The Gardening Thread

[eleanorigby]

I poked around very cursorily; didn't find one of these, and cannot think why. So, here is our gardening thread. Herein let us chat about your plans for the sorta soggy spot/sun-drenched hillside/apartment balcony or window sill, or the north 40.

I would vastly prefer flowers and landscape ideas, anecdotes, tales of woe, success stories and failures, but if you must drag vegetables and fruit into this, so be it. Please try to include links to pics of at least the specimen type, if not your actual garden.

I am in the process of the slowest move God ever saw. I am going from just under 1 acre to 1/4 acre. The shock is severe, but the work is still formidable. The woman who lived here before didn't even change burnt out light-bulbs, never mind actually do anything in the yard...

There is English ivy everywhere, except where there's Creeping Charlie (I loath EV and CC). EV belongs on the hallowed brick halls of every college anywhere, not in my yard.

Last week, between monsoons, I went up on my roof balcony (it's the garage roof) and trimmed the Euonymus alatus aka burning bush out of the and off the gutters. I need a chainsaw to rid myself of these pesky mulberry saplings which are just that too big for loppers.

I have at least 5 (5!) yews growing in front of my picture window in the front yard. They all need to GO. I love yews, but for this site, I would prefer variegated dogwoods for their pretty cream and pale green leaves, but also their fantastic bark in winter. This is the only garden I've ever seen that had daffodil leaves sprout, but no blooms.... Lots to do.

Today I transplanted a number of daffs from my Old House (OH) yard to my New House (NH) yard. Still have lots to transplant, including iris, sweet woodruff, peonies, lady's mantle, muscari, Virginia bluebells and ajuga. I know this much: I am woefully out of gardening shape...

What about your patch of earth?

What are you doing to it and what is it doing to you?

[Rock]

I started one back in March but it was far too early for most folks- it was also too early for New Mexico as it turned out. We had a cold snap (below freezing) in early April that didn't kill the stuff I had out but it didn't do them any good either. Anyway, the thread sort of turned into the Chronicles of Bumbershoot's First Gardening Attempts because no one else was close to planting.

[Zeener Diode]

Bumbs, I just spoke to my bro in ABQ; he was back from a nursery run with bags of soil. Tomorrow is his wife's bday and he's gonna surprise her with a flowering shrub. They just moved to NM last November.

[SmartAleq]

I've been revamping the little shade garden out back after it survived (more or less!) the depredations of a young puppy who decided the slope with vinca was THE bestest spot to pee in. He won that round so I'm filling in the spots with various shade tolerant plants after having brutally fenced the entire plot to keep said young doggo the hell out of it. He really wants to go after every plant I spent money on while ignoring any weeds that pop up for free--he's got expensive tastes, that one. He also really loves getting into any container and emptying it right down to the bottom. I do not agree this is a good use of his time, hence said fencing maneuvers. The next door neighbor has been invaluable in tattling on Kosh when he gets into the garden and tells me where the fence needs augmentation. I really don't want to have to chicken wire the entire thing, that really looks like crap.

Next door my almost son in law cleared probably 500SF of ten foot high blackberry canes and English ivy and put in raised beds for veg and flowers. Daughter is putting in several wildflower patches to encourage birds and bees and just took seven wheelbarrow loads of pure mulch out of a front planter that had pee smelling box bushes in them that hadn't grown a lick in several years due to being planted in said mulch right over plastic landscape cloth. She took up the plastic, laid down cardboard instead, put a good layer of soil and compost in and removed the box bushes to another spot away from the front door and window where the smell is no longer noticeable and replaced them with a variety of hebes, woodruff, and other interesting plants and is waiting on a couple of hydrangeas from her auntie's garden that's being moved from Sacramento to a new home in Sequim.

It's been busy around here! I still have more veg to plant, including rainbow chard that's as ornamental as it is tasty and an artichoke plant that I've always wanted to try. I love artichokes but the plants themselves are really neat looking. I also do as many varieties of basil as I can get my hands on--it's delicious AND has lovely flowers the bees and butterflies crave. Win/win!

