July 31, 2018 – “I recognized you by your voice!”

         On my hardware store trip early this morning, I had a delightful surprise.

         “Teri, hey, how are you?”

        

         I turned and had to crank my neck up to look at this tall man. Probably in his forties, wearing a ball cap and only his eyes were familiar.  He gave me a hug before my mind clicked into over drive.  Whom have I not seen in a dozen or so years that I might not recognize?  His voice, his laugh, his familiarity with his unabashed hug and lingering arm around my shoulder, brought forth his name from the depths of my memory.

         “It’s Kenny . . . Kenny Hopkins!”  I whispered into his neck as he hugged me again because I actually identified him.

         “It’s been – what 20 years easy?” he drawled in a pleasing way.

         I pulled off his ball cap wondering if he had hair and I was surprised it was a thick mass of greyed hair. 

“You’ve got hair!”  I said.

“Yeah, I got hair,” as he put his ball cap back on. Last, I saw him he had a crew cut and I think it was red.  Twenty years ago he was also skinny, mostly elbows, and knees. The decades had filled him out.  But, he just kept laughing that I recognized him. 

         “Gosh,” I said, “I can’t believe I got your name!  Your kids must be in college.”

         “Becky is.”  He answered with a smile.

         “How did you recognize me?  I know I must have changed, you sure have.”

         “I was in the next aisle and I recognized your voice.”

         “Did you really?”  That surprised me. “Was I assertively questioning the store clerk as I usually do?”

         “Yeah, you haven’t changed a bit.”

         I asked about his wife and where she was working.  She was still in the career that she had studied for.  His wife, Denise, and I were college pals.

         Ken and Denise had met each other at youth group at their local church.  They asked me to coordinate their wedding and I did.  It was a sweet wedding.

         Anytime I had a party down at Trojan Lane, I always invited the young couple.  Ken quickly stole my heart at the second party he attended. 

         “I like coming to your parties; you serve imported beer, all kinds of them, not the cheap beer,” he said.  A picture came to mind, bottles of imported beer shoved in ice embellished with assorted fresh flower heads in a large terracotta pot.  Ken would look each beer over and then chose one. That was when I was impersonating Martha Stewart. 

         So, I quickly made him my partner in crime for the 4^th of July parties where everyone brought a bag full of fireworks. Ken would assist me in setting them off and then we would run like hell to safety.  He was braver than I was so he would light the big stuff.  Me, I had to run in the cool grass barefoot because I’d fall out of my summer sandals.  He was also lighter on his feet and quicker than me.

         Ken was a good sport always finishing the show when I had to collapse on the lawn exhausted.

         Right as we parted, I gave him another hug, “It is nice that you two are still married,” I said to him confidentially.

         He nodded to me knowing what I meant.  Many of their friends had gotten married and divorced.  They had a good foundation.  I’d known he was right for her from the moment she introduced me to him.



         On to the next hardware store for something I couldn’t find at the first one. At the cash register I asked a direct question about a product, they often sold.

         “You are not from around here – are you?”  She said as she is bagging my purchase.

         “Not originally, but I’ve been here for 30 years. Why do you ask?”

         “I think you are from New England, I’m from New Jersey.”

         “Yes, Massachusetts,” I confirmed to her.

         “You have a distinct voice, a nice voice.”

         “Thanks.” 

         I thought what a nice compliment, and then remembered what Kenny Hopkins had said. “I recognized you by your voice.”

         Maybe the rest of me is falling apart or changing drastically, but at least my voice is holding up!  Mom would have gotten a chuckle out that.

July 30, 2018 – Found an old TO-DO list

         Rummaging around in a drawer earlier today, I found an index card that was dog-eared and worn from sliding back and forth in the bottom of a seldom- used junk drawer.  This junk drawer has extra office supplies – pens, pencils, pre-inked office stamps for “paid”, “file”, or “closed” and the like.  It might all come in handy someday if I ever jump into a new business.  Right now, it is just a bit of clutter and I thought I would straighten it up while I was looking for something that I did not find.

