So true! How r u doing lilyfinch?

Lilyfinch posts on the seasonal thread--summer part 2. Her last posts were three days ago. that thread moves superfast, so you may have to do some looking to find the posts and photos. Diane

Thank you Diane, I didn’t think about checking that one out.

The photos are great, Lily, and I'm so glad you're doing well--your roses are lovely and sooo impressive for such a short time in your flower bed. I don't know if I could dig out all those red roses right now, either. They look too gorgeous--so wait til they're not blooming or looking so good. How about clematis, or one of the semi tropical vines that do so well in California for your arbor? I have an inkling how difficult it must have been to move and adjust so quickly to California. I don't blame you for being homesick at all. And accomplishing all that you have, while pregnant and taking care of another little one, is nothing short of amazing. Lots of good gardening things are in store for you. Diane

Jenna, you've already made your imprint on the front yard, and it's so much better than the mish mash of shrublets they plunk down for "curb appeal". I hope making it your own will lessen the pangs of being so far from home. I love the lacy-looking white bench also instead of the boring brown one. You're styling!

It looks great so far!!! So much more inviting than the before pictures!

That seasonal thread just goes way to fast for me to keep up, so I've been wondering about you, too. Was thinking of you while wandering through the veggie garden the other day. My sunflowers out there are doing great this year, but not many of the zinnias came up with them...was thinking I sure could use your zinnia magic...lol. You'll have to grow some in pots around your pool to put mine to shame :) Zinnias not so great this year, heat & humidity is terrible and an awful year for Japanese Beetles...the JBs have been here since early June and are still by the thousands out there eating my roses, dahlias and Crape Myrtles up...you aren't missing much fun in the SouthEast right now!

Give yourself plenty of time to adjust. When I was transferred to Atlanta many years ago, it took me at least 6 months to really feel like it was home even though it was only a 200 mile move with same climate and such. I was so worried about gardening on my little 1/4 acre lot in GA, but ended up really enjoying having a smaller area to maintain while the kids were young. When I was transferred back here seven years later, it was sure sad to leave. Even now that the kids are grown and gone, I sometimes miss the ease of that smaller space. You'll love having more time to splash around in the pool with the kids and take in all your new city has to offer.

My sparse crop of zinnias this year:

Jen, that is really shaping up! Are you going to grow any roses up the pillars? You could fit in a couple more that way and have some for cutting.Just sayin;! : ))

Thank you Lilyfinch! And thank you everyone. Your pictures look great, no doubt whatever you do, it will be beautiful I’m sure, you have excellent taste!

Jenn, what is your due date? I feel like our boys are coming very close together? Kanin is due Oct 16 but they think he will come early

Congrat relations our Steelers! I don't think I remember reading that you were expecting also. That is so great!

No, no, no!!!!!

I‘m gonna be a first time grandma:) No more sleepless nights for me!!!!!!

Heheh. Congratulations, oursteelers. You get all the fun and only a "little" bit of worry. I love being a grandma, but wish we could go back in time now that they are grown up. Diane

Lilyfincch, you've made that front walk look beautiful! Maybe you could just dig out the red roses as you get the new ones you want to replace them with instead of trying to do them all at once. Less daunting that way. Anyway, glad to hear you're OK and looking forward to seeing and hearing about your journey in a new land!

What a welcoming front yard you have made, Jenna. I love the little flag!

LOL!

I'm glad you are adjusting and doing well. I like Seil's idea of digging out roses as you get new ones..one or two at a time..or, enlisting the help of someone else to do the digging. Its too hot for hard labor lol. The heat is horrible on this side of the country now too. I barely go out in the garden except to water and take care of the chickens etc. Too hot and humid!

I like your entry way and arch. I think Quicksilver would be pretty there. Not that many people even know there are climbing lavender roses so it would be unique.

Your new roses in front look so healthy, and I love what you did with the front door!
For the bank of red roses, have you thought about putting them on Craigslist? " $5.00 you dig, all for $50?" Or even "Free, must take all"?

Carla in Sac

Thanks everyone!!!! I am due oct 26th. Lucia came on her due date unaided so I hope this one is similar :) oursteelers , love the name chosen !!!

I really should do one rose at a time back there .. I so wish these were all iceberg , I could live with those ! The red does look heathy and nice but I don’t love red unless it’s munstead or lady in red ... anyway y’all know the shopping part is where the real fun is !! Lol

i did order 4 clematis to use anywhere ..

emilia plater , blue angel , Margaret hunt and Perle d azure . The clematis vendor said Emilia would bloom best for me she thought. But anyone have any input on combining with quicksilver?

