tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34472962011-04-22T00:06:01.874-04:00Diary of a Gardening GoddessThe gardening journal of Persephone Yavanna the Entwife, UnInitiated UnHighPriestess of the <a href="http://www.angelfire.com/ny3/tucots/entrance.html">UnCoven of the Solitaries</a>
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Persephonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252674497312047542noreply@blogger.comBlogger661100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447296.post-84905577284342052162007-02-21T21:21:00.000-05:002007-02-21T21:30:01.985-05:00Since Blogger forced me to convert this blog to their new system a few days ago, nothing is working right -- the template won't display correctly (even though it's one of Blogger's own classic standard ones!) and the archives are no longer available to anyone visiting the page.I have therefore moved this blog to a new home on LiveJournal:Diary of a Gardening Goddess (at LiveJournal)If Blogger Persephonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252674497312047542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447296.post-1157363590781700462006-09-01T16:44:00.000-04:002006-09-04T05:53:10.793-04:00Harvested peaches today from the little tree that grew from a tossed pit in the front yard. Immediately ate two of the fruit -- ohhhhhhhhhh sooooooooooo scrumptious!!!I had to do the harvesting today since there will be the remnants of a hurricane coming through starting tonight, with high winds and several inches of rain over the next few days predicted. Any fruit I left on the tree would fall Persephonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252674497312047542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447296.post-1149408962199428852006-05-30T20:11:00.000-04:002006-06-04T04:21:42.970-04:00The Canadian Gem lilac I planted several years ago by the front entrance has finally begun to bloom. The flowers are lighter in color than the President Grevy lilacs by the gate and the scent is less intense, but that may be because it is the first time it has bloomed.Other flowers currently in bloom -- peonies, roses, lily-of-the-valley.Persephonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252674497312047542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447296.post-1147406378983465562006-05-11T23:57:00.000-04:002006-05-12T00:04:58.546-04:00It's rained 54.88 inches since I last posted a rainfall total in July of 2005.Time to reset the gauge history!Persephonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252674497312047542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447296.post-1134427821349078542005-12-12T17:38:00.000-05:002005-12-12T17:50:21.360-05:00Planted some more of my bargain bulbs today, since it was relatively warm and the ground is not yet frozen.Planted Zurel and Purissima (aka White Emperor) tulips and Blue Pearl crocus along the side of the driveway near the Garden of the Gods, between the two pear trees. The ground around the Bosc pear tree where I'd planted the other bulbs a few days ago looked dug up and I found some bulbs Persephonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252674497312047542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447296.post-1133704920578303472005-12-04T08:53:00.000-05:002005-12-04T09:04:27.716-05:00It's snowing now -- the first snowfall of Winter 2005-2006. 2-4 inches is expected for here, but it looks right now from my window as though we've already gotten 2 inches and the snow is expected to continue until around noon. If I'm lucky, as the day warms up it might turn into rain and wash away the snow so I won't have to shovel.It's supposed to get colder for the next few days, then warm up Persephonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252674497312047542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447296.post-1133578376573219632005-12-02T21:31:00.000-05:002005-12-02T21:52:56.593-05:00Planted some bulbs today. I'd bought them on Wednesday when a local nursery was having a clearance sale -- all bulbs were $1 per bag, regardless of how many bulbs were in the bag. There were several "value sized" bags I bought, containing 18-32 bulbs (depending on what they were), and LOTS of "normal" bags with 5-20 bulbs each -- fewer for things like daffodils, more for small bulbs like crocus -Persephonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252674497312047542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447296.post-1133311719247335602005-11-29T19:33:00.000-05:002005-11-29T19:48:39.290-05:00Today was unusually warm for November -- an unseasonably mild 63 -- so I took advantage of it to putter around outside.I took down some of my garden decorations and will be storing them away until next spring. I also planted a Royal Heritage strain Helleborus orientalis that I had bought in the spring but never planted. When the summer's heat and dryness came, I thought it had died in its pot, Persephonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252674497312047542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447296.post-1120618636745758202005-07-05T22:55:00.000-04:002005-07-05T22:57:16.750-04:00Rainfall from the beginning of April to today = 8.58 inchesFlowers currently in bloom -- orange daylilies and yellow, red and orange Asiatic lilies -- the front yard is