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.

Journal Notes...Mother's Day

I like to compare things at holiday's to see how the garden changes...some good , some not.  You will also discover that in my writing my adhd becomes apparent.  Anyway not matter, it's a journal after all.  Here is my Memphis Music rose but it's "sport" is showing here.  Nell, from Secrets of a Seed Scatterer had to explain it to me when one of my azaleas did the same thing.  My guess black bacarra is the sport or black jade.

I have black bacarra and it's a pretty flower

I have three of them and it's my favorite rose.

Hydragengeas are starting to bloom now.

Magnolias have been blooming for a month.  Between them, the elderberry, and the honeysuckle it smells fantastic outside.

I watched a documentary the other day that said magnolias are a probably the derivative of the oldest flower.

I have been gardening about two and half years now.  I think my husband bought me gardenias two years ago for mother's day.  I moved them out of a horrible spot and put them here.  I don't think they bloomed last year after I moved them here...but they are blooming now.

I think they are happier here.

It's amazing how fast plants can grow back that you don't want.  I had this mowed down last year and they grew back again...very fast!

This what my back rose garden looks like now.  I opted to remember what it looked like last year.
Here is the link from last year...roughly...it does look better...HERE

Pool still green but at least it's not brown.  We are getting there.

I heavily pruned the ferns and other plants on the back porch

I can't believe I have yet to finish the back rose garden.  I asked my husband to mow this part down.  It is blocking the drain pipe for the pool.

I need to fill in this trench and finish irrigating zone five.

Gerber daisies are popping back up.  I did not greenhouse them last winter.

I realize why I like orange and yellow roses.  There is so much pink and red, it just stands out more.

Paradise roses along the drive

First year I have seen them "group" like this.

Creek is in bad need of manicuring

Roses along the creek need to be tended to.

My wonderful husband mowed with the tractor the front field.  It has taken this long for the water to dissipate.

Some areas still have standing water.

My husband bushhoged the two areas above

The other area that got mowed that was blocking the pool drain.

Every year I pine to grow a pumpkin and every year I have failed but a pumpkin plant popped up from last year's crop of non pumpkin bearers.

My mother constantly complains that I don't have enough mulch.  She is right but if you had any idea how much mulch I have bought you would think I were crazy.  The slope washes it down during heavy rains.  I may try pine straw just to be economical.

The weeds use the mulch as a medium.  They are easier to pull up.  But sometimes more mulch means more weed medium.

Isabella is blooming a lot.

Fragrant cloud has massive blooms

some parts of the rose garden did not fare as well.

Probably need to straighten the bricks

Bougainvillea is slowing coming back to life

I'm putting this in the ground finally

Almost have things in the ground

While I was pulling up roses I didn't think made it, I find that they did.  This double delight went into a pot until I can revive her.

Marvin the martian (as I call this staghorn fern) is getting hung up back at the creek.

Aunt agnes gave me a lot of canna.  Will find a place to put them.

This pussy willow I thought was a gonner but it seems to have revived.