Gryffyn's Garden

a blog about my gardening attempts

   Feb 05

Spring Planting Garden Prep Begins

Today began my attempts to get organized for spring planting! I still feel completely disorganized and unprepared.

Removed the old tomato and chard that finally gave up the ghost and started tilling the beds and pulling the weeds (read….Bermuda grass). Went and purchased some more bags of garden soil as well – and a friend had dropped off a bag of alpaca poo that I plan on adding to the mix. Let the chickens have some fun doing some of their own tilling as well – until they decided to go dig up parts of the crape myrtle bed (with the Asian jasmine). Party’s over girls!!

a trio of Ameracauna hens

chickenbutt to the third power – work that soil girls!

 

We had a bag of red potatoes from Costco that sat a bit too long and the eyes started to sprout. These got cut into pieces and dusted with sulphur, along with some Kennedale potatoes that Victor got at the feed store, and then set to cure for a few days.

I decided to make use of the container that the hibiscus is in and planted several garlic cloves in it around the outer rim – that way it can make itself useful while I wait for the hibiscus to wake up.

In another container I planted the rootstock for a Bleeding Heart shrub – hoping to have an interesting bush full of flowers later this year.

I had also picked up some herbs while at Home Depot picking up garden soil – I can NEVER seem to escape that store without going nuts for various garden goodies. Mint, Chocolate Mint, Oregano and Lemon Thyme. These were transplanted into a little cedar window box – also acquired at Home Depot.

cedar box of herbs

cedar herb planter

Also planted a Northland Blueberry  shrub and a Pink Lemonade Blueberry shrub in containers and set them out near “berry row”.

Then, at the end of our large raised bed, I planted several rows of parsnip seeds. Here’s hoping I have better luck this time around!


   Sep 29

Eek – Spidey’s Home

I am not a fan of spiders – they pretty much terrify me. How hair-raising to open the front door and find that this BIG fella decided to set up shop right at the border of the front porch. I let him be since I hoped he would assist in insect control in the area. Maybe he will keep unwanted solicitors at bay as well!

big ol' garden spider

resident garden spider


   Jun 25

Summer’s Coming

These little fellas have started to appear. I caught this one in an intimate moment as he completed his metamorphosis into his loudmouth form.

an emerging cicada

cicada emerging from its nymph form

new cicada

hanging out – waiting for those wings to dry


   Jun 11

the First Strawberry

mmmmmm – just had my first homegrown strawberry. Delish! I downed it so quickly I didn’t even take a picture to post!

Now will impatiently wait for the others to ripen!


   Jun 05

First Squash

First there were the beautiful squash blossoms…

yellow straightneck squash blossoms

a trio of yellow straightneck squash blossoms

then came the squash!

yellow straightneck squash

yellow straightneck squash


   Jun 01

Wildflowers

I had some packets of wildflower mixed seed – I ended up broadcasting the seeds along the sunny borders of our front yard to add a little splash of color. My mild effort did not go to waste and I was rewarded a few months later with sporadic splashes of color along the roadway. Nothing spectacular – no neighbor was going to feel the need to stop and stare as they passed by – but it was still better than just plain old weedy looking grass…and weeds.

wildflowers along the roadside

more wildflowers

top of purple wildflower spire

wildflower - scabiosa?

little blue wildflower

tattered wildflower and butterfly

And okay…so it’s not really a wildflower – more of a weed – but it sure looked like an interesting subject when I passed by. So fluffy!

dandelion globe

dandelion ready for its close-up


   May 29

Strawberry Pot

The strawberry pot! Found a nice priced pot ($25!) at a local nursery here in McKinney (Creative by Nature), but they only had two plants (Fresca variety) left. So went back to North Haven Gardens today and picked up four more plants (2 Tristan, 1 Loran and one Merlan) and potted this baby up.

my new strawberry pot


   May 29

First Tomatoes and Potatoes Harvested

first harvest of potatoes and tomatoes

tomatoes and potatoes – first harvest


   May 20

More Blooms

I am loving the Rouge Royale – more blooms to show off!

hybrid tea rose, Rouge Royale

big, bustling bloom

Rouge Royale hybrid tea rose

from the side – these blooms are huge

Also – these blooms smell absolutely H E A V E N L Y!!

Here is a pic of a nice bloom cluster of one of the neighboring crape myrtles:

Crape Myrtle bloom

crapemyrtle in the morning sun


   May 11

Super Fresh Egg Salad

Tonight I made egg salad thanks to eggs from our chickens, with fresh dill and cutting celery from the veggie garden. Also added store-bought onion and jalapeno. Oh – so good! Really makes one appreciate one’s food and the effort that goes into it, and those creatures that also help to provide it.