Wow 5 weeks away and you’ve still got time to work in your garden? No wonder you have anxiety lol.

Bravo and congrats! :)

I finally took some time off to have an extra-long holiday weekend to get stuff done and actually enjoy the process, and what happens? I catch a blasted summer cold last weekend! I'm feeling better but still not 100%. Plus, allergies are BEASTLY this season, the pollen count is off the charts, and that's really draining me. I did manage to get some re-arranging of my back bed project done, which I knew I had to do since I was taking a road trip out to a nursery and needed to figure out what was on the "must buy" list. So at least there's that. Except I ended up with a car-ful of plants (20...), on top of all the other potted stuff I have to plant...oh man. Well, my goal today is to finish off the back bed as best I can (a few of the potted stuff is going in there - will be fast to top that off), and cut out at least one part of the new bed/border widening project. I figure if I at least do that, DH can till in some manure tomorrow that we have left from last year, and next weekend I can get that area planted. I also have some vegetable seeds to plant (peas, beets, etc) -- at least that doesn't take a lot of energy.

So to sum it up -- my motivation is returning but my body isn't cooperating at the moment...

Phooey, drat, darn it, dang!!!! I planted a couple of things this weekend with the hopes of rain, but the rain is going the other way. It was to come from a tropical storm/hurricane and I do not envy those on the Gulf. Stay safe y'all!!!! and send the rain my way when you shoo it away. Instead, we've had blisteringly hot, dry weather. Great for swimming pool parties (yesterday, summer's last hurrah in the USA), but not so good for plants.

Rob I can’t even count the number of times Ive planted right before the ‘predicted’ rain...only to not see a single drop!! Very frustrating to say the least...

I woke up in the middle of the night to a long steady 1" rain so I guess I can stop my kevetching and do some gardening. A lot of my work will be restoring a stressed out garden with stressed out soil and figuring out which plants are live and which are dead. The 11"- 14" has been upped one inch. It is still woefully behind a 30" norm. More to come this week, THEY SAY. My cisterns are filling and i am happy . It is still in the upper 90's.NOT 100.

Here's a look at my burnt wonder of a garden. The plants are worse off than after the 6" year with over 70 days above 100 not this years 50. . I think that is because they were spoiled by three wet years and their roots were no longer deep.

CRUD, I am having a hard time putting photos in . I will try in an edit.

I moved a few things around over the weekend and ended up with this lovely combo!

My garden pictures · More Info

My cisterns are FULL! We had another 1.5" in a n hour last night. Today, I had a tooth pulled .These might be unrelated in your book but in mine , it means a trip to the plant nursery X 2. I always go to the nursery after dentistry... Weeding out teeth, weeding out plants. Implants/transplants. rain makes me feel like getting hands dirty Now I need a trailer full of compost for my tired garden. I better let the pain meds wear off before I hook up my trailer and sally forth

Lol!! Good to hear and I love your reasoning :) but sorry about the tooth loss...

The temp has finally dropped (70’s) here so I’m itching worse than ever to get out there.

Especially now that I have three pallets of mulch to put down. Took advantage of Lowes Labor Day sale and stocked up. I most likely over bought, but it’s not something that will go to waste that’s for sure.

First I have to weed and plant/divide. Hoping the weekend is dry so I can get lots done!!

Woohoo I’m excited! :)

I planted my pot ghetto yesterday, had grown from seed: rhodiola, Veronicastrum, Althea officinalis, Stachys officinalis in my new raised ‘permaculture’ bed made of twigs, leaves, wood chips etc, it had become wonderful soil after 1 season.

still waiting on planting my Meconopsis and sanguisorba seedlings

High today of 68 and overcast. Perfect day to get out there and get planting!!

Rain forcasted for tomorrow but it sure looks like it’s all south of here. I’ll be back out there if we don’t see any.

Didn’t get started today until about 1:30 as I worked till noon. Was able to get about 40 plants div/moved. Lots of royal candles, Caradonna, white wands, red fox and wine cups. I planted quite a bit on the sloped bed which takes me longer as it requires a balancing act lol.

