Two Days Off.

It's good to have goals. Today, I will focus on getting the rest of these containers planted out. A couple are for people at work or customers that have asked for specific things. They'll be moved and one or two items need to be repotted before they split their containers. The rest will find homes in the beds around the backyard. I'm tired of looking at this mess.



I've already started this morning. About 7am, I made coffee and grabbed the shovel. The impatiens I sowed weeks ago were planted out. Hopefully, the squirrels won't dig all of these up. They've also eaten every nearly ripe strawberry.



I planted two rooted cuttings of Mystic Spires salvia in the perennial bed where I think I could use some purple. I can always use more purple.



If you've got purple, you've got to have orange.



The ditch lilies along the bottom of the retaining wall are about to explode.



The show is already starting near the mailbox where the concrete and asphalt create a warmer microclimate.



It's 59 degrees. The sun is out, but hazy clouds keep it from shining full force just yet. There's a chance of afternoon thunderstorms so I need to get a lot done this morning. Today is my day. I plan to spend it doing what I enjoy most, gardening. I'll also be doing some weeding in various parts of the yard as the mood strikes. I've already cleared about 8' of crabgrass from the edges of the driveway along the perennial bed. Feels good to have my hands in my dirt.

12:22pm - Done. The rest are just started seeds like coleus and some items for others. Only 23 more holes will be dug for those that are staying with me, assuming germination comes.



While planting out and watering, I noticed my first cosmos bloom. I like it.



And some pictures from around the perennial bed.







Can't forget the hot pink hybrid tea rose. It's so pink it's tacky.



It's 77 degrees. The hammock calls.

Nineteen...

degrees. The wind is blowing. Today is going to be a cold one. That once in a generation cold snap the National Weather Service was predicting has arrived. The last one occurred in 1977 and lasted nearly two weeks. Over the next 7-14 days, it's possible that the temperature might remain below freezing for extended periods of time. The wood heater will certainly get a workout trying to keep the house moderately warm. Last year, it was 50 degrees by late afternoon on January 3rd. I built an Adirondack chair that night in the basement while recovering from a cold.

Outside, it's 28 degrees in the hoophouse. The other half of my wireless thermometer is sitting in the middle of the floor, surrounded by all those containers I sowed yesterday. The sun is just starting to top the trees out back. I'm expecting about 60 degrees for the high in there today. Our high will be in the low 30s.



In the basement, three brugmansia seeds have germinated. Originally, I had placed one per 4" pot using Christmas lights for bottom heat. Four of the seeds rotted. Six others survived, so I wrapped them in a damp coffee filter and put them in a plastic bag. They're laying directly over the ballast of one of the lights. I've already transplanted the three sprouting seeds into a single container filled with sterilized soil.



Yesterday, when I came home for lunch, there was a box on the front porch. Someone baked me brownies. She was so happy with the seeds she received in the swap, that she wanted to thank me. They were delicious. Were. Thanks Carol!

Not much planned for today. I'm doing laundry, need to sort a few seeds for someone in Colorado, and will head to work again at 11am. I'm hoping today doesn't last as long as yesterday. It was freezing cold out there when the sun went down.

10:31am - It's 27 degrees and partly sunny. The hoophouse is at 41 degrees. I spent some time this morning potting a few rooted cuttings from the cloner. I potted three Miss Huff lantana, two cotoneaster, a Mystic Spires salvia, and one of the rose knockout cuttings. I still don't know what I intend to do with that thing. I can't sell it. I don't want more of them. It's really just a test to see how to root roses.

I also took cuttings from Miss Sarah's brugmansias. These were bare cuttings she brought to me at the store this fall. She says they are yellow and pink. I have no idea which is which, so I'll just call them Miss Sarah's Brugs. They're in the cloner now.

Heading to work. Still not above freezing. The water hose is in the basement thawing. The water barrel is empty after the marathon sowing session this weekend.

Carolina Blue

It's not just the color of a university.



Speaking of blue, Mystic Spires salvia has not performed well at all this year. I bought this plant from the clearance rack in 2008. I cut it back and it grew like crazy over the summer. I took cuttings and overwintered all three in the basement. The original plant did not return, but I have a feeling that moving it in December contributed to that. I won't bother with cuttings this year. If it returns, so be it. It's very floppy in its current home.



Paired with the salvia, the knockouts are blooming again. Poor Jim is probably clutching his chest as I mention these roses. I can't say anything bad about them. They've performed better than my hybrid teas.



A few months ago, I took a couple cuttings to show Cat how to root passionvine. I gave the rooted cutting to Carla as a thank you for all her help during the leg injury period. I need to take new cuttings to overwinter in case this one doesn't come back. I only have 4 shelves under lights. I have to be selective.



Another pineapple salvia seed has germinated.



The back yard is on its way to becoming an orchard. I'll add this Apache Blackberry on Friday. I've got two blueberries, a Belle of Georgia peach, a cherry tree, a fig (more to come with winter propagation), and the Thundercloud Plum that needs to be moved soon. Maybe I'll tackle that Friday too. I've already done some root pruning in anticipation. I'm going to need to dig a large hole though. Very large.



It's 55 degrees and sunny. Rain expected Friday evening and all day Saturday. No complaints. The cat is still curled up on the bed. Cool mornings make her old bones stiff.