         I was about to toss the dog-eared index card out when I flipped it over and was surprised it was not a blank card but a list, one of my TO-DO lists.  My handwriting was neat and precise in royal blue pen with little boxes waiting to be checked off when I completed the items.

         I went down the list and discovered several items had been checked off, but I couldn’t tell how old the list was. I remember painting the mudroom ceiling and also removing the shrubs from around the well house a few years back.  But, also on that list were two items that have been on many of my TO-DO lists since this one that was lost for years and they are still not DONE.

         Every spring I put “repaint the black outdoor railings” on my TO-Do list.  I look at those needing-paint railings every time I pause carrying in groceries to put two bags in one hand so that I can put the key into the door.  Mentally I say, yes, I need to do that and usually find an adequate excuse. It is too hot, too cold, too humid, or it is raining.  Often I have even gone as far as getting out the brush and the can of paint that has been bought for the project and locating a few drop cloths to tuck over the brick steps so black paint won’t be splashed and setting them out to remind me of the project.

         Then, life happens and I set it all back in the cupboard or closet and the project stays on my TO-DO list for weeks until I lose that TO DO list and start a fresh one.

         The other undone item is re-finish the round Rock Maple drop leaf table.  Yes, I have been setting out the brand new sander I purchased for that on a rotating basis every time I clean my closet and it too gets put away when life happens.  The table is in the kitchen now.  I switch the round table with the rectangle one every six months or so depending on my needs.  I wanted more walking room in the kitchen so I moved the table several months ago.

         Good – it is in the right place to work on it.  It is hot and sticky outside and going to rain for the next few days – Good – nice inside job.  The last time I put the brand new sander away I had purchased drop cloths for the project. Good, I am ready to work any minute!

         Isaiah Hankel, recently suggested that if you have ever watched the same movie twice, you are basically wasting time [my take on it].  My choice this afternoon was watch another TCM movie that I’ve already seen, or do something productive.  I went with productive – the table project.

Note: Isaiah Hankel is a motivational coach and one of his Friday Hard Hits emails drove home a theory about time or energy.  Here is a snippet from his Friday Hard Hits dated June 29, 2018.  [I added the italics.] His website is:

https://www.isaiahhankel.com/protect-your-mental-energy-and-achieve-success.

Isaiah Hankel made the following comment:

"A lot of people think that money is the most important asset that you have.  Money's helpful, but it's not the most important thing.  You can always earn more money if you have enough energy to do so.  Something else that a lot of people say is their most valuable asset is time.  They think, "Oh, I just need more time to do this."  But, if you've ever watched the same movie twice, you know that time is not your  most valuable asset, either.  Very often, we have a lot of time but not enough energy.  We're exhausted, we're tired, we're stretched too thin.  And, the question a lot of people ask themselves is, "What if I could just get some more time?" But really, you should be asking yourself, "What if I could just get some more energy so that I could do as much as somebody else does in 3 hours, in a few minutes?" That's the power of energy."

Decision made, I turned the TV from a movie to light classical music, my husband went out to mow the lawn, and I rummaged in the closet and brought out the brand new electric sander.  I re-read the directions and started in on the project.  It didn’t take long for me to not be impressed with the new equipment and I grabbed an unused sponge and wrapped a piece of sand paper around it and started in on sanding the maple table my way, the old fashioned way, a comfortable easy way for me. 

The table shows the wear and tear of 30 years.  There are dents here and there [from dropped tomato sauce or soup cans spilling out of grocery bags probably], a long deep groove from the bottom of my rolling computer suitcase that got away from me one day – slipped out of my hand, not set down properly but skidding across creating a long gouge.  And, that strange red mark that showed up when mail was tossed on the table when it wasn’t dry and I never could lift it from the finish no matter what cleaning product I tried.

