Flashback Friday

I use Flashback Friday to show old events on Mark's Mews.  So why not here as well?

I had built 2 landscaping boxes on either side of the front steps. Back in 2009, I had Caladiums on the left and fancy Hostas on the right.  They were gorgeous.  

OK, that year.  Neighbors commented on them.  Then the deer found them...  Hostas are deer-candy.  I have moved most to the backyard where the deer don't try to enter.  They didn't like the Caladiums so much, but Caladiums aren't hardy here.  If you don't dig them up and store the bulbs properly, they are gone.  I didn't get around to that.  I might buy more next Spring for planting elsewhere.

So I converted the Caladium bed to Snow-On-The-Mountain.  I got some from my parents in New Hampshire and deer don't eat them.  They multiplied rapidly and that was good.

But some sprouts went all green and took over.  I'm still fighting to pull those up and get the bed all the variegated type.  But the green ones are hard to kill.  I think I'll have to just dig up the variegated ones and pot them, pulling out any green sprouts.  Then smother the bed over Winter and try to replant next Spring.

I'll put paper over the bed (that stuff used for packing in shipping boxes).  I have a lot of it.  I'll poke holes in it and set the variegated pots in those.  Should give them a better chance to re-establish.

I have 3 dozen Nandina shrubs growing and need to decide where to plant them.  Saved the seeds 3 years ago and they are a foot tall now.  They takes months to germinate.  Deer won't touch them, which is good, and they are evergreen with bright red berries in Winter.  

Mine stay about 4' tall and 3' wide.  I think the edge of the drainage easement would be a good place.  They have strong deep roots (I tried to dig one up once) and would resist occasional drainage flooding.  And since they are evergreen, they make a good yard border.

A lot of Nandina and Hollies would be interesting...

 

Flowerbeds Part 1

I've been slack about posting about the yard.  Too much griping about the computer (new one arrive 4-21 I hope).  So this starts 4 posts about the flowerbeds for this year, grouped by dates.

I covered the entire area of the main daffodil bed with black plastic last fall afrer the first hard freeze to try to smother the weeds.  Can't do it earlier than that because rain collects in small pools and mosquitos love that.  

When I saw the first daffodils emerge near the house (where it is warmer and they come up faster) I pulled all the plastic off.  There were some daffodils struggling to find light there already.  I should have realized that the black plastic warmed the soil.

But they recovered and greened up quickly.  So here are the first.

I planted them originally in pie-slice segments.  Daffodils come in varieties than emerge early-middle-late.  I thought the succession would look best that way.  Had I to do it again, I would have planted them randomly so that the entire  bed would be in partial bloom early to late.  But it seemed like a good idea at the time.

The earliest ones bloomed rapidly...

In the front yard, the same daffodils were also blooming.  Fortunately, I DID randomly plant early and late daffodils, so there are blooms March-April.  And I chose yellow for early and white for late, so it changes the front yard "look".

The Nandina bushes are lovely and hardy.  And I have 24 rooted and healthy ones growing from seeds I collected.  Some will grow along the drainage easement and some will form a property line with a neighbor.  They are very deer-resistant and around here, that is a very good thing.

A closeup of the early daffodils at their best...

And I have individual clumps in the back yard.  Daffodils are toxic to voles, so they just go on blooming every year.  These are probably 30 years old.

More old clumps.

More old clumps.

A nice hyacinth.  I originally planted 50 in a 4' circle.  They are not toxic to voles.  So this is one of the last (lucky) survivors who haven't been found yet.  They smell AMAZING!

Closeup of the main flowerbed early daffodils...

And from a different angle.  Well, I do walk around the beds.  

Two weeks later, the next batch were blooming and the older ones still had flowers.

Best pic of both together...

A mid-bloom clump.

The fullest bloom of the frontyard daffodils.

A closer pic...

I decided to plant daffodils shortly after I moved here.  Well, I knew they lived long (and prospered).  But there was a yard I drove past frequently (not in my neighborhood, but on a sidestreet shortcut to the grocery store) that had a large daffodil bed.  I admired it a couple of Springs before I realized "I can do that".  It took some work (nothing good is easy, or everyone would do it).

And I planted tulips and hyacinths among them.  The voles ate all of those.  So I bought mesh wire and made cages to protect a 2nd planting.  That worked better, but tulips don't live long and maybe the wire mesh small enough to keep the voles away were also too small for the hyacinths.  I need to mark where the cages are and dig them up to try again after the stalks of the surviving bulbs die back down.

Later blooms next post...

Nice Stuff

Random Good Things - 

Scored actual Flieschmans bread machine yeast at the grocery store. And at a normal price!

Finally got the trailerful of yard debris to the recycling center where they pile it up to make free mulch next year.  I cut the stuff down and tied it down months ago, but the place is a mess after rain and it rained all Summer.  It was finally dry.  They offer free mulch loading Saturdays 8-Noon but that ended last week.  I have 2 more loads of debris to go.  I'm surprized I dont have a picture of that, but I will be reloading the trailer laer today and will try to emember to take a pic.

Nice to find the car hauled the trailer easily.  But the trailer hitch is awkward.  It is low, the safety chain hooks are kinna under the car, and the light connection is awkward.  I'll have to reverse the trailer ball on the mount.  That will raise it several inches.

 

If you mount the hitch upside down, and change the ball to the "new" top, you gain several inches.  It's a deliberate design feature.

The Nandina seeds I planted in the basement in February finally sprouted in September all at once.  I have 22 seedlings growing to plant.  I have 4 plants in the yard and intend to make a hedge of them along the drainage ditch as they are evergreen with lovely red seeds.  They are very hardy and well-rooted.  They reach 4' and stop there.  Perfect hedge. 

The Mews were all-together last night.  I'll be using this picture again on their blog next week.  Not many cat-bloggers read this blog,,,

But I just had to show one now.  It was amazing.

My normal water usage is about 8-10 thousand gallons per quarter year.  Last time, it was 13,000,  Not a great increase in cost, but I was surprised.  It has rained so much this year I haven't watered anything outdoors.  But things have dried out a bit.  But one part of the front yard is soggy.  And right on the path where the water from the street pipe comes to the house.  

 

 I think there is a leak in the water pipe.  There s some uncertainty here.  A front yard leakage wouldn't have registered on the meter on the house.  But increased water usage and a soggy area in the yard suggests a water leak.  I'll  be calling the water office tomorrow.

I have Lettuces growing again in the basement light stand.  And not just lettuce.  Radishes, Celery, and Bok Choy.  It was a joy to plant them.  Not much to show yet, but here are some pics of last year...

Ignore the ivy and look at the lettuces.   I planted 2x as much this year.  It is still not enough to meet my love of salads "with everything", but is sure does add to it.  I basically thnk that any veggie that can be eaten raw goes in my salad.  With one exception... Brocolli and tomatoes don't taste right together for me.Or cheese.  I like "crispy".

Have a Happy...