12 April 2015
my day
We had a long sleep and then I had a difficult time getting me arse in gear to weed. When I finally got myself out the door at 1:30, I decided to focus on the back garden again in hope of getting some fertilizer applied post-weeding.
I tried an experiment of putting buckets of the pulled jewelweed (touch-me-not, policeman’s helmet) into the kitchen compost bin in hopes it will break down, along with the soil clinging to its roots. I tried the same with some of the sheets of dwarf fireweed blanketing this bed. It’s not like I will be introducing it as a new thing if I bring some back in with the compost.
While dumping a wheelbarrow of weeds in the wayback, I saw some interesting and distracting things.
On the third wheelbarrow trip, I saw a chilling sight: a plant, new to me last year, that I had planted as a supposedly well-behaved lookalike for the dreaded aegepodium, had started to run like fury. I had to stop the weeding project, get a shovel, and dig it out. I wish I could remember its name and where I acquired it, with its reassuring descriptive tag.
I considered putting the plant in a pot. Instead, it went straight into the garbage can because it looked like big trouble to me. I swear, it looks like aegepodium but the tag, from a reputable nursery (can’t recall which, not local), said it was a lookalike that would behave itself.
I was disappointed in myself that I still did not get this bed perfectly weeded. The outdoor distractions could not have taken more than half an hour. Yes, there was an indoor distraction of a half of email conversation with Garden Tour Nancy and and a bit of Facebooking. Still, I expected more productivity. The bed had been a daunting sheet of tiny knautia and dwarf fireweed seedlings.
The west bed is also a sheet of dwarf fireweed seedlings in places. It will be more interesting to weed as it has more of a variety of plants rather than a long stretch of mostly one thing (Geranium ‘Rozanne’ in the middle bed).
I was able to fertilize the ten or so back garden roses and that is all. It seems the areas that I mulched in early spring don’t have all the fireweed, so mulch might smother its germination. Something to remember for next spring.
Allan’s day
Meanwhile, Allan went grocery shopping across the river and while there, he visited Fort Clatsop for the first time.
A nicely varied post today.
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Thanks, Mr T!
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Your beds are enormous (and many)! How long before you have to turn around and start over? What fine results! We “tangled” with a few invasives last Saturday, too–ornamental grass that I found charming a few years ago and some persistent wild violets I’d allowed to roam…..
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I battle wild violets in many gardens and finally yesterday finished battling the ornamental Carex that got so vigorous. I would have to start over as soon as I get done. If only I had the time I might be able to keep up…in full retirement.
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Must be the year for the dwarf fireweed…I’ve never had much of a problem with it but this year it seems to be in every inch of every bed !
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Misery loves company so of course I am oddly relieved to hear that ;-). At least it is easy to pull.
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I love how you write “getting me arse in gear”! I suppose that comes from once being married to a Brit?
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Yes and from being an Anglophile since I saw the Avengers at age 12. Which is probably why I fell for the Brit the minute I heard his accent!
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