Feb 12 2008
Calling All Green Thumbs…
…because I’m starting to get the itch, and mine? Are more of a brownish/tan/pest-infested type of color. And suffering from either lack of, or too much water. Sigh.
I actually discovered blogging by looking for information on gardening in the midwest/zone 5 (Hi Genie!). I’m kinda hopeless. I have great ambitions every year. I tell myself that I’m going to start my seedlings early, and pay attention when transplanting, and not get tired of this plant or that plant.
I actually like to weed. (Seriously, want to hire me?) I love being outside. I don’t mind pinching back and hauling water. I just make really dumb choices about what I’m planting and where I’m planting it - and then I get all disgusted and disillusioned and disappointed when things don’t grow. Because dead? Not so pretty.
Last year, I had a couple of projects. The first was to fill this spot where the garage and the house come together. It’s shady. It was full of rocks and concrete from where things got dumped when they built the house in 1972. (Yes, you read that right. No one had ever done anything with this little spot.) I’m really hoping that they’ll grow and fill in and cover the fugly foundation blocks.
Another was to finish filling in the perennial beds in front of the house. These pictures are all from in front of
the garage side of the house. In front of the porch, I had to replace a Butterfly Bush that cacked it after it grew a couple of leaves and then we had a frost. I put in Coreopsis and Balloon Flowers - and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that they survive this winter. (See my rain barrel there in the corner? Doing my part to conserve natural resources. Yay me!) It’s also filled with Daylillies, Anise Hyssop, Rudbeckia, and Beardtongue (which I always call Penis Team On).
I have no doubts that I’ll need to replace some plants in there, but I can live with that. (Why yes, this is pretty much the only picture I have of the front of the house. And yes, it is depressing in the winter. The bedroom window in the upper left with the red curtains? Shortman’s room. It’s decorated in Texas Rangers baseball colors. Don’t ask. It wasn’t a pretty experience.)
Anyway, this gardening shit? It’s a matter of learning and experimentation. I know that. But I lived in a “Garden Level” (read: 1/2 underground) apartment for 9 years, then in a condo, then in a rental house - experimentation to me is hanging a couple of baskets of impatiens and calling it good.
This year, we have two projects planned. (Well, Mr. Hot has one, and I have one.) Mr. Hot wants to plant a garden. Wait, get this - with food growing! - in the ground! instead of in pots. We have a spot all picked out, and come Memorial Day, we’ll be planting. (In Michigan, planting before Memorial Day guarantees that there will be at least one frost around the 20th - so you just don’t do it.)
My project, though, y’all, is something that I need some help on.
In the front yard, we have a wellhead. This is because we have well water. The wellhead does something to protect us from dying when we take showers or make coffee, so it is a rather important fixture for the entire Hotfessional family.
Right now, the wellhead is surrounded by snow. In the spring, there’s a few tulips that may or may not decide to come up (we’ve only lived here since June 2006, so I’m not counting on anything showing from one year to the next). I transplanted one hosta out of there last year - and then I discovered another that I’m going to move this year. Other than that? Weeds. Weeds, weeds, and more weeds. Ugly weeds, too. I can’t even claim they’re wildflowers.
So, I’m trying to decide what to plant. I’m asking for your help. (Begging, really.) Here’s the ground (ha, get the pun?) rules:
- The house is white trimmed in green and black. (See above). The flowers on the other plants are purples and yellow/oranges and whites. I’m not thrilled about throwing pink or red in there because I think it would just clash with the rest, but if you can convince me? I’m all for it.
- No viney things or ground cover allowed. The area is cleared of grass and there’s rocks around it (think 12-14 inch boulders of river rock - about the size of a shoe box). Mr. Hot cuts the grass out front. He will not appreciated plants that do not stay within their confines. He may even decide to give them a haircut with the John Deere.
- The diameter of the entire circle of
cleared dirtweeds is about 4 - 4 1/2 feet. - There’s a tree that provides some shade, but for the most part, it’s a very sunny, dry spot.
- I don’t want anything too tall - more within the 10-16″ range.
- Perennials are definitely preferred. Annuals are beautiful, but damn, are they needy. And we’re definitely Zone 5. I can’t claim 6, as much as I’d like to.
Picky much? (I know! Geez.)
So, what do you all think? Send me some ideas.
—- I’m dreaming about dirt and digging. And sunshine and heat. And Oh Mah Holy Hell people. It’s freakin’ snowing. Again! There’s a couple of inches in the parking lot and we just got an email that says “there is a regional salt shortage and only public agencies are able to acquire such”. A salt shortage? In Michigan? In February? Fuck a duck. —-
HOT LOVE
Simple …
Hire a HOT gardener, mix a drink, six back and enjoy the view of it all.