Feels good to get things crossed off my list. Now only about 5000 more to go. It sure seems like it anyway....

Anyone else having good weather? and have you been busy out there??

GardenHO, currently 58°F here, going down to around 50°F at night. It's also overcast but we're at a too dry point along the apparent roller coaster of too dry alternating with too wet that we've been on this year.

Sometimes have to bite the bullet; come to the conclusion that our big old globe thistle (from a fall fair years ago) is too big for our own small garden. Am pretty sure it's Echinops sphaerocephalus 'Arctic Glow'. Have divided and moved it around in the past, but our small garden's got too crowded.

Currently have E. ritro 'Vietch's Blue', a survivor in our garden and just chanced on E. bannaticus 'Star Frost' (small pots, 50% off) in a garden centre in cottage country. Both of the latter globe thistles will grow to a height which is even a bit taller than of 'Arctic Glow'; however, none of the Echiops we've had in the garden have ever been as vigorous and got so massive (dense) as the 'Arctic Glow'.

Am currently taking stock of what we have, as always, attempting to avoid problems next year (gaps, plants cutting out light at the growing time of lower plants, etc.). Below our 'Arctic Glow' (back, left, this Aug. 1 ), a division planted probably 4 years ago. But at least I have the satisfaction of moving some of the plant to a larger garden where people can like its shape or form and where it can continue to support the local bee populations.

And perhaps, after all, I'll keep a bit, a little bit!

Sunny it’s chilly here too and perfect for planting. It’s also Damp and hard on the joints unfortunately.

That ‘artic glow’ is a monster although a beautiful backdrop. I can see why you want to keep just ‘a little bit’ ;0)

I’m seeing a problem with a noid sedum I have. They are beautiful but becoming monsters in width. It’s one I’d like to keep and most likely will have to divide every spring and giveaway.

Today I was able to move and divide quite a bit, plus dug more holes before the drizzle started.

I’m determined to get things planted and mulched so I can get my scraping and painting done before it gets too cold.

We all know how fast time flies....

I am sitting on my hands today trying NOT to garden.. We are having more rain today . We are up to 10" since tuesday early morning. I need to wait but this moisture is setting off an urge to plant that is SO strong. Let the ground be not saturated, puddles gone . I do have some milk weeds, Echeandia texenses and red Salvia greggii ready to plant. I went around and pulled my three variety of Euphorbia nuttin'burgerii.It is in th 70"s!!!! and I can't garden. It will be 85 and humid as hell soon. Am I crazy not to plant?

Wow 10”?...that’s crazy!! Be careful what you wish for sure applies here.

I can understand your ‘urge’ to get out there....hopefully soon!!

It’s going to get hot again here by the end of the week so I’m sure I’ll be out there watering all the transplants as usual....

Recognize wantonamara's frustration with no-gardening rain days; but still have to remember that rain is highly convenient when the garden really needs it.

Can also identify with GardenHo's comments about joints; am thinking the real problem for me is the current cold combined with damp. Was doing very well with the recent hot humidity. Only concern there was in avoiding dehydration.

Oh my gosh! We got rain. Glorious rain. I transplanted and planted from 6:30AM-4PM on Saturday. Whew. I still have some plants in my nursery, but most of it is far happier now that it's in the ground and rained on. Whew. Sending it your way campanula!

Yep - got some too. I am frantically attempting to get some order, shuffling the pots about to make way for a last minute seed sowing of fast germinators (dianthus, a couple of penstemons, knapweeds, flax, verbascum, serrulata, erysimun...and a slew of hardy annuals to go in nursery beds (which I have not yet made). I need the greenhouse to be emptied for the winter sowing.

Plus I have a load of hellebores, campanulas, lunaria, aconitum and hardy geraniums to plant in the shadier bits of the wood. Then the roses (16 of them)...which is the biggest nightmare of all (although moving a gigantic tree paeony is making me feel a bit sick too.). I have had to make lists and plans!

The cider press is nearly finished though, so making use of the apples will absolutely give me bonus virtue points.