Yes, I can admire each one of those flaws that it now possesses.  Some people call it patina and consider that valuable.  At this moment in my life, I don’t.  It has had 30 years or so of my life’s nicks, scratches and gouges.  I want a fresh slate. I want a gleaming mirror finish.

I put my back into it, like my Daddy did when he refinished something working in his cellar.  Yes, a rocking motion, back and forth.  Yes, I have my reading glasses on so that I can see every imperfection in the center section.

The varnish slowly comes off stroke by stroke. Slowly the wood is sanded into dust particles. A scratch here, a dent there slowly dissolve under the presser of the sand paper’s grit.  Even in air conditioning, I am working up a sweat.  It feels good to lean over and stretch my whole body and rock back and forth listening to the rasp of the sand paper gently gnawing at the wood finish.  Yes, another little scratch gone, another little dent gone; I will move to another section.

This is going to take some time I realize when I get to that long 14 to 16 inch groove from the computer case.  I really put my back into it and eventually even that disappears into fine dust.  The rest of that grove is on one of the drop leaves, I will work on that section tomorrow.

Doing it by hand, the old-fashioned way, listening to classical music doesn’t seem like work, it is actually pleasure and gives me time to think.

         I’ve mentally transcended all of the “drama” of a recent event into the nicks and scratches and gouges of my kitchen table. Re-finishing this table with be therapeutic.  Yes, as the imperfections disappear into dust, so will the pain of the recent drama.  I’ll be ready for another 30 years of life; ready to accumulate the nicks, scratches and gouges of failure, disappointment, or drama. Ready with a mirror finish.

July 29, 2018 - Moulin Rouge Sunflowers

Sadly - I am on a public terminal and I can't retrieve pictures - later when my internet is up and running, I will update this blog with pictures.

I love tall flowers so that I can cut a few stems and plunk them in a large vase to make a statement.  My home requires a showy arrangement on the kitchen table to scream for attention in the large open kitchen/day room area.

Think VanGogh - the painting with the sunflowers.  That is where I am coming from. This week's arrangement is with Moulin Rouge sunflowers.

What does it costs?  A little bit of your time to go out and snip something and fill a vase with water and "tickle them up" a bit. [Tickle them up is a Southern phrase I learned at Horn's Home and Garden in Forest City, North Carolina - here in town.  At that shop it means adding a sleeve and a bow to a potted plant.  In other local shops it might mean putting a gift in a gift bag and adding colored tissue paper and a bow.]

I bought the seed two years ago from Johnny's Select Seed and the first year I only planted half a dozen.  But, this year I planted the rest of the packet and they are spectacular.  We have had heavy wind and rains and a few have fallen over which is good news for me - I cut them to bring in.  Yes, I should stake them - but part of me likes things unstaked so that when the wind or rain knocks them down, I have the perfect excuse to save them from the mud, cut them, wash them off and bring them in.

In spring it is usually daffodils and then tulips quickly followed by Iris then the Bleitta orchids.

In May the Peonies make a grand arrangement followed by Gladiolas in June and the week of Fourth of July I always have the "explosion" of the orange Tiger Lilies, followed up by the fragrant white Casablanca lilies.

Next will come the purple Zinnias or Cosmos and later on I will cut some beautiful large Caladium leaves to admire up close and personal.  By then the Peacock Orchids with their exotic perfume will fill the house.

Toward the end of summer, I will treat myself to a bouquet of Ageratum and then the finale will be weeks upon weeks of all different Chrysanthemums.

The objective of today's blog is - if you've got them - cut them and bring them in to admire up close and personal.  Haven't you gone to all the trouble of growing them to admire them, but do you really admire them out in the garden?  If it is too hot, the answer is no.  If it is raining, the answer is no.  Don't let the beauty of your garden pass you by just because of the weather.

