Yes, this is my garden journal for the Garden of Weedin for September, 2010. But, it is much more than simply a planting journal or gardening record. For the Hillbilly Gardener, it is a gardener resource, to use to help in planning my garden, track my low budget gardening efforts, help me keep track of what worked and what did not. This is a garden history journal to remind the Hillbilly Gardener of the many things he saw, experienced and enjoyed in his Ozarks plateau world. It is a gardener resource to be a help planning a garden and as a reminder of all of the good reasons why the Hillbilly Gardener loves his Garden of Weedin and as a tool to help me remember that everything does not always go well. In fact, sometimes in the Garden of Weedin, some things are a downright disaster. My garden journal helps me to avoid experiencing the same disaster more than once. This IS the garden history journal of the Garden of Weedin and the Hillbilly Gardener here on the Ozarks plateau of Missouri. Perhaps my efforts here will help inspire you or help you to avoid some of my mistakes. If this can be accomplished then this garden history journal will have been successful and the Hillbilly Gardener will be happy. the "Hillbilly Gardener"
Wednesday / September / 01 / 2010 - In the past nearly two months, we've had less than 1 inch of measurable rain here in the Garden of Weedin. Of that, we had consistent temperatures in the upper 90's and many days hitting the century mark. Yesterday, the mercury climbed to 98 degrees F. on the front porch (in the shade). The vegetable garden burned up from not being able to supply enough water and the grass has turned brown with only weeds in the ditch and along the low side of the yard growing. Irrigation has gotten very expensive this summer. We are approximately 5 plus inches of rain short for the year right now and we have watched as continual rains fell all around us. Some areas to the north of us lost their gardens due to too much rain while we rejoiced when we got but a sprinkle and a cool breeze. That's how the official summer months ended with us in a "climactic bubble". Ok, it's now the first day of September. I was awakened at 04:00 by rain starting to fall and blowing in the window pelting me in the face. It is now 19:00 (7:00 PM, CST) and it just now stopped raining after 5 1/4 inches fell over the course of the day. The thermometer never rose above 72 degrees F. and we had to shut windows because it felt uncomfortably cool. This is how September began. Is this some form of sick joke being played by nature, or did nature finally take pity on us? I must be feeling an illness coming on because today I started having thoughts of working in the garden after nearly giving up on it for this year. At one point, I even had a thought of trying a little fall garden pass through my head. I must be sick! I'm quite sure that nature is not through toying with us and if I did plant a fall garden, winter will probably come early this year. I don't know. Am I willing to throw in the towel completely, or do I chance it? I've been fooled so many times this year already. Perhaps some lettuce and fall greens at least. Saturday / September / 04 / 2010 - We got almost 1/2 inch of rain today and the temperature was pretty comfortable today. The grass is starting to show signs of life again. If it keeps this up we'll have some pretty fall color this year. That would be nice. Monday / September / 06 / 2010 - I got out and severely cut back the climbing roses out front so I could remove the "temporary" trellis I put up 2 years ago and remove the danger to folks coming up the sidewalk. They had grown to the point that the sidewalk was unusable and dangerous to anyone trying to use it. I never intended for the temporary trellis to stay there. In my profession, there is a saying that temporary things are "temporarily permanent". That means that a temporary fix is made and it ends up becoming permanent because we never seem to get back to fixing it permanently until the next "emergency" occurs. These old climbing roses need to be on a fence or other permanent structure where they can be largely left alone to grow. I don't have such luxury here. While I was cutting back the roses, I went ahead and took several cuttings (stuck 27 cuttings) to root. It wasn't until I already had the cuttings ready to stick when I realized I didn't have any rooting hormone for them. We'll see how many of them, if any, take root. I really wish I had a cold frame or hotbed but that is a luxury that will be difficult here right now. Maybe some day. If I get any to take root, my plans right now are to plant some around the patio for a screen and, if possible, to have some to sell. I've got to do something to get some shade on the patio. It's unusable during the summer for the most part because it's just plain to hot and sunny. Well, the emergency occurred and now I must address the problem. I'm not sure yet what I will do for a more permanent fix to this problem and cutting them back at this time is all wrong. Climbing roses should be cut back immediately after they finish blooming so that they have time to grow new growth for next years blooms. These roses (roses in general) produce blooms on new growth that was produces the year before. At this time of year there is not enough time to produce the growth needed, but when they needed to be cut back, I was hip-deep in roofing problems and outdoor chores such as this