My blog's title originated in July 2004 as I was preparing to send my then 16 year old daughter to Annecy, France as an exchange student. It was to be a 10 and 1/2 month separation that I was sure I could not endure. BUT, thanks to the internet and blogging I survived her adventures outside of our 'nest'. Once she returned, I thought of changing the title but realized that 10 and 1/2 Months is a fitting description of the cycle of my teaching life too. I enjoy the comments left by my readers and I usually reciprocate with a comment on their blogs. However, I do not want nor need any awards nor do I wish to join any memes. So, "Thanks" but "No Thanks". I am a self motivated blogger enjoying writing a little bit of this, and a little bit of that, with no particular obligation to be consistent.
April 9 , '09 The DH does a goodly part of removing the vinca, hardy fuschia, and forsythia from behind the garage. The plan is to completely redo that area; this year with annuals while we think it through.
April 6,7, & 8 The DH brings 5 'barrows' of compost to the lower yard each day and I spread it in the kidney shaped bed.
April 5 and 6 Spread a portion of the compost around the front yard
April 3, '09 got 4 yards of compost/manure mix delivered from E-Green in White Center
March 30, '09 Put lettuce and mesclun starts in the ground.
March 29,'09 Cut the dead foliage off the tops of the Draceanas, moved pink roses to under the camilia by the fence. Noticed Cardiocranium is up.
March 8, '09 Planted 3 Casa Blanca and 3 Black Beauty Oriental lilies in pots for the deck. Planted sampler lettuce seed inside.
February 21, '09 Pruned roses, cut back the shrubs at the sides of the rockery stairs and pulled a little ivy that keeps returning to the rockery. Yellow crocuses are up. Lovely day: 53 degrees.
February 6, '09 Cut down the Pampas Grass and the last 2 ferns.
January 31, '09 Started Geraniums from cuttings and old world spinach and mesclun from seed, put them in the garden window.
January 26, '09 Sunny and COLD! Cut down the last of the ferns, some of the Pampas grass and one rose bush. Trimmed a bit of the hardy fuschia too. If I have the time, I will trim it harder at the end of Feb.
January 25, '09 Raked leaf mulch off the shadey bed/west fence. Trimmed epimedium to the ground. All this done as snow flurries trickled down every now and then. Sterilized soil and washed some 4 inch pots.
January 18,'09 Cut down the old leaves of crocosmia at the back fence and raked away the leaf mulch in that bed. Cut down one more fern.
January 17, '09 Cut ornamental grass in front of picture window to the ground. In back, cut 5 swordtail ferns in rockery to their base, pruned Asian Pear tree, trimmed the old leaves from the hellebores, brought a few geraniums inside from the shed.
January 11, '09 Pruned the variegated dogwoods on West Fence line. Cut ligularia and Campanula to ground. Tried to tidy up the Musk Rose. Pruned Hebe in front, west of walkway.
January 2, '09 Worked in front yard pruning Elderberry and Pheasant Berry. Also trimmed one fern and pulled a bit of ivy in NE corner.
January 1, '09 "Look at this, year TWO" I hopped the fence and cut down blackberry brambles and hard pruned the grapes. Back on our side I cut the native spirea which is in between the pampas grass, down to the ground. Also cut down the zebra grass in the rockery.
December 6, '08 I gleaned seeds from Salvia Argentea, planted red Icelandic poppy seeds in front( I am dubious about the success of this; the seeds were old.) Then I cut down the dahlias, tree peony leaves, dead lilies and asters (amazing; next year's growth is already apparant at the base of the plants.) Also brought the jade plant inside.
November 23, '08 Moved Pink Ice Spirea to the SW fence corner. Pulled out last of tomates and rearranged Mexican feather grass in front beds. Also pruned a couple branches off the Japanese Maple west of driveway. Put 2 straw bales out front to 'season' for straw bale gardening in spring.
November 16, '08 Trimmed spirea hedge in the kidney shaped bed and pink dogwood by the east fence. Planted cuttings of Wandering Jew .
November 2, '08 Worked in southeast corner; dug out the Rose of Sharon, pruned spirea and butterfly bush, cut Japanese anemone to the ground.
October 26th, '08 Pulled out the fennel, picked 3 tomatoes to bring inside to ripen. Pulled out Jewels of Opar and cut back the rose under the Japonica. Transferred the Petite Nigra fig tree to a ceramic pot. Pulled up more tomatoe plants. Bought plants at 50% off from Village Green. Planted 2 Bunchberry and an Inside Out plant and a jack Frost Brunnera Macrophyllia near the front porch.
October 19th,'08 Disassembled some pots and took cuttings of both pink geraniums and wandering jew plants to put into the garden window. Picked the 2 sugar pumpkins. Cut down sunflowers.
October 11th,'08 Planted 32 Appledorn red and yellow tulips under the apple tree. Planted 3 pots of 'fancy tulips'. Put radicchio and chard in containers on deck. Pulled up some Bishop's Weed.
October 5th, '08 Lots of moving things around. Woods Rose to front west of driveway. Put a brilliant orange rose (retrieved from the Deutscher place) on west corner of garden shed. Arium Jack Sprat into a pot in front. Separated a clump of Comfrey and created a spiral planting around the vine maple (which also got 'limbed up') Did the same with yellow epimedium that I divided from a back yard clump. Moved Saurma henryii so it would be more appreciated towards front near the street.