ablaze with them!Persephonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252674497312047542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447296.post-1119592081510871762005-06-23T23:37:00.000-04:002005-06-24T01:48:01.516-04:00Harvested my cherries today -- Star Stella and Bing varieties. Not a lot of cherries though, since the trees are pretty small, but at least now the Bing trees are producing -- I'd been worrying that they never would, since they are several years old. They are a dwarf variety that is supposedly self-fertile, according to Miller Nurseries, but I planted the Star Stella fairly nearby, just in case, Persephonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252674497312047542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447296.post-1119591315064856292005-06-15T21:20:00.000-04:002005-06-24T01:35:15.070-04:00I recently bought some very cool solar lights -- they have a color-changing LED that cycles from blue to red to green and back to blue. I got them at a discount store -- I wish I could get more, but I bought all they had, after visiting several locations. There are 2 types -- one has a clear crackle-ball and the other a clear dragonfly. It took a few days for them to build up their initial chargePersephonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252674497312047542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447296.post-1118116869867466652005-06-06T23:44:00.000-04:002005-06-07T00:01:09.873-04:00Expanded the little patio underneath the pear trees by lugging more slates there and fiddling with the positions of the stones somewhat. It had seemed a wee bit small before with all the furniture added -- I'd added a swivel rocker to the collection about a week and a half ago, along with some matching side tables and folding chairs for when folks come by to visit -- but it's more roomy now. SomePersephonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252674497312047542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447296.post-1118027609161623202005-05-31T23:01:00.000-04:002005-06-06T23:43:08.846-04:00Plants currently in bloom -- lily of the valley, spiderwort, purple rhododendron and the short yellow iris I call "the bumblebee" because of it's coloring.I can see the fruit ripening on my apricot and cherry trees. I had a lot of bud-drop from the plums, peaches and pears unfortunately, probably because of all the cold, dank weather we've had this spring, so I'm not sure how good a crop I'll getPersephonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252674497312047542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447296.post-1115001892830054192005-05-01T22:12:00.000-04:002005-05-01T22:54:06.743-04:00Celebrated Beltane by planting things -- big surprise, that . . .I planted some "Red King Humbert" cannas in the plugged planters on the front terrace -- those hold water when their plugs are in, becoming mini-water gardens. In past years I've planted lotuses there, but the nice ones are expensive -- about $50/root -- and I have trouble getting them to survive the winter in the pots. I tried Persephonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252674497312047542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447296.post-1115000649314671082005-04-30T23:59:00.000-04:002005-05-01T22:24:09.316-04:00Drip, drip, drip -- another rainy day . . .We've had 4.8 inches of rain since the first of April, according to my rain gauge.I can't WAIT to see those May flowers . . .Persephonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252674497312047542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447296.post-1114837481362924382005-04-29T23:52:00.000-04:002005-05-01T22:50:48.940-04:00Put some salmon-pink gerbera into some nice ceramic pots I'd bought a while ago and then tied those pots to the front mini-porch posts, between the half-pots of pansies already tied there, so that now those posts look as though they are completely surrounded by flowers.Then I put some dark purplish "Black Dragon" coleus into some small galvanized metal pots I'd bought yesterday and put those potsPersephonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252674497312047542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447296.post-1114499144909109032005-04-25T23:46:00.000-04:002005-04-26T03:21:00.326-04:00Today was another dank day, with on and off rain, so I couldn't do a lot in the garden in terms of planting, so I did a few other things instead.I took some old slates that had been around the backyard since half-way to forever and used them to create a partially-paved area underneath the dogwood, peach and Bosc pear trees, where I have the metal glider. I plan to put plants between the stones --Persephonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252674497312047542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447296.post-1114497747148313142005-04-23T23:24:00.000-04:002005-04-26T02:45:43.563-04:00Planted a few more seeds during a break in the weekend sogginess -- lettuce and spinach, both in the same area where I'd planted yesterday's vegetables. I used part of a seed tape of "Black-seeded Simpson" loose-leaf lettuce and planted a few seeds of "Bloomsdale Long-standing" spinach.This spring has been very cold so far, with the exception of a few very warm days, so much so that the peaches Persephonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252674497312047542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447296.post-1114494998291721042005-04-22T22:43:00.000-04:002005-04-26T03:32:10.226-04:00Celebrated Earth Day by planting lots of seeds.I planted some vegetables in the strip of land north of the driveway -- sugar snap peas along the chainlink fence and a staggered double row of corn, bush string beans and bush butternut squash, all three types of seeds planted together in the same hole. For both the peas and beans I added soil inoculant to the holes/furrow. (Varieties were "Sugar Persephonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252674497312047542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447296.post-1113994218224215172005-04-18T20:47:00.000-04:002005-04-26T01:57:42.740-04:00The apricot trees are in full bloom and my plums have started to flower. The forsythia and hyacinths are also still blossoming.The air around the house smells WONDERFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!Persephonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252674497312047542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447296.post-1113273200100847902005-04-11T22:21:00.000-04:002005-04-11T23:08:01.883-04:00Made several planters today using the "Beacon Blue" purple-and-white pansies I'd bought at the Equinox. I made 4 half-pot planters to go around the 2 posts of the front entrance mini-porch and a larger planter for the top of the post at the foot of the front entrance steps. The half-pot planters were pansy only, but the other rectangular planter was a combination of the pansies and several Persephonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252674497312047542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447296.post-1112362429252394442005-04-01T08:03:00.000-05:002005-04-01T08:33:49.253-05:00The rainfall gauge I put out in January has recorded 9.06" of rain since January 12th. Quite a bit of that came just a few days ago -- we had 3.39" four days ago, 0.59" eight days ago amd 0.24" nine days ago -- 4.22" in just over a week!I've decided to re-set it so I can keep periodic track of how much rain has fallen. I haven't decided if I'll do it monthly, quarterly or by the Sabbats -- for Persephonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252674497312047542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447296.post-1106703174922657772005-01-23T20:30:00.000-05:002005-01-25T20:34:53.750-05:00We got 15.5" of snow from the storm. My car is buried up to the windows from the snowplows.
More snow is supposed to arrive on Wednesday.
60 more days until the start of Spring . . .
Persephonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252674497312047542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447296.post-1106456589544224132005-01-22T23:57:00.000-05:002005-01-23T00:03:09.543-05:00We're having a blizzard. Officially.
Snow started around noonish today & expected to end at around noonish tomorrow. Snowfall so far seems to be around 9" so far. Totals are expected to be in the 12-18" range. Temperatures tomorrow will be only in the teens to low twenties for highs. With strong winds and blowing snow.
I am sooooooooooo going to hate shoveling the sidewalk and stairs and Persephonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252674497312047542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447296.post-1106456206088737992005-01-20T10:52:00.000-05:002005-01-22T23:56:46.086-05:00The forsythia branches I cut in December for forcing have started to bloom.
Given how cold it has been lately (lows in the single digits, below-freezing highs), the bright yellow blooms certainly make me feel cheerier . . .
Persephonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252674497312047542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447296.post-1106453895592890282005-01-14T23:05:00.000-05:002005-01-22T23:18:15.593-05:00I bought a rainfall gauge and put it out a few days ago. There hadn't been much to record -- just 0.04" -- until today. Today's rainfall total was 1.14".
The gauge has a self-emptying cup, which I like, and is also wireless, which I also like -- no going outside to empy it or to see how much rain has fallen. It measures in either inches or mm -- being old-fashioned, I generally prefer inches. Persephonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252674497312047542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447296.post-1092848244358707882004-08-18T12:48:00.000-04:002004-08-18T12:59:38.453-04:00The little tree that grew in the front yard just in back of the Japanese red maple is definitely a peach and not an apricot -- it's loaded with small peaches with lovely red cheeks. They aren't ripe enough to pick just yet though . . .
I plan on transplanting it to a better location after I harvest the fruit -- it's too close to the Japanese red maple right now. I'll most likely plant it a few Persephonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252674497312047542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447296.post-1078217752152748132004-03-01T17:39:00.000-05:002004-03-02T03:58:00.170-05:00It got into the mid-60s today -- it'll get a bit cooler again in a few days (back to the 40s) but until then we'll be in the 50s and 60s -- downright tropical compared to recent temperatures!