Large or small flower arrangements strategically placed throughout the house are a simple country delight.  On an end table near your TV watching chair, on the corner of your desk, on the vanity in the bathroom, on your bedside table, near the kitchen sink to admire while you are washing dishes.  Any place you will be is where flowers should be placed so that you can take a moment here and there throughout the day to admire God's handiwork and your gardening prowess.

And, if you have enough to share . . . an impromptu bouquet delivered to a friend is a delightful surprise that is cost free.

Trust me, they won't care if it is delivered in an old Mason Jar tickled up or

July 28, 2018 -Weathering modern inconveniences

I chatted with a friend this morning and she asked me how I was doing.  She has concern about my healing hamstring and my life in general.  She's a good friend.  I try not to outright "bitch" about things not going my way, but I think I actually screeched out: "I don't have internet connectivity and it is driving me insane."

Since that outburst and ensuing discussion, I have calmed down and thank myself that I haven't put all my eggs in one basket like my neighbors.  They have the "bundle" with their phone, internet and television service with one carrier . . . and that carrier is the same one that is out of service from 7/24 to 7/30.  Just think of that six full days of complete nothing from my carrier in the way of internet service.

So, I am as good as can be expected while I am not connected will be my new mantra for the coming week.  But, the internet connection interruption is more than a disruption in my life.  I had to think about how long I've been on the internet and surprisingly it is way before 2000 - about two decades now.

This internet service not functioning has highlighted how much I actually use and depend on the internet. Yes, the internet has impacted our lives on all fronts for example.

• Paying bills, checking the balance in my account
• Emails to friends and family
• Watching movies instead of going to the video store to pick them up

Just in two days it has not allowed me to carry on my life as usual.  I have burning questions and they are not being answered or fulfilled while I am in this limbo.

• I couldn't look up a phone number or website of an entity in the next county that I need to drive to today.
• I need a map to get me where I am going to today.
• I've jotted down three items of interest advertised on TV and I can't research them.
• I want to learn how to dissolve soap scum on fiberglass shower stalls in order to just wipe it off.
• I wanted to look up a word definition.
• I wanted to verify if it was a copper head or an immature rattle snake my husband almost stepped on yesterday.
• Which of the 5 or 6 library branches has the book I am looking for in their new arrivals?
• I need a recipe for Eggplant Parmesan . . . I've already baked the breaded eggplant slices and they are sealed in plastic in the refrigerator, waiting for the next step.
• I want to research the 1968 Presidential election . . . Lyndon Johnson was an incumbent and he didn't run for re-election . . . the first in history . . . that was referenced on the news.  I want the full details on that.
• I get just a short sound bite of national news that seems out of context, yet I can't get on the internet to get the "rest of the story".
• Fall planting season is coming upon us and I want to get the late summer planting dates for my fall crops and verify the first frost in order to set up my planting schedule.
• A lipstick commercial had a close up of red lips which reminded me of the song, "Addicted to Love," [I think] - was that Robert Palmer?  It would be fun to watch that music video - how old is that? Gosh, it made me think about everything that I've witnessed during my life - like the introduction of music videos and YouTube.

And - the most serious of all:

• I can't pull down and print out any Web Sudoku - medium level sheets - to while away my time - during commercials - when I watch TV or wait for something to cook on the stove.
• No internet means I can't even enjoy killing time!  GASP!

I feel like I'm sitting in front of an old fashioned TV test pattern.

Fear not - I will be getting out and about today - having to do things the old fashioned way like going to the bank and checking on my balance, driving to entities to pay bills, and stopping at the library to see if a book is on the new arrival list [and possibly post a blog].

At least I know how to do things the old fashioned way.  I need to put a spin on this and just enjoy these days of nostalgia.

July 27, 2018 – Surprise learning when you can’t sleep

The used grocery bag trick.

         I had a taste – yes, just a taste of 85% dark chocolate yesterday afternoon around 4:30 p.m. and at 2:30 a.m. I was wondering why I was wired and couldn’t fall asleep. Last evening I watched Fox news – one show after the other, after the other until about 11:00 p.m.  Then I shut the lights off and expected to fall asleep.