And here I am heming and hawing over getting out of my nightie to plant some milkweed. Cedar press , eh?

Too much rain last night. Too much gardening to do. Too slippery to walk in the flower beds. Too many complaints!

On a serious vein; wishing the safest and best for those in the potential paths of Hurricane Florence.

Finally got rain yesterday! We have had rain in the forecast many days for the last month but it has missed us. It was only a slight step above a Scotch mist but I will take it.

I have been digging for days in preparation for planting. It started out as redoing granite dust walkways and turned into a major redo of some beds. I now have 4 areas on the go but this was the biggest.

I took out 2 big garbage bags full of Lily of the Valley in this area that I never planted. Thanks to a bird it was mixed in with Thyme, Artemisia pontica, Phlox p. and various other plants. Twenty feet of mess! A work in progress. I am looking forward to planting.

3.24" of rain the last 3 days and more forcast for today and tomorrow. Hoping it will be dry enough to dig on saturday or sunday

I desperately needed the rain, things are crazy so I don't have time to water nearly as much as I need to. Resulting in my poor water-crazy Hardy hibiscuses shriveling up, hopefully they'll bounce back though!

Sympathies, kali_c.; that was us last week.

Peren_all, a lovely background/frame to a perennial bed.

Re lily-of-the-valley, also not planted by me: have waged several campaigns against it in the past; the worst situation was having it extend it's spread to underneath evergreen shrubs. Had heard that there's a pink-flowering form which is much aggressive. Still once bitten, twice shy!

Kali, I plant plants that can take my summer time lapses due to summertime deadlines in my work. If it is not a deadline , it is a drought.

Thanks sunnyborders, I live in a forest and on two sides of the garden it is only the rocks pushed back over the years (house built in 1830) that separate the garden from it.

Lily of the Valley is one of the worst scourges any gardener could face isn't it? This is my second major battle with it. The only herbaceous plants on the property when acquired were a Peony and the horrid L of the V.

I dug out an area roughly 35 x 12 feet. Now that was a really big job, so I can empathize completely. I can only assume you had to uproot the shrubs to get it out. Yes I am with you on the pink variety! No interest in another potential nightmare plant!

Just kept digging (sliding/chopping) my spade under the shrubs, but ultimate success did take about eight years.

Your property sounds like both an opportunity and a challenge, perennials.all. Around here, it's neighbours and their trees. In cottage country here, it's trees and the deer.

Good to hear so many are getting rain!

Kali your turn is coming I’m sure. We’ve had a few little showers here and there but could sure use more.

Perenn.all that is quite the project you’ve got going! So sorry to hear about all the LOV. I’ve considered planting it at times and by the sounds of it I’m very thankful that I didn’t.

I’m looking forward to seeing what you do in this bed. Please keep us updated :)

I’m still digging away at my list. I’m about 90% done...then on to the mulch!

I wasn’t really planning on any fall planting or moving but then I stopped by two nurseries and this happened:

I blame my own natural plant addiction plus all the great ideas from this site. Oh well, it will keep me busy today.

It's still raining in Texas. I was out working my vegetable garden, a raised bed, between showers yesterday. I turned in some compost and there was still dry soil after 10" of rain down about 4 " down. CRAZY. I am sticking pipes around in the garden for watering my tomatoes to get the water deep down.. Boy did I get muddy and bit by fire ants. I also put out more Ageratina havanense in the woods . I placed them around seedling red oaks because deer do not like them due to toxicity. Defensive gardening. I put some salvia farenacea in the field. Just helping nature along. I have a couple hundred crag lilies for the bees to go into the ground.

Ugh! It's finally the weekend and I have all day free today to spend outside, and instead of it being wonderful September working weather, it's hot and ridiculously HUMID - it's miserable, and it takes at least twice as long to get anything done when the air is so thick and heavy with moisture. BAH! Well, at least the sun is shining and we don't get hurricanes in Michigan...

How hot is hot in Michigan?

Mid-80s in Michigan for the next few days. I may wait until next weekend to plant some of my new pile.

