I feel much better now.

16 years ago

What a difference one intense weekend of gardening makes. Some of you may remember my garden in June when it looked like this:

Well all that beauty went by the wayside while we concentrated on finishing our kitchen remodel. I simply didn't have the time to get out there and tend it. You would not have believed the mess I faced. I had the corpses of 8-10 feet high sunflowers and hollyhocks with main stems as thick as your wrist scattered all over the property. Underneath all that were the carcasses of countless annuals in every shade of beige imaginable. So I got up early on Saturday, filled myself with coffee, lined up my arsenal of gardening equipment and got to work.

I was a dynamo. I started with Scratch, our monster of a bougainvillea. I nearly lost an eye, but I was driven. I collected myself and moved on. There wasn't an inch of ground I didn't cover. You would seriously not believe the size of the three piles of garden debris I made. One comes to my waiste. The other two come up to my chest.

And under all that horror, many things were still blooming. I deadheaded my fingers to the bone and am expecting a great Fall flush of coreopsis, zinnia, snapdragon, sweet william, miniature and tall hollyhock, lavender, various salvia, scabiosa, and the list goes on. I also was astonished to find larkspur and the most handsome delphinium blooming like troopers. In September! I gave everything a side of compost and fish emulsion. I also gave my all my roses a good dose of TLC. I'm suspect this will lead to one more glorious flush before late October when we begin seeing our rains.

So tonight, I'm finally feeling like a gardener again. I'm scratched up, sunburned, bruised and achy. And I feel better than I have for weeks!

Steven

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Comments (18)

lindakimy
16 years ago
Isn't it a wonderful feeling? I hope you will put up pictures when your babies do you proud.
aftermidnight Zone7b B.C. Canada
16 years ago
Congrats Steven, I can well believe your large piles of debris. when I cut back an overgrown tangutica clematis it was 2 truck loads to the dump. I also know that scratched, bruised and achy feeling. Now you need a nice hot shower to soothe those aching muscles and a glass of wine to celebrate a job well done. I also would love to see more pictures of that amazing garden of yours.

Annette
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Hi, Neighbors! I live in DeForest, too! Carriedaway, you must be close. I know where that greenhouse on 19 is...right on the way to my chiropractor in Sun Prairie! Jung's bucks...let's see if I get this right, Violet Skies, please correct me if I'm wrong. For each $10 you spend at Jungs, you are issued $1 in Jung Dollars. They are only good on certain days. Last year July 13-16; Oct. 12-15; and Dec 7-10 (houseplants? can't plant anything outside then). You use your Jung Dollars to get up to 50% off your purchase (not incl. sales tax). They are not valid for mail order/catalog sales. The 2006 Jung Dollars expired on Dec. 11, 2006...Nuts! I still have $8 left! I usually pin mine to my bulletin board so I don't lose them. I assume they'd be giving the "bucks" out now. Carriedaway, did you purchase anything? If so, did they offer the "bucks" to you? Not knowing what they were, you might have said "no". I know I did before I moved to DeForest (was just visiting my son). Char
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memo3
16 years ago
It sure doesn't take long for it all to get away from you does it, Steven? I go through that every year from mid-July to mid-August because I just can't take the heat to get out there and get much done. Right now my gardens are in pretty good shape but the weedy lawn is atrocious since my lawn mower died. Hope to get a new one soon and get that cleaned up good before our first freeze. Did you know that it got down to 38F. two nights ago here? We froze our backsides off at the rodeo Saturday night!!! Early winter for sure!

MeMo
dirtdiggindiva
16 years ago
I know exactly how you feel. I couldn't bring myself to do much gardening the last couple weeks but yesterday I put my nose to the grindstone and moved stuff, weeded, and spruced up the beds and wow do I feel better. And it rained last night so I got the added bonus of a free watering!
fammsimm
16 years ago
I know exactly how you feel, Steven. After years of drought, and now a summer of floods, I had just let my flowers do their thing, and it was a messy, overgrown but colorful, "thing".

It's been so hot and humid lately, but this weekend I decided I had let it go long enough. Like you, I attacted it with a vengeance. Everything was cut back, thinned out, deadheaded and cleaned up.

I had noticed that some zinnias seemed to be growing at a strange angle. After clearing out some undergrowth, I discovered a purple MG that had been twining around the bottom of the zinnias. I don't even remember planting purple MG seeds! lol

Ah, the joys and feelings of accomplishment when it's done!

Marilyn
Vikki1747
16 years ago
Gosh Steven, I need to do all of what you did. Its just been too dang hot. We're supposed to get cooler temps towards the middle of the week so I'll try to get in the garden then. Had high hopes for rain yesterday thanks to tropicl storm Gabrielle but she turned out to be a dud and we only got a few sprinkles.

