Journal Notes..Peacock's Final Glory, Greenhouse Reconstruction, Frost

This journal entry spreads over a few days...starting with the evening of the first.  I went out to take one last look at the peacock and found he waited the best for last.  There are many more pictures down this post.  He waited to the last second to show off.

In discussing with Nell, from Secrets of a Seed Scatterer  she said she used polycarbonate.  I spoke to my husband about what she used...not sure if he intended to use it anyway, or looked at it as a result of the suggestion, but either way that is what he purchased.

He is making a square frame.  The greenhouse was fabulous before but the vesqueen just wouldn't last long.

This is what the interior of the greenhouse used to look like.  My husband also ran electricity and plumbing to it as well.  Below is the interior before.

Here are pictures when it was first built.  I did real well the first year but the vesqueen I don't think could handle the wind and the intense heat over the summers.

He also bought me a new door.  The vequeen door was used to allow air.  This time we are putting a fan at the back of the greenhouse as well for circulation.  It's gonna be awesome.

I really couldn't tell you what he is doing...I didn't ask him a whole lot.  But he is building around the old frame...at least temporarily.  This is the back.

Wood and polycarbonate.

This year not a whole lot of container plants will go into the greenhouse.  I am shying away from them.  The gardens are much larger than you think.  I really couldn't give you a true number but the peacock is about 30 feet long and the back rose garden is about 3000 sq feet....that is just two of many areas.  As a result, I don't have the time energy or effort to work with containers too.   They are lovely but I am going to use the greenhouse to bring in the roses from the front field, recooperate them, and put them in the rose bed with the rest.

He put in a center beam last year to give it support...I suspect it will stay.  Now to talk about the peacock.  Two evenings ago I ran out to take a picture before the first frost killed everything.  The peacock was flush with morning glory blooms and they stayed open all day.  This picture below was taken at sunset.

I squealed at how pretty.  I just can't get enough of blues and purples

I am unsure if they will come back from reseeding but we will find out.

I am almost inclined to use morning glory exclusively next year since it was so aggressive.

Weeds, being busy, laziness, novice...what ever excuses I have I think it's beautiful!

The sulphur cosmos I only planted one time two and a half years ago but it reseeds every year and blooms in the fall.

Lovely paradise rose....these will be moved this winter.

My beautiful messy, weedy back garden.....

November 2, 2014

The next morning there was only a light frost so many things were just fine and only a few things burned.

My husband worked on the frame some more.

I hope in the future to run pvc pipe along that middle side plank for irrigation.

The roses fared very well against a light frost.

My new door.

Marvin the Martian I call him.  This is my staghorn fern.  I almost forgot about him...I may pick a new location for him next year...Like the back porch.

The morning glories on the peacock got burned on the top.

But seemed to far well.  I gave them a watering.

 I am seeing a lot of snake tracks on the drive way coming from the creek...

 As weird as it sounds it's like the roses like the cold.

I didn't do much pruning this year...why start now....I am letting the roses go to hips.

My husand worked most of the weekend on it until dusk.  He has made some headway. The greenhouse is roughly 12 feet by 24 feet.  If you asked my the height, not real sure..I'm 5'3" and I get on a ladder to change bulbs so 9 or 10 feet high?

Morning of 11/3/14.  I didn't think we would have another frost but it was a little stronger than yesterdays.