The two alarm clocks were deafening.  “TICK TOCK TICK TOCK.” I got up and put one in a drawer and the other in the sweater cupboard.  I lay back down again and then flopped and tossed and turned and rearranged the pillows until my arms got sore and I tangled up in the sheets like sea kelp. I got up. 

         I wandered out to the computer to check on emails and then the cat wanted some food.  I padded out to the mudroom and gave Jasmine, the cat, a small bit of food to tie her over until morning.  She thought it was 6:30 a.m. because I was up.  I noticed the shopping sack in the corner was overflowing with used grocery bags.  I shook my head – what a mess - what do we need them for – yeah, we have need occasionally.  Why does the husband keep every single one of them along with every wine cork, every bread twist tie, and every Fudgicle stick?

         I padded back to the computer. I remembered I was going to look up borax and cleaning fiberglass shower stalls and after exhausting that topic I clicked on a link to 40+ cleaning ideas.  Maybe because it was the middle of the night and I had no lights on except the light emitting from the computer screen, I found many interesting ideas.  Many I had never read about before or seen before.

         I should have jotted a few down because now, day later, I can only remember half of what was useful.  But, the one that I found immediately useful and clever was the folding and rolling of used grocery bags so that you can put them in a pop up container and reuse them easily and not have a mess on your hands – like I currently have in the corner of the mudroom.

         After an hour or so of cleaning idea net surfing, I turned on the television and surfed and found nothing of interest there either.  I was so wide awake I even thought of walking out across the wet grass and retrieving the morning’s paper as it is always delivered by 11:30 p.m. on weeknights and as I was awake around that time I had watched it being delivered.

         But, I decided against that.  Me opening the front door would rouse the dog and then he would want me to walk him around the wet grass and I didn’t really want to get shoes or my feet wet.  I snapped off the TV.

         I padded back to the mudroom, found all the balled up grocery bags stuffed here and there and overflowing from the shopping bag. I retrieved them all and dumped them on the kitchen table.

         I remembered the first step was flattening them out and I did that and tossed out the ones that felt icky or had tears or bad handles.  Then, at 2:00 a.m. in the morning, I thought I remembered how to fold them and did a test drive. NOPE – I didn’t get the rolling or something right.  I tried again and failed.  With all the bags now flat and ready – I had to go back to the computer and give it a search to find how to roll them.  Yeah – one little bit off and it doesn’t work.  Now I see what I did wrong.

         Back in the kitchen, I rolled 12 of them and tucked them in a Cremora bottle that I’d washed out, torn off the label and cut the bottom ajar – making a hinge.  How about that – pull one out and VOILA – another one ready to pull out.  COOL! I taped the bottom of bottle shut and set it on the counter.  I found no other vessel available that I could play this garbage bag pop up game.  So, I moved the flattened grocery bags to the dining room table and trotted back to bed to try to sleep.  At some point I must have I fallen asleep as I was awoken at 6:30 a.m. by the cat that was hungry.  So, I did get some sleep – not much.  I’d forgotten chocolate had that effect on me.  I won’t forget it in the near future.

         Now, I am probably the last person to know this little trick – because some people say to me – “ Teri, you just don’t get out much – do you?”

         But, I intend to share it with the world for those of you, like me, who have been living under a rock or something. Below is the link for anyone who wants to give it a test drive. 

This morning after my first coffee, I located more vessels to put the rolled bags in and I have them staged throughout the house – nice and neat.  I need to do one for the trunk of my car also.

         Now, while I am thinking of it, I better get those alarm clocks out of the sweater cupboard and the drawer.

         Have fun learning this trick. https://youtu.be/X_cLIgnDr3M

July 26, 2018 – Angel hair spaghetti squash

         Angel hair spaghetti squash, Cucurbita pepo, is a smaller sized spaghetti squash with 1 to 1 ½ pound fruits perfect for single servings. Angel Hair spaghetti squash with a growing season of 88 days and an average yield of 14 to 15 fruits per plant is a little dynamo in the garden!