Mid 80's is cool planting weather for me right now.... as long as it is wet. My clothes look like I an doing a fair imitation of a Thai rice farmer. 80 and HUMMID. Its different from 100 and baking. I wouldn't be planting if it was late spring and mid 80's and wet. I know we are in the descending fall mode. September is a wet month so I am taking advantage of it while I can. It can also still be in the 100's. this mid 80's is early so I am taking advantage of it.

I need to add a flat of Nolina texana to my list of things going out into the wild.

It's the humidity that's a beast for us at times -- being the Great Lakes state and all... I do have to soften my above rant, though -- I finally dragged myself out there and found there is a good breeze, it's not as miserable as yesterday afternoon. Yea, it's relative, though -- 80s probably does feel cool to you wantonamara! :0)

I plant tough plants and it is cool to them too. I recognize that it is all about perspective when people who are cooler and wetter complain. Your bodies AND PLANTS die where mine say this is cool."" 32 nolina's going out today. 100 more to follow. They are tiny seedlings. It is about poking a hori hori life in the rocky soil and inserting the plant.. It is a native but none seem to germinate because the deer browse the flowers so I help it along.

Everything is divided, moved, planted and watered in well!! I can’t express how good it feels to finally be done.

I could have been done sooner but I saw a few ‘visions’ along the way that I had to take care of ;0)

The weather really cools off this weekend so I’m hoping I’ll have the energy to get started on the mulch.

Ugh Im sure going to need it...

i didn’t have a lot to plant, but my bluestone order came in and I was able to get those planted in between the rainy days, as well as dig up some daylilies and do some weeding. I have ordered from them many times in the past and know the plants are small but it was a bit of a shock nonetheless to see how small the box of plants was for the amount I spent.

They used to be so reasonable, and I bought so many tiny shrubs and perennials that took off and did so well over the years. Now a four inch pot costs as much as a gallon pot at the local nursery. The hardy geraniums I planted might be mistaken for stray weeds that popped up when I wasn’t looking. Have to mark them so DH doesn’t pull or spray them By mistake.

Yeah, those plants just get smaller and smaller from them imo. I only buy from them now if I cannot find it elsewhere:( They do have a great guarentee though so at least it is there if you need it.

I know, mailorder is so expensive nowadays. They make their sales look so appealing and then you get the shipping shock!

Got my 3 Clethra ruby spice plants in the ground and 9 heart-leaved and big-leaved aster plugs. I started digging in one spot and ran into an enormous tree root from a black cherry tree that is no longer there, I had to keep moving over until I could dig a planting hole. I planted the asters on top of the old roots just so I wouldnt have a sea of weeds coming up, and I didnt really know where to plant the asters anyway. Aimless seed sowing at its finest. I have a whole bunch of Aquilegia canadensis and polemonium reptans plugs I could try planting in there too.

I have bare root flowering dogwood seedlings in that white bucket, in a mix of orchid bark and perlite. I think I will plant them, or at least one of them, to the right of the clethra near the other fence line.

Fall will be kicking into gear soon, and I cant wait to put the leaves to use.

Today 20 salvia greggia, 3 Bauhinia mexicana have gone in the ground and it is just after 12. I am on a roll doing the rice farmer imitation. We had another 3" of rain last night.

I finished up the day planting about 100 Nolina texana seedlingsunder red oaks and mountain ashe treeson my wet hills in a random pattern , looking more for the picturesque groves , natural water patterns and some inches of light soil amongst the limestone.. I will be happy if 1/4 of them live. Really, it is amazing too be able to plants so soon. Usually, it is late October before I start planting. Tomorrow , I have 10 Kidneywood shrubs( Eysenhardtia texana) to plant and a couple hundred Echeandia texensis seedlings. I am not going to waste this rain and a long growth period in the fall.

