TKHooper's Garden Diary

[TKHooper]

Hi all

I'm glad I found this site. I love keeping a daily journal about my garden. I absolutely lucked out and got a doublewide trailer and 1.5 acre property in the beginning of June. It had never been landscaped so I have a complete blank slate to work with. 2/3rds of the property is woodland which is fine with me. There are even fox grapes growing on a few of the trees in the back yard.

The trailer is facing South West and has 4 trees in front of it. Two are poplar the other two I'm not so sure about.

So I arrived with 35 plants and a yard made up of weeds, clay and rocks on a very steep slope going down to the house. Many of the plants have died but I'm doing my best.

So far I have a foundation bed on the front and south east side of the house. I've planted gladiolus, iris, blackberry lilies, daffodils, portulaca and mums in this bed. I hope to add crown imperials after all the maintenance is done on the house. And a couple more mums, right now I only have one clump of them and I'll like more so I have good fall color.

I have recently planted a sidewalk flower bed with blackberry lilies (yellow and orange varieties) candy lilies, persian onions, tulips, daffodils, crocuses and hycinth.

And I want a flower bed around the trees in front. This has been a major undertaking since it is about 25 feet wide and over 40 feet deep. I pull weeds and plant ever chance I get. So far the bed has hollyhocks, columbine, lily of the valley, hostas, latris, kiss-me-over-the-garden-gate, nigella damascea, peonies, zinnia, chocolate mint, peppermint, lemon basil, purple ruffled basil, majorum, oregano and wooley thyme in it. I'll move the herbs once I locate a place for my knot garden but I haven't figured that out yet.

I also have a place for a veggie garden. Right now I'm piling up a lasagna bed in that area so it will be ready for planting come spring. I've already spent quite a bit of time taking the big rocks out to use as a border over where the big flower bed is.

Along with all of those beds I've got a bed up by the street where there is a little two rail fence just 8 feet long on the street side and 16 feet long on the driveway side. So far I've but chinese lanterns, Daylilies (Tomato Red), and Missouri Evening Primroses in that bed along with the one gladiolus that was there when I came. When my glads multiply I hope to take the extras and plant them up there along with any extra irises I get.

Well that will do as a start. If your wondering why I'm not outside in the garden right now it's because it is misting and the temperatures have just went from hot to cold and I haven't gotten used to it yet.

Have a good day all.

[TKHooper]

today I weed wacked half the back yard. Hopefully if it doesn't rain I'll wack the other half tomorrow. Other than that I harvested one beautiful deep red zinnia for next year's garden. Yes I advidly collect seeds. I love harvesting and trading seeds when I can afford the postage.

[newtohosta-no more]

Kinda nice starting with a clean slate, isn't it? You don't have to worry about squeezing more plants in here and there.
Good luck with your gardening. I think you're really going to enjoy yourself.