were far from my mind. Back To Top Tuesday / September / 07/ 2010 - I got out today and got some new mulch put down the roses as far as it would go. There wasn't enough grass clippings to mulch them entirely because the growth was so light this last time. Mainly just the weeds that were growing in the ditch and a couple of areas where the rains collected. I'll need to mow again to have enough to complete the job. I've pretty well caught up on the weeding and I'm ready to get my hands dirty doing some "Renewing The View" around here. The stink of it is that one of the places I need to start is in the corner bed and the builder still hasn't gotten around to putting up the guttering and still has siding work to do there. Since I do not own this place and he is working for someone else, I have no control over what he does and when. I'm getting sick of it. He works here for a day or two and jumps to something else before he completes the first. This guy is actually not a builder, but rather a "handyman" working for many people. So he spends a little time here and then goes there when someone calls. He keeps everyone so strung out that if it weren't for the fact that he works only for landlords looking to save a buck, he probably wouldn't stay in business. Oh to own my own home again! At least I could have some control over what was done and when. HOMEOWNERS - YOU DO HAVE A CHOICE! You do not have to put up with this kind of treatment. Tropical storm Hermine made landfall two or three days ago down in northern Mexico and southern Texas and is making its way up here. It dropped nearly 1 inch of rain this evening and the forecast is for it to drop a lot more over the next 2-3 days. That will go a long way toward replenishing ground reserves and hopefully making a pretty fall throughout October. Man, am I ever looking forward to FALL! I love that time of year so much. It is without a doubt my favorite time of year. While I was out and about today, I took a serious look at where I am going to put one of the raised beds . I think there might be enough room to put both of them in this location. I need to do some measuring to make sure and determine how far forward they will extend. I don't want them out into the front yard, but this is the sunniest area I have right now. The drawback is the poor drainage in the area. I will gain more sunshine, but still have the pooling water issue to contend with. But not as great as where they are right now. Wednesday / September / 08 / 2010 - I did some measuring today to ascertain whether or not the two raised beds could be moved to the south yard. They will fit nicely there without protruding into the front yard area. I'm not fond of the idea that water stands in the area in big rains, but there is little other choice here if I want sun . The fact that they are raised beds will help with this. I would love to dig a trench and drain the area with some simple drain pipe, but that would be a rather ridiculous expense of money and energy for a place that is not mine. I'll just keep this in mind and let it make me all the more appreciative of my own place again. In the mean time, I cleaned off the beds so they could dry out and started looking forward to moving them. I left the cucumbers in the one bed because they are perking up pretty good and I do believe I can get a fall crop. There's no hurry on this bed. I'll have plenty to do getting the first bed moved because there is a lot of soil to move and compost to dig. But, before I do anything, I've got Yarrow, Feverfew and Butterfly Weed to deal with in the existing bed where the first raised bed will go. I also discovered one Hollyhock that has sprouted where the first ones had died out. At this point, I do want to keep a start of the Feverfew and the Yarrow and I definitely want to try to keep the Hollyhock, but I do not need to keep the butterfly weed. Neither do I need to keep all of the Yarrow and Feverfew that I currently have. But I still have trouble tossing out unwanted plants. Because all of these unwanted plants do tend to need staking to keep them upright and benefit from judicious pruning, finding other homes for these will probably be difficult or impossible. So, I'll probably end up "hoiking" them. Thursday / September / 09 / 2010 - The remnants of tropical storm Hermine went through here today. I was not sure what to expect because the forecasts had been calling for the potential for up to 5 inches of rain with the possibility of hail, lightning and high winds. None of which we really needed right now. Well, we could use a little more rain if it came slow and didn't all run off. What we got was but 2 1/4 inches of rain  over several hours, no hail, lightning or high winds thankfully. The afternoon in fact saw a few hours of mist with quite cool temperatures that reminded me so much of fall. It actually turned out quite nice and I couldn't help but get out in the misty cool to pick up the yard and enjoy it. The system had largely rained itself out over Texas and Oklahoma before arriving here, giving them extensive flooding unfortunately and the major portion of what made it up here turned toward the east sending the main system to the south of us. Back To Top Sunday / September / 12 / 2010 - We got just shy of 1 inch of rain today - nice and slow. Just the way we like it. The temperatures are staying in the 80's though. I'll be glad when the daily highs stay in the 60's and 70's. In other words - October and November. I had plans of starting to remove soil from the first raised bed today and get ready to move it. I guess it will wait. Wednesday / September / 15 / 2010 - Starting in this morning and throughout the day it rained off and on. At times it rained fairly hard, for brief periods of time. In total, we got 1 3/4 inches of rain. As a treat to ourselves. my wife and I grabbed a couple of burgers and went to the park for lunch. Part of my reason for this to to check out the "Jewel Weed" (Impatiens capensis). Last year there was a fairly large stand of it at the back of the park and I was hoping to collect some seeds. All right, what's so special about Jewel Weed? Well, a couple of things. Actually three things. 