     

     I planted seed directly the week of May 21^st.  I am at the 65 day point and they are starting to turn yellow.  Middle of June, I had to cut the vines back seriously because they were taking over my entire back patio even though I had given them the entire 15 x 4 foot wide vegetable garden to romp around in.  At that time, I snipped back each vine after I saw 4 or 5 fruits starting.  Again, this week, I had to snip back the vines to keep them in check. Easily there are a couple dozen fruits.

         Trust me, they are prolific.  The beautiful big vine makes visitors ask – “What is that growing all over the place?” I love the sheer amazement in their voices.   I smile and chuckle at the non-gardening visitors – it doesn’t take much to excite them – huge leaves, long vines and they had not even set fruit yet. 

         Last year I had ample spaghetti squash – not this smaller variety – but they were gigantic – 15 to 20 inches long. I ended up with too many large ones.  Hopefully, these small ones will store well enough so that I can get more of a benefit out of them through the fall.

         Now will be the hard part . . .being patient waiting for the skins to turn a deep yellow gold and hard enough to not be dented by a thumbnail before I harvest them.  

         I highly suggest this variety due to the vigor and the amount of fruit per vine.  Plant on wide-open spaces to grow them and let them run all over.

I will return to the blog and report on the flavor when I actually harvest, cook and eat one to let you know how the flavor is.

I ordered my seeds from Johnny Selected Seeds, below link:

http://www.johnnyseeds.com/vegetables/squash/winter-squash/angel-hair-f1-squash-seed-3641.html#tabpanel_2-1

July 25, 2018 – The mysterious picture frame

         I have one gardening friend who “gets it” when I do strange things, or experiments or funky color combinations.  She is my biggest fan and I enjoy her coming to visit my garden. She, like me, loves to get her hands in the dirt,  with one exception, she actually has the education and background in biology, botany and the sciences, etc.  I love it that she is so knowledgeable and we can actually carry on a serious gardener's conversation.

         As many of you already know, my gardens are my passion and like an artist, I paint with flower colors, plant textures, cobblestones and rocks.  It is a challenge because the garden goes through a metamorphous every day, every season, every year.  It is often like chasing my tail or shooting at a moving target, but I think that is why I enjoy the challenge.

         We have had ample rain this last week and I went for a garden stroll and noticed a garden tool set aside that I made because I was too cheap to buy one.  I didn’t think anything of this ‘clever’ idea until my good friend happened to notice it and quickly took out her smart phone and snapped a picture of it.  I think she said something like ‘brilliant and delightful’.  It gave her great pleasure to share with her other gardening friends.  The moment gave me a big head for about 2 minutes – thinking I was so darn clever or smart – then I shrugged it off thinking – doesn’t everyone do this type of stuff?

         We have a convenience center that has a “Swap it” shed so that you can place items that are usable for someone else to take, thereby less items go into the landfill.  I usually only peruse this Swap shed when I am dropping something off. One day I happened on a picture frame that looked interesting.  It is 16 x 19 inches and made of some sort of plastic foam or wood composite with a thick scrolled frame. The frame sported tired gold paint with nicks and scratches.

         I picked it up thinking a splash of fresh gold paint and I would have a frame for an item that was on my to-do list and lingering around waiting for me to “do-it”.  But, I discovered when I brought it home, it didn’t exactly fit the project and since I hadn’t spent any money on it, I tossed it in the shed for future framing projects.

         I already had a homemade compost screen with ½ inch openings of galvanized mesh, but I wanted finer sifted compost to top dress the seeds I was planting.

         Necessity is the mother of invention.  I needed ¼ inch opening of galvanized mesh, and a frame sized to put over the top of a 3 gallon or 5 gallon pot so I could re-sift the ½ inch compost into a finer compost for my immediate needs.

