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Apr. 22nd, 2007 06:09 pmI've been working on a very little bit of gardening by cleaning out the one raised bed that we got done last year. Several of the plants died (I think I didn't plant them well enough when I moved them into the bed. That was rather a rush because most of them were things I'd hoped to put into one of the other two beds, the ones that still aren't done), and I've been digging out their corpses and trying to shake as much soil from their roots as possible.
I left some of them for several weeks just in case they were late to bud or sprout. This year, I need to do more research about preparing the plants for the winter. I had no idea if any of them needed to be cut back or otherwise gotten ready for the cold. I suspect that the weird winter weather didn't help any.
I still have three of my five sage plants, the winter savory, the thyme, the ajuga and the violets. I lost the lemon verbena, the marjoram, the pineapple sage, and the variegated sage. Both planters of mint seem to have died. I'm not heartbroken by that because mint is easy to replace. Also, I'm not utterly sure that the chocolate mint is dead. The apple mint along the driveway hasn't come out yet, and those two seem to grow similarly. I'm having Delia water the planter with the chocolate mint, though, as I don't think she can damage it too much no matter what she does.
I did a little raking of the bed along the driveway earlier this month. I scared myself silly by raking up a hibernating toad. At first, I thought that I'd killed it, but then it flipped itself over. I covered it over with leaves and a bit of moss because I knew a cold snap was coming. When I checked yesterday, it was gone (assuming I looked in the right place). I don't know if it woke up and moved on or if something else found it an ate it.
I absolutely hate maple seeds. They're everywhere, and every time I think I've gotten them all out of the raised bed, I discover another dozen. Then I find several more when they actually sprout. Maple leaves get in everything, too, but at least they don't try to become trees.
I've decided that I'm going to use some of the planters this year. I bought some collard greens seedlings without noticing that they need full sun. (Yes, stupid of me.) There's nowhere, really, to plant such things in our yard. Our house faces west, so the front yard is shaded in the mornings, and the backyard is shaded at night. We're just angled enough that the bed along the driveway is shaded in the evenings (It's right up against the house). I may be able to move the planters so that they get a decent amount of sun. I'm not sure how easily I'll be able to move the planters due to the weight, and I'm not sure that I'll manage to be organized enough to do it every day.
I'm considering trying to get some plants that Delia can take care of. She tends to overwater things, but she really wants to garden when I do. I need to avoid flowers because of my allergies (which Delia's runny nose indicates she shares to some extent). I don't think I want to put mint in any of the raised beds. I'd like to have the option of changing what's planted in them next year or the year after.
There are some outdoor cats in our neighborhood that are driving me crazy. They keep pooping around my raised bed, particularly right under the faucet. I'm trying to figure a good, Delia-safe way to make them stay away. (And also wishing that the people who owned them-- they're *not* feral cats-- kept them inside.)
I left some of them for several weeks just in case they were late to bud or sprout. This year, I need to do more research about preparing the plants for the winter. I had no idea if any of them needed to be cut back or otherwise gotten ready for the cold. I suspect that the weird winter weather didn't help any.
I still have three of my five sage plants, the winter savory, the thyme, the ajuga and the violets. I lost the lemon verbena, the marjoram, the pineapple sage, and the variegated sage. Both planters of mint seem to have died. I'm not heartbroken by that because mint is easy to replace. Also, I'm not utterly sure that the chocolate mint is dead. The apple mint along the driveway hasn't come out yet, and those two seem to grow similarly. I'm having Delia water the planter with the chocolate mint, though, as I don't think she can damage it too much no matter what she does.
I did a little raking of the bed along the driveway earlier this month. I scared myself silly by raking up a hibernating toad. At first, I thought that I'd killed it, but then it flipped itself over. I covered it over with leaves and a bit of moss because I knew a cold snap was coming. When I checked yesterday, it was gone (assuming I looked in the right place). I don't know if it woke up and moved on or if something else found it an ate it.
I absolutely hate maple seeds. They're everywhere, and every time I think I've gotten them all out of the raised bed, I discover another dozen. Then I find several more when they actually sprout. Maple leaves get in everything, too, but at least they don't try to become trees.
I've decided that I'm going to use some of the planters this year. I bought some collard greens seedlings without noticing that they need full sun. (Yes, stupid of me.) There's nowhere, really, to plant such things in our yard. Our house faces west, so the front yard is shaded in the mornings, and the backyard is shaded at night. We're just angled enough that the bed along the driveway is shaded in the evenings (It's right up against the house). I may be able to move the planters so that they get a decent amount of sun. I'm not sure how easily I'll be able to move the planters due to the weight, and I'm not sure that I'll manage to be organized enough to do it every day.
I'm considering trying to get some plants that Delia can take care of. She tends to overwater things, but she really wants to garden when I do. I need to avoid flowers because of my allergies (which Delia's runny nose indicates she shares to some extent). I don't think I want to put mint in any of the raised beds. I'd like to have the option of changing what's planted in them next year or the year after.
There are some outdoor cats in our neighborhood that are driving me crazy. They keep pooping around my raised bed, particularly right under the faucet. I'm trying to figure a good, Delia-safe way to make them stay away. (And also wishing that the people who owned them-- they're *not* feral cats-- kept them inside.)
