Plant Shock

If you are bored reading about plants, please note that Sheila has finally updated her blog.
It's only been... What? Two-and-a-third months?!

I think I might finally be just about over the Bronchitis. I probably had it for a good 3 weeks before I went in, but when my breathing took on the sound that an old fan makes when it's shut off - I figured it was about that time...but first I went to the Chinese buffet and had seafood. No allergic reaction to accompany the breathing difficulty already brought on by the Bronchitis, so apparently God still has some plan for me. I'm still lost as to what this plan might be, so instead I played in the garden.

So... as I work on my Outdoor Living Area (as my old crew from UPS calls it) I'm doing a lot of learning on the fly. I've found that it's not a good idea buy a bunch of plants before you have a spot prepared to plant them, and I've also found that when having a patio and gardens and a few hundred feet of looping paths, it's a good idea to finish a section rather than jump around to whatever area amuses me at the moment.

Yesterday was hot. While I was feeding the mosquitoes they couldn't help but sweat on me.

So I got to thinking that maybe I should try for a tan this year. Like, normal people tan - not just the tan head, neck, arms, and legs with Pasty White Boy feet and torso.

So I took off the hat and shirt and put on David's old flip-flops (bought him a new pair for the D.C. trip) before I watered the plants. This seemed like a good idea at the time, but apparently it was a little too much for a couple of the newer, less established plants to take in - for when I turned around, some of them were looking all flat and lifeless.

I think I heard them scream in horror a little bit.

But as I said, it was a really hot day... so I figured there was a chance they maybe suffered a mild case of sun-stroke, or perhaps were just teasing me about my Edward-the-vampire-glowing-by-daylight whiteness.

Either way, I figured the best thing to do was dump a little cold water on them. And so I did... and thankfully all but one or two came out of it.


I made a trip up to Willmar to get some more hoses and connectors but came back with those - plus another Bleeding Heart, 2 more Speedwell, 3 Salvia, and 6 more Asiatic (or maybe Oriental. I confuse the two.) Lilies. (All but the Salvia are planted.)

When I got back from Willmar, I hooked up the trailer (new tire and lighting wiring installed last Thurs) and made a trip up to the compost pile for some grass clippings to use as mulch. I'd use my own grass clippings, but the mowable part of my yard is too small...and I had a bit of a dandelion issue this year.

When I reached the compost pile, I found that some nice person had dug up a whole lot of their Iris plants and disposed of them for me to bring home.

So i did.

But there are a lot, so I gave a box full to one of the guys from work and tried to pass off more to mom and dad. (No luck there.)



I'm trying to be careful to not wreck the natural beauty of my property with all the plants I'm putting in, but I can't help but wonder if the plants I buy are considered a weed in some other chunk of the world. That being said, if anybody who reads this would like some Solomon's Seal, Lily-Of-The-Valley, or Engelman Ivy - I have an abundance of it. In fact, going by the prices they ask at the nurseries, I'd guess I've probably "weeded" out over $1,ooo worth just this year!

Oh yeah. Got some Purple Iris for you, too. And there's a grass that I bought that I could give you. I recently looked at the label of one in a nursery, and in the spot where it has "spread" it said "indefinite" - which is a nice way of saying, "This shit is a weed as far as you're concerned. You can't honestly be considering buying this to put in your garden. Why would you put grass IN your garden? You should be taking grass OUT of your garden!!!"

At any rate, I now have transplanted this grass to several other locations and still have the original plant in the original spot. I give credit to the guy who came up with the notion of potting up "Native Grass" (weeds) and marketing it as "Naturalizing". They saved themselves the hassle of actually having to learn anything about flowers and still cashed in on the deal. However, if I wanted the Naturalized look, I wouldn't be spreading Weed-N-Feed across the dandelion patch!



Aside from the grass-weed, I moved several of those clumps of Sedum from where they'd been growing wild since before I bought the place. At least, it sure looks and feels like Sedum. I'm going to feel really stupid if it's not.

One of my neighbors has Giant Poppies in his gardens. He has given me permission to stop by and get the seed pods when the plants are done flowering for the year. I sure hope the opium farming doesn't interfere with my meth lab and chop shop businesses. :)

(Shhh. Maybe the police will stop by and tear my house up. Yay! New carpet!!!)


Getting late. Got another day of donating blood ahead of me so I better get some shuteye.

;) <- (not sure if that's shuteye or if I just have long, beautiful lashes.)

Later!