WOO HOO!

I started this blog to get to know other gardeners and track my own garden's progrss. It is a wonderful way to honor the stewardship I have over my plot of ground I have been blessed with. Thanks for stopping by!

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

It Is September!

Linking up to:
Bloomin Tuesday
Cottage Flora Thursday
Fertilizer Friday
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Our weather has been so fickle! 
It is  like we are off by a month - July 4th it got warm - about 4 weeks late.  We didn't get our veggie garden in until the middle of June when we usually have it in by mid-May. 

It is acting like it is early August right now. The beans are just coming on, the corn won't be ready for a few more weeks.  The flowers are all late too.  We are all praying we have another month of warm weather so the tomatoes, the corn, the beans and peppers and everything can  ripen.

Since our normal frost time is in the next week or so and I really don't know when it is coming, I thought I would take you on a walk of how it looks now....this is looking out our back door .




This is the side yard where the pond is - everything so filled in and lovely.
This is the veggie garden

 Tomatoes starting to turn
  The peppers are getting big!
 Sunflowers - love their happy faces
  Corn - needs to get a little taller - squash in the background
 My compost bins have been rebuilt and are  starting to function again

  Beans, carrots, peas  and beets starting to grow in the greenhouse.
  This is the herb box
 Looking at the greenhouse from the back end - still have   two more boxes to get ready - it has been so hot and it is brutal in there! 
 This is the backyard looking east
 
  Crab Apples ready!
 Here are a few of the flowers out back:







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Thanks for stopping by!
Today I am thankful for seasons - enjoying the lovely weather no matter the season.
Please stop by my fall blog - would love to have you visit!



Monday, August 15, 2011

It is Hosta Week!

Linking up with:
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 I wanted to share my Hosta's this week.
This year they just popped up and are so much bigger this year.
Most of these were planted from small pots 5 years ago except where noted.
The next few are along the front of the house on the North Side. 
I love this Blue Hosta!
  






 This is a side shot of the ones along the front of the house.
The next few are from in the entry area.
 I wanted to show these - these were a tray that had been thrown in a dumpster. There were 24 in the flat and we were able to save about half of them...they are doing great now!
  This is  hidden - but I love this Hosta - oops you can see my foot - sorry about that..... 
  Thesse Hosta's are on top of the pond area.
 These are right behind the pond - they are all  starts from the Hosta's out front.
   Some cute Hosta's by the fence just to the right of the pond - these are Hosta's that were in the flat that had been thrown away.
 
   These are from the Hosta Quad in the side yard -the smaller ones are from t he throw away flat.              .
 Side shot of  Hosta Quad
You can look at my header and see  how much these have  grown.
 
 This Hosta is in the Wood land - I showed this last week.
 
Thanks for letting me share my Hosta's with you.  
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Today I am grateful for all the wonderful green things that call my yard their home!
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Instructions on gathering Hosta Seeds

COLLECTING SEED


Collecting, drying and cleaning hosta seed is not difficult. When one sees pods on flower scapes, the first question coming to mind is "When will these pods be ripe enough to harvest the seed?" Generally speaking, it takes at least thirty days, depending on variety and environment for seeds to be fully ripe, even if the pods are still green. The best way to know when to collect the seed is watching the bottom pods. When the pods start changing color towards a dark brown, they are ripe. When the pod starts to split open, the seed should be collected. If left for a day after pods have split open, the seed will fall on the ground and be lost.

After the seed pods have all developed (at least 3 weeks after the last bloom has faded), some people prefer to cut the whole spike, drop it inside a brown paper bag and place it in a cool dry room to dry out completely. Using regular sheets of paper with the edges folded up box -like; the collected pods can be dumped inside. Drying seed inside the house, where it is warm and dry, results in pods splitting open within two or three weeks. Dumping the seedpods into a box and shaking with some enthusiasm will result in seeds coming out of pods. Dumping the seeds onto a spaghetti strainer, having ¼¼ inch holes, results in seed falling through and the pods remaining behind.

However, if you are hybridizing, each pod must be treated separately and kept with a label indicating the pod x pollen parents. It is important to have good labels when working with hosta seedlings, since it can take as long as six years before the seedlings are at their mature stage. Using plastic labels, and writing on these with a waterproof marker is not nearly good enough. Outdoor elements make such a label unreadable. The sun's rays make the plastic brittle and then they break. Aluminum labels will not rust and will last forever. You can scratch your information right into aluminum labels with a nail or a carbide tip 'Scriber'.

The seed is now ready for sowing. If you do not plan to sow immediately, put the seed in the plastic bag, then label and seal it. Place the bags in a cool environment. Some nurseries will store their seed in the freezer so it remains fresh.

Hostas, being the perennials they are make this pleasure a lasting experience. New developing characteristics appear each succeeding year as the hybrids reach maturity
http://perfectperennials.tripod.com/id10.html 
Lots more info on this website.

Saturday, August 6, 2011

It is August!

Linking up with:
       Fertilizer Friday          
Our season is so late  this year  because it has been so cool - weird I know because the rest of the country is so warm -   the lily's are finally starting to bloom...here is the first wave of them,

This is a pot in our pond area - love this spike and so excited because I can overwinter it in our greenhouse.

Here is one of  the hosta's    This little spot wouldn't grow anything so I tried this  hosta and it loves it here.  I  am going to save seeds from Hosta's this year and start them in the greenhouse.  I think next week I will do a  hosta tour for my post.
Here are some Hop's  - I haven't ever grown Hop's before, but it is doing great! Not totally sure  what to do with this since we don't drink beer!  Have to study this out a bit.
  Holly hocks starting to grow....
 Delphinum


 Perenial Bachelor Button

  Love, love, love this Astilbe! It is amazing

 Daisy   and  Bee Balm
      Apples left, cherries middle, apricots on the right - apples and apricots not quite ripe.  The fruit is amazing.  We are picking a  1/2 to  1  gallon of  raspberries a day for now.
                        

These are carrot seeds.   I thought carrots were hard to seed .  They are a biennial so you have to plant them  and then get the seeds the next season .  I planted them and then last fall put a bale of  straw on them, this year they made it and popped right up!  WOO  HOO
Greenhouse Progress
We have all the boxes  placed   - we  sprayed the weeds.    This next week I am adding   compost to each box.
 

Thanks for stopping by - this week I am thankful for  fresh rain that we have  been able to enjoy this past week.
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Have to show you one more picture:
Now this is my favorite picture -  we had a family reunion last weekend.  We have a family B-day party each year. This year we did a pirate theme.  We have  20 people with our kids, son in laws and  grandchildren. 
This is a picture of our  just our kids and g-kids.

I was so tired when everyone  left on Sunday Night - this was my kitchen Monday morning - the sink is full of cups and plates that aren't on the cupboard anymore.   It is clean now - what a great time we had!    (Everyone's cups are on a clothesline over the sink  - that is still up - I am such a romantic!)

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