Sounds like a perfect kind of springtime Saturday. 
Radogast's Non-420 Garden Creation Thread
- Thread starter Radogast
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- #862
The new plantings are starting to grow outside, one leaf on one bare root rose, 4 leaves on the Solomon's Seal root.
I'm excited about the new growth.
We also have some new garden furniture. The back yard fountain plus arbors, with the adition of a few growing plants and some lights, is starting to show the shape of a courtyard. I'm pleased but need to wait for a while before the plants are photo ready.
Because this is our first spring since moving in, we just completed 4 waves of plant purchases: Native plants (mostly bare root - mail order), Common (exotic) garden plants from a downstate mail order company, more garden plants from a big nursery across the Mississippi, and even more garden plants and seeds from the local small nursery up the hill. I still have seeds to plant, mostly vines and annual flowers, but for now, we mosly wait to see how things grow.
That said, I have a few photos:
When we got home from the friends of the prairie native plant sale at the local historical park (I guess there were 5 waves of plant purchases), we smelt a lovely smell from across the yard. This white iris is about 3' tall with a strong and pleasant fragrance.
In the nothing-to-see category: Corn, beans and squash are planted in the rectangle behind the madonna and child statue; pink pampas grass is in the corner behind the wind chimes on a low shepherd's hook; In the raised dirt behind the birdhouse condo and stretching to the right, are sunflower seeds, cantaloupe seeds, with loofah vine seeds prepared to climb the trellis.
We found a Victorian bench and chairs. They will be repainted. It's not just the color, (so strong I can see the color through the frosted glass of the 2nd floor bathroom window,) it's that they were originally chalky white and rusted cast iron and someone brush painted and didn't prep before painting. The paint is coming off. I am using a drill and wire brushes to prep the furniture. My wife will spray paint a high gloss black.
In the nothing-to-see category: two tomato plants, a vine, and probably some tiny flowering annuals. I'll be planting Morning Glory and Moonflower on trellises today.
There were 3 sets of bugs mating on this one plant. I don't think these are true lady bugs: Their shape is insufficiently rotund, and they clamber around quickly, especially now with the males chasing the females. For the purposes of gardening, they are enough like lady bugs, as they were eating the aphids. I imagine they are food for some of the birds. I know I exposed a few worm parts that robins ate yesterday. I like an active cycle of life in a garden.
These purple iris are the 3rd type of iris to show this year. Their fragrance is light and similar to a lilac.
I'm excited about the new growth.
We also have some new garden furniture. The back yard fountain plus arbors, with the adition of a few growing plants and some lights, is starting to show the shape of a courtyard. I'm pleased but need to wait for a while before the plants are photo ready.
Because this is our first spring since moving in, we just completed 4 waves of plant purchases: Native plants (mostly bare root - mail order), Common (exotic) garden plants from a downstate mail order company, more garden plants from a big nursery across the Mississippi, and even more garden plants and seeds from the local small nursery up the hill. I still have seeds to plant, mostly vines and annual flowers, but for now, we mosly wait to see how things grow.
That said, I have a few photos:
When we got home from the friends of the prairie native plant sale at the local historical park (I guess there were 5 waves of plant purchases), we smelt a lovely smell from across the yard. This white iris is about 3' tall with a strong and pleasant fragrance.
In the nothing-to-see category: Corn, beans and squash are planted in the rectangle behind the madonna and child statue; pink pampas grass is in the corner behind the wind chimes on a low shepherd's hook; In the raised dirt behind the birdhouse condo and stretching to the right, are sunflower seeds, cantaloupe seeds, with loofah vine seeds prepared to climb the trellis.
We found a Victorian bench and chairs. They will be repainted. It's not just the color, (so strong I can see the color through the frosted glass of the 2nd floor bathroom window,) it's that they were originally chalky white and rusted cast iron and someone brush painted and didn't prep before painting. The paint is coming off. I am using a drill and wire brushes to prep the furniture. My wife will spray paint a high gloss black.
In the nothing-to-see category: two tomato plants, a vine, and probably some tiny flowering annuals. I'll be planting Morning Glory and Moonflower on trellises today.