[Zeener Diode]

Rigs, maybe we can get a mod to sticky this?

@Rebo

[Rock]

Originally Posted by Zeener Diode

Bumbs, I just spoke to my bro in ABQ; he was back from a nursery run with bags of soil. Tomorrow is his wife's bday and he's gonna surprise her with a flowering shrub. They just moved to NM last November.

That would be a nice birthday present. Do you know what kind of shrub? I'm guessing something drought-tolerant that likes lots of sunshine.

[Zeener Diode]

Most of the flowering plants on the Zeener Homestead have passed their bloom; I'm waiting for the English privets (hedge) to flower before trimming them back. The tiny white flowers are beautiful and smell wonderful, attracting lots of bees.

[Zeener Diode]

Originally Posted by Bumbershoot

That would be a nice birthday present. Do you know what kind of shrub? I'm guessing something drought-tolerant that likes lots of sunshine.

He didn't say, but I'm sure I'll see pics tomorrow.

[Oxirane]

Last weekend, we expanded the garden in the front just enough to get rid of the annual area, Mrs. White and I have plenty of hanging plants and some pots, and frankly, 20+ years of me putting in annuals in the front is getting old, a lot of work for a four to six weeks of pretty flowers...three years ago, we dug out a lot of old hedges in the front and side and turned them into a perennial garden, and seeing how those are really coming in, I'm all about perennials...the biggest issue is some perennials act like pretty weeds and need to be reminded occasionally to play in their area and not bother the other plants...

My favorites are the Asiatic lilies, and apparently, they are the favorites of the red lily beetle as well...despite my best efforts last year, those bastards destroyed one...I hope we caught them in time this year, they were already all over one, I blasted them with Neem Oil, haven't seen them back...

Vegetable garden tomorrow...oh, and Big Blue Box Store had Asiatic lily bulbs on sale for 75% off, when I mentioned that to Mrs. White, she said, "Great! How many did you get?" So, looks like I'm heading there in the morning...

Rigs, I haven't done bulbs, can I plant them now or do I need to wait until the fall?

EDT: The other executive decision I made today was, starting next spring, I'm getting a yard service, the ones I looked at were $1000 - 1200 for the season to include lawn treatments and leaf cleaning, I'm good with that. We're paying the house off in October, and $1200 is $1000 less than our monthly payment, so more time to concentrate on the gardens...

[SmartAleq]

I prefer perennials too but I usually end up with at least a few annuals--salvia and celosia usually because I like the way those bright colors bring the pollinators and they're pretty cheap, usually under four bucks for a flat of six. Sometimes I'll take a flyer on a tender perennial and roll the dice on them making it through the winter. Bright red salvias really bring the hummingbirds too. I always feel blessed when they come flitting through the garden. I just bought them a feeder too, need to get that hung up.

[Dragonlady]

Rigs - I have daffodils that sprout leaves but no blooms. Not enough sun. Take a look as where your new ones are.

[eleanorigby]

Originally Posted by Zeener Diode

Rigs, maybe we can get a mod to sticky this?

@Rebo

Yes, please!

Originally Posted by Oxirane

....I'm all about perennials...the biggest issue is some perennials act like pretty weeds and need to be reminded occasionally to play in their area and not bother the other plants...

Yes, but this is a small price to pay (unless you plant something that goes rampant). Best thing is that since you see these plants in all phases of growth, year after year, you can recognize them when they're young and easy to uproot.

Rigs, I haven't done bulbs, can I plant them now or do I need to wait until the fall?

Depends on the bulb, but the vast majority of them get planted in fall. Early spring blooming perennials will look fantastic strewn amongst your perennial bed. I'd start with crocuses and daffodils, keeping in mind that crocii are tiny, so need to be clumped together to make a punch. Some more spring blooming but plant in fall bulbs are: grape hyacinth (muscari), daffs, tulips (these vary hugely in terms of hardiness and bloom time; expect the squirrels and chipmunks to eat most of them.), glory-of-the-snow (chinodoxa). I have no idea where you're located, (I'm sure you've said, but I've forgotten, sorry!) but if you have at least some freezing temps in winter, and you're not in a desert, bulbs will do okay.

