a quarter of a century ago...

Today is our 25th wedding anniversary!

Twenty Five... wow.  Where do all the years go???

I've written several anniversary posts for Dan here, here, and here, but today I wanted to acknowledge and thank two people who, without knowing it, played a huge role in my marriage- my sisters, Susan and Patti.  My sisters, being 11 and 12 years older, taught me through example that you marry your best friend.
Period.
Seeing love and friendship in both their marriages made me determined to never settle for anything other than my best friend.  I waited, and waited, and waited;) and had all but given up hope, and then the next day there he was at Stapleton Airport in Denver on a flight to San Antonio, as was I.  We were both bumped off the original flight and the rest, as they say, is history!  Two years later, on my 28th birthday we were married at the historic Columbia Gorge Hotel in Hood River, Oregon.

So "thank you" to my sisters and very dear brother-in-laws for showing me how important it was to marry your best friend.   

Happy twenty-fifth anniversary to my best friend Dan.. you are my heart!
xxojoan

here's the dirt...

literally!

As requested, here is our amended soil recipe for shrubs and trees!  It's simple to do and makes a big difference in the survivability of new plantings.  As I mentioned before we've used this mix for years- here and in Dallas.  You can certainly buy pre-mixed products, but if you have a lot of planting to do this is much more cost effective.

The formula is not an exact science, but we mix approximately 6 parts of dirt (here we use screened top soil that is delivered via a dump truck, but in Dallas we bought bags of top soil at Home Depot/Lowe's) to 1 part peat moss and1 part cow manure.   We're looking for a light and fluffy soil mixture that will allow for good drainage and also keep the soil moist after watering.  We mix the ingredients really well and then go by look/feel and add more peat moss or cow poop, if needed, to get to the right consistency.  We've added other ingredients throughout the years- mushroom compost comes to mind, but this is our easy, go-to standard mix.
Depending on the amount of "good dirt" needed we sometimes mix it in the scoop of the tractor (a wheel barrel will work), or when mixing a large amount Dan will use the tractor scoop to mix the pile on the ground.   If you don't have a tractor no worries, in Dallas I would pour the ingredients on our driveway/parking pad and mix, using a shovel, a large mound directly on the concrete. 

It's that simple!  Depending on the size of a bed, we often will amend the soil in the entire bed- rotatilling it in, but we also simply amend the soil per hole when planting individual trees/shrubs as we did in the terrace wall bed.  To plant, we dig the hole at least twice the size of the diameter of plastic pot (or root ball) we are planting and at least 3-4" deeper.  A larger, deeper hole is always better since it allows for more of the amended soil to be placed around the new planting.   We then place a layer of the amended soil on the bottom of the hole and turn the shovel upside down and using the handle end "tamp" down the dirt.  Tamping is really important as you want to ensure that there won't be any air-pockets once all the dirt is in the hole, and that the plant won't sink in the hole over time.    We place the plant in the hole and add more amended soil, tamping the sides as we go.  Once we have filled the hole half way to 3/4 with dirt and have tamped really well (your arm will hurt, trust me;) we add my secret ingredient...  Miracle-Gro Quick Start or Green Light Root Stimulator.

For years we used the Green Light, but Miracle-Gro is more readily available in our area.  Both are excellent.   Using this product helps to prevent transplant shock.   We mix the liquid concentrate with water to the ratio written on the container for the size of tree/shrub you are planting.  I use 5 gallons for a 10 gallon tree/shrub.  I pour half of the solution directly onto the root ball and let it soak in.  After it has soaked in completely I apply the second half of the solution and again, let it completely soak in.  Depending on your type of soil and the amount of moisture in the surrounding soil this can take 5 minutes to an hour, but the point is that you want the hole to be wet, but not filled with water when you then go to finish putting dirt in the hole.  When I finish filling the hole with the amended dirt I continue to tamp, but only to the depth of the amount of dirt added at the end, not all the way to the bottom of the hole or you'll only be making air pockets, so tamp lightly.

Though the Quick Start instructions don't say to do this the Root Stimulator instructions used to say to repeat the application two more times at one month increments.  I think this is a really important part in helping the newly planted tree/shrub develop a healthy root system.  I make notes in my garden book (and iphone notepad;) to remind me to reapply.