Pat , those zinnias still look great !! I sure miss them and the sunflowers too. There is a wild patch of branches sunflowers on the side of the road here and it’s so cute !

Thanks ingrid .. I will slowly remove the landscape plants as I add the good ones but for now it’s better than nothing! I hope to be the most charming home on the block :). When my husband isn’t traveling so much and we aren’t trying to be tourists I would love to come see your garden if you would like to get together! Lucia could hang out with him and I’d so enjoy that peace you seem to have there :) ! If you are up to it of course!!

Diane , thanks !! There is a pink bower vine I have my eye on and a lavender trumpet vine too I am dying to try. So beautiful to see for the first time !! They get huge so will be perfect for the wall .

Vapor , the Pilar’s would be great except they get shade awful quick .. I was thinking a hydrangea on the very shady side and maybe a rose on the other if it can tolerate morning sun and afternoon shade . I need to see the exact time the sun hides !!

Hi ben !! Always still admiring your garden and wishing you were my neighbor somehow so I could enjoy it !!

Sultry , it is so hot here too . Thank the Lord no humidity and I’m very grateful for the pool but man it’s hot !! Lucky the am and pm are nice to be outside. I used to have so much energy for digging, now I just run back to the air conditioner! Lol

thanks again sara Ann !! You sure know how to make a girl feel good !!

Heres a pic of Lucia with her new dinosaur bedding . It’s finally her “big girl bed “ ! I have to get her room in shape but she chose the color yellow for it and is still obsessed with dinosaurs so we ran with it . She’s been into them 6 mo or so .. so it’s not a fad , she even calls the baby “ dinosaur (name A we are picking) or dinosaur ( name b) . She cracks me up!!

Leonardo da Vinci

I got this neat solar birdbath fountain. It did wonderful this am but is very sun sensitive. One branch started to shadow a leaf on it and it stopped . I’m trying to decide if I’ll jist ignore it if it’s not working or order a different one . But when the birds came to play in it that was wonderful!! I really want a real fountain but we need electric ran and who knows what else . :)

Edit : hi Carla !! I have thought of that! My only fear is the sprinkler lines being cut by someone .. I literally sliced through one the very first shovel I put in the front! lol I do think someone would want them .. maybe I’ll see what response I get . It’s going to be sooo hot this week I’ll try next week . Certainly not digging this week !! lol

Oh, that is the most adorable picture of Lucia. She's just the sweetest little girl. I would love to meet you, Jenna. At the moment I'm almost incapacitated by the heat, but have some renewed hope that my doctor may have some solutions when I see him soon.

I like your fountain with the birds at the base, that's rather unique. It makes me want to buy another one in addition to the two I already have!

Jen, you're place already looks so fabulous I can see your creative touch everywhere you've gotten so much done in such a short time no telling what that place will look like in a year from now well done congratulations on the baby and lucea is absolutely adorable

Jen,
Love what you did with the front. The cream door color is much more your style. Apparently previous owners loved red! Gotta make it your own. I have drip lines everywhere since last October so the only digging now is with a hand shovel, but I might get a bigger small shovel. Someone on the forum suggested these 3 websites, which I bookmarked. I don’t really mind a small yard, since less work. I do get to enjoy being out on my covered patio and relaxing since there is often nothing for me to do in the yard right now. But over 90 is too hot for me! I get migraines from being out in the heat so I have to stay indoors. We do have such pleasant cool mornings though.
https://www.greenherontools.com/product-category/digging-tools/
http://brookandhunter.com/dy-handle-tools/border-shovel.html
https://www.myhardwaresupply.com/store/p/35587-8-1/4x6in-Floral-Shovel.aspx

Ingrid , and Stephanie , I noticed this am you can really feel the heat coming early! But I am so happy to get up early and water plants then enjoy the quiet before my little girl wakes up . ;)

stephanie , is it easy to repair a cut drip line? I suppose I should google. I am not even sure this area is working anyway. Since we didn’t install them we have no clue what we are doing !! Lol

thank you Kristine !!! I’m trying to do all I can !! It’s fun and challenging at the same time .