There were 3 sets of bugs mating on this one plant. I don't think these are true lady bugs: Their shape is insufficiently rotund, and they clamber around quickly, especially now with the males chasing the females. For the purposes of gardening, they are enough like lady bugs, as they were eating the aphids. I imagine they are food for some of the birds. I know I exposed a few worm parts that robins ate yesterday. I like an active cycle of life in a garden.
These purple iris are the 3rd type of iris to show this year. Their fragrance is light and similar to a lilac.
I've been following along and getting excited for you and how your yard will look once everything grows out. It looks like it'll be such a relaxing place.
I took out almost all of my plants a couple years ago and just left a gardenia, a couple Japanese maples, and a couple odds and ends, then mulched all the islands with 130 bags of black mulch for a simple look. Anyway, I was at the store with the ex last night and she noticed this dragons breath. I thought it would look amazing in my big island on the hill near one of the Japanese maples, with something shorter in white or yellow near by so I picked up a few. Your gardening was part of what motivated me to start again.
I took out almost all of my plants a couple years ago and just left a gardenia, a couple Japanese maples, and a couple odds and ends, then mulched all the islands with 130 bags of black mulch for a simple look. Anyway, I was at the store with the ex last night and she noticed this dragons breath. I thought it would look amazing in my big island on the hill near one of the Japanese maples, with something shorter in white or yellow near by so I picked up a few. Your gardening was part of what motivated me to start again.
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- #864
I've been following along and getting excited for you and how your yard will look once everything grows out. It looks like it'll be such a relaxing place.
I took out almost all of my plants a couple years ago and just left a gardenia, a couple Japanese maples, and a couple odds and ends, then mulched all the islands with 130 bags of black mulch for a simple look. Anyway, I was at the store with the ex last night and she noticed this dragons breath. I thought it would look amazing in my big island on the hill near one of the Japanese maples, with something shorter in white or yellow near by so I picked up a few. Your gardening was part of what motivated me to start again.
Thanks for the compliment!
We love sitting on the porch.
We love watching the birds, butterflies and small mammals.
So we provide a place to look at and a place where critters want to feed and feel protected
Unless you live in a warm climate, zones 10 & 11, or bring them indoors for winter, these will be an annual plant - so enjoy them now
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- #865
Yesterday, I prepped a 3' section on the slope of the rain garden for seeds.
Today I was going to go out and take a photo. It was going to be back a 2 minute trip, but you know Squirrel !
A storm's acoming and all the little critters were out there packing in the seeds and nuts.
Not pictured but there within 5 minutes of that photo, cardinal, house sparrows, finches, nuthatch, hummingbird, robins, chickadee with baby. I couldn't bear to disturb them until a feral tortoiseshell cat came by and scared everyone away.
The brown dirt holds fresh seeds: Dwarf Larkspur , Bergamot/Bee Balm, Virginia Bluebells, and a splash of catnip.
I planted a few sedum for erosion control. Also left the upper strip of grass for erosion control while seeds are germinating.
Most of the catnip seeds went into the planting beds near the porch.
I planted a few patches of Solomon's plume up on top near the vernal pools (rain puddle spots.)
Today I was going to go out and take a photo. It was going to be back a 2 minute trip, but you know Squirrel !
A storm's acoming and all the little critters were out there packing in the seeds and nuts.
Not pictured but there within 5 minutes of that photo, cardinal, house sparrows, finches, nuthatch, hummingbird, robins, chickadee with baby. I couldn't bear to disturb them until a feral tortoiseshell cat came by and scared everyone away.
The brown dirt holds fresh seeds: Dwarf Larkspur , Bergamot/Bee Balm, Virginia Bluebells, and a splash of catnip.
I planted a few sedum for erosion control. Also left the upper strip of grass for erosion control while seeds are germinating.
Most of the catnip seeds went into the planting beds near the porch.
I planted a few patches of Solomon's plume up on top near the vernal pools (rain puddle spots.)
Love watching this. Thanks, Rad. Wish I had time to share.
Bless you and the Wizard's Wife.
Bless you and the Wizard's Wife.
RheinRover
Well-Known Member
Rad, is that a black Squirrel?
- Thread starter
- #868
Yep - half the squirrels in my yard are black. I heard they were imported from Russia about 100 years ago and escaped into the wild.