Bought a pot of pansies for the post at the bottom of the front stairs -- actually they're violas (smaller than pansies but related) but they were pretty -- purple and white -- & I need to see some green Persephonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252674497312047542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447296.post-1078217369108309672004-01-21T15:46:00.000-05:002004-03-02T03:51:36.576-05:00The forsythia branches I cut at the end of December have begun to bloom and the pussy willow branches are starting to have catkins.
I feel cheerier already . . .Persephonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252674497312047542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447296.post-1074218889723467382004-01-15T21:08:00.000-05:002004-01-15T21:09:31.326-05:00We're in the middle of a record-breaking cold spell right now. It's supposed to go down to two degrees below zero (Fahrenheit) tonight. It hasn't been this cold in more than 110 years!
I have a feeling I'll be replacing quite a few plants this spring -- even those that are zone 6 or less, since they may not be well-established enough to survive this bitter cold weather. I'm pretty sure I'll losePersephonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252674497312047542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447296.post-107284590663403362003-12-30T23:45:00.000-05:002003-12-31T00:12:29.390-05:00Pruned both the pussy willow & the forsythia today. I put the cut-off branches in water so they can bud & bloom during the winter & make my rooms a bit cheerier with fresh flowers.
Winter can be so bleak . . .
Just 3 more months until spring . . .Persephonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252674497312047542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447296.post-1068300092340110042003-11-08T09:01:00.000-05:002003-11-08T09:01:30.510-05:00The temperature is supposed to go below freezing tonight so I brought in all the plants I'd left outside since the weather had been relatively warm (50s-60s). It supposedly will get warm again after this weekend so I'll probably put out the decorative cabbages & pansies again. With any luck, we won't have another freeze after this one for a while . . .Persephonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252674497312047542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447296.post-1067934798897315752003-11-03T23:33:00.000-05:002003-11-04T03:51:44.826-05:00Celebrated today's unseasonably warm weather (78 degrees F -- yay!) by going shopping at a local nursery & getting a bunch of potted pansies & decorative cabbages (all in white & shades of purple, btw) to put on the front stairs, replacing the geraniums I had there over the summer. I'll be trying to keep those alive & in good shape over the winter & hopefully be able to enjoy them next year too Persephonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252674497312047542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447296.post-1067935789110315222003-11-01T22:49:00.000-05:002003-11-04T03:51:04.703-05:00Bought a preplanted pot of purple decorative cabbage & purple & white pansies to put on the post at the bottom of the front stairs, replacing the pumpkin from a few days ago (which I plan on turning into something yummy in the near future).
Yeah, I wimped out by getting the preplanted arrangement instead of doing it all myself, but it looked really nice & I was feeling a little lazy . . .Persephonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252674497312047542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447296.post-1067935169382642542003-10-30T20:57:00.000-05:002003-11-04T03:39:27.586-05:00Bought a lavender decorative cabbage to put at the base of the front stairs & a pumpkin (uncarved!) to put on top of the post at the foot of the stairs as a Halloween decoration.Persephonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252674497312047542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447296.post-1063017678959172072003-09-08T06:41:00.000-04:002003-09-08T06:41:18.873-04:00According to the local meteorologists, this past summer has been one of the rainiest on record. Normal rainfall is around 12 inches -- we've had about 20 inches.
No wonder some of my plants keeled over from root rot!Persephonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252674497312047542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447296.post-1061148519815350452003-08-17T15:28:00.000-04:002003-08-17T15:28:39.813-04:00Planted a "Hilda Niblett" azalea at the gravesite of my kitty Vishnu -- I'd found him outside dead during Thursday's big blackout. He's buried underneath the Kieffer pear tree just west of the main entrance to the house. It has a tendency towards weeping branches & I tend to spend a lot of time in that spot since it's cool & green.