Oh Jen, I’m not sure I would recognize the front of your house, anymore! It looks amazing, and shows so much more of your personality. The old look was just generic. You’re putting your own beautiful style into what folks will see as they drive by. I’m quite impressed with how much you’ve done so quickly. I’ve also been incredibly impressed with how many nurseries you’ve found that carry great roses. Jenna has found nurseries that carry amazing roses that I never knew existed. (I’m talking about nurseries that I didn’t know about.). I was born and raised here, yet Jenna has found all sorts of great nurseries that I’ve never heard of.

What do you think of hiring someone to rip out all those red roses in one chunk? If you join the “Nextdoor” group for your area, you could post an add for local recommendations. I have a feeling you could get someone over there for a fairly low cost to remove them in one swoop.. You will of course, want to have that person come when Brian is home, so you feel safe. I think your neighbors would have good recommendations for you. It would be so much easier on you, considering your pregnancy and the heat.

I also think posting an add to let people come “dig your own roses” would work. It would be nice if someone took all or many at once, though. It can get a little tedious to have 13 different people coming to chose one rose each, and arrive with no tools or containers. I’ve done the “dig your own” thing on Craig’s list before with a patch of agapanthus. I got rid of most of them, and met some nice people along the way. If you go the “come dig your own roses” route, just make sure people know they should bring their own supplies, including some potting soil and containers. You don’t want to be left with a bed totally empty of both roses AND soil. These are just a few things I learned when I gave away roses and agapanthus. It really is an excellent way to be rid of them without doing the actual digging yourself. I bet they could be gone over the weekend, if you went with either option.

You’re doing a wonderful job. I’m looking forward to seeing it soon, preferably on a day that the pool will be a welcome relief:). It’s supposed to get pretty hot soon. You haven’t seen anything yet! Lol. I’m so glad to see all your pictures. I can’t imagine how lovely it will be when you’re truly done,(not that gardeners ever are “truly done.”). What you’ve already done is nothing short of amazing. You’re a Wonder Woman! Lisa

It’s looking beautiful! You’re doing an amazing job, and I can’t wait to see how it all progresses as time goes by. You have such a talent, and your love for beauty really shines in your gardens. Love the picture of Lucia! Blessings on you and baby. That will be such an exciting change for your family.

Lilyfinch,

I know you asked Stephanie how to repair a cut drip line so please excuse me for jumping in here.

Check this site out for info on drip repair etc:

https://misterlandscaper.com/

I have a drip system that has worked great for the past 20 years so if you can’t find your answer let me know.

To answer your question it depends on the size of the line.

For 1/2 inch feed lines you can install what I call a ‘feed thru’

https://misterlandscaper.com/12-in-poly-coupling-qty-2

You simply cut out a small section of the line, (1/2 inch or so) insert the ends into the ends of the feed through and tighten.

For 1/4 inch hose, just cut out the bad section, insert a feed thru into the ends and you’re done.

The 1/4 inch hose connectors are very hard to insert. The trick to get them in the end of the hose is to NOT try to twist them. Just bend the hose and the connector (feed thru)

https://misterlandscaper.com/14-in-vinyl-barb-x-barb-coupler-qty-15 

back and forth. It will go in very slow so take your time…. maybe get the DH to do that…. lol

You local big box stores may carry the connectors.

Hope that helps,

Toolbelt, thanks for jumping in. I am just learning about mine. We have the large lines that snake around the yard about 6 inches deep. Then all the little feeder drip lines off the main line, one for each plant. Sometimes one feeder drip line gets clogged and I have replaced a few. I have also plugged a few since the landscapers went overboard in a couple places that were getting too much water. I get all my supplies at Landscape Warehouse, but it is a small local chain with only 7 locations. They have such wonderful and helpful employees even though they mostly cater to professional landscapers. My DH wants to go on a walk now that it’s cooler, but I will pull out the supplies my landscaper left with me and take pics to show you...probably in the morning.

Thank you Lisa , dilly and toolbelt and Stephanie !!

Lisa thank you since you know what it started as . Dare I say the house is growing on me ;). Just a smidge!!

I think I will post an ad on next door , it’s very active here . Can’t hurt to have someone else do the work !! Lol

dilly , I loveee seeing your boys on the seasonal thread . It makes me so happy to see another mama with babies in tow “ helping “ . They sure make things fun and interesting!!

Toolbelt I appreciate the website!! And info too . There is a bucket of supplies in the garage I need to check out . We are planning on having someone come out and show us the ropes since we are new to this .

