium, lamiums, Sweet Williams, and an early Asiatic lily.

Millie, I am considering a water feature like yours, but am still working out how to get the power to it. How did you do yours?

GD