Loading the pick-up with 80 verbascum seedlings, 50 or so dianthus, a dozen salvia greggii, 30odd salvia nemorosa, hypericums, campanulas, lunarias, ferns, hellebores, lychnis, liatris, potentillas, knapweeds, dierama, lavenders,scabious, silenes, hardy geraniums, sedums, malva moschata, a couple of dozen tree saplings, a large magnolia, lilac, contorted hazel...oh, pretty much all of last years seedlings and several years worth of tree seedlings, to clear the space for this years seedlings, quite a few needing pricking out already. This is my main planting out period...in fact, my only planting window at the wood so it is all a bit feverish right now - but have all week to get the ground prep finished and stuff in the ground. Then bulbs. Then bare roots. Then hedging.

Obviously, have failed to make even the most rudimentary plans but I have a shedload of hardy annual seed to plant so if it all starts to go pear shaped, I don't care - flowers...and lots of them, are inevitable

Congrats GardenHo! So happy you got it all done! That is a lot of mulch to get spread but at the rate you are going I have little doubt you will get it done!

I wish I could say the same lol. Good on all of you making such progress!

Plans , what are plans when you are in the woods. I am "anti plans". I do the meander with hori hori philosophy of planting. I like to think of what nature would do . Where would the different plants want to grow with a tad of impromptu on the spot aesthetic consideration thrown in . A clumping here and then wander to another outcropping and pleasurable red oak spot and more planting tumbling down the slope. Camp, What is your survival rate in your small seedling plantings the wild. I am hoping for better this winter. The nolina seedlings I put out this spring did horrendously. I found 3 out of 30 or so. But I was fearful of that when I put them out in April but I dug them in anyway. The ground was Dust dry all the way down deep because of how dry the winter was. I was hoping for May rains but they did not materialize. I almost held them back till fall, but then I would not have room to plant more seeds. The perennial garden dilemma..I need to shut up clean the kitchen and get back out to stabbing the ground.

Thank you peren.all but see my new post : /

O Mara, some of them are complete disasters - amsonia for example - not a single one survived. Mertensia - same....yet primula vulgaris has multiplied like crazy, even in bone dry soil and overlooked all season by immense burdocks and such...and scabious, jasione, echiums, hellebores do well...but grow very slowly - need to add on a couple of years compared to life on the allotment. I am not really gardening as such - just hoping to colonise a few areas with a bit more diversity than nettle, bramble and the ever-present silene dioica, anthriscus, angelica, hieracleum and torilis. Autumn planting is my only hope though, so I am keen to pick the tightest window - still lots of warmth in the soil and hope for rain.

My game plan, if you can call it a game plan is to grow stuff every year and put out some stuff every year. One of these years will be a gentle year and a few of them will take. With the Nolinas, I have a flowering stand in my garden that I dug the starts for from up in my hills and moved them down to my garden when they were tiny. Now I get tons of seed off of them . I collect the seed, and grow 2 flats of PACKED plants for a year (suaually) and then put them out. Usually over the winter, I find that many of them loose their roots so this fall , I am experimenting with putting them out now when they are 6 months younger , in the fall. I cast out the remaining seed back into the hills also. It is a rough neighborhood out there. I have found that putting down berms of cut brush over the seed areas that I start helps in germination somewhat. Maybe , I am imagining things.

This week is the week for planting my 6 physocarpus Amber Jubilee, 3 amsonias and the 2 remaining hydrangeas. Need to move a few peonies around and plant a few oddball group of leftover plants. too. With the help from my husband, we got 7 hydrangea arborescense planted in front of the house. How nice it is to see foundation plants again. We moved into our house 3 years ago and I immediately removed all the spiraea that was planted. And there the area sat empty until this week. Better late than never! I LOVE THIS WEATHER. I just cannot handle working for very long in the summer heat. I live for fall, and the thoughts of next years beauty.

1/2 the Nolina texana that I planted yesterday. I shake off the loose seeding soil and plant them straight into native soil.

I lied , I only got the 100 Echeandia texensis in. The kitchen cleaning took a long time. Each bunch is 10 babies. Yes , they are small. A stab with a hori hori will get them into wet soil. I have bloom stalks coming up on the ones that I planted last year. Boy do the honey bees like them, and boy are they drought tolerant. A tough plant.

They are native to the very tip of south Texas but they do grow in OKC. I don't know about further north.