Stephanie thank you for the info about yours ! I wish I knew the pattern and where it all was . Some of my drip emitters are visible and others are buried. I’m trying to replace plants in the same holes so I don’t ruin things but I can’t guarantee it each time :)

the house came with lots of fruit trees ! We have white peaches now ( giving them away there’s so many ) had black cherries , avocados are growing, apricots already done for, plums are ripening, Fiji apples on the way and pears are halfway there too. Here’s a cute bunch of grapes taking over the world

Some kinda spider if you know what it is I’d love to know ! His name is herbie :)

I’m trying so hard to get good bird photos . Not good at all but I’ll get there . Finally got my canon rebel unpacked though , maybe I’ll have luck tomorrow!

Everything is so pretty Lily Finch. Have you seen the spider's web yet? That could help identify it I had one last year that was really cool with markings like that and it was called a zipper spider because it's webbing looked exactly like a zipper. I am extremely jealous of your fruit trees by the way. I always think about growing some but then never do.

Jen,
Wow so much fruit! I have two strawberry plants from Annie’s Perennials because they have golden leaves. Surprisingly the berries are amazingly tasty, but tiny. It’s called ‘Golden Alexandria' and they have been pumping out the berries for over a month now with no signs of stopping. Otherwise I have just herbs for eating and a baby kumquat. To find the main lines find a dripper and then follow it back to source to see the direction the main is running. Then follow that. You can tap into it to add more drippers if you are going to plant more densely than they did. I use 5 gal per hour connectors for each rose and 2 gal per hour for all the other plants including herbs, salvias, kangaroo paw Hellebores, Westringia, Cistus, Lomandra and Heliotrope. Roses like more water.
I will take pictures of my supplies in the morning. Also, if you need to ever upgrade the controller Rachio is amazing! Everything is controlled from their app on my phone and I use their setting that adapts watering needs to the weather. It never came on for several months in the winter since it knew we didn’t need it. We have the Rachio unit installed under the house (large crawl space) so it is protected from the elements and we have never needed to touch it. I love it!!!

Everything looks great! The arch will look so welcoming covered with roses.

Here is the system I have, see pics. Next time I go to Landscape Warehouse I will see what brand they are. You push the sharp black point of the red 2 gal or brown 5 gal per hour dripper into the black 1/2 tube that snakes around the yard. The all black is a plug to stop up a dripper hole you no longer need. The landscape guy says you can use the sharp tip of the metal stake to punch a hole in the 1/2” tube to make it easier to punch the dripper in. Then you cut the narrow tube to reach the plant and secure it with plastic stake. Far end of the long 1/2 line was folded over on itself and zipped tied; they said this is more secure than a cap that could push out over time. The other end goes to the valve. I have 4 garden zones done this way and Rachio knows they are perennials so based on our weather lately it waters them about one a week for 2 hours at a time so the water soaks in deeply. Many people make the huge mistake of dripping every few days for 30-40 minutes, which is a disaster to the plant if the dripper fails since plant won’t have deep roots and will probably die before you realize it broke. My 5th garden zone is for annuals near the porch and a set of patio pots. Rachio knows this zone is annuals and waters them every 2 or 3 days for 45 min. You can’t have water loving annuals and planter pots or window boxes on the same zone as perennials, since you would be forced to water every 2-3 days to keep the shallow roots annuals and planter pots moist enough, thus creating shallow rooted perennials. My annual bed is also a brown copper infused 1/2 inch line with a hole every 12” so the whole line weeps. Copper keeps plant roots from going into the line and clogging it. I also show a pic of my valves with wires coming out of valve that go to Rachio. There is also a pressure reducer (and maybe an anti syphon component?) between water-line and valve. Drip systems require much lower water pressure than what you get coming into the house.

Just a note to say that we are rooting for you, Lilyfinch! That was a huge move, that a lot of us can sympathize with from past personal experiences.

Your new yard is shaping up wonderfully - if you're so inclined (no pressure!), it might be fun to start a thread to follow the progression of upating your yard - I know I would find it interesting & informative!

P.S. Re spiders, wear gloves!!!

Lily, So happy to see your bird bath made it! So now we still have our matchy match Swan birdbaths LOL! I love them ♡

Your spider looks to be some type of orb weaver which are non aggressive, nice spiders. They make cool webs and should lay some big egg sacks towards the end of summer or beginning of fall. Mine like to hang them off my trellises or tall vines. I think they are decorating for Halloween.