Garden Geeks thread

[dxmnkd316]

Things are slow to come back this year. Given that the bunnies destroyed everything over the winter, I’m nervous. I planted 8 red twigged dogwood last fall and they are then down to the ground. Gertens told me they may never look as intended.

Gertens, my god today was a ****show

even home despot was... yikes.

we're planning to hit Gerten's this Saturday. Get out lantana, verbena, and a few others.

We were going to get our snapdragons and marigolds there, but the Menards plants were 6 for $3 and they looked fairly good! We got a buttload and probably saved $50-100.

This year is going to be busy. We need to get our roof and deck done (finally) and wrap up the two front yard projects that didn't get wrapped last year.

We're also trying to attract orioles this year. Heard the song of one last night. So there's still hope! Beyond that call, we haven't seen any hummingbirds or orioles yet. They're usually here in late April.

[dxmnkd316]

I’m in the process of replacing some raised garden beds for my wife’s uncle. I’m building four cedar beds, three of them 8’x4’ and one 17’x3’, Those will be all within a border that’s 19’x15’ that’s using concrete brick edging and then mulch to fill in between the various beds and the bricks. Add to that, there are parts to set upon the mulch to allow for easier use of his chair for when he’s tending certain plants.

Yesterday was spent tearing out the old wood boxes and cutting them into 12” sections so he could turn them into mulch. Today was spent getting the layout of the outer perimeter measured correctly and installing the bricks. The measuring had to be done around all of the soil from the old garden beds, which is tough when trying to accurately confirm squareness of the rectangle. That required so much extra digging.

I last did any sort of serious landscaping during the summer of ‘97. I have pain.

Oh yeah, we were hoping to do some raised beds this year. But I think we're going to hold off and do it next year. If we're doing the deck and roof, I want to make sure there's access to the backyard and edibles aren't anywhere near the roof. I don't want granules in our boxes.

[Deutsche Gopher Fan]

even home despot was... yikes.

we're planning to hit Gerten's this Saturday. Get out lantana, verbena, and a few others.

We were going to get our snapdragons and marigolds there, but the Menards plants were 6 for $3 and they looked fairly good! We got a buttload and probably saved $50-100.

This year is going to be busy. We need to get our roof and deck done (finally) and wrap up the two front yard projects that didn't get wrapped last year.

We're also trying to attract orioles this year. Heard the song of one last night. So there's still hope! Beyond that call, we haven't seen any hummingbirds or orioles yet. They're usually here in late April.

I got some verbena yesterday along with my stalwart vinca and some petunias. Vinca does so well with heat

gertens on Mother’s Day weekend. Godspeed

[dxmnkd316]

I know... I pregret it

[jen]

I am garden geeking the heck out of this spring. I moved at the end of last summer, and pulled up a lot of stuff that I found (like MINT, who plants effing MINT fer chrissakes that stuff is ridiculous. Don't plant mint anywhere except a pot, people, and probably not even then).

I found out the previous owners, in addition to the effing mint, also had blackberries and red currants, which I am glad to keep. In the process of creating some new garden beds for black raspberries, raspberries and blueberries. I have an herb garden to fill, a bunch of beds for annuals and perennials, and a raised garden. And my yard actually gets SUN. Already planted a magnolia shrub, blueberries, dwarf lilac and a peach tree. I removed a sandbox and a playset, so I am growing grass to cover up those spots. Really excited to see how everything looks in a few months.

[dxmnkd316]

I am garden geeking the heck out of this spring. I moved at the end of last summer, and pulled up a lot of stuff that I found (like MINT, who plants effing MINT fer chrissakes that stuff is ridiculous. Don't plant mint anywhere except a pot, people, and probably not even then).

I found out the previous owners, in addition to the effing mint, also had blackberries and red currants, which I am glad to keep. In the process of creating some new garden beds for black raspberries, raspberries and blueberries. I have an herb garden to fill, a bunch of beds for annuals and perennials, and a raised garden. And my yard actually gets SUN. Already planted a magnolia shrub, blueberries, dwarf lilac and a peach tree. I removed a sandbox and a playset, so I am growing grass to cover up those spots. Really excited to see how everything looks in a few months.

Super jealous.

The biggest problem is the ten 70'+ cottonwoods in the backyard (the largest four are in the neighbor's yard) that block almost all of the sun* in the great spaces for a garden in the backyard. We basically have an area next to the house that gets tons of sun or the front yard. I'm not super keen on putting garden boxes in the front yard for aesthetic reasons (not sure but it also might run afoul of dumb ordinances). Anyways. We're going to ask our neighbor if we can build them within a couple feet of the property line on the one side of the house. We're on really good terms so it shouldn't be an issue. Just want to be a good neighbor.

