Sunday, 31-May-2015

Yard

• The hellebore I planted in January shriveled and died, the fate of many hellebores I've planted.

Pots

• Since it never got really cold last winter, we left most of the potted plants out on the terrace. My little lemon tree had a bit of a hard time of it and its pot cracked. I potted it up into a bigger pot, hoping to see some regrowth. I was about ready to recycle the pot, when it suddenly started sprouting from the base. I a week or so, we'll choose the most vigorous and cut the others off.
• Barbara's orange tree is doing well, blooming, as is the mock orange in the yard.

Salad garden

• Planted four cherry tomatoes. Counter clockwise from the rosemary corner, there's Gold, Primo, Red Pear, and Red. 

Monday, 25-May-2015 - the potager

Potager

• Last week we put in three Beefsteak and three Coeur de Boeuf tomato plants on the curly supports. They're looking fine still.
• Today, on the last three curly supports (by the fraises des bois), Haricot Fin de Bagnols. Found a frog (or toad?) hiding at one of the poles.

There are still two of the supports, between the B and the CdB free.

• Yesterday we bought an aubergine Rotunda Bianca plant at a marché des producteurs and planted it at the head of the next row. (Round, white with purple streaks.)
• Today next to that I planted two lots of seeds for aubergine Toulouse. (Long, purple.)
• Then a hill of courgette Verte de Milan Black Beauty.
• Then a hill of winter squash Green Hokaïdo (sometimes Hokkaïdo). (Roundish, green outside, yellow inside, 1-2kg. Might be similarish to acorn squash.)
• Then two lots of fêves Agaudulce à Très Longue Cosse.
• Then two lots of fêves Séville à Longue Cosse.

We'll see how it all goes.

Thursday, 5-February-2015, the bird shrubs

South Forty

Went down to visit the new shrubs this afternoon and discovered that most of the had been uprooted by a deer or, more likely, a sanglier/boar. Tomorrow we'll get more wire fencing and protect each of them.  Sigh.

Tuesday, 3-February-15, more bird shrubs

South Forty

I recently ordered more bird-friendly shrubs for the hedge at the bottom of the South Forty. Today they got planted. We hope these will grow better than the cheapie bunch we planted a couple of years ago. We left quite a few of these in place and planted the new in between. Bare-rooted plants that I ordered include:

• 3 Amelanchier lamarckii, planted in a close group in the parental grove maybe to give Mama some shade from the southwest. These are very shrub-like with multiple stems.
• Eleangnus angustifolia, should be a small tree, planted between Martha and Papa in the parental grove.

The official group of bird-friendly shrubs include, from the westish corner to the southish corner:

• Another Amelanchier lamarckii, planted nearish to the fence. There should be room to walk through there. This is followed by two shrubs from the original set.
• Viburnum tinus.
• Euonymus europaeus 'Red Cascade'. This is followed by one shrub from the original set.
• Cotoneaster lacteus. This is followed by two shrubs from the original set. 
• Aronia arbutifolia 'Brilliant'. 
• Arbutus unedo. This is followed by three shrubs from the original set.
• Symphoricarpos x chenaultii 'Hancock'. This is followed by two shrubs from the original set.
• Leycesteria formosa. 
• Buddleja davidii 'Black Knight'. This is the right side of the driveway-that-isn't. Then a gap, then ...
• Pyracantha 'Soleil D'or', planted at the left side of the driveway-that-isn't.

The row of shrubs is planted about 2 meters back from the dirt road below us. The idea is that the strip beyond the shrubs will be a kind of mini-meadow with whatever wildflowers turn up. We'll mow it only once a year, in the fall, to see how it goes.

Sunday, 11-January-2015

Long time no write. Too lazy. Not too much activity. No inspiration. Etc. Trying again.

Yard

On Wednesday, I impulse bought some plants on sale. Got them in the yard today. 

• One Helleborus niger. Planted at the end of the stuff on the right/west of the yard between a vareigated creeping shurb thing I can't remember the name of (but seems to be settling in quite well). I keep planting hellebores, they keep not growing. Read they should be in a place sunny in winter but shady in summer. Also supposed to be easy. We'll see.
• Three Hemerocallis "Vermillion Clouds" (top pic here).

South Forty

I've ordered another set of hedge-for-birds shrubs, to be delivered later this month. The one I got before doesn't really have shrubs we like or that are especially attractive to birds as far as we can tell. So we'll replace some or all of them with this new set (including a Russian olive, Eleagnus angustifolia, which is really a small tree). Due to arrive later this month.

Potager

We got some bales of hay off a neighbor and have spread a thick layer of mulch. Surprised Ed (but not me) by using up most of what we bought. A start.