         I wandered into my shed looking for suitable scraps of wood to make a frame and spotted the picture frame waiting on me.  TA DA! Frame already made, it was an easy matter of cutting the wire mesh and nailing it onto the back of the frame. Trust me – simple.  The hardest part was finding the right type if nails – wide heads that were short enough to not come through the front of the frame.

         It took less than an hour to put together and it has served me well for at least 8 to 10 years.  The gold is even more faded now, but still, you can see by the snapshot – it is still in working order.

         Since I made that sieve, my ½ inch compost sieve had crumbled and could not be repaired.  Recently I noticed a nice one [link below] and I ordered it.  During my convalescence with this hamstring, I had plenty of time for sit down work and brushed the new, untreated poplar wood sieve with linseed oil to improve its durability.

  

       If you don’t have either a ½ inch mesh screen or a 1/4^th inch mesh screen for your gardening work . . . above are ideas and suggestions.

         BONUS TIP: You can also use the ½ inch mesh screen to rub dry leaves through it in the fall to crumbled leaves to use as mulch in your gardens, or turn into the garden soil like leaf mold

Where I purchased the Wheel barrow sifter.

https://www.amleo.com/wheelbarrow-sifter-for-compost-and-soil/p/S22/

  

July 24, 2018 – Chrysanthemum cuttings – the potting up process

         Even with this hamstring pull, I am trying to keep up my gardening projects.  One project was set back a few extra weeks – but it did no harm, in fact, it improved the situation.

         I took cuttings of my favorite Chrysanthemum, Sheffield Pink, which is considered a perennial, along with cuttings of other mums from along the front walk that have overstayed their welcome as they fall into the walk when they bloom.  But, they were viable mums and it is easier to take cuttings of viable mums, yank them out, and replant with the fresh cuttings after I’ve rejuvenated the soil of that area.

         I ordered some plastic domes to make the process easier and placed them over the same diameter pots.  I filled the pots with good potting soil and proceeded to take cuttings and insert them into the pots in a circle and one in the center.  The pots averaged 7 to 8 cuttings.

         I did this the week before my hamstring pull and I admit, they got extra weeks of rooting – which didn't hurt.  Every three or four days  I lift the domes, check the moisture and water them if needed being sure to let the foliage dry. Then I pop the domes back on.  I find doing cuttings this way most successful.

Since this was a 'sit-down' project, 

I found a cool morning last week 

to finally get the cuttings into their one gallon pots.  

         Below is a picture process of transplanting the cuttings into one-gallon pots to bring along.  Here in the south, I find it safer to bring the growth along in a sheltered nursery where I can attend to watering and feeding with Miracle Grow and turn the pots until the roots have filled out the pot.  Then, they are sturdy enough to withstand the heat when I transplant them out in their final location.

 Domed pot ready for project: 

Dome removed, you can see the luxuriant growth of the cuttings:

One cutting laid on work bench - showing the ample root system:

Set rooted cutting into a one gallon pot - being sure to set the root system a bit lower than it was in the cutting put.  The key is to "center" the plant and firm soil.

Important step:  you must pinch the cutting back a few inches in order for the plant to branch out and make multiple stems.

Above picture shows the thumbnail snip and below the take away of the snip:

Top view of the snipped mum ready to be set into the nursery to bring along - and yes it is a little off center even though I tried my best to center it.  

    

Watered with diluted Miracle Grow and set aside in the nursery for some pampering for a few weeks.  In three weeks I will check out the root system: Knock one gently out of the pot looking for white roots that have made it to the sides of the one gallon pot.  When that occurs, I will be ready to set them out in their final location. [Look for a future blog showing that process.]

  

   It is that easy!

Good gardening to you.

July 23, 2018 – Volunteers

         Don’t you just love them; they are often:

               Cheerful

      Bright

               Adaptable

               Dependable

      Durable

      Engaging

      Magically pop up when most needed

      Fills in without fuss

      Often a ‘work horse’ . . . .