Originally Posted by Dragonlady

Rigs - I have daffodils that sprout leaves but no blooms. Not enough sun. Take a look as where your new ones are.

They're full west, so get at least 6 hours of sunlight. It's baffling, but I will be moving them eventually to more amenable sites. Poor things.

Got a TON of brush cut down yesterday, plus TH helped by using his Sawz-all (both chain saws need new blades) to make quick work of the saplings. Also started to weed this odd bed just outside the dining room windows; it's not covered in river rock, but some other sort of rock; smaller than river rock and it's polished. It looks like very expensive ground cover with tons of weeds sprouting. Weeded that out and started to rake back the CC, only to find huge flagstones underneath! Any flagstone I don't have to buy is a welcome gift.

I think that prior to previous owner (PO; what the hell, her name was Judi; let's call her Judi), there might have been an actual patio there. I could only find 3 large flagstones, though, and 3 large flagstones does not a patio make...

Also found out that one of the old growth trees in the back is essentially dead, so that's expensive. So dead that the ground beneath the roots has fallen away, leaving me with huge divots and crevices in the far back yard (far back... it is to laugh. This yard is so tiny, but no doubt my perspective will change once I no longer have OH's yard as a scale in my head).

Painting today. Overdid yesterday and need to paint the FR so I can move stuff into it. Also, no room in the yard waste bin...

My problem with basil is that it self-sows like a mofo and I end up ripping out basil all summer long...

[SmartAleq]

I would love it if the basil self sowed here but it never has. Every year I plant it in various spots and every year the first frost kills it dead and that's all she wrote. Ripping out basil is just plenty of pesto to me but NOOOOOOOO.

[What Exit?]

Lawn mowing was dry and dusty and I was sneezing and wheezing the whole time.

[Zeener Diode]

Originally Posted by SmartAleq

I would love it if the basil self sowed here but it never has. Every year I plant it in various spots and every year the first frost kills it dead and that's all she wrote. Ripping out basil is just plenty of pesto to me but NOOOOOOOO.

Yeah, I love having fresh basil. It's something I buy every May and plant outdoors in my half-barrel planter. (Last year I tried pineapple basil, but this year I want plain.)

[SmartAleq]

Try some pineapple sage, it's AMAZING. I'm peeved that neither Tony's nor Portland Nursery had lime basil this year and I really love lime basil. Goes great with fish.

[Zeener Diode]

Pineapple basil didn't have much flavor, so I used it in potpourri. Lime basil sounds intriguing, I might plant it with plain.

I'm not much of a sage person. I know, I know.

[SmartAleq]

Pineapple sage is nothing like regular sage, and it absolutely DOES taste and smell like pineapple, as well as having lovely foliage.

[Oxirane]

I didn't even know pineapple sage or pineapple basil were a thing, we usually have a decent-size herb garden, but I've never seen those for sale in our area. We go to two local places which are a little more expensive, but the plants are better. I'm putting in a couple of grow lights and grow tables in the basement this winter, so I'll definitely be soliciting suggestions in January...

Thanks, Rigs, great advice. We're in 5b, Capital District of NY, so 25 min NW of Albany, we're 180 north miles of NYC and 220 miles south of Montreal, approximately the same latitude as Boston, but higher in elevation. We get a pretty crappy, long winter, relative short spring, but really pleasant summers.

[JackieLikesVariety]

Originally Posted by SmartAleq

Try some pineapple sage, it's AMAZING. I'm peeved that neither Tony's nor Portland Nursery had lime basil this year and I really love lime basil. Goes great with fish.

OMG

[hilarity n. suze]

Suffered another vicious attack by my roses. And I was trying to protect them from bindweed! Ungrateful asshole roses.

