Garden Friday

 It's Garden Friday, y'all!

Spring is jumpin' and poppin'!

Let's take a look at what's going on in the garden.

 The straw bales have been planted, along with some containers.

We transplanted some kale (pictured) and green beans directly into the bales.

Seeds were sown for beets, broccoli, carrots, kale, lettuces, and snap peas right in the bales.

We haven't had much rain, so I've been using the soaker hose every day.

There are a few lettuce varieties coming up in the pots since sowing last Friday.

 On the deck, the seedling trays continue to grow,

especially after soaking them in a slurry of Mighty Grow and water.

These will be transplanted to containers when they get a bit more size on them.

It seems like everything is just ready to take off!

 A few things have popped up out of the ground in the past couple of weeks.

This clematis came right back all on its own.

It is being trained up the deck steps

and I'm hoping it will cover the entire railing posts.

This is a new plant for me, but one I've secretly admired,

so it's thrilling to have it doing its thing without a bit of help from me!

 These sweet violas were picked up at Piedmont Hardware in Maiden.

They called my name when I was walking past

and I just couldn't leave them there.

They will be installed in the next few days.

If you've never visited this historic hardware store, I highly recommend you do.

The folks there are so friendly and happy to help you get your projects done.

 This area of our property is outta control.

The loropetalum is huge and in need of a serious pruning,

but until I learn more about it, I don't dare touch it.

The azaleas in front of it are a mess,

but since they are now blooming and budding, 

any tidying up will have to wait.

This grouping of plants is sitting smack-dab on top of our septic tank.

I'm not sure what the previous owners were thinking...

I can't say the azaleas are my favorite flowers,

 but they do add a wealth of vibrant color to the garden.

They might be more appealing to me

if their placement were changed.

They just don't seem to fit the current space appropriately.

 We also have quite a variety of shades of tulips on the property.

Everything from this brilliant orange, to pink, yellow,

and this delicate white tulip laced in purple.

It's so amazing to see the degrees of beauty that surrounds us.

 I found out that this ground cover we have out front is phlox.

While it is a sight to behold,

I do prefer the more blu-ish shade.

In fact, my next door neighbor has some,

and I just may be bold enough to ask her for some.

There are still daffs coming up in tones of white, yellow

and a few others with a mix of the two.

The apple tree is blooming and although I'm not getting my hopes up 

about being able to pick any for our use,

I plan to leave it in place in case the deer wish to partake.

The gentleman we bought the house from

told us that the apples and peaches grown on the property were sickly

and I don't think any care was taken to improve the conditions of the trees.

After learning about how difficult apple, peach and pear trees are to grow here,

I don't foresee us acquiring any in the future.

Not sure (actually don't have a clue) what this beauty is,

but the flowers are gorgeous!

My smeller doesn't work well,

so it's hard for me to get clues about flowering plants by the scent.

It's a keeper, so I'll have to pay attention to getting it pruned

so that it stays healthy while I work on identifying it.

 

 This path connects the front lawn to the side gardening area.

The mammoth bush on the left will most likely be taken out,

although I do feel badly as the birds take cover there.

It's just too big and directly shades the bathroom window.

I was thinking of turning this lil' corner into an herb garden

with some lemon grass in the back and smaller plants in the front.

The loropetalum sits on the right side and will remain there.

I'd like to create an archway here and start training

a vine over the top.

Something fragrant would be wonderful.

Any suggestions?

Blossoms are bountiful right now

and I can only imagine that as it warms up,

the magic will become absolutely undeniable.

Has spring made Her entrance where you live?

Weekend Wallpaper Project

Sister lives near Charlotte in a cute lil' townhouse.

I have so many great memories of being here on vacation,

when we used to come up in summertime year after year.

 

She is not the original owner, and remnants of previous dwellers remain,

including this wallpaper and border in the kitchen.

She's been wanting to take it down for a number of years,

so last weekend we gave it a go.

Here are the tools we used including a roller, a scraper,

a scorer, painter's tape, a drop cloth  and hot water.

In the spray bottle is a mixture of fabric softener and water,

used to unleash the glue from behind the paper.

We found these steps helpful in removing the stubborn steadfast unwanted wallpaper:

1.  Place the drop cloth under the work area (tape it to the molding if desired).

2.  Score the paper using circular motions.

3.  Spray the mixture liberally onto the paper and let it set for 10-15 minutes.

You can also use the roller to apply the solution.

4.  Use the scraper to catch the corner or border and peel paper back.

5.  On extremely difficult areas (the border), hot water was sponged on.

It's a messy project, so the drop cloth really saves your floors.

The drop cloth can be used more than once

and it makes it easier to deposit the torn pieces into the trash.

I can't say it was the most fun I've had with Sister,
but we managed to keep ourselves amused while we worked.
After a few hours, this is what we accomplished.
Looks like this will be a project for a few more weekends.
Thankfully, her kitchen is fairly small.
Once all the paper is completely removed,
she will paint the room the same cool grey she has in the rest of the house.
One step closer to feathering her nest.

Wordless Wednesday

Pansies-a-Plenty!

 These sweet lil' ole pansies were picked up at Ford's Seeds a couple of weeks ago.

They help us welcome in spring

when there is not much color in the garden.

Before transplanting them,

I raided the worm pile out in the leaf compost heap.

This goldmine of crawling critters is being added to beds

as I redesign and replant them around the property.

The hope is that the amendments will make planting easier

in seasons to come.

I should have dowsed the transplants with water before putting them in,

but it was good to see the strong root structure.

They are pretty hardy plants, so I think they'll be fine.

The mailbox planter was the first place that needed a bit of dressing up.

After clearing out the weeds and leaves

(there is no end to the leaves here),

I got to work, 

using the towel folded over a couple of times

 to cushion my knees on the hard pavers.

A half dozen or so were added,

spacing them in a zig-zag fashion.

There will still be plenty of room

for adding other annuals or maybe some butterfly plants.

This bed by the front porch is getting a total makeover.

I've already gotten rid of most of the plants that were here,

as they were just too tall for the space.

This is going to be one of our butterfly areas.

 The pansies line the walkway so nicely

and add a bit of color to the front facade.

I look forward to filling in this space with plenty

of butterfly and hummingbird attractors.

This is the spot where some rose bushes were taken out

and given away.  I'm not crazy about roses, so I wanted to find

a home for them where they would be cherished.

Most of the remaining pansies were planted here,

where they will get plenty of sunshine

and brighten up the front of the house.

The final plans for this area are not certain,

but most likely will contain more pollinator-friendly choices.

We will be expanding this bed to the right about 3 feet,

so that the entire front of the house is one, continuous bed.

Lots more room for growing!

These delicate looking flowers 

add a whimsical presence to the garden.

After a long, drawn out winter, 

what a welcome sight they are!

Make It a Blue Day

Today is the onset of Autism Awareness Month.

We hope you'll join us in supporting those with autism

by placing a blue bulb on your porch or yard light.