Wednesday, May 13, 2009

GARDENING 101...

Good morning girls. Wow, what a wake-up call a new garden was to me! I've just always added plants in with my other garden spots, but I had the bright idea of creating a whole new flower bed this year. Thank goodness I talked to my friend Connie first, I had no idea of all the steps you have to go through first! Her gardens in Tennessee are outstanding, so I knew she would be the one to go to with questions. Guess I thought we could just til it up and plant, but OH NO! First of all, off comes the top layer of sod, well as of now I'm half way done with that (after getting a HUGE blister). THEN, since we live in the village, that sod all has to be bagged and put out to the curb and are those bags HEAVY! I planned on getting more done tonight, but since we live in Michigan, it's supposed to rain again! Maybe that's a good thing, the wet ground will be easier to dig up. When this part is done, then it's on to the weed killer process. Connie, then can I plant??? This old log bird feeder has been a tradition of my Dad's. Everytime somebody in our family gets a new house, he used to build them a log feeder. He isn't able to do that so much any more, so this one is very dear to me.
Thought I'd share a "before" picture of where my new garden is going. I'm digging out a semi-circle in this corner. I just keep thinking about what the end result will look like!

My bittersweet is going crazy this year - hooray!!! There's nothing like real bittersweet in the fall. One year we had hired a yard crew to clean our backyard and they chopped it all down! I could have cried.
My poor hubby has been working so hard to try to get those blasted moles. See the bare spots in the yard!!??
Now, my questions is, has anyone started Sweet Annie from seeds? Abbey and I stripped some Sweet Annie and put the seeds in these little pots to see if we could get it started. I never have any luck by just planting it in the ground. Help!
My Rosie dog decided she wanted to get her picture taken to share with you too. She is such a big, old, gentle soul and I don't know what I'd do without her. There's nothing like the companionship of a loyal dog. She loves me unconditionally, is always so happy to see me, snuggles every evening with me in a big chair and is sad everytime I leave. As my dad would say, "She's such a sweetheart."
Well girls, time to get ready to open the shop. I'd sure appreciate any advice you might have on Sweet Annie! Have a great day...

7 comments:

  1. I planted Sweet Annie from seeds last year. I used one of those little greenhouse kits. I just wet the little peat cirlces and since the seeds are so tiny, I put a few on a damp toothpick and rubbed it on the peat circle. Then put the lid on, set in the sun, and spritz with water when it looks dry. Everyone single one of my seeds grew and I didn' lose one plant when I transplanted them. Wow, did I have a BUNCH that grew!!!! I still have it hanging in my attic so I don't know if I'll plant any this year or not. I may just grow it and not dry it. Good luck. Hope it works.
    ~Melissa~

    ReplyDelete
  2. Really like your dad's birdfeeder. Like your fence in the pictures also. I have never grown Sweet Annie from seed, only from the plant.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love your log cabin bird feeder, Dawn!!! Your garden will be awesome when done but I don't know a thing about Sweet Annie but good luck! I hope you have a great day at the shop!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Dawn!....I sure hope they don't toss that sod in the landfill in the plastic bag and that they at least empty it out of the bag first, what a shame that would be to put pieces of the earth in a plastic bag and then place it in a landfill, oh my!....I can barely stand it when I see leaves in the fall going into plastic bags!....love your bird feeder, it's very special indeed....and I'm afraid I have no advice to offer on planting anything as I am not a gardener in any way shape or form! LOL Janet

    ReplyDelete
  5. I am sooooooooo jealous you have bittersweet in your yard. Did you see the posts I did last fall about getting my bittersweet? I work hard! LOL

    I have started a few gardens from scratch. It is a LOT of work. I hope it all comes out like you want it to!

    hugs, Linda

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi Dawn,
    Well, I won't be any help on the gardening...all I have to do is look at plants, flowers, and the garden and things start to die. lol... Needless to say, I do not have a green thumb.
    The picture of your dog is priceless! I just love the look she is giving you. Rosie is adorable!!
    Cindy

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi Dawn....well I am heartbroken that Danny was eliminated....I guess I will just have to wait for his first album. Good Luck to Kris!....and it was good news to hear that your yard waste there isn't put into plastic! Janet

    ReplyDelete