Planted my garden today!

                                                            

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am SO exhausted!  I planted my garden today. I had already weeded it a couple of weeks ago, so didn't  think I'd be out there as long as I was, but

I was out there for 4 hrs!  

I planted 3 different envelopes of sunflowers,( of course, my usual). I also had some Gladiola & Dahlia bulbs, Zenia seeds, some Cosmo's, 

lavender, and a mixed packet. (I always have good results w/ mixed packets, flowers to cut through fall). 

I also put a new little white plastic border fence up.  (had some trouble getting that in the ground, should have been easy, but was a pain in the butt!)

I took some extra I had over to my elderly neighbor, & planted some for her outside her porch, in front of her picture window. 

I also have some tomatoes, basil, & chives I want to plant, but after today, those will have to wait until another day!  I'm going to put those in pots up on the porch, so no animals will get into them. 

I was out there so long, because I also took the hedge clippers & trimmed some big bushy bushes that are on the side of our parking area.

They were so overgrown!  My landlord doesn't do it because he said they belong to, are on the property of the Affordable Dentures that is in front of 

my neighbor's house. (& apparently they don't get along, will get mad at him if he does anything, etc..etc..blah, blah, blah!!! "grown men acting like this!)  So today, I said the hell with it, I'm cutting them back!  (I've lived here almost 16 yrs!)  Needless to say, after already being covered in dirt & sweat, I was covered in pollen after that.  

I am excited for my garden, & can't wait to see how it turns out!! 

I will have to go down & take some "before" pictures, & more as it grows! 

Oh, then after my long shower, I took an hour & a half nap!! I was tired, as well as my feet, low back & fingers are sore!

(In addition to cleaning houses all week!)

Glad it's done! 

Ibuprofen,............."check!"  

l'm so envious! We had so much snow that even having a nice run of temperatures on the plus side AND a couple of days of rain, we're still covered in snow.

This time last year the plant nurseries were scrambling to open early. This year is going to be a short season l think.

l hope you post pix of the sunflowers, l've never grown any.

(How's the car, btw? l'm still getting used to mine).

Okay, just took some pictures before it got dark. (almost!)   The Sunflowers are on the far end of the wall, where they can get nice & tall. I did also put some 

gladiola's in front of them, so hopefully they will come up too!

In the middle are the lavender & Cosmo's, & at the front end, is the mixed packet, w/ some gladiola's, Dalia's, & Zenia's between there & the middle.

(yea, those are fake in the pot on the stairs , lol! was nice for winter)

Put the picts in order of how it is in the garden. 
       

The statue is a top from a broken fountain my aunt had. It's a couple setting under an umbrella. 

Andrya said:

 
l'm so envious! We had so much snow that even having a nice run of temperatures on the plus side AND a couple of days of rain, we're still covered in snow.

This time last year the plant nurseries were scrambling to open early. This year is going to be a short season l think.

l hope you post pix of the sunflowers, l've never grown any.

(How's the car, btw? l'm still getting used to mine).

Click to expand...

Oh no, more snow?     Hopefully warm weather is coming your way soon!  

If you look in my photo albums, you will see some of my sunflowers & garden pictures from the last 3 yrs.

Car is good, thanks! 

Nice!! I really want to put a flower bed/border in my front yard but I haven't taken the time to research what to put in. We have to start it from scratch so hopefully DH will be on board. I was thinking I should aim for at least 3 seasons of color if not 4. I'd like to be able to add decorations to it for holidays and things. I really need to get out and weed my little veggie garden too. Spring started so late I couldn't bear to think about it really. It's here now...I pray!!! LOL

It's going to look lovely, Kelly! 

It's time to think about what to plant in the veggie garden and the flower bed in the front yard. Our daffodils are coming up; some of them have buds on them, too, so spring is definitely here. We put our spring flag outside, but that's as far as we've gotten.

Thanks!   I dug & started mine 4 yrs. ago when I was "between jobs."     I had always wanted a garden, but didn't think I could have one here, sense I rent & I'm upstairs. Like I said I have been here for so many years, (16 yrs. this August!)

I just decided to do it!  My landlord is pretty much o.k. with anything I do, because It's always an improvement!

 One thing that is a major pain in the butt is that I don't have a water hose, so watering the garden is no fun! We don't pay for water, so that's part of it. We do have a spigot on the front of the house, but years ago, a guy that lived downstairs was washing his car, & small boat, so the landlord put a cap on the spigot. I have thought about asking him if he would open it back up for me, even if I offered to pay an extra $10.00 w/ rent, but I don't think he would do it. Plus, I'm sure he would just take it as a rent increase, & I'd have to keep paying the extra in the winter too. he's not very negotiable, so I just don't want to open that can of worms!

I have two water jugs, & I just fill them up in the kitchen sink, & take them out. I did get smarter last year, & started watering the far end & as much as I can from the balcony , Then going down to water the end by the bottom of the stairs. At least that way, I'm not going up & down the stairs a bunch of times! Hopefully we will have a rainy summer! LOL!!

I thought about putting some kind of container down there to catch rain to use, but it will just attract mosquito's, etc.. & if I use a lid, the water will be be hot from the heat of the summer. Plus, anything too big, I won't be able to lift once filled w/ water, because thought about one of those 5 gallon painters buckets.  ...?  Any suggestions anyone??

Here is a link to my photo bucket garden album   

http://s1255.photobucket.com/user/kelly8-69/library/Garden Pictures

Your pictures are beautiful, l really like the sunflowers.

Do you have a faucet in the kitchen/bathroom close to a window? You could get one of these clamps (or anything similar)  that hold a hose, then run it outside.

OH, Good find Andrya, Thanks!!  I will have to check that out!  I asked my dad if he had anything like that, but he didn't. I'll have to show him that & ask him if he thinks it will work for my faucet.

He has an extra one of those hose that coil back up nice & small. They were on t.v. but have them at walmart too.  I would have to run it from the kitchen through the living room, & out to the porch. 

It would be worth it though, IF it's an easy & quick attachment. (I'd have to take my PUR filter off every time, & put it back on.)  IF the hose will reach that far. Have to ask my dad how long it is & then measure the distance it will have to go. 

Here's a shot of my kitchen & living room to see this distance I am talking about. 

 
This one I took standing against the wall by the door.

My dad said I could get one of those adapters for less at Lowe's. or Home Depot, so good to know!  

I don't know why, or how I didn't feel this yesterday in the shower, or after, especially because I am sensitive, but just got out of the tub & felt, then saw this!!

I used sunscreen yesterday, but I guess it wasn't sweat proof!!!  YOUCH!   There's also about a half an inch wide stripe that is where the meeting of my tank top & shorts were .....or weren't LOL!

How fun! I bet it will be gorgeous! We've still got at least a month before we can plant.

Thought I'd post a garden update, now that it's been 2 months. Things are coming up nicely. I have my first sunflower bloom. even though some of the petals have been eaten. There are a few more blooms on it that are going to pop out soon!  Gladiolas & dahlia's are growing, but no blooms yet. The lavender I planted didn't come up.      
    
    
I finally planted the tomatoes, basil, & chives about 3 wks ago. The chives need to catch up! I will also have to replant some of the tomatoes, so many coming up!      

Wow, Kelly, it all looks so pretty! I love your sunflower! 

Let us know if you decide to try ladybugs.

Nice!  I keep seeing neat things about what you can do with sunflowers; like letting beans climb them like a trellis and saving the dry stalks till next year for trellis's and things.  But to be honest; the big leaves on them freak me out.  I definitely don't like plants that get bigger than me!!  Except trees; those are different!

Thanks! I will.     I'll post more pictures as things start to bloom!