A Seed Saver's Garden

In light of last year's clematis damage from critters, I splurged on some slightly more *attractive* prevention. Pretty tough to make a little rabbit/groundhog blocker look good, but these are at least better than the mangled plastic ones I was bending into place for the purpose. I made sure I kept them far enough away that the clematis won't try to get to it, like it did with the last ones (which I had to cut so I could free the vines). First thing DH says when he saw them was 'those will burn really great', lol. The clematis on the left died last year from voles, but somehow it managed to resurrect this spring. I hope it gains some size this year so the root system won't be so fragile to predation.
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The last clematis I bought was supposed to be 'Multi Blue', and much to my disappointment is was plain 'ole purple, like the other one I have. I just happened to see this one with the actual MB flower yesterday and grabbed it. I've been short changed many times now (including two 'red currant' bushes that turned out to be black currants) that I need to see the flower/fruit now with this particular company's plants. I think @Carol Dee posted a picture of this one (?) in the photo thread and it was a ✨showstopper✨ and I've kept my eyes peeled ever since for one like it. I don't normally spoil perennials much, but for this guy I bought a bag of cow manure to mix with the existing soil in this spot in the hopes it will grow more quickly. ☺️
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Tomatoes are a foot tall! I transplanted one plant of each variety so I won't feel rushed to get them in the ground because they're getting pot bound. Everything is still so wet, it will be another week before tilling happens.
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Beyond thrilled with my first ever perennial walking onions!!! Tastes SO much better than chives!!
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Laid down cedar shavings on the main path, and ran out halfway. It's a blessing to have wonderful neighbours because when he realized I was short he grabbed his own reserved can of shavings and came over and dumped them on the pathway, despite my protesting. He gave me a huge bag in April as a gift knowing I use them on the paths. I was grateful 2x over!
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DD has been on a driveway chalk kick this week, I bought her a new box. She did it, but I've named this one Girl With The Dirty Trowel, in honor of the season. :lol:

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"Tastes SO much better ..."

Perfect example of tastes being personal ;).

I like chives but walking onions are TOO hot for me. I have no interest in them :D.

Steve
 
In light of last year's clematis damage from critters, I splurged on some slightly more *attractive* prevention. Pretty tough to make a little rabbit/groundhog blocker look good, but these are at least better than the mangled plastic ones I was bending into place for the purpose. I made sure I kept them far enough away that the clematis won't try to get to it, like it did with the last ones (which I had to cut so I could free the vines). First thing DH says when he saw them was 'those will burn really great', lol. The clematis on the left died last year from voles, but somehow it managed to resurrect this spring. I hope it gains some size this year so the root system won't be so fragile to predation.
View attachment 81264

The last clematis I bought was supposed to be 'Multi Blue', and much to my disappointment is was plain 'ole purple, like the other one I have. I just happened to see this one with the actual MB flower yesterday and grabbed it. I've been short changed many times now (including two 'red currant' bushes that turned out to be black currants) that I need to see the flower/fruit now with this particular company's plants. I think @Carol Dee posted a picture of this one (?) in the photo thread and it was a ✨showstopper✨ and I've kept my eyes peeled ever since for one like it. I don't normally spoil perennials much, but for this guy I bought a bag of cow manure to mix with the existing soil in this spot in the hopes it will grow more quickly. ☺️
View attachment 81265

Tomatoes are a foot tall! I transplanted one plant of each variety so I won't feel rushed to get them in the ground because they're getting pot bound. Everything is still so wet, it will be another week before tilling happens.
View attachment 81267

Beyond thrilled with my first ever perennial walking onions!!! Tastes SO much better than chives!!
View attachment 81268

Laid down cedar shavings on the main path, and ran out halfway. It's a blessing to have wonderful neighbours because when he realized I was short he grabbed his own reserved can of shavings and came over and dumped them on the pathway, despite my protesting. He gave me a huge bag in April as a gift knowing I use them on the paths. I was grateful 2x over!
View attachment 81269


DD has been on a driveway chalk kick this week, I bought her a new box. She did it, but I've named this one Girl With The Dirty Trowel, in honor of the season. :lol:

View attachment 81266
Wow, that's quite the chalk drawing! Im impressed, and I'm not easily impressed with art.
 
In light of last year's clematis damage from critters, I splurged on some slightly more *attractive* prevention. Pretty tough to make a little rabbit/groundhog blocker look good, but these are at least better than the mangled plastic ones I was bending into place for the purpose. I made sure I kept them far enough away that the clematis won't try to get to it, like it did with the last ones (which I had to cut so I could free the vines). First thing DH says when he saw them was 'those will burn really great', lol. The clematis on the left died last year from voles, but somehow it managed to resurrect this spring. I hope it gains some size this year so the root system won't be so fragile to predation.
View attachment 81264

The last clematis I bought was supposed to be 'Multi Blue', and much to my disappointment is was plain 'ole purple, like the other one I have. I just happened to see this one with the actual MB flower yesterday and grabbed it. I've been short changed many times now (including two 'red currant' bushes that turned out to be black currants) that I need to see the flower/fruit now with this particular company's plants. I think @Carol Dee posted a picture of this one (?) in the photo thread and it was a ✨showstopper✨ and I've kept my eyes peeled ever since for one like it. I don't normally spoil perennials much, but for this guy I bought a bag of cow manure to mix with the existing soil in this spot in the hopes it will grow more quickly. ☺️
View attachment 81265

Tomatoes are a foot tall! I transplanted one plant of each variety so I won't feel rushed to get them in the ground because they're getting pot bound. Everything is still so wet, it will be another week before tilling happens.
View attachment 81267

Beyond thrilled with my first ever perennial walking onions!!! Tastes SO much better than chives!!
View attachment 81268

Laid down cedar shavings on the main path, and ran out halfway. It's a blessing to have wonderful neighbours because when he realized I was short he grabbed his own reserved can of shavings and came over and dumped them on the pathway, despite my protesting. He gave me a huge bag in April as a gift knowing I use them on the paths. I was grateful 2x over!
View attachment 81269


DD has been on a driveway chalk kick this week, I bought her a new box. She did it, but I've named this one Girl With The Dirty Trowel, in honor of the season. :lol:

View attachment 81266
You may count your clematis struggles as a blessing, those things will rip the siding off your house and destroy the eves... I have personal experience. You may want to build a dedicated trellis away from the house for them. Also, plant daffodils around the base, pretty and pest repelling.
 
