Wednesday Ramblings

Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Yesterday my sister came over and helped me with my garden. She stands on the landscape fabric until I can get it fastened down! Hey, it may not sound like an important job, but when you don't HAVE that person---you just can't do it!


Currently my garden looks like this, lots of bricks, boards, posts, tomato cages and straw bales holding down the fabric. I have a few squash to plant yet tonight, and when they are up, I will spread the straw over the whole garden and water it down well. This keeps my garden from drying out and the fabric from coming loose. The fabric will allow water through, but will not let weeds come up through the fabric. A few oats will sprout from the bales, but they will die off when they cannot root through the fabric. When it is all covered, I have a hose with spray nozzles every so often that I can position to water the entire garden. All summer all you have to do is turn the hose on. Easy. In the fall I pull up all the tomato cages and posts, boards etc, and all the mulch is tilled back into the garden.

Remember those perennial sweet peas I have been planting the last couple of years--two of the plants are now waist high--













Hard to believe I started these from seeds three years ago, and thought for sure they would die the first year, and the 2nd year only one got big. Now I have several plots started. I also have been babying some peonies, I love peonies. I think what helped them was the "enriched compost" I added last year (aka manure pile!)

These are now above my waist, and there are three more bushes like this. They are covered with buds, and I can hardly wait until they bloom. I also have some iris I moved from the north side of the house to the south side. They are the tall later blooming variety, and although very pretty, they are white with yellow throats which do not show up well against my house.

5 comments:

Brenda said...

Very pretty!! I love looking at gardens. I have always thought I should just go work in a green house, but then plants might not be as much fun as they are now!! I love the flowers - and to have plants already waist high - I love it!! And I agree, you did need help with the landscape fabric - it can and does have a mind of it's own. It really does help with the weeds - and the straw does keep the moisture in the ground where it's needed. I can hardly wait to hear that you are harvesting tomatoes!! What do you think?? That'll be in the next week or so??! ;-)

I hope you have lots of sunshine and just the right amount of rain to make this garden grow!!

pdudgeon said...

your garden looks great! my mom used to have those perenial sweet peas and we loved them too. great job on the peony and the iris.

my petunias are comming along nicely.i expect to have full coverage under the holly tree in about a month. got two more petunias (dark purple and fuschia)for the planter box,and they are blooming well and very fragrant too-a nice bonus.

MightyMom said...

good looking garden!!

my Lillies are blooming! I took pics if I can get blogger to pull up my blog I'll post them :0)

Jeanne said...

I predict a beautiful garden when you are finished! Love your peonies. I think I need to find me some manure.

Unknown said...

Your iris are beautiful. Good luck with your garden.