1) It has a smallish but beautiful orchid-like bloom that is (in this case) orange with yellow highlights. 3) It is the early settlers and American Indians cure for Poison Ivy and other skin rashes. 3) It blooms toward the end of summer and into fall. Jewel Weed is a wildflower that can grow to 5 or 6 feet here in the Ozarks with a spread of 4 to 5 feet, but this is under ideal conditions. Normally, it is only about half that size here. Jewel Weed has blooms that range in color from yellow to shades or orange to sometimes almost a red. The blooms are somewhat tubular and roughly 1/2-1 inch on length with a pair of pronounced petals and one smaller petal between and above the 2 larger ones. These are located above a pronounced "sack-like" modified petal that is located at the bottom of the bloom. Its appearance is very much like that of an orchid. It is only found in damp areas and normally along streams and other wet areas. It appears that it prefers wet feet and my guess is that it will not survive dry conditions. I have tried once before to start it from seeds gathered in the wild but was not successful. In researching this plant, there is little information (actually none) available on its culture. But, there are many sites describing it and several describing its uses. I did not find anything that described how to prepare it to use medicinally, however I did find one site that listed it as an invasive plant. But, here in the Ozarks of Missouri, I have not seen or heard of such a problem with Jewel Weed. In fact, in all of the stands that I have found here, its existence had a somewhat precarious look to it. Like it would not take much to wipe out an entire stand. In any case, the large stands were gone but I did find a few lone plants and but a few seeds. In examining them. it appeared as if they were sprouting on the plant. Later research has revealed that these are the exploded seed pods - the seed is gone so I guess I need to find some more. Because of the scarcity of the plant, I only collected 4 seeds (or what I thought were seeds) which I planted this evening. Planting was purely a guess and I did not know whether they needed light to sprout or not. So I planted them with only about 1/8 inch of soil covering the seeds. The potting soil I used was one with polymer crystals in it to provide continuous moisture. My intent was to try to mimic what might happen in nature. The pot was submerged in water to soak overnight from below so as to not disturb the seeds. I'll take the pot out of the water in the morning. Right now, I'm debating whether or not to enclose the pot in a plastic bag to hold in moisture. I'm afraid that this might hold in to much moisture. I wish I had more seeds so I could experiment with different methods, but I did not wish to strip the area of all of the next generation of Jewel Weed. This would be insensitive and not in the best interest of the environment. Note - In checking for recent information, I found that there has been an explosion of information posted to the internet in the last 2 years. Sunday / September / 19 / 2010 - Ok, it's a little more than half-way through September and yes, it is considerably cooler in general than it was a few weeks ago. Well, it's running about 10-12 degrees cooler during the day and night than it was. Perhaps considerably cooler are not the correct words to use. Let's say it's at least not oppressive outside anymore. That's it - it's not oppressive. Well that is unless you step outside and the sweat starts running in little rivulets if you move around at all or do anything. Yes, the temperatures are running about 10 degrees above average for the most part on most days, but I'm not complaining. We could still be in the 90's and dry. I did fertilize the container plants today. I wanted to get them in a little better shape before cold weather does get here and I wanted to get some decent growth going on the houseplants before I needed to bring them in this fall. I need to repot most of them before I bring them in and get them cleaned up. This summer has been really hard on them and they don't look so good. That is except the Jade trees. This year they really started looking good during the summer. The rose cuttings are still looking good right now and I'm in high hopes that many of them will take root for next year. The cinnamon and ostrich ferns in the large container all died this summer. That's not surprising since I bought them at our local Wal-Mart. What a mistake and waste of money! Wal-Mart is probably the absolute worst place to buy plants. Between their only offering the lowest quality plants and their habit of putting people in charge of the Lawn and Garden department that know absolutely nothing about