Weed Prep Time

Well here it is, almost March 2010. Where does the time go? Days are starting to get longer and warmer, so now is the time to think about weed control.

Cool weather weeds like Chickweed are getting ready to rear their ugly little heads (if they haven't done so already.) I am going to go out next week and sprinkle Preen, a product which keeps seeds from sprouting, everywhere that weeds are a problem. Keep in mind that Preen, or it's generic counterpart, will not hard perennial weeds like dandelions. They come back from the roots every year, so perennial weeds must be either hand cultivated or sprayed with a Round-up product. Chickweed is a perennial with a hairy root rather than a tap root which puts out millions of seeds, so I will have to use both methods of control for this pest.

I can't wait to get started on my outdoor work. Come on, spring!

shel

Starting Seeds

It's official....spring is almost here. I can tell because there are so many seed packet displays set up in all of the stores that I've visited. So far I have resisted buying handfuls off of each rack, but it's been tough. There are many new varieties I'd like to try.

Each year I buy vegetable seeds like radish, lettuce and zucchini to plant in the garden. They are easy to grow and have a relatively short time to grow before producing, so I don't mind seeds. Tomatoes, however, are another subject. Since I have room for only five or six tomato plants, I buy them from the greenhouse. (Now I want garden tomatoes - YUM!)

A common mistake made is to start the seeds too early. I'll wait a week or two, then buy some perennial seeds to start in a soilless mixture (found at Lowe's). I'd like to plant more hollyhocks this year, as well as painted daisies and coreopsis.

I will simply plant the seeds of annuals like Dreamland zinnias, cypress vine a.k.a. hummingbird vine, and Castor beans directly in the ground. They do well as long as I keep the area watered and keep the dogs out!

Starting next week...after payday...I'll be able to pick up the seed packets I've been lusting over. I can't wait!

shel

A Beautiful Winter Day

Normally I'd be bit**ing and complaining about winter, but today I have to change my tune.

The snow is the perfect consistency for snowballs and snowmen....not too dry so that it crumbles, and not so moist that it gets your gloves wet. Overhead, the sun is shining brilliantly. I can hear kids playing outside of my office. There's lots of giggles and shouts.

In the few spare minutes that I had free today, I walked down to the end of the lane (garbage day, don'tcha know) and admired the beauty. A deer or two meandered across the yard, cutting from the woods on the west to the few trees and pasture on the east. One set of prints must have belonged to a buck, because they were pretty good size and spread far apart.

I swear that I saw mountain lion tracks.....or maybe the St. Bernard or Mastiff that live in the neighborhood came nosing around. The tracks were HUGE! (I know, I know; there are no mountain lions in central Illinois!)

What a lovely winter day.

shel

Another Garden Catalog, Another Day of Wanting

Yesterday I received the Breck's catalog in the mail. Last night, after a long day of working both jobs and caring for my helpless husband, I took my ink pen and catalog into the bathroom. I filled the tub with hot water and Amber Dreams bubble bath, and settled in for a long soak.

There's SO many things that I'd like to buy! I'm interested in 'Double Trouble' Helenium which is a bright yellow flower (the petals remind me of a ruffled poppy) with a deep gold cone-shape center. I've never seen this plant before so of course I want to have it.

I loved the 'Myrtle's Folly' Dahlia. It has a HUGE 8" bloom that resembles flames shooting out of a red-hot center. The petals are yellow, orange and red, and come to a sharp point. I usually stay away from oranges, but I really like this bloom. It looks like it's hyper-active. (I would probably dig up these bulbs in the fall. Dahlias aren't normally perennial in Illinois, but I have a micro climate that allows me to use glads, calla lilies, and dahlias as perennials, but I'd hate to take a chance on this one.)

'Sherbet Drink' Phlox is STUNNING. It is pink with white and green picotte. I inherited the love of phlox from my mom, and I would be thrilled to add this to my collection.

There is a coupon attached to my catalog that allows me to pay $25 for a $50 order...too bad I can't take advantage of the offer! For some reason, bill collectors don't seem to care about the flowers in my garden.

Oh, to be rich...

shel