11:46am - Three kitchen cabinets installed including the behemoth. When I ordered the cabinets, I requested white interiors. Shenendoah has recently quit that option, so they are maple. Tomorrow, I'd like to install the cabinet above the stove and the two 18" cabinets adjacent. That will be the last of the upper cabinets. The lower cabinets will get installed once the backsplash is done. I've got an idea for behind the stove since there is no microwave yet, but bead board will be used on either side for sure.





Evil and bad luck lurks around the corner. She just has to inspect my progress. I know she's wondering where her food bowl will end up.



4:30pm - Lowe's is having a deal this weekend on Olympic paint. Combining the store wide discount with my employee discount, I managed to pick up 3 gallons of white and two sheets of laminate for just a tish over $100. Thanks to the NC Dept of Revenue finally getting my tax refund mailed, I was able to do it. It only took them 5.5 months. Efficiency at its finest.

More odds and ends

I didn't sleep well last night. My usual day of running myself tired didn't happen. Sure, painting is a chore, and one that I don't really care for all that much (Sorry, Cat). But I didn't exhaust myself like I normally do on a given day. I tossed and turned until about 1am. I was awake again at 5. Going to be a long day at the store. Temperatures should be in the mid 80s. Any chance of rain has disappeared. It did rain a little overnight. Must have been a passing shower. Humidity stands at 93% this morning.

In the yard, the Heavenly Blue morning glory on the trellis is blooming. The Cardinal climber isn't putting on a great show. A few blooms every day is all I've seen. A hummingbird almost took my ear off this morning as I walked under it. Territory, I know.



The volunteer morning glory on the chimney is still not blooming.



At the base of the chimney, the knockouts, salvia (Blue bedder & Mystic Spires), and veronica are performing well. Next year should be better. Somewhere in this bed, I planted clumps of Spider Lilies. They should be appearing soon.



More blue bedder salvia is in the perennial bed. I need to start looking for seeds.



The biggest disappointment all season: Cherry Brandy Rudbeckia. Just plain ugly. The picture doesn't do it justice. It's a washed out orange color with a dried blood center. Not an attractive flower. I'll save seeds, but plant it out back.



This was supposed to be milkweed. Any ideas?



Finally, the Ecuador Whites are almost done. A new bloom opens about every other day. The real show ended a few days ago. The next flush of blooms are about 1/4" long. If they're going to see the next full moon at the end of the month, they'd better hurry.



Time to shower and shave. Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to work I go. I'm taking two rooted figs and one Turn of the Century hibiscus with me. Customers have agreed to trade a few things like daylilies for them. Aren't gardeners great?

almost forgot... I sprayed a gallon of glysophate around the gully where I want to do something next year. English ivy and vinca major run rampant back there. Baby trees of heaven (hell) are sprouting all over. Other wayward shrubs and trees are growing quickly too thanks to the sunlight they get now that the oak tree is gone. Mom and Dad will be coming up in a couple weeks to help. Dad has a 36" bow saw that should reach all the way around even the largest parts of the tree. Can't wait to see what that area looks like with the tree removed. The wood will be stacked between the two trees where the hammock hangs. Too many skeeters to enjoy it this time of year anyway.

Growing my gardens

I've reached a point where I will snip something off a plant I don't even care for to see if I can root it. Usually I stick it in the cloner and forget about it. I've never tried rooting eucalyptus. I've never even had a eucalyptus before. I got one last week at the store. I even paid full price. It's not really hardy here, but I have a good spot for it next to a South facing brick wall.

Back to the cuttings...I took cuttings of passionvine, eucalyptus, three kinds of tomatoes, and a Mr. Lincoln that I broke off accidentally. I was trying to dig a hole, but more on that in a minute.

Small cups will be used this time. I'm trying the baggie method too. That's new for me, but one thing I run into using my containers is critter feasts. Before the cuttings can root, pillbugs begin chewing on the cut end. Then comes fungus, and finally rot. So, this should eliminate some of those problems.

All my tools. Rooting hormone is in the small dish. I use Rootone powder because it's accessible and cheap.



The passionvine cutting with all the leaves. I took one about 18" from the tip end. The cutting is about 6" once the top foot is removed. It's too young to root. I want three leaf nodes with mature leaves.



I stripped the bottom two sets of leaves. These will both be sunk into the soil. If the bottom on fails to root, or rots, the middle node might root in time to save the cutting.



I dusted it with hormone, stuck it in well draining soil, and placed it in a gallon sized zip lock bag with the two eucalyptus cuttings. What am I going to do with three eucalyptus plants?



After I stuck the tomatoes (yes, I know what the date is, trust me), I put all the bags at the end of the driveway. The sunlight here is dappled only late in the day. It never receives any direct sunlight. I want to keep them where I can watch.



A cutting from kongmansia. The mother plant is stressed thanks to a spider mite infestation and the treatment. I hate using chemicals. I put this one in the cloner. I hope it roots, but I expect it to turn to mush.



I mowed the yard, weeded in the perennial bed, edged the driveway, took lots of photos for my records, hauled a little stone I found near the edge of the gully, and finished the back bed's border.



Yes, it is a knockout rose, a single red. I like the combination with the Mystic Spires salvia. Next year, the lavender, salvia, and roses should fill in nicely. The climbing hydrangea behind it is growing. Well I know what'll be covering the rotting trunk of that oak tree in the back yard in a few years.



There's more I want to do, but as it is, I'll sleep well tonight. I'm just going to take that one cutting, first.