plants, nor do they seem to care, it would be a grave mistake to expect any of the plants to do well. I've said it before and I'll keep on saying it - those big box stores are the absolute worst places to shop for the garden or landscape. They exist on people's ignorance. Support your local nursery whenever you can and on-line nurseries when you can't. In any case, I'm going to dig up some of the Daffodils and Grape Hyacinths I have around here and plant them in the container where the ferns were. It's a 1-bushel size container and I believe they'll make an attractive display next spring. I also have a 1/2-bushel container that I think I'll dig 3 or 4 of the Surprise Lilies (naked ladies) to plant in it. Rather odd name for them (naked ladies). I've researched the name and no one really seems to know where the name originated. But it's interesting none-the-less because apparently it cause quite a stir toward the end of the 1800's. When the name became popular, it is reported that a great many rather prudish people dug and destroyed vast quantities of these beautiful flowers. In case anyone doesn't know what I'm talking about or are not familiar with "naked ladies", they are a lily bulb that is planted in the fall. Come spring, they will send up a profusion of strap-like leaves but no bloom at that time. After about 5-6 weeks the foliage will die down like that of other spring bulbs and hopefully the frugal gardener will leave it alone to mature like that of other bulbs. For the uninitiated, they will think something is wrong but hopefully they will leave them alone because toward the middle to end of July and sometimes as late as the first part of August around here they will send up tall flower stalks. The stalks will usually get about 18-36 inches tall and on top of these stalks they will produce from 1-3 beautiful pink, trumpet-shaped blooms. If you live in an area with occasional summer storms or high winds, you may want to stake the flowers to keep them upright. But extreme care must be exercised when inserting stakes so you do not damage the bulbs. When planting, treat surprise lilies the same as you would any other spring flowering bulbs . Plant them from September-November in fertile, well-drained soil that is at least 1 foot deep. Bulbs can be planted at any time that is convenient, but planting earlier and the bulbs may not have the proper rest period. Planting later and the bulbs may not have enough time to establish a proper root system before the ground freezes. In either case, your blooms for the coming year may be in jeopardy. Mix compost or other organic matter into the soil to a depth of a foot or more before planting and dig holes 5-6 inches deep and 6 inches apart. Mix 1/2 tablespoonful of bulb fertilizer into the soil at the bottom of each planting hole. An alternative to this method if you are planting many bulbs would be to excavate the planting area to a depth of 5-6 inches. Spread 1/2 tablespoonful of bulb fertilizer for each bulb across the bottom of the excavated hole and mix thoroughly into the soil. Place the bulbs with the pointed end up in the bottom of the hole or holes and cover with soil being careful not to knock the bulbs over. Place a marker either at each bulb or mark the location if you are planting in mass. Whenever possible, plant in multiples of 3, 7 or 11 for best visual appeal and water thoroughly. Mulch the bed well. Next spring, the foliage will come up like any other spring bulb, but there will be no blooms at this time. This is the time to apply additional fertilizer. Broadcast a granular fertilizer such as 5-10-5 or 5-10-10 at the rate of 2 pounds per 100 square feet or 1-2 tablespoons around each large clump and lightly incorporate into the soil. Chemical or organic bulb food both work well if they are a balanced blend and incorporated. I prefer an organic type of fertilizer due to having fewer potential problems. Leave the foliage to mature on its own. Do not tie it up or cut it off as this will inhibit flower and bulb development for next year. Once the foliage has mostly died back naturally it can be cut back to ground level. Do not pull the foliage off as this may damage the bulbs. Continue to water at the rate of 1 inch per week until the foliage starts to die back then cut back on watering, but do not allow the soil to dry out completely. When the bloom stalks start to emerge, resume watering until they are through blooming. After the blooms fade, remove the bloom stalks all the way to the ground. Unless you are attempting to hybridize, do not allow the plants to set seed, as the energy expended on seed production will detract from bulb and bloom production for next year. Back To Top Wednesday / September / 22 / 2010 - The official first day of fall! While still warmer than average (in the upper 80's) it's much nicer than it was a very few weeks ago. I got out to get gas for the lawnmower today and while out, I noticed that a few trees, primarily hard maples, were showing signs of changing colors. I'm looking forward to it. Bring it on! I did get out and mow today. The yard was getting pretty high and the weeds going to seed. It has been hard to talk myself into it the last several weeks. Until recently, the heat has said NO WAY! But, it needed done and it is not as hot now as it was. This gave me the opportunity to cut back and clean up a few more plants alongside of the house. After which I used the grass clippings to mulch them well. The