[Rock]

The only living plant in my yard when I moved in last fall was a rose bush. Just over 3 weeks ago it started blooming. The picture below shows how it looked about 10 days ago. Now the flowers are losing their petals- don't know if I'll suddenly see more, there aren't any new buds right now.

I started this spring all excited and put in some new shrubs and a couple of small trees but I slowed way down when the stay-at-home order went into effect. I'm about ready for another trip to the nursery though.

[Dragonlady]

Those rebloom - in waves - if I remember right.

[Rock]

Originally Posted by Dragonlady

Those rebloom - in waves - if I remember right.

Oh cool- I've learned a lot about roses from you and kaiwik.

[Rebo]

Originally Posted by Zeener Diode

Rigs, maybe we can get a mod to sticky this?

@Rebo

Stuck!

[SmartAleq]

If you want your roses to keep blooming profusely, you need to deadhead the holy shit out of them--ruthlessly clip off all the spent blooms so the plant gets into a panic thinking it won't reproduce so it better bud more like a maniac. Roses are the subs of the plant world, they just love to be treated rough. Prune the fuck out of them and they go nuts, deadhead like a total dick and you'll have more blossoms than you know what to do with. Go fishing and plant some bony ass pike at the roots of it and the thing will go nuts and overtake your entire house--ask me how I know this.

[Rock]

Well okay, but I feel like to do it right I should dig out my black leather pants and my black leather vest. My neighbors might think I've lost it but I'll have the nicest rose bush on the block!

Seriously Smartie, thanks for the advice and tomorrow morning I'm attacking that thing with the clippers.

[SmartAleq]

PREPARE...FOR TOTAL ANNIHILATION!!!

And when you deadhead, clip it off below the first one or two leaf clusters below the rose hip--or further if that's what you need to do to make the bush more shapely. Also, if you wear your black leather you MUST post a pic of you and Rosie in a compromising position!

[Oxirane]

So, we put in our veggie garden today, lotsa tomatoes, an abundance of a variety of peppers, Oxi likes his chicken spicy, cukes and we're trying our hand at watermelon...celery, broccoli and garlic will go in later this week...

Nice, so potential BDSM vids of Bumber in leather 'shaping' his roses...is that what you kids are calling that these days?

[Rock]

That rose bush reminds me every time I come near that she has thorns and she can make me bleed...

I've had a few beers tonight so some early morning action seems to be the thing.

[SmartAleq]

We are gonna have SO many tomatoes--I'm all about the heirloom and paste tomatoes, I have San Marzano, Amish Paste and Black Krim and the kids have the more normal varieties. Their roommate who lives in the ADU behind their house got industrious and made us all these super cute wooden pentagonal tomato cages out of scraps from his work--he's a carpenter by trade.

I have mostly sweet peppers--just put in one that comes out PURPLE, couldn't resist that one. ASIL has all kinds of lethal super hot varieties because he is a maniacal masochist. We have many varieties of corn both sweet and popcorn and he's experimenting with Three Sisters planting where you plant corn, beans and squash all together--the beans climb up the corn stalks while the squash keeps weeds from popping up in the patch. I have trellis planters so I'm growing the cucumbers, melons, climbing beans and peas and we have so much lettuce, arugula, spinach, chard and kale we'll be eating salad well into fall, oh darn. We have, I think, six or eight varieties of basil and five varieties of potato growing in baskets. Zucchini, winter squash and watermelon. Broccoli and cabbage--no cauliflower just yet because I'm holding out for an orange variety because plain white cauliflower is boring.

I really wanted to plant ground cherries but I didn't get my seeds started early enough and can't find starts anywhere. Poop. Next year I'm getting those going in January, see if I don't!

[Zeener Diode]

Originally Posted by SmartAleq

Go fishing and plant some bony ass pike at the roots of it and the thing will go nuts and overtake your entire house--ask me how I know this.

