=(

I haven’t done all that I should have done in the garden. I don’t like to spend time there now when there are people all around. Especially when it’s warm and people think it’s okay to run around in their tighty whities, ew…

The entire street is filled with cars and machines so the noise level is high too. And I get sad every time I have to look at these horribly ugly houses. Oh, one of the new houses have two trees left in their entire yard and that’s only because they are not allowed to cut it down. Then they have rolled grass, these big rolls of lawn so you have an instant green lawn which makes it look like a golf course. No bushes no nothing.

The other house seem to hate all living things and cut down their two trees (they are supposed to put back an equal tree because they were not allowed to cut it down but where will they find a 100 year old oak?) and have nothing living in their space. To cut down trees seems to be the latest thing, everyone is chopping down their trees leaving stumps, and some take away EVERYTHING, bushes, flowerbeds, everything and roll out a lawn. Soon this entire neighborhood will look like one big golf course… So so sad. I soon have to move, I just can’t stand these people. But… I don’t want to leave. It feels like I’m being chased away and that I’m giving up on my beloved home. All of these idiots flooding the place and destroying it…

Since the new trend of “lets fuck mother nature” I haven’t seen any squirrels around here, doubt I will ever see a fox here and there’s been no black or green woodpeckers… the heron has been spotted less than before.

Yesterday

Sowed a few seeds

Outside:
Baby’s breath Gypsophila paniculata
Papaver spicatum
Japanese poppy
Common vervain (verbena officinalis)
Blue vervain (verbena hastata)
Papaver amurense
Atlas poppy (Papaver atlanticum)
Papaver lateritium
Eastern purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
Great globe thistle (Echinops sphaerocephalus)
Fuller’s teasel (dipsacus fullonum)
Ice poppy (papaver croceum)
Rooted Poppy (Papaver radicatum)
Spanish Poppy (Papaver rupifragum)
Alpine Poppy (Papaver alpinum)

Indoors:
Verbena Canadensis (which grow over night! I saw a little green guy making he’s way up when I inspected them today)

Yesterday

I was digging up the cuttings I had stored for the winter under the rhododendron (wow, I spelled it correctly!) and by the looks of it my azalea cutting has survived and looking well! No place to plant it but hey, a cute tiny little mini azalea is enough to put a smile on my face.

I did not remember to buy some rotting hormone though…

I only dug up one of my little storage places and mixed result. The things that looked very promising was, pampas grass and creeping baby’s breath. A tiny little thing was peeking up in a Physostegia Virginia but it could be something else. Anyway, placed them all in the greenhouse along with the cuttings and let’s see how it goes.

Spring time!

Last week snowdrops started top come up and now crocus, soon daffodils and tulips! It’s raining and I have holes in my boots. I want to go outside and work, and I might just after I finish my tea. I know I’ll break all of my (crooked) nails but I don’t care, my feet are going to get wet and cold but hopefully it will be worth it.

A few days ago

The dahlias started to peek up and today the sweet peas did too. I still have loads of seeds to sow… But hopefully it will be worth it.

Now we waiting to the poppies to grow, come on cuties, make mamma happy…

More sowing

Last year my Tall Verbena did not grow all that well. No flowers and the ones that I tried to store I think are dead. Have a few outside under a whole bunch of leaves and some in the flowerbeds but who knows if they will live or not. So I got more seeds this year and I’ll try three different methods. Keep your fingers crossed. Love the plant (at least in pictures)

(Picture found here)

What else did I sow? Blue Vervain, Common Vervain, False Dragonhead and Sweet Pea.

Grow little Sweet Pea, grow...

(Picture found here)

It’s growing!

(Tagetes)

Some of the seeds are peeking up. Tagetes, Ipomoea purpurea and Mauranthemum paludosum.

Building a animal friendly garden

My garden is tiny but I want more animals in it. I would love to have a hedgehog but I have never seen a hedgehog around here but with the new compost who knows. I want an owl so I’m building a house for it. People have said that they’ve seen tawny owls (Strix aluco) and I read somewhere that they likely to move into a house if you build it so…

I want a robin too, something about robins. So cute. I need a bigger bush for them to like it. If I ever get my yew hedge I might get a little robin.

My dream is to have a raven living in the garden but they are apparently shy so I would have to settle for crows. I just love it when they sing…

And bats! Must have bats, building several bat-houses and hoping for the best. There are bats in the neighborhood and with all the demolition of forest around here I’m sure they will have a hard time finding a place to live.

I would like to have swallows but I think they make a mess if I get a colony of those to move in.

I’m also going to make bughouses. Good for all the plants and essential if I want a whole bunch of birds to move in. They seem very easy to make too. Here is how you make one.

Yesterday and today

Yesterday: I check the dahlias again, no change since the last time I check them.

Today: I sowed lots of seeds, begonia, violets, dahlia, Mauranthemum paludosum, tagetes, Impatiens, bleeding heart, Japanese poppy, hairy poppy, Papaver lateritium, atlas poppy and Ipomoea purpurea.

Keep your fingers crossed now…

Today…

I planted three eryngiym planum pots and two pansies. Keep your fingers crossed.

Hmm…

I should have made an order earlier but I haven’t and now I’m sitting here wondering if I should remove some of the stuff, add just a few more or if I’m done. Whenever I feel, “Okay, done” it’s like standing in line by the register surrounded by candy and having an empty stomach!

I’ve found a few cuties that I want but it’s already pretty full in all my flowerbeds, not sure I’ll find space for it all. Some of the poppies look pretty dull and one is dull looking and pricey, but I want ALL poppies and I know I’ll love him when he’s here so what to do!?

I’ve never had Zinnias and they seem cute and easy (knock on wood) so I think I just have to have a few of those.

Zinnia, pic found here

Zinnia, pic found here

Update: I managed to remove one papaver rhoeas but it was hard. There was this really cute mixed called, “Angel’s choir mix” but I guess I can live without… I didn’t get any peony poppies either.

Wolfs Bane

Planted two pots of Wolf’s Bane (aconitum napellus) on January 13. Let’s see if they feel like growing, keep your fingers crossed.

Check the dahlias in storage

Most of them (knock on wood) looked just fine but one thing is sure, the bigger they are the easier they are to store. Some of the smallest one, the ones I sewed last season, I doubt they will make it through the winter. This was the first time I check on them.

Arabian Night: 4 (all very nice)
Fantasia: 1 (very questionable due to size)
Unknown: 7 (five questionable)
Children of Oxford: (1 fine, 1 okay, 5 small and will most likely not make it)
Tomas A Edison: 2 (both looking nice)
Le Baron: 1(Nice)
My Love: 1 (ok) (There might be two, I put the one I think is a “My Love” in the same box and it looked nice too)
Lucky number seven: 1 (Nice)

I’m also trying to storage a small pot with tall verbena, looking questionable, gave them a little spray of water…