I know in years past I've always felt better when I've cleaned up the garden at this time of year. The whole time I'm doing it however, I'm fussing at myself for letting it go undone for so long. Bravo to you!!
Vikki
FlowerLady6
16 years ago
Bless your heart Steven. It sounds like a lot of us know just how you are feeling after the garden clean up that you did. A nice frosty margarita sounds great after a nice hot shower. Do take pictures of your fall garden. Looking forward to seeing pictures of your new kitchen also.

FlowerLady
rosefolly
16 years ago
So how did the kitchen turn out?

Rosefolly
DYH
16 years ago
Amazing what happens when we have to go off and do something besides garden! You've done a lot of hard work, inside and outside -- I, too am anxiously awaiting the finished kitchens show!

Cameron
catankgirl
16 years ago
I personally love a combo of coffee, fresh air, and dirty hands on a saturday morning too! I ditto Annette about rounding it up with a good bottle of wine, shower optional, lol.

Can't wait to see more pictures! Your garden is lovely.
kitchenkelly
16 years ago
That is beautiful. I neglected my yard because of my remodel this year, too. People want to come over to see the kitchen but I don't want them to see my mess in the backyard!
mary_lu_gw
16 years ago
Oh Steven, how I envy you! Such a good feeling to get it all "back in shape"!

Sounds like I am in the same boat that you were and many others are too! Between traveling many weekends this summer up to help my DD and then having company on the weekends I was home, then my DH getting hurt at work a month ago....NOTHING is getting done. I have rose canes that are reaching out from the fence at least 5 feet! If I don't get them tied up soon they will be too hardened off to bend....however it is not likely that I will have much time to garden yet.

On Thursday we travel to a nearby city to see a surgeon for my husband. We found out today the results of an MRI and he evidently tore his quadriceps (?) in the fall and now it looks like he may be facing surgery and additional time off from work. We'll know more on Thursday. Oh well, there is always next year.

Looking forward to seeing pictures of your "restored" garden and the remodeled kitchen!
Marylu
Steveningen
Original Author
16 years ago
It was so nice to come home from work today and see restored order. Several of you were on the mark about the hot shower and cold drink. However, yesterday called for beer. I had a couple of ice cold brews on the patio and was asleep by 10:00.

Let's face it, gardening in August can be brutal. To be honest, I'm not sure how much I would have been out there even without the kitchen remodel excuse. There's always so much going on at the end of summer. Something or other would have probably distracted me. But I'm going to remember this and be prepared next year. I really could have done a better job of cutting back things to prolong their bloom. I will never be a gardening fool in August, but I'll at least keep up with the bare mimimum.

The kitchen remodel is coming along quickly now. Brian's giving me a birthday party on Saturday and we've both been finishing the details. Lighting was installed over the past week. We've just finished patching the ceiling and have the first coat of paint done. All that will be left after Saturday will be the tile behind the stove and sink. We'll probably procrastinate that for a few weeks.

Marylu, I'm really sorry to hear about your husband. I remember you telling us about his fall. It's really too bad that it might come to surgery. I'll be thinking about you guys and waiting to hear back.

Hey everyone! I've been looking at bulbs already. You should be too. It won't be long!

Cheers,

Steven
kathi_mdgd
16 years ago
Steven,Would you like to come and help me?? You can enjoy the ocean view on your breaks and have a glass or 2 of fresh lemonade.

During that heat wave we had we let everything go and boy do we have to pay the piper now.We'll ger it done in time as long as the heat doesn't return.

Your before picture was Gorgeous.
kathi
homenovice
16 years ago
Glad to hear you're no longer under siege, Steven, and have many good things to look forward to - a fabulous fall flush, a finished kitchen, and a birthday party!

Anne
debby_1
16 years ago
I feel so much better knowing I'm not the only one. I've been beating myself up for not keeping up in the heat. Just now started getting back to the garden and the weather is finally cooling down. Thanks alot.
Debby
natvtxn
16 years ago
I wish I could have half your energy. Would you like free room and board for a week in San Antonio? If you can crawl afterwards, I'll buy beers down on the river.

This morning it is 60 degrees out and I am heading out to do what little bit I can before it gets hot. This has been a weird summer. It never got to 100.
DYH
16 years ago
Just beer? Come on, were are the margaritas? Frozen, please. As for a water view, all I've got to offer is the stream and the swimming pool.

It was 101 here on Monday. No rain in over 6 weeks. The drought and deer tolerant butterfly garden is hanging in there! The cottage garden is toast except for the lavender and the shady corner of Encore azaleas.

The rains will come -- hopefully by the weekend!

Cameron

I feel much better now.

Comments (18)

lindakimy

aftermidnight Zone7b B.C. Canada

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I feel much better now.

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