mulch, which was applied last fall, was getting pretty thin. But it is a good example of how a well-applied mulch can work. I laid down many layers of newspaper first and then covered it with ground leaves. Now, whether to "re-do" the brick edging or not - I don't know. I can't make up my mind on this yet. If and when we do move, they will all be ripped out and grass planted in all likelihood. Thursday/ September / 23 / 2010 - Well, fall is finally coming. We got just short of one inch of rain this evening and every forecast is calling for vastly cooler temperatures to be in here by the weekend. I dug out some large containers to start transplanting into. I have a few plants that I want to move into them from a bed where the raised beds will go. Right now, I'll probably transplant the ones I want and "hoik" the rest to the compost. In any case, the bed must be cleaned out now. It's time to start moving the beds before the weather does start getting really nasty. Friday / September / 24 / 2010 - I have a large 1 bushel and 1/2 bushel nursery pots that are large enough to use for long-term growing in outside. They are not the most attractive large containers  for use on the patio, but really large planting containers are not something I have in abundance right now and right now is when I need them. Solution - paint them! I cleaned the 1 bushel container and painted it with white spray paint designed for plastics. My past experience with this paint is that it is not extremely durable, but it is much more so than traditional paint. When used on a container that is not going to be moved around a lot it will last a long time and will vastly improve the appearance. I really would have preferred an "off-white", but I have the white right now. So white it is. Whenever you choose a container or a paint for a container, always choose a light color because they reflect light and keep the soil from getting as hot in the summer as a dark color. If you use dark colors for your outdoor containers, you run the risk of "cooking" the roots of your plant. Even if it doesn't cook the plant, dark colors increase how much and how often you must water. I really just got going well this afternoon when it was time for the granddaughter to arrive home from school. After her arrival, the work pretty much came to a halt. Spending time with her is much more important than anything I may have been doing. Children grow up all to fast and then it's over. No more time to enjoy them and their childhood. No more time to instill in them love, respect and an appreciation for nature and just plain having fun and getting lost in imagination and discovery . One of the biggest mistakes I made with my own children when they were small and that to many parents today make is in not realizing that children spell love - T-I-M-E. As parents, we allow ourselves to become so preoccupied with getting ahead in life that we fail miserably to realize that our time with our children is finite and all to fleeting. Each stage in their life is precious and if we allow ourselves to miss it - it's gone forever and we never have that time again. There is no "tomorrow". That moment in time only comes once and once only. I missed to much with my children. I shall not allow myself to miss it with my granddaughter. Back To Top Saturday / September / 25 / 2010 - I rejuvenated some used potting soil with compost from my bins and filled the bushel container with soil into which I planted a large specimen of Columbine. It is a pink "double". At least that is how it was described in the seed catalog several years ago when I bought it. The flower is anything but double. In actual bloom, it very much resembles a large "Red Clover" bloom. Most unusual for a columbine bloom and very attractive. While we were at it, I let the granddaughter have her very own clump of chives. She loves the purple "pom-pom" blooms in the spring and they attract butterflies. I also planted a large, long planter full of Daffodils and Grape Hyacinths . These will look very attractive next spring when displayed on alongside of the back steps while in bloom. When they are finished blooming, I can simply move the planter off to another location to grow on and replace it with something else. I have another large, long planter that I will fill with Autumn Crocus when they finish blooming. In retrieving large containers from the storage area, I found out that a great many black, shiny, red hourglass on the belly "Black Widow" spiders have taken up residence in the area. Now, Black Widow spiders are not unusual here in the Ozarks and are somewhat common in many parts of the country, especially areas further south. But they are not a common sight either because they really are quite reclusive, shy and generally hide in areas where they generally will not be disturbed easily. But, while this trait often reduces the chances of being bitten, it also increases the chances of being bitten when you do venture into areas where they may be hiding. Extreme caution must be exercised when working in or around areas where they may be hiding until you can verify they are not present. Fortunately, "widows" are not aggressive and will not bite unless disturbed or threatened. Humans are not on their menu, so it is not hard to avoid them and their nasty bite if one is looking for them. Oh, and by the way, it is only the females that are venomous and carry the red hourglass. In fact, male widows are normally brown and