Gardens 2026

[Nancy]

Harriet yes on weeds and tall grasses blow in from near by fields too. Morning glory vine also. Plus I have beds around the back and adtl. row in a bit in the back. Onions have been let to go and they multiply hence their name multiplier onion aka Egyptian onions I have cast seeds in most of the beds & taking em out now. Editing out what I do not want or needs moved, plus small volunteer trees, starts from trees like lilac, and apple, and purple leaf plum, some walnuts from squirrels show up randomly. Other things like Seeing a holly hock in the yard,
or a violet I want to move to a bed. Planting a few things each week is good.

Today I dug out vol. yellow roses from the walk way the roots run. Gave some to the same neighbor.
I have more to do that with, I took a juice jug sort of rectangle laid it down and cut out a area for dirt
and to put plants in. I have cranberry juice jugs here that works ocean spray ones.

I have just made a list... tulips need to be moved, also more iris that are in front of peonies so
I can see those blooms, pile of onions to move and plant that area as a holding area for plants
for others; garden who knows what! LOL!

The good news is it keeps me active and moving!
I mowed today. Still need to water.
Weeded by the plant cage and small shop.
Emptied out nearly all the cans of onions in the utility trailer it's full. Ack!

I still want to get a yellow cherry tomato, and purple one or black brandy wine might be a heritage one.
Also purple sage I have room now! Yea!

I have seeds to go out also.

[Nancy]

Thurs. 5-14 Glad for the more progress I could document with my videos today of recient spring work I've done this weed.
Glad for a good day here today. My experience has helped but still more than I normally have done in the spring this year.
A few of the irises are worse for wear in the back yard.

[Kittykatt]

That's a lot of hard work, Nancy, but it sounds as though you have a "vision" for how you want to garden to look when it becomes your sanctuary. I envy your irises - I can't grow them. Maybe it's the soil?

My plan today is to make the most of a dry day in my garden.

Today's plan:
Back garden:
Trim bits on hedge
Weed / deadhead
Feed pots
Cut grass

Front garden:
Trim back periwinkle, especially where it's growing over Dnextdoorneighbour D's path
Cut down daffodil leaves - most of them are yellow now.
Bring Campanula back under control (maybe take it out completely round that rose that is struggling?)
Pick up bits (likely to be ongoing for a week or so!)
Top up bark mulch where necessary
Sweep my front path and D's front path

[Nancy]

I got two more cherry tom plants one yellow and purple.
Next up is to plant em and then put the tom. cages on those.

I swept more seeds off the roof with the tool from the ground a brush taped
to a telescoping pole I made it!

[Harriet]

Good job planning your moves in the garden, Kittykatt. I think I really am confused about periwinkle/vinca, and should not advise you! I have only grown the one that is like a bedding plant more than a vine, vinca roseus or Madagascar Periwinkle. But I do know that one, at least, (see below, lol).

Smart use of the telescoping pole, Nancy. Ds could have used that here, with a wet sponge on top to clean the messiness left behind on edges when he got the roof cleared off.

I was on some cleanup duty with you two, working in my dmother's liriope, removing spent spikes, sweeping out leaves, dealing with a couple spider webs. Now that I can see better, I see the cleanup chores!

On our pleasant trip to the nice nursery, dd27 and I walked by a display of just a few of a bitsy plant that caught the eye because the blooms were so perfect and such a contrast from the foliage. I said, "looks like a miniature periwinkle" and told her another name for periwinkle was vinca and we kept walking. But eventually, she couldn't take her eyes off it - "so cute" - and asked me to choose one and keep it for her until she gets back from a trip. Didn't recognize the name on the plastic marker. But we had a lot to think about at the moment and thought we'd get back to it. When I looked at the info - nope, the picture and description were completely different from this plant, so there was some mistake, no info after all.

I looked up online my first thought - "miniature vinca" - and sure enough, there it was, with the same grower's brand name that's on the marker. It's a "Soiree Kawaii", which is a hybridized periwinkle bred in 2022 to be tiny, in Japan, where "Kawaii" means "cute". lol. (I already knew that because dd27 was all about "Kawaii" things when she was a teen.) This photo is of a more mature plant, I think, or maybe more than one plant in a pot. Hers is bitsy-er. Blooms maybe, one-half inch across. I read that one cooperative education fellow thought it looked like little asterisks in a pot, lol.

I think I've got the irrigation finally set with no more hiccups. I want to pot up the purchase of the other color of the tuberous begonia I already have, and a little blue flowered plant I hope will grow for me. There's a six-pack of impatiens to tuck in here and there in shade places, but not urgent. Tomorrow, a set of 2 pots arrive that are "resin", so better on the budget than others.

My garden gloves from ds are just right, stretchy - not too small as I first thought. I know dr will ask. And the various hats I wore while covering up for one reason (smile) work out fine for covering from sun now, as dr also asks. Have to be honest, sometimes I remember a mask, sometimes not. Always when I am opening any bag of amendment or spraying.

Next year - ohmigoodness, note to self! I need to get back to seed starting when I'm allowed next spring. Nobody grows the right things, lol. (my idea of the right things, of course - they're probably growing their own ideas fine) The vegetables have to be strange, as if you wanted to be surprised, not have something good to eat. Even the simple little marigolds at the nursery were all colors different from what I would have planted, lol, and expensive at that. So many things I would enjoy growing from seed.