Bye Bye Turf

Next years garden project - to create a large bed the length of the back yard. I've gone back and forth with this and I've slowly (snail speed) gotten rid of some grass in the area but, would start working on a different part of the garden because, I HATE the labor associated with digging up the grass! I hate grass!

Last weekend, I spent most of my time laying down corrugated cardboard on the area in order to slowly suffocate the grass and hopefully have the cardboard breakdown during the winter months.  It's not a pretty sight, but I've seen this done on a couple of blogs and have decided to try it myself...like I said, I HATE digging up the grass!

Hopefully the neighbors don't notice all the cardboard from afar, especially with the leaves layered on top, hence why I picked the fall season to do this (curb appeal has gone out the window with this method). They probably think I've gone bonkers with cardboard. I still have some more cardboard to lay down this weekend in order to finish off the bed but, I would rather do THIS than dig up the grass and break my back. I will live with the unsightly view outside the kitchen window for now...plus with the snow coming sooner or later, it will all disappear very soon.

Grass, grass go away don't come back another day (sing to the melody of Rain, Rain go away).

Walking Through The Garden....Fall Treasures





Notice the tiny mushrooms...fit for a Fairy.

 

Clematis seed heads

 

  

Fall Blooming bulbs, got these from White Flower Farm last fall, http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/.

Every Plant Must Go!

Okay, you're driving along, maybe home from work as I was, minding your own business when a sign jumps in front of you reading " EVERY PLANT MUST GO"! Okay, so now do you perk up and start thinking of all the treasures and possibilities that might be awaiting you, or do you keep on driving?!

I stopped!!! I got all the wonderful garden plants below at $6.00 each. I got some Lilac, Canadian Hemlock and a Pine. I'm very excited. I don't have many evergreens...one to be exact, so Hemlock and Pine will have a home in the backyard and the three Lilacs will reside near our property line for some added privacy. Was never a huge Lilac fan, until I saw how beautiful they look in bouquets and that hooked me in.

I did take the time to look over each plant to make sure they looked healthy and free of disease. A bargain isn't a bargain if they're unhealthy. There were some plants that had some powdery mildew and what looked like cottony cushion scale, which probably occurred from lots of moisture and bad air circulation. I actually had cottony cushion scale on my hydrangea hedge against the garage wall. I ended up digging them all up and placing them further away from the garage wall and also treated them with horticultural oil. I don't let my husband water the lawn in that area, he was using a overhead sprinkler, so that had to be stopped (in my opinion lawns are overrated, need more room for my plants :)). But, they've survived and did well this summer.

Trick or Treat?

Mother nature is definitely a trickster. Woke up today to no power, and at least an inch of snow on the ground. Didn't get power until sometime after 4pm....I say SOMETIME, because I headed to my mothers who never lost power and returned home at 8pm to power! I never expected to see snow covered trees bowing to the ground,snow covered roofs and shoveling the driveway...the day before Halloween??!! Hence Trick not Treat!!


The poor pots, all tucked together after Hurricane Irene and now the snow.

 Well, I wanted to get my peonies into the ground as soon as possible. So, yes I braved the inch of snow. I cleared the snow off the bed and trudged forward planting the beautiful peonies from yesterdays blog. All of them hat a least 3 eyes some had 4! Hope all will be well with them.

Bulbs and Peonies

 Well, I've been obsessing about bulbs. Got the John Scheepers catalog and I couldn't stop myself, just wanted everything they had to offer. But, I finally settled on some color choices and placed the order (eh, I've already got a list going for next fall...I know, I"m OBSESSED)! All bulbs have been planted except for a couple of daffodils that I have to tuck somewhere. Planted tulips in the front and side gardens as well as daffodils. Front is mostly shades of purple and the side is a mix of apricot and pink. Also, planted crocus along the front walkway and hyacinths again shades of purple and some yellow. All together planted ~400 bulbs. Thank goodness for the bulb auger that attached to my husbands electric drill. It made the job so easy and it also helped that we had rain earlier in the week, which made the ground nice and soft. Now, just need to keep the squirrels away. I've been checking and haven't seen any holes dug up yet. Crossing my fingers, and might do a squirrel dance. I made sure I planted the Tulip bulbs at least 8inches deep, so I'm hoping this helps.

My last fall shipment of plant material arrived today, super excited...it's like Christmas! I sent away for some beautiful peonies from Peonys Envy http://www.peonysenvy.com/. They were so beautifully packaged, it was like receiving a gift from a good friend.



Even got a nice card thanking me for the order.

Hoping to get the peonies into the ground tomorrow, hopefully there won't be too much snow! Yes, it's snowing BEFORE Halloween!! I'm planting these near my coral colored peonies, creating a small peony cutting garden.

After The Storm

Well, I"m happy to report that damage was minimal after Irene left! My dalhia's ended up face down, but I came in for the rescue. I actually ended up cutting the flowers and placing them in a vase, which looks lovely near my kitchen window. Other than that we survived!

I did lots of gardening yesterday. It felt so great to be out there. I finished the side bed, edging and mulching. Still not completely sure on the plantings-aside from the hydrangeas. Will have to see how it transforms next spring.  I also started a bed around the shed, bought some coneflower, butterfly bush, zebra grass, and aster, photo's to follow. All in all it was a productive day and soaked in lot's of Vitamin D! I think I will head back to this bargain nursery I found and get me some mums, they had such a great selection - same place I bought the shed plantings from, will have to remember this place for next fall as well.

My Dalhia and Rose Picture

Hurricane Irene

Well, I've been wanting to start this blog for awhile. I guess now is an appropriate time, since we're all stuck in the house waiting for hurricane Irene. Be kind Irene, I have some beautiful Dalhia's out there, and I would like to keep them looking that way!
This morning I decided since Irene will be visiting tomorrow morning, I might as well get out there and take some photo's of the Dalhia's, just in case they get blown away! :( My first David Austin rose actually had a bloom on it as well, which made for another photo op.