smaller than the females. Widows as a general rule pose no threat indoors (at least here in the Ozarks) as they generally prefer an outdoor environment. There is generally to much activity indoors to disturb them. If you were to find them indoors, it will generally be in an unused area such as a dark closet or storeroom that you seldom venture into. "Brown Recluse" spiders are much more of a threat indoors than widows. Ok - why not just spray them and get rid of them? Well, there are a number of reasons why I choose to leave them alone. Fear of spiders is totally unfounded and those fears have few, if any basis on facts. But rather, are normally grounded on false presumptions and "old wives tales" or to many cheap horror movies. But, a healthy respect for them and learning to avoid them is sound judgment and reasoning. They (in fact most spiders in general) normally try to avoid areas frequented by humans and the spiders that do, in general are no threat to humans. Knowing where they are and learning to watch out for them is the best way to avoid them or at least their bite. I also teach my granddaughter and everyone else, where they are, how to watch out for them and how to avoid where they live. There currently are no insecticides registered for non-commercial use that are effective against spiders unless you get the spray directly on them (contact sprays). The ones labeled for use on spiders are either misleading and/or may use very potent chemicals that pose much more of a threat to you and the environment than the spider does. Even if I get rid of the ones I see, another will move back in to take its place unless I change the environment and make it less attractive to them. But then, another of a different species may still step up to take its place. If one is in a potentially threatening location, it is much easier and better to squish it than spray it. Yes, I squish it because once a spider decides it likes a particular location, it will often continue to return there. That's why it's not a good idea to simply move a spider found indoors to the outdoors. It will simply find a way back in. Many unknowledgeable, or misinformed persons satisfy their ill conceived notions about killing any pest by moving it to another location (usually outside) only to find another one in its place. In most cases, if they could somehow mark the pest, they would find that it is simply the same one that has moved back in. Yes, there have been numerous studies done on this over the years. Another note regarding moving a spider outdoors because you desire not to kill any living creature. You may have good intentions, but often you will inadvertently kill the spider anyway because it is or has adapted to a life indoors and will not survive outdoors. In other words, a creature is killed do to the intervention of others and the projection of ones will upon another. They (the spiders) consume a great many insects. Many of which are much more of a threat to my plants than they are to me. While there is admittedly a menacing appearance to any spider, many spiders in general are really quite attractive, can be quite fun to watch and quite educational if you will give them a chance. Disturbing their nesting areas on a regular basis is the best way to encourage them to move on. In the house, this means thorough and deep cleaning on a regular basis and keeping webs knocked down. This includes under beds and other furniture, behind appliances and in closets. Outdoors, this means keeping rock and brush piles cleaned up and moving storage areas around frequently as these are prime hiding locations for widows. You generally will not find hazardous spiders in open locations or those that are disturbed frequently. IF YOU LEAVE THEM ALONE THEY WILL LEAVE YOU ALONE!
The only thing that is causing me any concern regarding finding these widows is the shear number of widows I have been finding around here the last couple of years. Their numbers are increasing greatly. For safety's sake, it's time to start thinning their numbers I think. If they are allowed to get any more numerous, it may become somewhat dangerous around here. Sunday / September / 26 / 2010 - Woke up this morning (actually extremely early this morning) and SCHIZZAM - who left the refrigerator door open!? It felt like I might have to throw some clothes on and run out to knock the frost off of everything. Overnight, it went down to the lower fifties! My body is still in summer heat mode and the windows are still open with a north breeze blowing. IT FELT GREAT! Actually, I've been eagerly waiting for this for months. When I did get out today, I dug and planted several starts of Japanese Blood Grass to the large container that holds the large rain gauge To this I added several Daffodil bulbs that I dug from elsewhere. I also dug 4 large Surprise Lilies (Naked Ladies) and added the to the container holding the Columbine. The idea here is that they would come up and bloom when the other plants were not. The main plant or plants could then hide the foliage of the bulbs. When I dug one of the Surprise Lilies, I was also able to dig up a lone White Horehound that had come up with the bulb. This was great because I had thought that all of it had died out. I planted this in its own container so hopefully I could keep it going. I also dug and moved several starts of multi-colored yarrow to the location where I had been growing the wormwood (Artimesia). I had cut and dug it out