Last year, I spent HOURS DAILY watering my plants. Did they need that much? Not sure but they responded much better when I did. I promised myself this year that I would reduce the amount of labor involved (at least in watering). It took the fun out of the garden. If I got lazy and didn't want to water it had an opposite effect...guilt.
Today is my day off. It's raining. I have gained a severe appreciation for rain, once I started gardening, but I wish it would rain when I am working. All that being said, I start pondering what I am going to do, today......stuff that I really don't want to do but need to. Irrigate and make beds.
Here is the chicken and egg part. I can't make beds until I know what I am going to have there. If I put new plants in, I am going in the wrong direction to lessen my time right? I am sure I am like many newbies in that I take on too much. My brother-in-law works at a place with TONS of shrubs for 7 dollars...and I mean big ones like sky pencils. But that part of the company is going to stop selling plants...(there goes the idea that I can buy them when I am ready). I wanted to put evergreens in my backyard, but I don't have a place to put them.....chicken or egg? ugh! Because my greenhouse is too full. There are many chores that I endure, but I know if I do them, it will give me more time to enjoy...here are some of my issues.
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| I decided after reading a lot that I wanted evergreens but don't want to get rid of the look of "expansiveness". I have 24 roses going here but I wanted that looked great all year wrong and I think "just roses" isn't as pretty as if it were companion-ed ...think about great piece of art with a gorgeous, yet undistracting, frame. So I have decided on sky pencil bushes that I can go buy but my greenhouse is too crowded now. |
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| The front bed badly needs remulching. This I should probably do but don't I need to go buy sky pencils from my brother in law? And, it's raining. |
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| This is a bad picture but this is a Memphis Music rose that's blooming. It is set up on the irrigation system I put into place so it hasn't been phased by the winter (albeit and extremely mild one) |
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| My green house is getting cramped and the mums I bought aren't doing well. I have a beach tarp that I lost to canvas to. But it's huge, I was going to make a cold frame because the green house is getting too full.. They don't look good I know...maybe I should clean up some of the plants? |
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| The rose bushes are coming out of dormancy and circulation is an issue so I needed to make room by taking out the more cold hardy plants |
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| You may not see it well, but I put these in pots last week. These bare root roses have not wasted any time. |
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| Some of the roses I bought were potted...actually these were gifts..but you will notice the bare roots...when they wake up....I am not going to be walking in my greenhouse. |
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| A lot of these are annuals...I think? In my future choices, I will bear in mind what requires storage. The greenhouse has one huge benefit for me...buying roses when they are on sale....and storing them |
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| I need tables or shelves...or quit buying so much...I am going backwards...take care of what I have...but it's too irresistible not to buy new roses. |
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| If you don't have one of these I HIGHLY recommend them. They have made my life so much easier..it's a water timer. you turn on the house and it runs water at a specified time. |
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These are dead perwinkle...but it still looks alive...the front bed is horrible looking. Do I cut these down or leave them...I need to remulch...Chicken and Egg again...I need a teenage chicken.
Conclusion......
Do something...anything. But don't do anything that isn't directly or indirectly my goal of reducing irrigating or maintenance of current plants.
Oh, did I mention I have requested quotes on the peacock frame??? Yeah, I am a lost cause.... This is a picture from the Dallas Arboretum. I want a smaller version of it. I am new to blogging too so I hope I don't get in trouble for using other pictures but I do try to give credit when I can.
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4 comments:
Just called the nursery, sky pencils are in stock....
Janie - stop what you're doing and go get those evergreens! What a great price! You can NOT pass that up! Plus, depending upon the type of evergreen, you don't have to put them in the greenhouse. Just leave them outside in the pots. Generally, subtract (or add if it's hot) 15 degrees from the air temperature for a plant in the pot outside. If they can't take much cold, just move them into a garage, (or even the house overnight). I have several plants in my garage right now. And if I could get that kind of price on evergreens, I would have my entire garage full of them! Happy shopping! :)
Holly, look at the next post...the place has thousand of plants the 15 gallons are 10.00...I don't think they make enough dirt for what I am going to do...why not put them in the ground?
I opted against it...I am getting more tomorrow and its going to get close to freezing...I just wanted out of the way but I want to analyze it better. I already have to transplant the strawberries I'd rather not move other things due to haste
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