I miss him a lot.Persephonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252674497312047542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447296.post-1058327505754205052003-07-15T23:51:00.000-04:002003-07-15T23:56:42.153-04:00Added a few plants to my little water garden. There are now two spider lillies, some cabomba, a banana plant and three water hyacinths. I also added a few snails & some fish -- one small Malaysian koi and 2 red-capped oranda. I may get a larger pool for them all -- I'm shopping around right now for different sizes & shapes . . .Persephonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252674497312047542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447296.post-1057654378238805692003-07-08T04:52:00.000-04:002003-07-08T04:52:58.120-04:00First we get the Flood, now we get the Drought . . .
Can't the weather deities give us a happy medium? (grumble, grumble, grouse . . .)Persephonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252674497312047542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447296.post-1056500462588104372003-06-24T20:21:00.000-04:002003-06-24T20:21:02.586-04:00After months of cold and rain we now bring you SUMMER -- 90 plus degrees with haze & high humidity. And the start of a 4-day heatwave . . .
Joy.Persephonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252674497312047542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447296.post-1056426235550961712003-06-23T23:43:00.000-04:002003-06-23T23:44:38.583-04:00It's official -- we've just had the rainiest June on record -- 10.22 inches. The previous record was a century ago -- 1903 had more than 9 inches.
And the month isn't even over yet . . .Persephonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252674497312047542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447296.post-1055552306034295292003-06-13T20:58:00.000-04:002003-06-13T21:52:12.430-04:00Planted pink & white Marliac waterlilies. The three lilies are in individual waterplant pots that are currently in a large terracotta plastic pot about 2 feet across and about a foot or so deep that is at the north end of my front terrace.
My previous large plastic watergarden pot had developed a big crack in it and would no longer hold water so I got this new watergarden pot as a replacement, Persephonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252674497312047542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447296.post-955315262003-06-10T22:30:00.000-04:002003-06-13T21:23:57.903-04:00Planted a Chinese witch hazel bush (Loropetalum chinensis var. rubrum "Burgundy") next to the driveway fence, immediately to the north of my higan cherry (Prunus subhirtella "Pendulata") -- it has pretty burgundy leaves which are supposed to be evergreen and fragrant pink blossoms. I'm hoping this one will do well in this spot, since it is full sun with the white plastic fence my northern Persephonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252674497312047542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447296.post-954050372003-06-07T11:19:00.000-04:002003-06-07T12:22:06.000-04:00Had to do my gardening early as today is going to be very, very soggy -- again. The forecast is calling for 1-2 inches of rain. Some of my plants are beginning to rot from all the rain -- mostly potted plants but the Hall's hardy almond I planted several months ago (at the end of March) has mold growing on some of its branches.
I planted moonflowers and cardinal climbers on the two trellises Persephonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252674497312047542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447296.post-953927702003-06-06T21:42:00.000-04:002003-06-07T12:49:33.000-04:00Decided to take advantage of this brief respite from cold, wet weather to plant several types of fruit trees today, most of which were replacements for trees that died over this past winter.
I replaced the NorthStar cherry that I'd planted in the middle of Blueberry Row and added a pair of beach plums at either end of the row. One of the blueberries hadn't survived the winter (the Bluecrop) so Persephonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252674497312047542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447296.post-953549972003-06-05T23:36:00.000-04:002003-06-07T12:51:12.000-04:00Planted several types of rose-form impatiens (i.e. double) in pots for the front entrance.
In a series of small pots on the windowsills on either side of the front door I planted "Blackberry Ice" impatiens with white sweet alyssum. "Blackberry Ice" is a variety with purple double flowers & green and white variegated leaves -- I'd bought some last year and they were quite pretty, so I thought Persephonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252674497312047542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447296.post-952515722003-06-03T16:09:00.000-04:002003-06-03T16:54:10.000-04:00Planted purple petunias and salvia (var. "Strata") in the planter boxes on the front wall of my front terrace. I also sprinkled some white sweet alyssum (var. "Carpet of Snow") in the dirt around the seedlings, to fill in the spaces -- eventually. These planters look nice alternating with the planters of lotuses. I can't wait to see them all in flower . . .