earlier this summer because of its unruly nature. Wormwood produces a chemical that can deter many plants from growing near it (much as a black walnut) and it is hoped that digging it out earlier has allowed enough time for the chemical agents to dissipate. The yarrow was in a bad way and needed to be dug. It was badly infested by Bermuda Grass and ground mint (not to be confuse with culinary mints) regardless of my efforts to control it. The only way I could get this stuff eradicated was to dig up clumps, clean ALL of the soil off of the roots and start breaking it down into small pieces. This allowed me to find and remove every last piece of these invaders. Several larger pieces were then planted into the ringed, raised planting area where the wormwood had been. What I am hoping to accomplish with this move is: The eradication of the Bermuda Grass and Ground Mint. Both of these are extreme pests around here. The solid aluminum ring that makes up the small planting area will exclude the invaders from coming back (it has been working well so far). The solid ring will contain the yarrow and keep it from spreading where I do not want it to go. The raised planting area will be much better drained than where the yarrow was growing. Yarrow likes a well drained, dryer growing area. Reduce the number of large containers that I must care for right now. Yes, I have plans of maybe having nearly everything in containers eventually. But, I don't want to do it all at once.
While I was at it, I cleaned up some large containers to start repotting some houseplants into before moving them indoors for the winter. The houseplants in general look terrible. I kept them in the basement under lights during the winter to begin with. When I moved them outdoors this spring, it soon became apparent that there had not been adequate light during the winter even though they showed no signs of it during the winter. Even though I placed them in the shade of a large Maple tree as normal, they immediately started burning. The remainder of the hot, dry year just served to further cook them. I'm relying on getting them repotted and into the brighter light of the living room to hopefully get them into better shape. We decided to take a little picnic to the local park this afternoon. I had plans of going to the park anyway to see if I could collect some more seeds of "Jewelweed" anyway, so this just made it better. Starting from now throughout October, trips outdoors are irresistible. Everything is in preparation for fall. The trees, while just starting to show signs of changing color, are dropping their nuts and the squirrels are busy collecting them. Plants everywhere and of every kind are still blooming and setting seeds. There is so much to see and do around here in the fall. I did find several Jewelweed plants from which to collect seed. Being a member of the same plant family as "Touch-Me-Not", the seed pods share a common trait with them - they "POP" when touched, scattering seed everywhere. While I have wanted to for years, I have never collected seed from them and this was an interesting experience for sure. The first several seed pods I started to grab hold of popped, causing me to be quite startled at first - YIKES! Something got a hold on me (or was trying to do so). I knew they would do such, but admittedly was not prepared when I felt the characteristic "POP" between my fingers, and I do mean a resounding pop. Needless to say, the normal reaction occurred and I tended to jerk my hand away quickly, allowing the seeds to scatter wherever they wanted to go. Well after a few startling seed pods, I finally got hold of my shaky nerves and figured out to grab a chosen seed pod firmly and hang on tightly allowing it to split in my fingers, thus preserving the seeds. Well I did manage to collect many seeds of Jewelweed to try to get starts from. When it comes to collecting seeds, plants or plant parts in the wild, I subscribe to the practice of the American Indians - NEVER collect all of the seeds from a given area. Leave some seeds behind to produce new plants. Not only does this allow the plants to continue to populate the area, but it allows plants to remain to delight others. Then, if need be, there will be more plants to collect from in the future or for others to collect from if needed. This is the responsible thing to do and is being a good steward of the land. Monday / September / 27 / 2010 - No sense in denying it, I felt really out of it today. The arthritis was singing loud today and getting any work done outside was probably not going to happen. Or, if it did, there wasn't going to be a lot done. I did manage to get out and clean off the Jewelweed seeds I had collected yesterday and take a little time to study them. When I collected them, most of them were quite green and I had concerns that they were not mature enough to plant. In studying them, I noticed that after being removed from the capsule, it was at that time that most of them turned brown and showed maturity. I will let these dry for a couple days more and then plant them in a pot to hopefully sprout next spring. Right now, knowing that they need damp soil, I plan on trying to assemble a growing container in such a way so that it "wicks" moisture from a reservoir. This should allow the soil to remain moist at all times, but not wet. I took stock of the plants remaining in the bed that I'm cleaning out to move the raised bed to. At this time, all I plan