First of all I sneaked in a few more tulip bulbs into one of the newer gardens. They always like the spring surprise of where new tulips will blossom.
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| Nope, not baby mice - Sweet potato vine tubers - I rescued them - not sure if they are edible, but thought I would try to propagate them for next spring - any ideas how to go about that process? |
Then it was dig and deadhead time. They have a small flatbead trailer which was backed up to the house. Over the course of five hours, I slowly heaped it to overflowing - how does that much plant material grow in one short season? Then it was four hours on the lawn tractor, mulching leaves and the final haircut of 2011. I tried to use the leaf sucker around the house and gardens, but the majority of the leaves were just too wet, and the unit kept plugging. The 'castle' boast second and third story balconies. At the end of the day, I went up there, ripped out all the cascading vines and wave petunias from the planters. That was kind of sad, as the frost had still not really damaged them, and the petunias were blasting out one final volley. Then it was carry the planters down, bring them home and put them in the greenhouse, ready to start all over again next spring. Just seems it was a few short weeks ago, I was planting, and being so careful to nurture every single plant. Yesterday it was hack and slash, rip and tear. Needless to say, this morning, my hands and back feel like I singlehandedly slew a dragon.
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| Just a tiny portion of the canna lily tubers - most I left in the ground, as they do tend to multiply like rabbits. |
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| The much traveled planters peacefully reposing in my greenhouse, until next spring. |
And that is about all I have to say for today.
Musings and meanderings from the Musical Gardener.
You may feel as if you've been fighting with dragons but you sound a whole lot happier than yesterday. I was going to suggest either music or gardening as a cure, you chose the garden. As for "eddicashun" - you can waste a whole lot of energy trying to slay that particular dragon!
ReplyDeleteSorry if I sounded negative yesterday - really I wasn't feeling that way at all, I quite enjoyed writing yesterday's blog - unfortunately I realize that nothing I say is going to change the way education is delivered. I know I probably did take more of a 'throwing stones' than 'building bridges' approach. Sometimes you do have to sit and poke fun at 'the system'.
ReplyDeleteDown with the man! Oh, sorry. The Wall Street protesters are contagious! But that is why homeschooling has grown so rapidly--disappointment with all the shenanigans in the public school that treat kids ike guinea pigs.
ReplyDeleteBTW, you didn't post how you are supposed to eat only one of the muffins!
It really helps when someone knows how to put the plants to bed properly . Then we don't get awful surprises when something doesn't survive the winter.
ReplyDeleteI have a few of those potatoes myself, and some very large ones to boot. Now sure if they are edible, but I am not going to chance it. They are interesting to look at though.
ReplyDeleteI "think" you can grow them much like a potato..cover them with soil and water them in the spring and see what happens. Remember the old ..stick toothpicks in a sweet potato and suspend it over a glass filled with water and watch it get roots and grow leaves? I would try both and see what works:)
ReplyDeleteIf you were closer to me, I'd hire you to clean up my sixteen flower beds. I do have a helper now but it's still too much! :) Good luck with the sweet potato vine tubers.
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