Finished my last lotus planter for Persephonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252674497312047542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447296.post-950142712003-05-28T21:03:00.000-04:002003-05-28T21:19:44.000-04:00Planted fuschia, geraniums, torenia and caladium in a pot that I have in a really neat pot holder that goes on the wrought iron balusters on the south side of my front porch steps. Unfortunately I just have one of these since I have found it only at one store & I bought the only one they had. Right now that pot is at the top of the stairs where previously no pots could go since the wrought iron Persephonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252674497312047542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447296.post-947570382003-05-22T18:13:00.000-04:002003-05-23T02:30:54.000-04:00Planted torenia (aka wishbone flower), pink polka dot plants and sweet alyssum in some planters. The torenia & alyssum are in shades of purple to color-coordinate with the design on the planter pots & the pink polka dot plants provide a bit of harmonious color contrast. Experience has shown me that they tend to get leggy as they grow, so they'll also provide a bit of vertical interest while the Persephonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252674497312047542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447296.post-945185772003-05-17T21:45:00.000-04:002003-05-17T22:00:46.000-04:00Didn't do too much today as it was both damp AND cold -- the weather this spring has been bad -- very cold, somewhat damp (which is good for the plants, as long as their roots don't rot) and much more like October/November than mid-May.
I filled some planters with earth on the front terrace -- I'll plant seeds there in the next few days. Also put out some fuschias in some pretty ceramic pots I'dPersephonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252674497312047542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447296.post-944292412003-05-15T23:56:00.000-04:002003-05-17T23:30:54.000-04:00Put up more solar lights on the front terrace at either end of each pot of lotuses I've made. I've arranged the lotus planter pots so that there is a smaller, regular-type planter between the larger, heavier pots of lotuses. This is so that after plants are growing in the smaller planters, the weight of the soil plus water in the lotus pots (which are jammed right up against the smaller planters)Persephonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252674497312047542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447296.post-943654842003-05-14T22:47:00.000-04:002003-05-17T22:52:32.000-04:00Finished planting lotuses in pots on the front terrace. I'd planted some about a week and a half ago in some large planter-type pots I already had that I'd used for some lotuses a few years ago. Those ones didn't survive a winter outside, even though lotuses are supposed to be hardy. They were rather expensive too -- "Mrs. Perry Slocum", "Momo Botan" & the American yellow lotus Nelumbo lutea -- Persephonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252674497312047542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447296.post-939649212003-05-07T22:32:00.000-04:002003-05-07T22:32:03.883-04:00Planted the Red Anjou and Giant Korean pears today -- they were replacements for the ones I bought last year that didn't grow. I put them in the same spots as their predecessors -- hopefully they'll have better luck growing there . . .
Also put up two little American flags on the front porch for Memorial Day/4th of July -- I stuck them on either side of the front-facing half-pot at the top of Persephonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252674497312047542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447296.post-934429962003-04-28T23:42:00.000-04:002003-05-07T22:36:32.000-04:00Planted pansies in pots for the front porch. They're color-coordinated to the pots they are in (yes I DO channel Martha Stewart when it suits me . . .) and the pot on the post at the bottom of the stoop stairs also has an upright fuschia in its center. I love fuschias & I'd never seen the upright variety for sale before, so I thought that would be more interesting than say, a geranium or a Persephonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252674497312047542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447296.post-913118902003-03-24T19:32:00.000-05:002003-05-06T05:12:51.000-04:00Planted almonds today -- the Hall's Hardy almond directly in back (i.e. west) of the Japanese red maple in the front yard and the All-in-One almond to the south of it, just south of the ume plum in back of the southern purple cup magnolia.Persephonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252674497312047542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447296.post-908742402003-03-17T15:35:00.000-05:002003-03-17T15:35:58.653-05:00Spring has sprung! (at least temporarily . . .)Persephonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252674497312047542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447296.post-835784422002-10-26T23:45:00.000-04:002002-10-27T00:16:02.000-04:00Haven't done anything garden-y lately -- the drought this summer took a toll on my plants -- I'll have to be re-ordering a few things in the spring. It's cool enough, though, to start transplanting stuff -- I'm mostly waiting for things to go dormant before I start moving them around -- it lessens the shock.
