July- vines and things

Well, the tomato is growing like crazy, so that's fun.  The purple beans are doing great, I get lots of beans already and they look lovely.  They have little purple flowers and it's super cute.  The regular green beans aren't as far along, I guess they don't get quite as much sun.  I was thinking next year I would only plant the beans along the wall, because they look so lovely and they get too crowded in the raised bed.

I was very seriously considering getting the patio wall removed.  I think it's basically useless, and ugly.  I need to get a quote on that, and if it's like, $100, I'll get someone to do it, but the internet seems to think I can handle it.  I'd need a pry bar and maybe a sledge hammer.  If I end up keeping the cinder blocks whole, I could pretty much use them for another bed?  Or should I build a smaller wall there that's hollow through so I can plant in it?  Or, I can make a bench!  That could be kind of nice.  I will probably need to ask the HOA.

The Morning Glory are finally blooming, I've got two flowers and they're beautiful, and it's 2:30 and they're still out.  I kind of thought they were shorter lived than that.  So I guess I'll just grow the same things again.  It's very possible they don't like sharing space with the beans.

Ah stop planting things!

Whelp, I went away for a week and was all like, oh no, what about water?  And soaked everything all I could, and then gave them all upside down wine bottles of water to slow-drip.  And I mean, that seemed fine, and even the vines and stuff seemed to be alive?  BUT! The tomato plant had collapsed under its own weight.  What did Mike McGrath JUST SAY?!

So, how about next time do a better job of anticipating how ginormous they get.  I mean, maybe we wanna put it somewhere else entirely, and get some kind of beautiful trellis?  I actually still don't know where I should put a tomato plant.  I just don't.  

The gladioli are kinda meh. I should probably just not do them.  Hm, but they're so easy, and they make such nice cut flowers!  I would just need to be a lot more selective about where I put them.  

Veggies

My raised bed is looking very happy, overall.  The tomato is growing like crazy.  A week ago, I tied some of the branches onto the trellis to keep it upright and growing in the right direction, and I think that looks very nice.  The jalapeno plant was kind of lagging behind, but it has gotten bigger.  The green beans are shooting up super fast, as well, and I feel like I should have given them more room... I did thin them out quite a bit after they were all established, especially because some of them lost all their leaves from the hail.  But the smaller trellises I used are already too short.  I mean, they would grow 30 feet high if you let them, so I guess anything is going to be too short.

Actually!  Fuck it, they don't even need to be there.  If I get the right sized containers, I should just grow them all over the patio walls. I put some of the purple beans in the containers with the morning glory, figuring it would help fill it out, and it would be a stronger climber to carry the flowering plants along, but I wasn't really thinking it would take off like it did.  I have at least 3 feet of height there.  If I'm a little more vigilant about weaving them back and forth through the wall, I could cover a lot of space.  And I would cover that whole wall, the short one, with the planters inside the patio where I can keep an eye on them, but ideally the plants would grow to cover both sides.  And it gives me a lot more space to grow other things in the raised bed.  Like more tomatoes maybe.  Square Foot Gardening says 9 bean plants per square foot, so each plant needs 4x4 inches.  So in a long planter, like the one the morning glories are in now, you could have like, 15-20 plants.  And you'd be able to control the soil and you could start it a little early...

Anyway, the raised bed.  The tomato looks amazing, the jalapeno's good, the Swiss chard looks like it's getting on fine.  I think if I grow that again, I need to grow a lot of it for it to be worthwhile.  Because you get a couple of big leaves a week, not enough to make a meal for one person.  Well, I think that would be an easy one to start from seed, so, yeah let's do that.  The parsley is amazing.  It looks so good, I don't know why my parsley couldn't look like that last year.  The chives are good, I almost feel like I should use them as an ornamental grass somewhere else. I just planted more purple basil and Thai basil, so, we'll see, but the regular basil seems ok.  I may really regret wasting space on Thai basil.  I just want tons and tons of Genovese basil.  But the purple basil helps the whole thing look more attractive.  I don't think the thyme is doing so great.  I think it's getting kind of shadowed by the big leafy things.  So I guess I'll see if it makes it. Maybe it will be really nice in the fall.  The cilantro of course went to seed already.  I planted another one like 2 weeks ago and it's fine, but won't be for long.  I planted some seeds in there, hoping I'd get little cilantros that were picking up right when the big plants were quitting, like Mom did, but I was too late.  But I think I could start those from seed pretty well!  And there are a few nasturtiums, just plugging along.  No flowers yet, I think not until July.