on saving is one good specimen of feverfew to put in a large container. I might dig another start or two of yarrow  and move to the nursery bed and perhaps another start of feverfew. The rest of the plants will be hoiked to the compost bin. The spare plants I move to the nursery bed will be as spares in case the ones I plant elsewhere do not make it. Right now, I'm struggling with whether or not to save the plants I dig out to sell next spring. I must face the reality that: I currently have no place to properly hold them over and care for them and this place does not lend itself well to such activity. There is little prime growable space to hold them in. My past track record in trying to do this is not good. It is one thing to dig and pot a plant to sell immediately. It is quite another to dig and pot them and try to hold them over for any length of time. At one time, I had aspirations of trying to sell some at the local Farmers Market", but that did not work out at all for a number of reasons. In order to hold plants over through the winter properly and successfully, an unheated enclosure is really needed, such as a cold frame or an unheated greenhouse.
Back To Top Tuesday / September / 28 / 2010 - Ok, it's time to get serious here. I've been saying and planning to consolidate the growing beds and start "down-sizing" the ground beds. To coin an old saying - "it's time to crap or get off the pot". So, I started moving many plants to new locations and consolidating the strung out beds. I concentrated on the area around the new walkway my son installed this last spring where I planted 2 of the Columbines and the Surprise lilies in a curved mass planting area on the house side of the walk. I also dug and planted many of the Daffodils I had around the area in a small mass planting. On the other side of the walk, I laid out a smaller area where I will move some other plants. Here, I want a little height and I must leave some room for a climbing rose that I am starting from the roses out front. This area has never been planted before, so it's new ground and will require a lot of organic matter, which I have a lot of in the form of compost in 2 full compost bins that must be used up soon. One goal here is to get the smaller straight bed completely cleared out so that I can move one of the raised beds there. There's not a lot left in this bed so clearing it shouldn't be to difficult. The only thing left there that I plan on placing into a large container  for now is a good start of the Feverfew. The rest will either be moved or hoiked. Thursday / September / 30 / 2010 - Finished the small area next to the access walk by the patio today. It's just a small area designed to help fill out and add some balance to the area. I planned in and left an area where I will plant one climbing rose next spring. I moved one Evening Primrose, the double peach hollyhock and the one dark pink hollyhock that came up volunteer there to add some height to the area. I also dug the last of the Daffodil bulbs from the side yard bed and planted in a group there for some spring color. The cucumbers that I never thought would survive the hot, dry summer are looking pretty good and blooming well. They are setting on cukes and I should be able to pick my first cucumbers in a few days. This is at least a small satisfaction after the dismal summer for growing that we had here in the Garden of Weedin. I'm looking forward to moving the first raised bed soon and in high hopes that I will be able to raise many things much better than I was able to do where the beds are now. The shade that the beds are receiving has been a killer for growing. I love the shade in the back yard and it is a welcome retreat in the summer. But, from a growing standpoint, I really dislike this place. But, you use what you have and try to find a way to make the best of it I guess. Oh the dreams I have and perhaps, it's those dreams that keep me going. Back To Top September In Conclusion September in the Garden of Weedin started out with much rain and cooler temperatures on the very first day of the month. This was almost as if there was some sort of "queue" that September was the month when fall began and it was time to start renewing the earth in preparation for the winter to come. Almost freaky I'd say. We turn one page on the calendar and go from the hot, dry weather we have experienced all summer to the cooler and wetter weather of fall. September saw a renewing of activity in the Garden of Weedin with neglected maintenance being done and the long-anticipated "Renew The View" project started with moving, thinning and consolidating of plants into a new look for the Garden of Weedin. Long neglected beds saw new digging and rejuvenating with copious amounts of compost and new plantings. All of this in preparation for the long anticipated moving of the raised beds to a new and sunnier location. September brought about a realization that growing many kinds of vegetables that are not always consumed is a waste of resources and that growing just a few, readily consumed vegetables was the more frugal and smart thing to do. September saw the first hints of fall color start to arrive in the Ozarks and an overwhelming urge to be outside to enjoy all that nature has to offer. Yes, September was something akin to a rejuvenation of the soul. Perhaps, things are not as bleak as the long, hot summer just ending might have suggested. the "Hillbilly Gardener" Back To Top | 
