It is the perfect time of the year

This is the perfect time of the year to divide plants, move things around & just basically rework the garden beds.  That is what I’ve been doing while I’m putting down the compost.  So instead of staying focused on the task at hand I’m trying to do three or four different things at the same time.  I actually only have one wheelbarrow full of the first load of compost & my hubby is going to get me a second load tomorrow.  So if anyone out there was wondering where my post was today this is why.  This is the inside of my arbor bed.  I moved the small Spirea on the left to the front of this bed to act as a living border of sorts.  Then I dug up some the ‘Colorful Summer’ Daylillies (which needed dividing badly) and put them in here between the Gerber daisy & the Siberian Iris ‘New Wine’.   I also need to divide the Irises which I will put on the opposite side along with some of the daylillies.   Can you see a different between the bed area & the path area?  That compost is really a rich brown color. My husband ripped the huge boxwood out which was in this bed off center from the birdbath.  I have rearranged some of the plants in this bed so that it looks more uniformed from all sides.  It used to be a perfect circle, now it kind of looks like a pear shape. 🙂  Things look ragged now but wait till next spring when the bulbs come up & everything is fresh again.  My husband also ripped out the boxwood that was under the Pecan tree for me.  Sorry Tina, but it was for the best.  The roots were girdling the trunk so it was just a matter of time anyhow.  I put one of the Forever & Ever Hydrangeas that was getting too much sun in the new bed in the spot where the boxwood was planted.  I also put in some pansies around the edge for a punch of color this fall & winter.  The hostas are starting to die back as well as some of the ferns.  August was just too hard on most of the shade plants.  I put in a nice layer of compost & divided some of the plants up to be put elsewhere (like under the Limelight Hydrangea).I also cut back the Obedient plant since there was only one stalk blooming still (I brought that one inside) and planted  yellow, white & mauve pansies to fill in the void.  There is a lavender mum in the center.  So as you can see I’ve been a busy, busy bee this week in the garden.  But I’m loving every minute of it. 🙂

I am going to need more compost…

Sometimes I forget how many garden beds I have in my yard.  Plus the majority of them are quite large ranging from 20′ long and 5′-15′ in depth.  I knew going into this fall project that I would need more than one load of that wonderful rich compost, but now after completing more of my back garden beds I realize that I will probably need at least two more loads before it’s all said & done.  As you can see in the picture to the left I really put a dent in the pile and the funny part is I’m not even done with the back yard let alone the front garden beds. Luckily my son & his girlfriend were here yesterday and gave me a hand.  My son loaded up the wheelbarrow while his girlfriend helped me spread it out.  Here is what I’ve completed so far in the garden and I’m pleased with the results:

This is part of my new garden bed that I added in May of this year.  I gave this bed a really good layer of the rich organic matter, since my natural soil is a heavy clay.  Everything has done pretty well here this year. The Purple Fountain Grass (along the fence)  is really stealing the show at the moment.  I like the way the wind catches the plumes & gives the garden some life.  Susie from Digging in the dirt asked me to post a picture of my Blackeyed Susan vine.  It has really started to cover the TV Antenna trellis.   I ordered seed for the white variety for next year.  The white post in the lower right corner is the frame to my swing.  It’s a nice place to sit & look at the garden after the sun goes down. 

In this picture you can see the entire corner of this new bed.  Some plants that have really done well here are the Salvia ‘Mystic Spires’ (to the left), the purple Angelina (in the front), and the Purple Fountain Grass.  I also have some spring blooming plants & bulbs such as Daffodils, Crocosmia, Alliums and Candytuff plant here too.  I still need to clean up the edge of this bed & mow.  The Clematis on the trellis & Periwinkle in the hanging pots give the shed wall some interest.  I’m considering painting the shed a warm shade of tan to match the siding on my house.  It may help blend it in with the garden too. 

