Amateur Gardener

February 23, 2011

Early Morning With The Kitties

I have a stray kitty (the black & white one) that comes early
in the morning wanting food. I have been feeding her
(I think it is a she, but not sure). The tabby is our American Bobtail.
He eats before going out and then just watches her eat.
I also fill up the bird feeder. (also the squirrel gets his fill from this)
I saw a couple of rabbits out in the field beyond our property watching me.

February 22, 2011

Clematis

Hubby and I moved this rock from where the Pampas grass
was, to this spot by our front lamp post. I just transplanted two
clematis that I brought from my old house to this spot.
One is white and the other is pink. See photo below.

This is what the transplanted pink one will look like. I don't have a photo of my white one.

I planted two Compact Holly Ilex crenata 'Compacta' by
the rocks that had the pampas grass growing. Later
I plan to add a variety of perennials to this spot also.

Another shot of the Compact Holly

February 09, 2011

I THINK SPRING MIGHT BE AROUND THE CORNER!

We are having another "snow day" today. Roads are icy and snowy. It was a warmer day yesterday, so I got out and visited my local nursery and bought a few things to be planted later in the week. It is suppose to reach 50-60's by Saturday. I bought a Quince, two Forsythia, more Elaeagnus, three "White By The Gate" Japonica Camellia, and two "Kanjiro Camellia" Lots of work to do. My fence/gate estimate came in too high, so I now have to start thinking of an alternative.

February 01, 2011

Igloo or Geodesic Dome in the Snow

A shot of the Geodesic dome (igloo) in the snow.

January 27, 2011

Pampas Grass continued

Today I worked some more on cutting down the large Pampas grass growing in the yard. I have some in each corner of the front yard. It appears that there are 4 well established plants. I actually got one of them dug out of the ground. I used my electric hedger to cut them down to the ground. Make sure you wear leather gloves when working with Pampas grass, it's blades are like sharp knives.

Before

After

Before

After

Above photo is where I plan on having a custom
wrought iron gate and small fence, to the right,
made to go along with the living fence

The Birds

My sister, that lives in another state, came for a visit. She shot these photos of the birds on my back patio.

January 10, 2011

SNOW

There will be no gardening today. We had a snowfall yesterday and it's still here. It's very pretty, but not good for folks who have to be out driving to work.

January 06, 2011

Cutting Down Pampas Grass

I'm going today to buy more "living fence" shrubs for the front of the property. I will be cutting down the Pampas grass planted by the previous owners. I like the look of it okay, but gets too large and I don't have enough space - yes I have two. The Pampas grass are surrounded by large rocks and, to me, look like snake dens. I will post the before pictures today and the after photos later.

Before Photo Pampas grass

Before photo of where I am planting more Elaeagnus "living fence"

Before photo - moving large rocks to different area
and cutting down the Pampas grass

December 08, 2010

Good Morning

It is a cold morning, having a nice first cup of coffee and thinking of my future garden design for spring. We've just moved into our newly acquired Geodesic dome house that sits on a country 1/2 acre. The property has very little landscaping but does have 3 large beautiful trees in front. One Maple and two Sweet Gum. I will be able to plan for a nice shade garden. The back gets mostly sun with some shade. All the other places I've lived didn't afford much opportunity for shade plants. I've been gardening since 1997 and have always had small spaces. So this one will be a challenge, but exciting. I wanted a nice wrought iron fence to go around the front of the property but cost was a big factor so we decided on a living fence with an antique gate. Since we moved here so late in the season I've only planted one side so far, a row of Elaeagnus shrubs. I also planted 2 white Natchez Crepe Myrtles in front of the fence and added a cornerstone (so to speak) of a double pink Knockout rose. I will try to post before and after photos of the fence as it progresses.