* = This is actually a blessing and a curse. Awesome because most of the yard stays shaded and we don't need a ton of watering. It also keeps the house cooler in the summer. Yay. But, it means you can't garden and have to be selective with the trees and shrubs we plant. Plus it's kind of a disaster waiting to happen because cottonwoods grow fast, die young(ish), and don't have super deep root systems. A bit worried about straightline winds and heavy snows. They lost a tree this winter that was basically doomed anyways since it was leaning a good 20-30 degrees. But we worry about the big guys in their yard. These are monsters... Easly three to four feet across at the base.

[leswp1]

I planted tomatoes- 4 different kinds and almost all of them are sickly. The weather was ridiculously cold and cloudy right after I started them. Usually I put them on the sunporch but it was too cold. I think I have 25% of what I planted. Erg!

[dxmnkd316]

:-(

if it makes you feel any better, the deer went after our peppers.

[leswp1]

:-(

if it makes you feel any better, the deer went after our peppers.

Wildlife- ERG! Something ate all my heuchera that wasn't green

[Kepler]

ten 70'+ cottonwoods in the backyard

I did a triple take because I had no idea cottonwoods' territory extended that far north and east. So I did a little googling and TIL there are at least 2 trees called cottonwood in the US that don't have anything to do with each other. Yours and the ones that are everywhere in the Sonoran Desert.

[dxmnkd316]

Spent most of the morning and half the afternoon continuing our landscaping around the large tree in the front yard. It's about 80% done now. Just need to get a few more of the blocks and figure out how to negotiate around the cable boxes. Probably just going to leave that open.

Anyways.

While I was digging ditches my wife went to the local native plant sale and found some of the ornamental grass I've been searching for the last couple years. Apparently prairie June grass goes by a couple scientific names. Odd. Anyways, she picked up a couple of those for the "native-adjacent" garden I was working on. Very excited.

Also grabbed several additional milkweed for our butterfly garden. All of the ones we planted last year came back this year, which was in doubt until about two weeks ago. Also grabbed a couple of other native plants that'll go somewhere.

Our next plan is to brick in the front garden using small paver/edgers (no more 45-lb blocks thank ****in god) and installing a drip irrigation system to cut back on our watering even more. Plus it will be automated, so one less thing to remember. We're going to expand the front garden next to the house and edge in a walking path with cedar chips. Then we plan on lining the front edge with a bunch of bulbs.

[walrus]

Still haven’t put anything in garden, high temp today 49. It was in the 80s yesterday. Supposed to be cold and rainy all week. Why bother putting stuff out when it’s going to sit there

[St. Clown]

My wife’s uncle asked me to replace his raised beds. He had 4 beds of all different sizes, and just kind of generally placed in the same area. I replaced that with 5 raised gardens, three of them 8’x4’ that sit next to each other with 30”between them, and two 8’x3’ running transverse of the other three. There was a relatively steep slope on the northern edge of it all, so I had to do some leveling of the boxes, and adding extra depth to the downward northern side.
Around the whole thing are a series of edging pavers that are beveled, cedar mulch between all the boxes and the edging, and then some 16”x16” concrete pavers resting atop the mulch to allow for stability of movement. The uncle is 70yo, so it was a big consideration. He likes the outcome, and that’s what matters. The perfectionist in me, though…

[Deutsche Gopher Fan]

I’m ripping out grass around a tree and planting shade plants.

also planted a butterfly magnolia tree after wanting a yellow magnolia tree for years. Also added a dappled willow ornamental tree I’m obsessed with

[St. Clown]

My wife’s uncle asked me to replace his raised beds. He had 4 beds of all different sizes, and just kind of generally placed in the same area. I replaced that with 5 raised gardens, three of them 8’x4’ that sit next to each other with 30”between them, and two 8’x3’ running transverse of the other three. There was a relatively steep slope on the northern edge of it all, so I had to do some leveling of the boxes, and adding extra depth to the downward northern side.
Around the whole thing are a series of edging pavers that are beveled, cedar mulch between all the boxes and the edging, and then some 16”x16” concrete pavers resting atop the mulch to allow for stability of movement. The uncle is 70yo, so it was a big consideration. He likes the outcome, and that’s what matters. The perfectionist in me, though…