September 27th, '08 Drastically cut back the bamboo; it now looks like a stalk of broccoli! Also pruned wisteria under the deck and cut old canes out of raspberries.
September 21, '08 Pruned the 2 yellow hardy azeleas, pulled out unwanted spurge and weeds in the beds bordering the rockery stairs. Bought and planted a white Guara in the front yard.
September 13th, '08 Pulled weeds on edge of lower shade gardens and pruned hydrangea macrophylla 'Nigra' Thinned and transplanted lettuce, basil and cilantro 'starts'
September 7th Drastically pruned the camilia next to west fence and trimmed up the palm like dracenas that flank the backstairs. picked 3 tomatoes and a handful of beans.
August 9th Where has the summer gone?! The rain barrels are full again. Trimmed the climbing musk rose, staked Lemon Wave hydrangea, planted new Primula Wanda under apple tree, Primula Purple ? Moon west side of kidney shaped bed. Fall sowing: cilantro, lettuce, mesclun, a few carrots, basil.Put netting over the rows to discourage cats and stellar jays from digging there.
July 7th Did some weding in the parking pad out front. Very hard soil!
July 4th Weeded some more in back
July 3rd, 08 Put Limemound Spirea and Daylilies into the bed at the south fence line
July 2nd, '08 Went to Molbaks sale and Flower World Spent about $125. Happy Birthday to me!
July 1,'08 Weeded in east side rockery
June 23, '08 Weeded the east border of the kidney shaped berm. Moved Iron Cross Oxalis to outer edge of berm from the spirea around end to Key Lime Heuchera. Divided Bloodroot and put some on southern most edge of the berm.
June 14th, '08 Weeded for 3 1/2 hours.
June 8th, '08 Weeded a little and staked up several plants.
May 31st, '08 Weeded front yard for 2 hours
May 25th, '08 Weeded for two hours; mostly in east bed along fence.
May 17th Brought a total of 9 pots to the deck, geraniums, miniature roses, lilies, Love in a Puff. Pulled Horsetail and grass out of the rockery. Started more lettuce.
May 10, '08 Pruned bushes and weeded along steps to lower yard. 6 hours of weeding.
May 3, '08 Moved Mellow Yellow Sprirea just a foot! Bought 2 dozen peach swirl impatiens and 1 dozen bronze leaf begonias at McLendon's
April 27, '08 Went to Florabundance, bought 17 plants. Put Rhodie Pachysanthum and Variegated Sambucus Nigra in front landscaping. Planted Fennel in veggie area and pumpkins and a lemon cucumber in a container.
April 20th, 08 Went to NPA plant sale and bought 8 plants. Put 5 in the front, 3 in back. Most interesting plant purchased was Salvia Argentea with it's big furry leaves.
Apr. 5, '08 Planted Leycesteria Formosa bush, Daphne Odora and one more Boxwwod in front, east side of walk.
Mar. 16, '08 Took leaf mulch off west fence shade garden. I see the Cardiocranium Gigantum leaves poking up and Himalayan Blue Poppy too!
Mar. 8, '08 Put lettuce/greens starts into the ground and pulled a lot of dandelions
Mar. 6, '08 Planted sugar snap peas and New Zealand spinach
Mar. 2, '08 The husband pruned the corner apple tree.
Feb. 24, '08 Cut back 4 more clumps of Swordtail Ferns in the back; no more left in back!
Feb. 23, '08 Spread one yard of Cedar Grove Compost in beds at top of rockery and along the east fence.
Feb. 22, '08 Raked leaf mulch from the east fence bed. Planted a new Mardi Gras hellebore and a Mayapple in the shade garden. Planted 3 more yellow Speedwell along the front walk to fill in bare spots.
Feb. 21, '08 Cut back 4 more clumps of Swordtail fern
Feb. 20, '08 Cut back 3 more clumps of Swordtail ferns.
Feb. 18, '08 cut back 4 more clumps of Swordtail ferns.
Feb. 17,'08 Cut back 4 swordtail ferns. Took leaf mulch off one bed. Planted 3 pots of begonias and 2 pots of Bernini Lilies.
Feb. 16, '08 Divided woodland primula and cyclamen, did general weeding in upper border.
Feb. 10, '08 Pruned the Japanese Maple on NW corner of the house. It took two hours. Also started 3 types of lettuce seed in the garden window.
Feb. 3, '08 RCS ran a hose from the upper rain barrel to the lower rain barrel and added a spigot to the lower one!
Feb. 2, '08 The Groundhog saw his shadow. I cut down the dead stalks in the perrenial garden on east fence line. Pruned roses and a bit more of the Asian Pear. Also whacked down Snowberry and native butterfly bush.
Jan. 21, '08 Pruned epimedium to the ground and old leaves on hellebores
Jan. 13, '08 Hard pruned the grape vine in the vacant lot, thinned the bamboo
Jan. 10, '08 Cut down the grasses in the front, transplanted some wooly thyme groundcover and transplanted a hebe from the back to the front garden
Jan. 4, '08 Pruned Asian pear tree, two variegated dogwoods and the eucalyptus
2 comments:
Looks like you went to the Dead Sea, ha ha! Love the one of MT Rainier. Is that the one? :)
Nice pics, is that the lodge you stayed in? lisa
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