I ordered a grow light.  So, when that gets here, I'm going to start some cilantro seeds, and I think some of the bok choy I bought.  I have a few late-season seeds to start, but those say to start in June-July.  Like, outside.  And then you have bok choy to eat in 2 months, which sounds kind of amazing.  But if I start them like, now, and they're ready to be transplanted within a month, where would I put them?  I guess I could just put them in containers.  I don't see how they could need that much space, if they grow in like 2 months.  It's not like they could create a huge root system.  I guess I could even start the first round right in the container?  Sure, why not.  I guess I need to be more thoughtful about what I use as a growing medium....  So excited about my grow light!

Mapping the Sun

I'm trying to remember to take pictures of my shit throughout this summer, so I know what grows where, and I don't end up planting a ton of things on top of each other and leaving other spots bare.   (At least, not any more?)

I'm also hoping to figure out where the sun ends up at different times of day/ year.  I think I spend a lot of time in February and March watching what got sun, and when, and how long, and making charts on graph paper, and starting seeds and other wastes of time.  But, yeah, the sun is different in the summer, and the trees have leaves.

Today, May 31st

8:00 am:  Wow, lots of crap sitting in front of my house.  Awesome.

11:00 am:  Perfect sun!

2:00 pm:  Still good...

8:00 am:  Shady for now

11:00 am:  Yay, sun!

2:00 pm: The wall isn't shading anything yet...

8:00 am

11:00 am

2:00 pm

8:00 am

11:00 am

2:00 pm

8:00 am:  Well, that is a strange posture

11:00 am

2:00 pm

Front Bed is kind of under control

The front planting bed is really starting to come together.  Today I pulled out all the daffodils, and I think I got like, 90% of them with the bulb and all.  There's still an issue with the way back, where we cut back the conifer.  But whatever goes back there has to be something permanent.  That means something perennial, but also something evergreen.  Like, one of those little trees...  

Right now what's in there...

Large Shrubs:  The big hedge (Laurel?) and the low conifer (that's what we're calling it)

Variegated Liriope (like, 10 of them?) the small one in the back should be moved to the front next spring.  There's also one totally underneath the hedge that could be salvaged.  

Daylillies, tons of them.  I've been wanting to move them further back, because they look kinda dumb.  I could really think about doing that this fall when they die back.  There's also a larger day lily that I think is red and yellow?  I can't decide if I like it there.  

Black Eyed Susan- 3.  I think they'll do well.  They get tons of sun, but I'm starting to worry it's not draining well.  (Then stop soaking it to death!)  I think the height will work, they'll get to like, 2 feet high.  The one that's around the right side could be moved maybe.  They're supposed to bloom in July, so, we'll see!  

Echinacea: I was really excited to get these.  Same deal as the Black Eyed Susan, but these should get to about 3 feet tall.  I hope they spread.  If they look good this year, I'll get more.  They're going to kind of dominate the color scheme at that point, when they bloom (July).  The Liriope blooms around then, too, so the purple will be somewhat cohesive?  

Creeping Jenny- just dug it up from where it was spreading into the grass and put it in.  It's a nice way to cover some ground, but I hope it doesn't spread too much.  

Daffodils-  so they've been all pulled out now... I'll put them back in, but near the back/ middle.  I'll have to draw this out in a real plan.  

Annuals:

Gladioli- I think I need to be a lot more restrained with these.  It's easy to get carried away in March when nothing's really growing yet but I'm just so excited oh my god and I put in 100 gladioli.  Maybe if I really feel the need to do this, I can just cram tons into containers.  Oh, but the ones that are in there now- they're dark pink (almost red) and light pink with dark streaks.  They won't come up until July. Next year, I would plant them even earlier.  When they do bloom, I'll just pull out the whole things.  

Vinca- bright pink vinca, big flat of em from Home Depot.  I think vinca usually do pretty well, they're tough.  I had put Lanthana (?) in, but they ended up being way too red.  

Corabells (mini Petunia things)- pink with yellow streaks.  

Sweet Potato Vine- chartreuse green, hope it will tie in with the Liriope and the Creeping Jenny

Mandevilla- in a big container with a cool obelisk thing.  I'm hoping it will be a focal point for now, so that gaping hole in the center isn't too upsetting.  It's growing like crazy, but it hasn't really bloomed yet.  Not enough sun?  I'm hoping to bring it inside over the winter.  

So the only thing I can do this year is re-plant the daffodils, and maybe add more.  I should probably do a few rounds of pruning on the hedge so it keeps growing the way I want it to.  

Next Spring- move the liriope in the back to the front.  Put something in the back/center.  Maybe move the day lilies back a little.  Maybe more of the green and yellow hostas.  