And for those who don't want to/don't know how to catch/handle fish, there's Alaska Fish Fertilizer. All the fishy stinky goodness in liquid form. A little goes a long way.

[hilarity n. suze]

Originally Posted by Bumbershoot

The only living plant in my yard when I moved in last fall was a rose bush. Just over 3 weeks ago it started blooming. The picture below shows how it looked about 10 days ago. Now the flowers are losing their petals- don't know if I'll suddenly see more, there aren't any new buds right now.

I started this spring all excited and put in some new shrubs and a couple of small trees but I slowed way down when the stay-at-home order went into effect. I'm about ready for another trip to the nursery though.

Wow, that looks exactly like my climbing rose (that does not climb). Except it's a bit further along, so I know you are not me. It looks like my fence, too. Are you future me?

[Karma]

I found a container of potbound violas in the orphan aisle, marked down to $1.72! Three different colors packed in there, one of which is a dark purple with an midnight blue center. Absolutely beautiful. I split them and planted them today.

Originally Posted by SmartAleq

I have mostly sweet peppers--just put in one that comes out PURPLE, couldn't resist that one...

...Broccoli and cabbage--no cauliflower just yet because I'm holding out for an orange variety because plain white cauliflower is boring.

Why not purple cauliflower?

https://images.search.yahoo.com/sear...fr=yfp-hrtab-s

[eleanorigby]

Originally Posted by SmartAleq

I would love it if the basil self sowed here but it never has. Every year I plant it in various spots and every year the first frost kills it dead and that's all she wrote. Ripping out basil is just plenty of pesto to me but NOOOOOOOO.

I misread. My ornamental basil (called Japanese basil by my mother, but no clue if that's the actual name) self-sows and is easily ripped out... I do like regular basil, but can only grow it in pots.

Originally Posted by Oxirane

Thanks, Rigs, great advice. We're in 5b, Capital District of NY, so 25 min NW of Albany, we're 180 north miles of NYC and 220 miles south of Montreal, approximately the same latitude as Boston, but higher in elevation. We get a pretty crappy, long winter, relative short spring, but really pleasant summers.

You'll be aces! Bulbs love Upper State NY.

Originally Posted by hilarity n. suze

Suffered another vicious attack by my roses. And I was trying to protect them from bindweed! Ungrateful asshole roses.

Bitch prima donnas. I hope you schooled them well. (I adore climbing roses but never had a place to grow them. I TRIED to get them to ramble up my front porch, but they turned their noses up and died, as did the Clematis, twice...)

Originally Posted by Rebo

Stuck!

Yay! Let's play in the dirt!

Just realized I need to take BEFORE pics for NH. It's already too late for the initial "pristine" state, but will take pics from here on out.

Just posted a bunch of pics to FB of bits of OH garden. May and June is when it's at its peak. Peonies about to bloom; Siberian iris, iris and Columbine are all going gang-busters.

[eleanorigby]

Originally Posted by Oxirane

Thanks, Rigs, great advice. We're in 5b, Capital District of NY, so 25 min NW of Albany, we're 180 north miles of NYC and 220 miles south of Montreal, approximately the same latitude as Boston, but higher in elevation. We get a pretty crappy, long winter, relative short spring, but really pleasant summers.

Forgot to say that you will want to plant the bulbs deep. Not 6 feet under, but at least 8-10 inches; a foot if you can. Add a sprinkle (teaspoon to a tablespoon, no more) of bone meal to the hole. Also, note the quality of your soil. If it's pure clay under the top soil (very common here; just south of Chicago), the bulbs would benefit from some soil amendment. Peat moss, compost (well rotted), "organic matter" are all good ways to break up clay. This is quick and dirty (heh), but I have had success with digging an 8 inch hole and tossing about 1/4 cup peatmoss + teaspoon of bone meal (I don't actually measure) into the hole and then place my bulbs in them. Be sure to WATER them after you cover them with dirt. Watering forces the air pockets out and helps the bulbs "settle". There is no need to continue to water them, ever.