My other ingredient for happy new plantings is water- the amount and how.  I realize this sounds simplistic, but it is an easy mistake that can cause a new plant unnecessary stress.  Never, ever let the roots of a new tree/shrub dry out.  Depending on your soil and temperatures most shrubs/trees take a month to three to establish a decent root system and you want to keep the roots moist until this happens. (I'm not saying drown them, I'm simply saying to not let them get bone dry:)

"How" you water is another important element to keeping new plants (or even established plants in extreme heat conditions) healthy and happy.  My method is that I always water plants twice.  As basic as this sounds I credit this technique for my lush potted plants thriving in the extreme Texas summers. (I use this same technique for plants in the ground, plants in outside pots and houseplants btw.)  Have you ever noticed how when you water an extremely dry potted plant the water seems to just runs through the dirt?  That's because it does.  If you only water once, the water you are intending for the roots isn't giving the entire root system a drink, it makes little pathways in the dry dirt and runs right through it missing some of the root system.  I water a plant, let it soak in, then re-water several minutes later.  The second watering insures that the water will get to the roots!  (In extreme heat conditions I will even hit the plant three separate times to make sure that it is well-watered.)

Then we mulch!  We're generous with the mulch and give the plant a wide, thick circle of mulch.   (I usually wait several days before adding mulch to make sure that I don't need to add more dirt to the plant's hole.)   We use natural pine bark mulch, mainly for the cost and I like that it decomposes fairly quickly.  I'm personally not a fan of dyed mulch- I don't like the idea of the chemicals from the dye leaching into the ground.  (And, don't get me started on the red/orange dyed mulch!   For the life of me, I can't understand what that stuff is supposed to mimic or why the manufacturers think anyone would want bright red/orange mulch in their yard.) 

 happy planting!

I recently found this tidbit in an O Magazine while waiting for a haircut appointment.  It could explain a lot....!

Here's my top-ten list for you know you're a gardener when...

1.  you have 6 nurseries in your contact list on your phone!

2.  you're the only person at the nursery when it's pouring rain or it's 93 degrees!

3.  while shopping, without consciously thinking about it, you deadhead plants at Home Depot!

4.  you accidentally hit one of your plants and tell it "I'm sorry!"

5.  you think nothing of driving an hour and a half to get to your favorite nursery!

6.  you know the days of the week the nurseries get new shipments!

7.  the thrill and anticipation of what you will find at the nursery the next day keeps you up at night!

8.  you sacrifice a fresh manicure to pull weeds!

9.  instead of jewels for your birthday you ask for plants!  (last year we bought a Sugar Maple as our anniversary present to one another!)

10.    you know and love that good, exhausted, aching, rewarding feeling at the end of a really long, hard day in the yard!

(feel free to play along and add what would be on your list in the comment section!!)

the terrace wall bed

So.... here's one of the too-many-to-count exterior projects we've been working on this summer.   It's not complete, but I thought you might like to see what we've been up to just in case you were thinking we've been sitting in the barn room eating bonbons!
This is the "terrace wall bed."  The dry-stacked stone wall was built during the barn renovation several years ago.  This area is seen as you drive up the gravel driveway that leads to the garage (which is under the barn room.)  The last couple of years we've been landscaping areas on the front of the house and at the road, so up until this spring I really never gave this area any attention.  Every time I thought about designing this area I drew a blank.  We constantly use the granite steps coming down from the terrace, so I knew that we needed to extend the path somehow, but again I was focused on other areas and just couldn't "see" it, so I decided to save this project for this year.
The wall itself has two tiers for planting.  We planted the river birch almost two years ago.

Earlier this spring I finally came up with how I wanted this area to look and the design.  It started with a boxwood lined path down from the large granite steps. I have several varieties of boxwoods in different beds on the property and I really like the Green Velvet boxwood.  I chose this variety as what I wanted to use to line the path.  Several days later at Costco (of all places) what did I find, but Green Velvet boxwoods!  I had to make two trips one morning to get all 27 home (also planted some in pots)! 

Dan and big blue then prepped the area. 

Love a clean slate.

We contemplated using antique bricks that were removed from the dining room chimney during the renovation, but we worried we didn't have enough and Dan really wanted to use antique cobblestones, so we did.

The large pile of dirt behind Dan is "screened" top soil that we have delivered, and then the small pile is the "good dirt", as we call it, that has been amended for planting.  We've always mixed our own dirt (here and in Dallas) when landscaping and I think that is a big factor in our success rate with new plantings.  (Let me know if you're interested and I can do a post on our mix and planting process.)

The walkway follows the same curvature as the granite steps leading down from the terrace.

I initially thought I would use gravel for the path, but with the stone wall, the cobblestone edge, the gravel drive... it was just too much stone, and we decided to lay grass between the cobbles. 

Our gardening assistant!  Couldn't do it without her;)  Notice the trees behind Ella.  I've been obsessed with wonky trees lately, and these will come into play a bit later.

