Belle, what are you high on?

heehee
Patty

I'll have what she's having. :-)

New here, can I jump in?

My backyard is growing a pond (expecting ducks any day). The front is doing relatively well. The coreopsis, black-eyed susans, purple coneflower and astilbe are growing like crazy. The annuals I planted in pots right before the deluge began (two weeks ago?) are looking ok, but could use some sun. The pachysandra that I want to tear out is doing great without any sun. My hydrangea, which flowered for the first time last year, is looking good so far but it's too soon to tell if I will get flowers again. Fingers crossed!

I was away picking up my daughter at college, visiting my Mom on Mother's Day. It was worth the drive to Pennsylvania as it was sunny!!! Not all the time, but on parts of Thurs., Saturday and all day Friday. I planted some annuals for my Mom. Her lilies are growing tall (none of those red beetles there yet).

My garden looks so lush. New grass coming up from the bare patches where I planted some seed. Buds forming on my peonies. The upside with the cooler weather is the lilac blooms are lasting longer. Same with some of my late season daffodils.

So far nothing. I have containers to plant, annuals to buy, shrubs and trees to plant, plants to move, I need to get a truckload of compost and topdress the older gardens, I need a truckload of mulch, last week we had a hot tub delivered and the bluestone patio around it needs to be installed. Unfortunately I've either been tied up with other things or it's been raining. Last night I even started cleaning the house-unheard of in May...lol. The garden looks great though-green and lush.

On Thursday night Tony Avent is speaking at the CT Hort Society meeting and a few of us are meeting for dinner at the Pond House Cafe in Elizabeth Park before the meeting. At least that will be something garden related to look forward to. Then on Friday I plan to take the day off from work and go nursery crawling with a friend. It's supposed to rain but who cares-rainy days are the best days to visit nurseries.

Sue

Oh, heck. First sign of die-back on my tree peonies. I thought that I'd averted a repeat of this by keeping that area immaculate, but I guess this weather would make fungus unstoppable. Ends of branches, both leaves and stem, turn black and mushy overnight; it's very sad.

I started having withdrawal symptoms from being out of the garden so long, so I visited the forestfarm web site and did a little damage to my credit card; willow oak, ginkgo ... you know, small stuff that you can tuck in "anywhere".

Rounded it out with a trip to Mahoney's, pretending to look for potting soil, but found that the temperennials are in. They have a good assortment of tender salvias.

I have been weeding during breaks in the downpours. The weeds really do pop right out of the soil, it's almost worth getting cold and getting soaked.

Weeding and resiting the planned water garden. Mom Nature knows better than me! :-)

Took the rainy time to go through many books that haven't been cracked in years. The 1996 copy of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden still holds true for newly establishing gardens and got a lot of good reminders/ hints.

Trying to keep annuals started from seed hardened off without rotting. An old fitted sheet over a three tier stand seems to be working well.

Greenhouse lurking all over Massachusetts and northern CT for temperennials I don't yet have. Some great stuff out there in the little "local hero, locally grown" stands. Cleaning containers in anticipation of planting these new babies and cuttings I took last fall.

Took out all bird feeders. This was a tough decision but I want nature to take its course and the plantings will soon replace the human provided food. Not to mention that I have sunflowers and millet sprouting EVERYWHERE! Checked with a local Ornithologist to be sure none of my feathered friends would be harmed.

Looking forward to this weekend when hopefully, there will be a lot more "in the garden" to report.

Martie

Well thank goodness my yard didn't hold water.. it went right into my basement... Oh well... yes the lawn looks incredible, but i need to mow it big time... My broccoli is starting to crown... I gotta watch out for the woodchuck Like I need anymore stress...

I can't seem to focus this week (or maybe I'm just too lazy to do some of the big jobs) so I did dribs and drabs of things all week so far.

I planted out some more winter-sown annuals and veggies, planted some more of my Bluestone order, started edging my big lasagna bed I made last fall in preparation to plant it with more annuals for my cutting garden, and Sue, you'll be glad to know that I actually got a few plants from previous swaps into the ground, not to mention some columbines that I winter-sowed in 2004-2005 and that were still living in the bottoms of milk jugs!

And in general I did a lot of walking back and forth between beds looking around an awful lot - I call it envisioning and planning, but to be honest, I think it's just a lot of stalling! Oh, and I did start about six more jugs of seeds - like I really need them! Still have over 100 sprouted and waiting to be planted!

:)
Dee

So happy to say that I finished spreading my mulch. Amazing how much heavier that last 2 yards was after the rains.... I am also happy to note that the first 2 yards (spread pre-rain) hadn't washed away.
Now I am planning my list of what to buy at the SisterPlants.com plant sale this weekend. Their plant list looks interesting.
ML

Went to a local plant sale and got some evening primrose which I added to my go-as-crazy-as-you-want planting area on a dry bank with some nepata and St. John's Wort. Also got some Rozanne geranium and planted those elsewhere.

Moved the PP heuchura AGAIN!!!! Nowhere to put it now so it's temporarily "planted" in a pile of compost until I decide where the heck to put those silly plants. I don't think I have enough shade to really make them work anywhere!

Gave a neighbor a medium sized bleeding heart that had outgrown it's spot. Planted it for her...cuz I'm nice that way. :)

Staked my irises which look gorgeous!

Put in my cucumbers and peppers.

Weeded and fussed over things.

Thought I should probably get some mulch down soon but didn't.

And it's raining again.

Patty

Didn't get nailed too bad with the rain, but a couple of my gardens collected enough water to make it impossible for me to work in them for a few days. Still debating on doing the drainage project, but with the estimated cost and DD's recent acceptance to grad school, it may get put off for another year - so I'm waffling about where to plant things.

I planted a number of WS annual seedlings into containers & hanging baskets to place around the yard, and some perennial seedlings into grow-on pots. There is a LOT of weeding to be done, but some of the soil is truly mud right now, so I don't want to do damage. I should be able to make a little headway with that today if it doesn't rain again.

I dug up some kerria japonica suckers from a neighbor's plant that I've been admiring for a few years.

That's about all that happened in my garden this week.