If you prefer the trench approach to planting (wherein you dig out a large segment of garden bed, say 6 feet, and the toss all kinds of bulbs into, you'll still need to amend clay soil. There are amendments to be made to sandy soil as well, but they are outside my purview (hint: they involve adding... "organic matter" as well). I put organic matter in quotes because it makes me laugh; it covers so much ground (so to speak); it could be anything.

Please do not attempt to compost within the holes you dig. Dead fish aside (and that took me back to the Pilgrims and Squanto! It works) and some lilies like eggshells at their "feet", sticking garbage in your garden beds is not a good idea. But you know that. I'm just mumbling over here in my corner...

[Rock]

I followed Smartie's advice and did some Major Pruning (with the help of Colonel Clippers) to the rose bush this morning. Took out a surprising number of dead branches too.

Karma, remember the orange (butterfly) milkweed you recommended in the other thread? I had picked up a pack of seeds at Lowe's. Unfortunately not one of them sprouted. Oh well, it was only $2.49 so I might try again. It's still early.

[Oxirane]

Thank you! Yes, I am worried a bit about squirrels and chipmunks, especially the chipmunks as it's not like they are all over the place, it's just that they are all over the place, they like to dig holes...Yes, our soil is clay, so I will definitely augment the soil. we've got a little garden around the light post in our front yard that was dominated by a big evergreen bush that was dying - it was probably planted when the house was built in 1969, so it was time. I cut it back, but I think I'm just going to get the chain saw out and get rid of it completely. That'll give us a nice oval ~ 6' x 8' which would be good for bulbs and other perennials. Hopefully, I'll have some nice pictures to post next spring.

[Rock]

Originally Posted by hilarity n. suze

Wow, that looks exactly like my climbing rose (that does not climb). Except it's a bit further along, so I know you are not me. It looks like my fence, too. Are you future me?

You'd better hope not! That'll mean you've learned nothing about gardening, or you've forgotten everything you knew. Because I am clueless.

[SmartAleq]

Chicken wire makes rodents Very Unhappy. I put a layer of it into the bottom of the new raised beds before I dumped the new topsoil in to fox the gophers and moles and they are PISSED. Multiple new mole hills aaaaalll around the beds but not so much as a quiver inside them--little motherfuckers are NOT gonna destroy my plants and eat my worms, no how no way! I would guess that a layer of chicken wire laid down over the new beds full of bulbs, staked down really well, would likewise piss off the chipmunks and squirrels. It doesn't look all that nice but you can always take it up in spring after the bulbs have sprouted and are no longer a rodent buffet.

[eleanorigby]

Originally Posted by Bumbershoot

I started one back in March but it was far too early for most folks- it was also too early for New Mexico as it turned out. We had a cold snap (below freezing) in early April that didn't kill the stuff I had out but it didn't do them any good either. Anyway, the thread sort of turned into the Chronicles of Bumbershoot's First Gardening Attempts because no one else was close to planting.

But now we are stickied for permanence!
<-- is a plant looking back at you.

[eleanorigby]

They actually sell bulb cages (no clue how pricey). I've never had squirrels or chipmunks bother my daffodil or muscari bulbs; they eat tulip bulbs like candy. The deer send out mass emails telling others of the motherlode of tulip bulbs as well...

I have resorted to digging the hole, amending, inserting bulbs, the throwing some dirt on them, THEN putting a small square of chicken wire on top of that (flat), then filling the hole. That does seem to stop them, but when you start to dig there again (because if you're like me, you forget where you planted the damned things), you think you're onto some sort of really flexible root, only to find out it's chicken wire. Nevertheless, it does work. The bulbs don't care; they grow through the wire with no problem.

Tulips may be worth it to you. They're not to me (I'm lazy AF).

[Rock]

Originally Posted by eleanorigby

But now we are stickied for permanence!

Exactly- and now I have weeks of experience under my belt!

Originally Posted by eleanorigby

<-- is a plant looking back at you.

