Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Butterflies and Spiders....oh my!

Welcome.  Today at the Empty Nest Gardens...
the naked ladies (Lycoris Squamigera) have just started blooming

The Knockout roses are blooming again

The perennial Ruella loves the heat.
Portulaca also loves the heat.  This is a good plant for me to have in a hanging container.  I only water it 3 times a week and it doesn't seem to mind.
I believe this is a Fritillary butterfly and it loves the zinnias.

Wow, look what a little water soluble fertilizer does for a pot of Wave Petunias.

Mrs. Weaver is back.  She is an orb weaver and she has built her web on my bay window where I can watch her every move from inside the house. 
 



Thank you for visiting Empty Nest Gardens and Quilts. 
Until next time,

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Weeds Happen

I am ashamed to show you this bed full of weeds in front of the shed but I wanted to show the progress  I made today. 


This morning I decided to tackle this bed with it's over grown native rose bush and lots of crabgrass.  The mulch had decomposed enabling the weeds to grow wildly.

These are the tools I chose to attack this bed, my grandfathers hoe, loppers, hand pruners, hand spade, thorn gloves, and my large green bag that holds lots and lots of pulled weeds and trimmings.  I started at 9:15am while the temperature was in the 80's and the bed was in the shade.

After an hour I had made this much progress.  The rose bush has to go.  It came up volunteer, has no flowers to speak of and has horrific thorns.  I spent most of my time cutting it back.  Time for a Diet Pepsi Vanilla and a dip in the pool to cool off. 

3 hours after I started I am finished.  I cut the rose back as far as I could.  It is growing inside a tomato cage around an old satellite dish pole.  The rose will have to be dug out but that takes a lot of energy, way too much for a hot day like today.   By now it is 93 degrees and full scorching sun.  Time for another dip in the pool. 

I just love the varigated ginger on the shed porch.  Now I have space to plant something fun....oh my...I have a good reason to go to the garden center.  That will be a fall project.  

Remember, weeds happen to all of us.  Don't get discouraged if they are taking over your garden because they do that this time of the year. 
Enjoy your summer, weeds and all.
Until next time,

Friday, July 9, 2010

A break in the rain...finally

Rain, rain, go away, come again another day.  Wow, the Oklahoma City area has literally been flooded with rain the last 8 days.  This causes me to retreat inside and do things other than yard work.  It also causes the weeds to start dominating the yard.  Tomorrow it should be a dry, hot day so weeds...watch out...you are going down!
The summer phlox is a little droopy from the weight of the rain.
A few drops on the papaya that is near the pond.
The pickerel weed in the pond is loving the rain.
Melampodium thives in the summer heat.
The crape myrtles have started to bloom.  They also love the heat.

I hope you have enjoyed this little stroll through the my yard.
Until next time,