I'd bought some purple mums recently and today I put one of them into a a planter with Persephonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252674497312047542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447296.post-800540942002-08-09T23:45:00.000-04:002002-08-10T00:25:29.000-04:00The weather has been very hot & humid lately, so I haven't been doing anything garden-wise, which is why there haven't been any entries recently. Pretty much the only thing I've done has been buying various plants, either to plant later when the weather is cooler or to place on my little front porch. I'd bought two hanging baskets of salmon impatiens about two weeks ago & hung them up, but I Persephonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252674497312047542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447296.post-781605762002-06-24T23:05:00.000-04:002002-06-24T23:47:50.000-04:00It was a rather icky day today -- in the low 90s with high humidity -- so I had to start my gardening early (around 7 AM) and quit by around 9 AM since it was so unbearably awful outside.
I hadn't done anything garden-related for the past few weeks since I've been side-lined by a truly horrendous cold/upper-respiratory infection for the past 2 and a half weeks where I was stuck in bed coughing Persephonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252674497312047542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447296.post-772044652002-05-31T21:44:00.000-04:002002-06-13T10:01:56.000-04:00Spent the morning planting in the front yard -- it was a rather hot and sticky day so I had to quit around 1ish -- lower 80s with high humidity -- blech!
Did a lot of planting and transplanting -- planted 2 "Alden's Regal Red" daphne (flanking the "Fire and Ice" camellia in front of the Japanese red maple tree), which are supposed to bloom in the winter, with 2 yellow Asiatic lilies and 3 "Jade Persephonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252674497312047542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447296.post-769778332002-05-25T23:34:00.000-04:002002-05-26T01:57:13.000-04:00Did quite a lot in the garden today. I pulled some of the weeds that have been growing throughout this rainy period -- some were about three feet tall. I also harvested some of my Jerusalem artichokes while I was doing this and had them as an al fresco snack after washing the dirt off of the roots.
After doing the weeding, I did my planting. It was all in the main backyard plot, mostly on the Persephonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252674497312047542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447296.post-769441992002-05-24T21:01:00.000-04:002002-05-24T21:18:04.000-04:00It's been cold and rainy the past few weeks, so I haven't done any real planting -- I've mostly been buying flowers and waiting for it to dry out and get a bit warmer.
Today it was fairly warm -- we hit 80 -- so I finally did a bit of planting. While the weather had been icky and cold (we're talking frost alerts within the past few days) I'd gone shopping and got some matching pots -- mostly Persephonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252674497312047542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447296.post-760658062002-05-01T23:38:00.000-04:002002-05-02T00:01:00.000-04:00Celebrated Beltane today by planting flower seeds, buying plants and making windowboxes of posies.
I bought two big beautiful hanging planters of purple & white fuschia which are now hanging off the front porch. I also got pansies and geraniums and a very pretty ceramic planter. I planted the purple & white pansies I'd bought a few days ago in the planter and put it on the bannister of the frontPersephonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252674497312047542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447296.post-758715452002-04-26T23:01:00.000-04:002002-04-26T23:24:57.000-04:00Today it was dry, although a bit chilly. Didn't do any planting, but I did fix the entry arch at the main gate. I repositioned it, pushed it in and tied the roses on either side to it with twisty-ties. That should help stabilize it so it won't blow over so easily. The north side red rose canes go over the top of the arch, but not quite down the other side -- yet. There are quite a few buds Persephonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252674497312047542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447296.post-756580002002-04-21T16:02:00.000-04:002002-04-21T16:02:05.016-04:00Created a few windowboxes yesterday for the front steps -- one was of salmon pink and yellow tuberous begonias, the other of coral pink impatiens.
It's been soggy lately, so I couldn't do much yesterday or today. If I have time today, I'll make another window box of the coral pink impatiens. It's rather cool too, but for me that's better than the mid 90s and high 80s we've had the past week. GoPersephonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252674497312047542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3447296.post-753550662002-04-13T04:01:00.000-04:002002-04-13T04:15:37.000-04:00I've created this blog as a record of what I've been doing in my home garden since I'm really good at forgetting what I did when.
I'll probably include various thoughts (garden-related or otherwise) in this also from time to time.
Hopefully I'll be able to make this gardening diary somewhat interesting to read -- or at least not deathly dull . . .Persephonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07252674497312047542noreply@blogger.com