I hope it's not one of those plants that eats people and sings songs. I saw a movie like that recently.

[hilarity n. suze]

Originally Posted by Bumbershoot

You'd better hope not! That'll mean you've learned nothing about gardening, or you've forgotten everything you knew. Because I am clueless.

Ha. My sigline in my email is: "Gardening is not in my blood. My blood is, however, in my garden."

[Wolf Larsen]

We put the hanging baskets up today. We stuck with the superbells, because they look so nice, but couldn't find baskets with only the yellow ones, so we got mixed. I need to set up the drip system again, they don't handle wilting at all well and need water multiple times a day in the hottest part of the summer.

superbells

[Karma]

Originally Posted by Bumbershoot

Karma, remember the orange (butterfly) milkweed you recommended in the other thread? I had picked up a pack of seeds at Lowe's. Unfortunately not one of them sprouted. Oh well, it was only $2.49 so I might try again. It's still early.

Hmm... did you stratify them? They need to think they have gone through winter.

[Rock]

Originally Posted by Karma

Hmm... did you stratify them? They need to think they have gone through winter.

I did not... how exactly do you stratify seeds? Oh by the way, I just found the package, with at least 50 seeds still in it. So I don't have to go buy more.

Edit: Watching Youtube videos on seed stratification now.

Another Edit: I am now an expert on seed stratification. In order to verify my new-found expertise I will be attempting to actually stratify some seeds.

[Oxirane]

Originally Posted by SmartAleq

Chicken wire makes rodents Very Unhappy. I put a layer of it into the bottom of the new raised beds before I dumped the new topsoil in to fox the gophers and moles and they are PISSED. Multiple new mole hills aaaaalll around the beds but not so much as a quiver inside them--little motherfuckers are NOT gonna destroy my plants and eat my worms, no how no way! I would guess that a layer of chicken wire laid down over the new beds full of bulbs, staked down really well, would likewise piss off the chipmunks and squirrels. It doesn't look all that nice but you can always take it up in spring after the bulbs have sprouted and are no longer a rodent buffet.

Originally Posted by eleanorigby

They actually sell bulb cages (no clue how pricey). I've never had squirrels or chipmunks bother my daffodil or muscari bulbs; they eat tulip bulbs like candy. The deer send out mass emails telling others of the motherlode of tulip bulbs as well...

I have resorted to digging the hole, amending, inserting bulbs, the throwing some dirt on them, THEN putting a small square of chicken wire on top of that (flat), then filling the hole. That does seem to stop them, but when you start to dig there again (because if you're like me, you forget where you planted the damned things), you think you're onto some sort of really flexible root, only to find out it's chicken wire. Nevertheless, it does work. The bulbs don't care; they grow through the wire with no problem.

Tulips may be worth it to you. They're not to me (I'm lazy AF).

Thank you! I'm all about pissing off the rodents because they certainly know how to get me angry...

[eleanorigby]

I awoke to a lovely cool morning (the past 3 days have been absolute perfection, weather wise), but with severe heat headed our way. So, before breakfast, I loaded up my large sheet of plywood aka The English Ivy Killer, along with some daffodils and Virginia bluebells I dug up and headed over to NH.

I positioned the plywood strategically (it doesn't really kill English Ivy. Nothing kills EI; we could put EI on Mars and it would flourish, but I use the plywood and often cardboard box mulch to slow that sh*t down enough to give me a fighting chance. It took me 3 years to rid OH of EI. I don't have that kind of time or patience now.

I ended up having to dump water into the tub I used to carry the daffs and V bluebells. No time to plant them this morning, sadly. I put them in a shady place and will check on them this afternoon.

They should be fine, but I really need to get them in the ground tonight because we're due for several days of this nonsense.

[Wolf Larsen]

Bought cilantro, rosemary and lemongrass and dill seeds. Also bought a nice large plastic pot for the lemongrass. Still two pots to fill, leaning towards more basil and maybe tarragon.