When they are fluffy, the photos come out looking more like shadows
We have them in the neighboring community, aptly named Squirrel Hill.
The community is strongly Jewish, and I suspect the squirrels may be of Russian origin too. The squirrels in our town, right across the river, are all common gray. - Thread starter
- #870
In Winter mode - they look like shadows
RheinRover
Well-Known Member
Too cool. We just have the reds ones here.
We do have a ton of feral parakeets. Seeing a bright green flash in the dead of winter will always brighten your day.
Sorry not the best picture. They dont like staying still long.
We do have a ton of feral parakeets. Seeing a bright green flash in the dead of winter will always brighten your day.
Sorry not the best picture. They dont like staying still long.
Wait.... you mean people searching for a trio of colors choose something other than the traditional Mardi Gras purple green and gold (pgg)???? How very strange.
I gotta fence you can warm up on. One doesn't want to jump directly into such fine work straight off after all. You should do a practice round on my fence... much easier. When you're done, you and Becky could whitewash the fence in the back yard while we share a bowl with old Sam Clemens.
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- #873
Our purple green and gold are for indoors, but the wife and I figure we (and her brother) are having an influence on the neighbor lady.
The city just granted a "Friends of' neighborhood association a 10 year agreement to manage the mansion on the top of the hill. We've been fixing it up, getting donations, recovered some of the old leaded glass windows from previous owners, ripping out carpeting and are doing floors, renting it out for weddings, and other stuff. - now it's offiially our neighborhood clubhouse !
The lady in charge has 5-6 New Orleans Tattoos and throws an annual Mardi Gras ball. We get the colors then. As much as you can try to deny it, the Mississippi River leaves a mark
As long as we are dropping names, the brother and sister who live next door are Greg and Marsha - and she is such a Marsha.
Warming up on rehabing another bench right now. The Black iron ends are fine, but the wood strips were coated with a black mold/rot. I grabbed a block plane and scraped off the surfaces (it was gumming up sandpaper) then hit them with the octo sander. I got 'Becky' painting them up right now.
Becky is painting the bench strips a sort of raspberry pink she calls Redbud Tree. I call it a free paint job
Bench shavings overflowing my basement wastebasket
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- #874
I had a conversation with a new neighbor on social media and came home with 24 dozen free Purington pavers.
The wife suggested alternating band of short and long sides.
I think they will make a nice courtyard floor with moss and thyme growing in between
Do you think I should do a sand layer under the brick?
, or
Will the moss and thyme do better with just dirt under and between the brick?
The wife suggested alternating band of short and long sides.
I think they will make a nice courtyard floor with moss and thyme growing in between
Do you think I should do a sand layer under the brick?
, or
Will the moss and thyme do better with just dirt under and between the brick?
- Thread starter
- #875
RheinRover,
I love red squirrels.
From last spring in Massachusetts: Chipmunk, Red Squirrel, and Gray Squirrel babies together on the deck.
I love red squirrels.From last spring in Massachusetts: Chipmunk, Red Squirrel, and Gray Squirrel babies together on the deck.
Cannoisseuras
Well-Known Member
I think sand would compact better for a level surface
Cannoisseuras
Well-Known Member
As far as the moss and thyme...that I dont know sorry I jumped the gun on the question.
Indeed. Good, bad, indifferent... the mark is there and can be felt. Speaking of which.... I notice it's on it's normal springtime migration towards the top of the banks with many submerged trees and whatnot.
Pat Becky on the head... she's in the middle of a bang up job.
Pink ehhh? From one bright color to the next.
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- #879
We have a river in flood a few miles away, but The River is mostly 1-3 feet below flood stage this last month. Flood stage is not much of an event in our town - the riverside parks gets flooded (dislocating the geese) and some of the public parking for the bars and theaters gets too wet to use. Across the river, they have major hotels and sports venues that flood before we have to close down any of our brew pubs and businesses.
RheinRover
Well-Known Member
Bench shavings overflowing my basement wastebasket
I hope those fingers are still attached
Those bricks are such a great find, I'm kinda leaning with Canno and would go with sand. Will give you a firmer base thats for sure and help more in the rain. I bet after a summer things will start growing between the bricks and you'll never even notice the difference.
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