But wait....  having gardening A.D.D., Dan mentioned the idea of lining the edge of this front bed with stones as a way to keep the bark mulch out of the gravel drive.  I realized I did have enough old bricks for this project and, of course, it then needed to be done immediately!  Do you experience gardening A.D.D. too?!  For the record;) I laid all these bricks.... just sayin'!

 

Back to the terrace wall....  the boxwoods placed for planting.

One side planted!  You can also see that the tier-beds on the wall are slowly (as I find plants) being planted.  They are all perennials in white, blue, light pink, purple and sage colors.

If you're in southern New Hampshire, Dan highly recommends Tim's Turf in Litchfield for grass. After ordering, the grass is literally cut and rolled from the field the night before you pick it up (as opposed to Home Depot's or Lowe's where it bakes in the sun for days;)  The price and quality are both far better than HD/Lowe's also.  Tell Tim, Dan sent you!

The cobbles at the gravel drive haven't been set yet, so that is why the grass isn't finished on this end.

Lest you think I only design, supervise and photograph)...  I am also the manual labor!  It was in the 90's on this planting day.

So, we still need to finish the grass, then between the boxwoods and the stone wall I want to plant Bombshell hydrangeas.  They stay small in height, so they won't hide the wall.  I need about eight to ten 1-gallon plants to fill the space, but can not find any.  (I did find 3-gallon ones for $40, but with the amount I need that's out of my budget.)  If you're in NH/MA/VT/ME and you run across any 1-gallons please let me know.  Will drive for plants!

Closeup of the perennials in the stone wall (prior to mulching.)

To the left of the boxwoods, three of my wonky trees:  Chamaecyparis obtusa Gracilis, or Hinoki False Cypress.  They will stop your eye from going straight ahead when you approach the garage area and guide your eye up the path and granite steps to the view beyond.

And since that project is almost complete, it lead to the next one....  Last weekend we went for a drive to take a break from yard work and what did we do, but stop in a nursery (looking for the bombshell hydrangeas) and found some gorgeous Canadian hemlocks to plant along the inside of the meadow at the road (think winter privacy.)  They're large, so it entailed renting a mini excavator to dig the holes.  It's 91 degrees today, and no one wants to be digging holes!  

I overheard Dan telling someone the other day that when it comes to the yard work, we don't have an "off" switch.

Soooooo true!
(I can see all of you nodding right now;)

simple table tops for summer

Summer has definitely arrived- its been hot (not Texas hot though;) and really humid here.  The air conditioning units have been running non-stop.  (Thank goodness we put in central a.c., because "yes," you do need it in New Hampshire;)  Due to the heat I've had the need to simplify the table tops in the farmhouse for summer.  It almost feels like the farmhouse can breath easier with less to display;)

In the kitchen I used a Boston fern on the island and an ironstone platter on the freshly waxed table (thank you Dan!)

I love how something so simple can change the feel of the entire space.

Found the antique French ironstone "fish" platter in Paris.  I didn't want to ship it for fear it would get broken, so I carted it to the south of France and then back to Paris and then home on the plane!  A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do;)

In the dining room I placed the Japanese fishing floats in an old wire basket instead of the dough bowl that usually holds them.  Lighter.  I love how you see more of the blue/green and how that color is found in both seascape paintings in the room. 

In the living room a simple copper tray from India holds court.  The turquoise patina is found in the tapestry pillows and tapestry chair in the room.

Despite the heat and humidity we've still been hard at work in the yard.  I'll show you what we've been working on next.

So, do you lighten/simplify things in your house for summer?

Happy Weekend!

the tree fern

It was an overcast evening and I was sitting on the front porch after working all day in the yard...

having a glass of wine and watching Dan and Big Blue fertilize the meadows...

\

(I adore this vintage iron table I found at an estate sale in Dallas many years ago.  It sat on a patio in the yard in Dallas and over the years some of the tile pieces came off and got lost, so here I've been filling the empty holes with thick flakes of mica that I find in the gravel driveway!...

love the little flower at the base!)  

Ooops... sorry, I got off topic;)

So, I'm sitting on the front porch and I realize I've never shown you the little fern that grows high up in the large maple tree at the front door.  I was enchanted by the little fern the first year we moved into the house, and every year it reappears in the spring!

I went inside to get the camera and when I came out a single ray of sunlight was shining directly on the little fern!  I think the fern-gods wanted you to see it too;)

Isn't it so, so sweet?!

This is the same tree that has the little Jan Barboglio house blessing cross hanging on it.

Another view from the front porch!

Wishing you a wonderful Fourth of July!!