Absent

Fall clean up is done. We were blessed with unseasonably warm weather this weekend (usually we get our first snow), so we took advantage to finish up all the leaf raking, mulching, and composting.

I’ve definitely been absent this season, both in the garden and on my blog. It was a difficult one for my husband and I. We suffered two miscarriages (June & October) and that has really put a damper on my spirits, not to mention that while I was in early pregnancy I was hesitant to do any garden work. So spring cleanup was late this year, and we thought Fall cleanup would look the same … but lo and behold, beautiful weather. Just for us.

Insects that keep company

I don't know what happened, I normally don't take a 2-month break! I'll be honest, I haven't been in the yard much the last month and a half. It's been COLD, rainy, motivation is next to nil, and I'm tired. Not tired of the garden! Just tired and my philosophy is ... it can wait for now!

I did take some photos of the creatures in my tiny backyard (the place to be apparently.)

This huge spider was right next to my head (I was examining a plant and had no idea it was there). This was the biggest spider I ever saw, but after I took this photo he packed up his belongings and left.
Another cool Orb spider suspended between our tree and the ground. He made this right next to our walk to the compost so we never disturbed him.

Is this a grasshopper? Anyway, he was lurching about in my variegated grass.

Random Garden things (from a while ago!)

We put up our 2nd rain barrel!

Does everything grow in my yard? I found this petunia growing between the stones in my back patio. Petunias re-seeding in Chicago? Say what?

Really, does everything grow in my yard? My mom got me a seed packet from the garden show. I threw them in my yard. She threw them in hers. I got plants. She got nothing. It's gotta be the dirt. Really it's not me. (The seeds I tried to grow the right way - i.e. in my egg cartons with lots of TLC - yielded nothing. Yet me throwing them in the yard ... plants. Go figure.)

New garden art! From my grandpa, he's so sweet. Even though he threatens to shear all my shrubs into meatballs, and he mows my grass during my birthday party because he thought it was too long, he knows I love my garden and my cats and he bought me this.

Rain Barrel water pumps?

Has anyone had any experience with water pumps for rain barrels?

We are now a 2-rain barrel household, having just installed the 2nd rain barrel on the other side of the garage.  Now the entire roof of the garage goes into a rain barrel (we have 3 separate roofs on our house).

This rain barrel was free; we found it behind my dad's shed, a place where things go to die. Where he got if from is anyone's guess; but then again, the man is a mystery. 

Now that we have these 2 barrels, I have decided that I am sick of carrying watering cans full of water all over my yard. I want to use the hose but there's not enough pressure.

Solution? A water pump.

I saw landscapers using pumps to water our Memorial Park in our downtown; they brought huge vats of water to the site on flat bed trucks and then they pumped the water as if it were a hose connected to a main line. I watched in awe.

I found some pumps on Cleanairgardening.com but it seems that if it says Rain Barrel Pump, the price is double. Is there another kind of pump that works as well? Sump Pump? Pool Pump?

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Speaking of how things have grown ...

... in 2006 we were celebrating our 2nd year in the garden by adding these 4 hostas from Home Depot at the base of the Blue Spruce, in the front yard by the street.
This is what they look like now.
The poor chartreuse one is being squeezed out! Not to mention that the rest of the yard has exploded too. It's a serious jungle.

The Pagoda Dogwood: One Year

I planted the Pagoda Dogwood in my backyard last May. It was the first tree I ever planted. My how they grow up so fast.

August 2008


August 2009

Despite being chomped on by a tall bunny in the springtime ... and then being chomped on by bugs in June (bollweevils is what they look like to me), it's managed to remain alive and develop the horizontal shaping that these are known for.

First tomato of the season

I have harvested my first heirloom tomato -- one extremely large Great White tomato.

The word harvested sounds funny when you have 2 large pots on the patio.

Foliage Fridays

A Study in Contrasts put up some photos of foliage and plant combinations where foliage really stands out.

I'm glad she did this, because as I grow as a gardener, one of the things I've been working on this summer is developing interesting combination. And with perennials, I find it great to move things around to see what works with what.

Here are my contributions to Foliage Fridays

This is in my southwest garden (part shade).
I got rid of a lot of ground cover and randomly threw in hostas, pulmonarias, and ferns, and some ajuga late last summer and they really took. They may need to get divided a little later this summer.

This is in the front by the street.
The goatsbeard was always there (but has grown), I added the pulmonaria last year and hosta 2 years ago.
I love the way this looks in a very shady area

This is the backyard fence garden - newly done 2 summers ago.
I just planted the dwarf oakleaf this summer and I love it with the purple leaves of the heuchera. Again, another very shady area that's getting a great dose of color.

The other side of the fence garden, gets little more sun.
I love the Jack Frost brunnera against all the green - and here I went for different texture foliage (ferns, astilbes, pulmonaria, hosta, and wild geranium)

Finally, another area of my southwest garden where I added an actual shrub
-- a dwarf blue spruce -- that mixes things up.

Thanks for visiting!