Instead of doing work, I'm going to think about doing work

I'm fucking sick, and it sucks.  With enough drugs, I start to feel ok, but then I stand up and start doing something and it's like, whoa I need to go lie down again.  Yesterday I planted....

• 3 Yarrow plants
• 3 New Guinea impatiens 
• 2 Creeping phlox (actually I made Drake do that)
• the Mandevilla
• the tomato and the pepper

I also cut back a lot of the stupid tree-bush, and then felt like I was going to pass out, and then Drake finished off more of it.  Now I can see what's going on in that area, and it's kind of crazy.  

First of all, I have a pretty well-filled out border of day lilies along the outside, which looks totally fucking stupid.  (There are also some even stupider daffodils)  Then, there are the liriope, all mature and healthy, distributed around the back.  Two have been totally covered by bushes for the past few years, so they haven't grown much, but the seem like they're hanging on.  Then I have the Black Eyed Susans I planted a few weeks ago.  The Black Eyed Susans should be the farthest back, because they will get the tallest, like 3 feet tall, I believe.  Although they probably won't do that this year, so no reason to move them yet.  The day lilies also need to be moved further back, and clumped together more densely so they don't look like a weird little trail.  

But really, the area will need a focal point, something permanent with some height.  Getting a clematis or something like that, and just using the trellis to get the height, might be the best move.  Either way, not doing anything about it this year.  

So, things to do in the future:

This Fall: 

• grow some cool-season veggies like arugula and kale
• collect lots of fall leaves
• move day lilies 
• move the daffodils 
• move the hyacinths so they aren't in the way of the phlox
• plant some more daffodils, maybe some other bulbs, maybe tulips

This Winter: 

• Probably buy a grow light
• Move the mandevilla and the rosemary inside, so I can get another year out of them
• Force spring bulbs inside, it will be so much more rewarding that growing from seed!

Next Spring: 

• Cut back Hellebores right away, like, early March
• Cut back Liriope (power tools?) and move whichever seem like they should be moved
• Start growing Morning Glory in full sized containers indoors, none of this peat pot shit
• Use plastic window box planters for the window box, so they can easily be switched around

It's starting to look like a garden center run by crazies over here

Flower Market:

• 3 Yarrow, red and yellow flowers- planted in the Bed of Neglect across the sidewalk
• 2 Vinca Vines- maybe the wall planter? 
• 1 Thunburgia - wall planter?
• I feel like there was something else?

Lowe's (literally never stop improving)

• 4 Creeping Phlox (light light purple, not the color I wanted, but on the clearance rack for $3) - not sure yet where to plant these.  I might give them to mom.
• 3 Stella D'Oro Daylilies- in the front, but I need to think more strategically about that whole area 
• 3 New Guinea Impatiens- in containers on the patio on the trellis.  Done.   
• Sun Gold Cherry Tomato plant
• Jalapeno plant
• another trellis thing for pole beans

Wedgewood:

• 2 Creeping Phlox, to match my candy stripe pink ones- will plant just in front of the existing ones.
• 2 Echinacea (the regular purple-pink kind.  Probably should have gotten 3) - well, I was thinking it would go in the front bed, but now I'm kind of thinking the side bed needs some late summer flowers.  
• 1 Mandevilla, the standard bright pink kind- planted in a larger planter with the beautiful obelisk, placed in the middle of the bed.  
• A gorgeous obelisk trellis for the Mandy for only $30
• 6-pack of small Coleus- in containers on the patio
• a cocoa liner to fit my giant wall planter

Obviously I've gotten a little carried away.  I mean, I spent probably $500 so far.  As long as I actually take care of everything, I think it's justified.  

Still to do....

Raised Bed:  

• plant tomato and pepper plants
• put in new trellis frames, plant more pole beans
• I pulled the flower buds off the chives so they'd keep growing... that's ok, right?

Containers:

• transplant begonia bulbs to larger pots
• transplant coleus to pots
• plant nasturtiums in window box planters
• water the Mandevilla
• water the other containers
• get more potting mix for the wall planter
• figure out what to put in the wall planter

Side Bed:

• Plant the new creeping phlox.  I want to dig up all the hyacinths as I'm doing this, because I don't like their current location.  I want them clustered in the middle.  
• cut back camellia 
• Figure out what the hell I'm doing.  The hostas in there are kind of a mix of things that don't makes sense together.  The fern, oh my god, that fern is so stupid there.  It's really getting crowded by the rhododendron and the hosta.  The thing is, he seems to be thriving.  

Front Bed: 

• finish dealing with the tree-bush
• plant new day lilies, figure out if and where to move the old ones.