What?  You think I am talking about someone who freely does something without pay?  NO - I am talking about Volunteer plants that grow on their own which you didn’t plant.

Volunteers grow from seeds that float in the wind, or dropped by birds, or introduced by compost. In my instance, my volunteers are from previous years plants that have dropped an abundance of seed.

They magically pop up where you didn’t plant them – and God love them! They give you amazing surprises and you just harness those that look like they belong and pull out those that don’t.  It is easier than planting, you just take what God gives you as your beginning and add to it.

I have a love affair with volunteers in my garden year round.  In early spring, I often notice volunteer violets with their dainty heart shaped leaves.  I let them grow, bloom, and seed before I yank them out.  Many come back the next season and I plan it that way.

This spring I had a delightful group of Money Penny, lunaria annua, which has a bright flower followed by pods.  Last fall I was harvesting some of my dried plants for the “Silver pods” and some stray seeds drifted into the edges of my patio gardens.  When I noticed the volunteers, I let them flourish as they gave me a grand show – unplanned – eye catching and stunning.

I rarely use “pre-emergence” on my garden soil because I like the surprise of volunteers.  I suggest you do the same and enjoy the “freebies” in your garden.  If you don’t like them, you can always pull them out when you are weeding.

Other examples that I plan for in my gardens:

Missouri Evening Primrose, Oenothera macrocarpa, is the best example in my garden.  It is a rough plant, takes up lots of room, seeds all over the place – but I simply love it on my early morning walk out my back patio and seeing those yellow flowers just closing up as they’ve been open since the evening.  I bought a roughly transplanted pot of them at a flea market about 15 years ago and plunked it in the ground.  It was lanky and bloomed. The yellow color is exquisite and I let it go to seed so that I can sprinkle the seeds around.  One thing about Missouri Evening Primrose – it loves to move around.  Give it enough sun and you have a happy plant.  Great for a back property line that gets sun – then you don’t have to worry about the mess – just enjoy the bloom when it is flowering.  The seeds are very fine – almost like dust.  So, if you want them, but don’t want a drillion volunteers I suggest you allow one or two plants to flower and set seed, but cut back the others before they set seed.  But I must warn you, just tossing seed laden plants into the wheelbarrow – they will explode and scatter easily 12 to 15 feet away - use caution.

Stachys, Lamioideae, commonly called Lamb’s ears,is soft to the touch is another one of those delightful plants. When the blooms dry and you cut them back – they too will sprinkle seed in the lawn or between cobblestones or in the crushed gravel of the drive.  Viola – you’ve lots of volunteers to move around or control.  One summer cutting back my front walk I tossed the spent blooms in the wheelbarrow and a few were dangling out the side.  I proceeded to walk to compost pile across the lawn and all along the way the motion gently knocked out the seeds.  Few months later – I had a path of little Stachy’s plants – like Hansel and Gretle crumbs from the front garden all the way around the side of the house across the back lawn and to the compost pile. 

But, today’s blog is specifically about the splendid Four O’clocks, Mirabilis, that volunteered near the front door steps.  All of them are that bright magenta color.  Every year I pick and save the black round seeds when I stroll out to my gardens in the evening.  Every spring, I usually forget to sow those seeds.  I find saving Four O’Clocks seed really isn’t necessary, as there are always much more seed that I don’t collect falling to the ground.  The fleshy plants reliably come up and I yank out most of them and let a few continue.  This year they moved down the walk toward the front door and I have 3 or 4 beautiful specimens now in full bloom.

Volunteer plants, especially sunflowers, morning glories and dill I always encourage if they are located well.

I am also delighted when I find the occasional  volunteers of purple coneflowers, bleeding hearts, periwinkle, and impatients as those are the plants that I usually buy and set out.  Those come late in the growing season and I find it fascinating their seeds can withstand our winters.

Volunteer plants in the garden should be treasured and admired for their adaptability and viability.

Utilize those robust freebies!