Your DD would LOVE watching these YouTube videos:
He has restored several 500yo paintings, and one in question of around 1500AD, of the Queen of Cypress.
Also, other notable artwork.
 
In light of last year's clematis damage from critters, I splurged on some slightly more *attractive* prevention. Pretty tough to make a little rabbit/groundhog blocker look good, but these are at least better than the mangled plastic ones I was bending into place for the purpose. I made sure I kept them far enough away that the clematis won't try to get to it, like it did with the last ones (which I had to cut so I could free the vines). First thing DH says when he saw them was 'those will burn really great', lol. The clematis on the left died last year from voles, but somehow it managed to resurrect this spring. I hope it gains some size this year so the root system won't be so fragile to predation.
View attachment 81264

The last clematis I bought was supposed to be 'Multi Blue', and much to my disappointment is was plain 'ole purple, like the other one I have. I just happened to see this one with the actual MB flower yesterday and grabbed it. I've been short changed many times now (including two 'red currant' bushes that turned out to be black currants) that I need to see the flower/fruit now with this particular company's plants. I think @Carol Dee posted a picture of this one (?) in the photo thread and it was a ✨showstopper✨ and I've kept my eyes peeled ever since for one like it. I don't normally spoil perennials much, but for this guy I bought a bag of cow manure to mix with the existing soil in this spot in the hopes it will grow more quickly. ☺️
View attachment 81265

Tomatoes are a foot tall! I transplanted one plant of each variety so I won't feel rushed to get them in the ground because they're getting pot bound. Everything is still so wet, it will be another week before tilling happens.
View attachment 81267

Beyond thrilled with my first ever perennial walking onions!!! Tastes SO much better than chives!!
View attachment 81268

Laid down cedar shavings on the main path, and ran out halfway. It's a blessing to have wonderful neighbours because when he realized I was short he grabbed his own reserved can of shavings and came over and dumped them on the pathway, despite my protesting. He gave me a huge bag in April as a gift knowing I use them on the paths. I was grateful 2x over!
View attachment 81269


DD has been on a driveway chalk kick this week, I bought her a new box. She did it, but I've named this one Girl With The Dirty Trowel, in honor of the season. :lol:

View attachment 81266
Wow! Tell your daughter that she is an incredible artist!
 
"Tastes SO much better ..."

Perfect example of tastes being personal ;).

I like chives but walking onions are TOO hot for me. I have no interest in them :D.

Steve
They are spicy! I can see why some people might think they're a little too much. I wonder if your arid climate and heat might increase the potency of alliums, my chives were so mild in flavor that there were times I didn't detect any flavor at all. However, they were in a slightly shaded spot and that may have knocked things back. I've read hot peppers are also very influenced by conditions, and will produce less capsaicin in cooler, moist conditions.
 
You may count your clematis struggles as a blessing, those things will rip the siding off your house and destroy the eves... I have personal experience. You may want to build a dedicated trellis away from the house for them. Also, plant daffodils around the base, pretty and pest repelling.
Wow! Ripped the siding off your house! I think your climate is likely much warmer than my own, and clematis varieties vary according to zone; there are many I can't grow here because of our winters. Ontario clematis are pretty tame, and lots of people struggle to grow them at all. Took my step mum about 5 years before hers caught. I'm thinking you have ones rated for a much higher zone and they behave different! I have one that I planted about 12 years or so ago against the house, maybe more, and it is bushy but nothing nearing aggressive. It must be amazing to have such huge clematis!!! That is brilliant about the daffodils!!!!! Thank you, I would never have thought of that! I will definitely be putting some of those in this fall!!!!! Such a great idea!
 
What a day!

One of my least favorite garden jobs (and also most favorite at the same time, from an end game point of view) is getting rid of turf to increase garden space. It is the most challenging, unpleasant work and the fact that my yard is full of clay doesn't help. Nor that my 'lawn' is very weedy with clover and other such things. Kids & I cut up chunks and whacked the 'soil' off for 1 1/2 hours and the amount of new growing space we added seemed pathetic for the amount of labour it was.

But at least we got a good start (about a 5 or 6 feet in a teardrop kind of shape) and I can expand from there, slicing off more and enlarging as I feel inclined until planting time. We dug out a fairly curvy space, I'm hoping to double it. This is my last expansion in the front yard edible landscape project, and there isn't that much grass left to convert. I'm sure a certain percentage of the front lawn is government property up from the curb for several feet so I plan to leave that strip.

Always exciting to get more space! I will need to add some new soil/compost/manure to make it more hospitable for plants, and I plan to grow a lot of bush beans in this new soil too as I find they work miracles on fallow ground. There was a number of grubs in that turf! I'm glad to see them go!
 
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"Tastes SO much better ..."

Perfect example of tastes being personal ;).

I like chives but walking onions are TOO hot for me. I have no interest in them :D.

Steve

Tokyo bunching onions or green onions are pretty mild and very easy to grow. i have a few right now growing in the gravel pathway that i've not pulled out yet because i was going to eat them. they can be ready pretty much any time you want some. they bloom early (are blooming already for us) and give plenty of seeds.
 
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