flowers

The Joe Pye Weed around the mail box is about to bloom.

The Agastache (rupestins) I grew from seed a few years ago are in bloom.

A red daylilly.

These marigolds came up on their own and I left them.

The daisies are blooming and the marigolds in fron but not the zinnias in between.

Friday night we were in Medford Lakes. There are still some people without power or phone and some might not get it back until Tuesday. It wasn't a tornado but it was 80 mph winds. We were spared at home and the wind wasn't that bad either. I did empty 0.5" from the rain gauge.

Notes for June 28, 2009

I've got some transplanting to do. Here's one I found in the driveway. That's one thing nice about Gloriosa Daisies, if you let them go to seed... you'll be finding them everywhere.

Notes for June 27, 2009

Yes I have Lymes and I had a real anxiety about working outside today. My doctor told me to wear a high sunblock and my brother who recently had Lymes said that he couldn't go outside because the medicine gave him a headache in sunlight. Yesterday on my way home from work I did get a headache (it was bright). After working outside for several hours (and putting on a sunblock before I went outside) I never did get a headache. I wear glasses and my glasses automatically turn dark when exposed to the sun's ultraviolet light. Anyone who has this type of glasses also knows that they don't work in the car since auto glass has been UV treated for years. The headache I got on Friday on my drive home was close to one of those headaches I get instantly when I get beamed with a red laser pointer. So I think I need to find my old clip ons for driving during the day. I started the day by Tying the tomato plants and trimming off the tomato suckers. About 1/3 of my plants top leaves are curling and seem to smaller. Wonder if its from the wet weather. It does seem to be affecting more than one variety. Then I transplanted two gloriosa daisies from the veggie garden into the flower bed next to the chimney. Actually its not a flower bed now and it was last year. Everything that was in that flower bed last year died over the winter. This particular flower bed was under a pile of leaves one foot thick (the winter winds pile them there). And we also had temperatures in the negative numbers this past winter. While planting I found a couple of volunteer daisies, so all is not lost. After I transplanted the daisies, I turned the garden using a spade where the radish bed was and then removed the sunflower twine and their supports. This made me think that I should mulch the 2nd green beans next before planting the third and so I did. Then I planted 3rd green beans and noticed that the 1st green beans could be picked next weekend. Then I mulched the remainder of veggie garden and all thats left to mulch in the veggie garden is alongside 3rd green beans after they sprout. Last night we had three dry thunderstorms. Each storm dumped a bunch to our west and then faded as it got close. My son cut the grass in the front yard for me this afternoon and I cut the back yard after dinner. My son mentioned that he chased a toad with the mower for a moment. Good to know there are still some around. During one of my breaks I was watching the Red Tailed Hawk circle around and was listening to the Blue Jays give the warning squawk. When I took my cool down break after cutting the grass, all I saw were robins looking for bugs/worms.

Notes for November 15, 2008

Its raining today, so the leaves will wait until tomorrow and then I have to battle the wind. I emptied 1.0 inches from the rain gauge yesterday and the carrots and radishes still look fine. Saw on the news last night that of the 14 days of November, 9 have been in the 60's. Today will be too. Tomorrow, Canada is supposed to give us a hint of winter and even forecasting rain/snow showers for one day this coming week. I noticed when I got home from work yesterday that I have chrysanthemums and daisies in bloom along the side of the house and a pink geranium in bloom in the flower pot by the front step next to the pumpkins. The wife carved a pumpkin three weeks ago and I put it in the compost pile yesterday. It was severely deflated and needed a shave and a haircut.

Notes for July 9, 2008

This past Saturday I was able to get caught up in the yard.

I had a pair of yellow daisies growing in my veggie patch (the seeds must have been in the mulch) and so I transplanted them first.

I planted the double bloom orange tiger lillies after I split them into nice handful sized plantings. I planted eight bunches overall.

I turned the next area for planting beans using the spade (I didn't want to get the tiller out of the shed).

I had previously trimmed the tomato suckers on Thursday but I still trimmed and tied the tomato plants.

Then I planted a row of wax beans in the area I just turned.

Then I mulched. I mulched the row of cosmos I have planted along the inside fence of my veggie garden and then mulched the row of wax bean seeds (just stopping short of the row, which I will mulch just after the beans are about six inches tall). I then continued and finished mulching the remainder of my flower beds.

On Sunday, all I did was water everything and pull renegade weeds.

On Monday night I picked green beans. I picked about two large Ziploc bags full. I let them dry out on the kitchen counter before I put them in the fridge since we had rain earlier in the day. The wife made green bean casserole with the first picking, and it was good. I will get one more picking from that first row of beans (I will do that by pulling out the plants and picking off the beans). Then I will probably plant a row of Lima Beans in its location.