garden notes and keepings

I was asked if and how I keep garden information about the yard and garden beds.  

I do.  

Honestly, I would be lost without my garden notes and keepings.  I'm always shocked how much my brain forgets after six months of winter!  

My garden notes and keepings are very, very basic.

They are nothing like the amazingly detailed and organized notebook by Kelley from the Polished Pebble.  To see Kelley's meticulous, inspiring notebook click HERE.

I keep my notes in a book given to me by a friend when I left Dallas.  I try to write down everything, like how many bags of Hollytone we purchased  in the spring, to how many bags of soil I used for containers at the beginning of the season, to what annuals I purchased for what pots.  That info really helps for the following year so I'm not guessing on amounts.  I write down what I planted in containers and in the yard, and at the end of the season I will add if I liked the plant, or location or if changes are needed.  Also, towards the back of the book I  keep a yearly ledger on the big things we did around the house all on one page- i.e. put in the terrace, planted replacement sugar maples, graveled the drive, bought the lawnmower, etc., etc... .

My other garden keepings are kept in this uninspired box which contains large manila envelopes- one for each of the different beds on the property, and also the terrace and porches.

 I simply keep the plant tags that come on the plant in the envelope for each bed.  When trying to remember;) or find a particular plant it is easy to dump them all out and quickly find just what I'm looking for.

I drew garden plans for some of the larger bed, and keep those in the envelopes for reference.

I also keep gardening articles and magazines for reference and inspiration.

Simple... easy!

How you organize your garden notes and keepings, please do share!

To read more: 

my garden essentials....HERE

our dirt formula.... HERE

Sometimes it's difficult to remember....

That this, the front bed...
(all "first" photos show how the yard looks now)

becomes this!

Or, that this, the terrace wall bed,...

becomes this... .

That the hydrangeas at the entrance, go from this...

to this... .

The courtyard...

turns into this!

And the living room bed...

transforms into this... .

Or, that the stone bed (which hides the large box for the underground utilities and the electric meter), just up the drive from our stone beehives at our entrance...

will look like this... .

And, that the single stone bed...

will be filled with hostas.

That our old, dug well head (which we use for irrigation)....

will morph into this!

And, that the cutting garden...

will be filled with herbs, vegetables and tomatoes!

(Photo was taken at the end of last summer when our painter was here for his annual three-week vi$it;)

One of the first big projects for the season will be to build a fence around the garden.  You can see the granite posts lying next to the raised beds which will serve as the corners posts and as the posts for the iron gate.  Between the posts will be a wooden picket fence, painted black, on which I will plant a purple clematis (that's the plan for now anyway;)!

 So, even though it's difficult to remember right now... .I have hope!

 Happy spring and happy gardening to you!

the front bed

First, I want to thank you for all your birthday wishes for Dan!  I can't tell you how much he loved reading your comments, emails and Instagram messages.  You made his day so very special... thank you!!

It has been a while since I showed you the front bed and I wanted you to see how the perennials and shrubs have filled in over the last couple of years.  I took these photographs at the beginning of July (you can see the bunting for the 4th) when the garden was at its prime.  We had a very wet spring and early summer, and yes- everything was really that green!  

 

This is what the front bed looked like the last time I showed you, which was two years ago.  This photo was taken in the fall, one year after the initial landscaping and planting of the bed.

And, this is the front bed today.

 To see the renovation photo-story about the landscaping of the front bed click here.

the courtyard

Thank you so much for all your wonderful birthday and anniversary wishes from last week!  Dan and I were so touched and loved reading your comments and emails!
Thank you!

I was so surprised to realize that its been two years since we landscaped and I've shown you the courtyard!

To take you back to the very beginning and provide a little "before-and-after," this is what the courtyard (as we call it) looked like when we bought the house.

This is the courtyard after phase I (the farmhouse) and phase II (the barn) of the renovation.  The first thing we did in the yard (after having all our antique maples looked at and trimmed by an arborist) was to install french drains around the entire house- you can see the gravel along the edge in this photo.  One of those not fun expenditures, but one that after it's done and your basement doesn't leak anymore you are so glad you spent the money!

Next we added the ion "planter."  You can read the story here.

Then we landscaped... here.  

This is what it looked like when I last showed you the space.

And this is what the courtyard looks like today...

The large iron orb with variegated euonymus hides the top of our artisanal well.

The courtyard and adjacent "living room bed" is planted in all white (with the exception of the light purple from the hostas when they flower.)  I have color in other shrubs and perennials around the property, but I love all-white beds and how calming it looks next to the antique farmhouse.  The lilac, which is original, also blooms white.

 Initially, there were native orange day lilies along the side of the barn. After the first season and I realize how quickly they started to look bad after blooming I transplanted them on the property and planted Bombshell hydrangeas in their place. 

The iron planter gets planted with annuals each year.  This year Kimberly Queen ferns (which take full sun by the way) and white Bacopa share the planter.  Behind the planter Limelight hydrangeas were planted to hide the air conditioning units.  A vintage armillary sphere peaks out from behind the Limelights.

The annual bed between the courtyard and the living room bed is planted with green-leafed white begonias, white geraniums and white impatiens.  The large rock in the back holds two small heart-shaped rocks- one place there as a gift for me by Dan and the other I found for him:)

You can see how the moonflower vine is making its way across the cross-bar on the new trellis!  

The funny story of the trellis here.

Right around the corner from the trellis, behind the limelight hydrangeas, is an espaliered apple tree (need to work on training the top a bit;) that is already bearing fruit.  It is seen from the kitchen window and the upstairs windows that look down on the courtyard.

The courtyard...

and, the living room bed.

So, once again before...

and after!

hope you are having a great summer!

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!!)