This last shot shows the part of the new bed that runs along the fence and connects with the existing Hydrangea bed.  The Forever & Ever Hydrangeas are not happy here and will be moved into a partial shade area this fall.  The ‘Black Adder’ Hyssop & ‘Miss Huff’ Lantana seem to be perfectly content in this hot & dry area of the garden.  I also will plant some daylillies & Liatris here to replace the Hydrangeas.  I think the mixture of orange & purple will be a vibrant accent next year.  Well this is what I’ve completed so far, I still have 2 more beds in the back to complete and 5 to complete up front.  Wish me luck!  🙂

Black Gold!

Yesterday I went to my local Composting Facility to get either some fine mulch or compost. After looking at the samples they displayed, I decided on the compost because it will act as both a mulch for the garden as well as a soil amendment. I will probably need another load to be able to be able to top dress all of my flower beds this fall. Doesn’t this stuff look fantastic? I can’t wait to start distributing this throughout the garden. My plants are going to be so happy with all this rich organic material. This is a great way to purchase compost or mulch in bulk for a reasonable price. They turn the huge piles with a bulldozer and dump a load in your truck or trailer with one single scoop. Here is the information I found from vppsa:

“The facility has a staff of eight personnel who process over 30,000 tons of vegetative yard waste annually.The Compost Facility receives brush, leaves, grass and other vegetative material from city and county vehicles, residents, and commercial customers. The materials are separated by type and then processed into our compost & mulch products. During the decomposition process, leaves and grass are continuously aerated and monitored for temperature. Larger materials are ground into mulch using the facility’s grinder. Once ground, this material is then cured in large static piles for a minimum of three months. During this time the material will reach temperatures of over 180°F, effectively removing pathogens, weed seeds, insects and residual insect larvae.”

Counting my blessings….

I was thinking yesterday about a comment someone made about how lucky I was to have a nice hubby to take my ideas and turn them into reality. Over the last year my husband (the non-gardener) has created or adapted several things for me to use in my gardening endeavors. So in spite of his lack of gardening interest he encourages me. Sometimes we need to count our blessings. Here are a few of the nice things I have to thank my DH for building, adapting and financing for me:

I have a couple of ready made rain barrels that I purchased from a mail order supplier several years ago. They were expensive to purchase and after receiving them my DH stated that he could probably make me something similar. About a year ago we found these plastic barrels at a army surplus store for about $15.00 a piece. So my husband created me four more rain barrels for the price of one of my ready made barrels. The link shows step by step directions and the resources we used to create these additions to my garden.

Earlier this summer I was looking for a way to get all the chunks & non decomposed bits out of my compost. I searched the Internet and found directions to make this compost sifter. My husband put this together with mostly scrap lumber we had on hand. I just had to purchase some galvanized screws/nails as well as the hard cloth. The long handles are attached to sit astride the wheel barrel and then you just shift it back & forth to sift the compost. It works great!

The latest addition to my garden is this trailer that we purchased when we got our stimulus check earlier this summer. My husband built the three-sided box and floor out of plywood. This handy thing is going to get me tons of mulch/compost from our city Recycling Center. The leaves and branches that are put on the curb by the city are collected & turned into a wonderful mulch & the best black gold you’ve ever seen. My trailer will now hold a truck load of it. I will be putting this baby to good use soon. So I guess I am a very lucky to have a wonderful husband who makes my gardening dreams & endeavors come true. I’m counting my blessings!

Composting Update

I ordered two new compost bins back in May and since the beginning of June I have accumulated two nice piles of organic material in both bins. I did an experiment of sorts between the two. I am pleased with the nice compost I am accumulating in both bins. I can’t wait to use this in my new designated square foot vegetable bed I’m creating sometime this month. Maybe I will get it ready in time to plant some fall crops. The worst case scenario I will have a nice new bed for next season. Either way I come out a winner, don’t you think?
The first bin I used the stuff you can buy to help decompose your yard debris faster. It’s a granular substance that you sprinkle over your material and then add water. In addition I stopped adding new material around mid July to the first bin so I could really see the decomposition process. Please ignore the green plastic tape bit that fell in there. I promise to pull that out later. 🙂
The second bin I am just putting water and aerating it a few times a week with a pitchfork. I just got done giving this a good turning with the fork and you can see some of the decomposed material in the center of the pile.