Nancy’s last blog post..and just one more Grammy thing…
*sit back
You need to plant several hostas, in a bed of stone surrounding that location (make it look like an intentional stone bed). Come a year from now, the hostas will have taken over and disguised the ugly pipe.
We don’t have a well, but do have an access pipe in our lawn that we plan to do something similar with. Find flowers to complete the stone bed, and it will look beautious… (Yes, that is a word… At least in my dictionary…)
By the way, since you’ve “promoted” my blog in the past, I’ve tagged you on a post I’m working on for tomorrow. Stay tuned…
RC’s last blog post..The birds
I cannot help. I love plants, and they return my love by swiftly dying in odd and mysterious ways.
Marie’s last blog post..One Tough Cookie
I agree with Nancy.
I live in an apartment and own one plant-type thing. It is a bamboo plant and I don’t think it is easy to kill one of those. Plus, the cats don’t want to eat it.
Kristabella’s last blog post..There’s A Hole In The Bucket
Ree- You shouldn’t fear the perennial climbers and ground covers, when they creep out of their space, you CAN just hit them with the mower and they do just fine. Or you can plant annual ground covers and climbers like morning glory. I love english cottage gardens where it’s just exploding with flowers. That’s what my gardens look like. My suggestions would be to buy some regional gardening books, because things grow so differently in different areas and different soils. However? Plant daffodils (sp.). And lots of them. They’re perennial and they spread and they’re beautiful. In the fall I planted pink ones, and pink and white, and doubles and any type I could find that you don’t see everyday. Actually I’m known for my gardens having all kinds of unusual flowers that you don’t see at every house. The neighbors kept coming over last year to ask what all the things I had planted were. lol. If I were you I would plant forget me not in the shade garden- it self sows and blooms when nothing else in blooming. Some types bloom twice a year. I really look for whatever is unusual. And I plant lots of plants from other regions like California poppies in colors you don’t see often like purple, white, red and yellow.
imhelendt’s last blog post..The war on germs?
Hostas are slugbait. Just sayin. The only problem with perennials is that they only bloom for a few weeks, unless it is something not terribly showy, but spectacularly useful, like herbs. Lavender is always a hit. And yarrow is white, invasive, and will erase menstrual cramps. I shit you not.
witchypoo’s last blog post..Tickle Me Tuesday Part Deux
Can’t help ya with the gardening if you’re not talking desert. I can’t plant anything that actually needs water, lol. Well, not much anyway. And the rain barrel?? I am envious. I want one. Did you know in some states and/or municipalities it is actually illegal to harvest rainwater? Mostly in a few places out here in the southwest. I guess they consider it stealing water since we get so little of it and the river needs it and the aquifers and all that shit. It’s not illegal here… but it is in some places. I can see why they wouldn’t want people building big retention ponds and the like but.. a lil’ ol’ 30 gallon rain barrel?? sheesh!
flutterby’s last blog post..Cooties in Candyland
2nd’ing the hot gardener. Post pictures.
Anyway, if it’s a pile of rocks, and you don’t want to do much hard work, try some alpines. They’ll cover the rocks, provide year round colour, and need no maintenance whatsoever. They live on the tops of mountains in their natural habitat, so they don’t need much water (which will actually rot them), and they’re nice and low growing, so it wont matter if your husband drives over them with the mower.
Just think of them as outside cacti, that can take the cold. Some of them will cover the ground, but some will form clumps. You even get flowers.
If I can help, let me know. I spent 5 years working as a landscape gardener.
Solomon Broad’s last blog post..Traffic Drive Winners
Hi back at ya, Ree! Oh, and Nancy, you were clearly thinking about a hot gardener with a six pack (whether that be abs, or the ice cold variety). And, of course, now I’m thinking about a hot gardener with a six pack of abs AND an ice cold beer. Ooh, come on, summer!
Wait…Ree…you were asking about plants? Errr….
Could Mr Hot make you a nice round bench to put around the circle of dirt?
Extra seating!
daysgoby’s last blog post..the tag in front isn’t pokey
daylilies are all I can grow for any length of time
Dawn’s last blog post..NaNoWriTuesday - 2:4
We used Creeping Myrtle at my mom’s, near T.C. (so I know the zones would be right.) VERY pretty and hardy.
daysgoby’s last blog post..the tag in front isn’t pokey
#1 Black-eyed Susans - grow by themselves, perennial and care-free, animals don’t bother them.
#2 - consult Cold Climate Gardening
http://www.coldclimategardening.com/
I am useless at this sort of thing. The gardening sort of thing.
Every year K and I ignore our climate zone, buy what we like, and kill it.
blackbird’s last blog post..my thoughts on the new Boden line
I cannot grow a green thing to save my life. Every single plant, inside or out, that I have ever come into contact with dies. My parents go to Hawaii every Summer for a month, and I water my mother’s plants while they are gone. When she comes back, she spends at least a week attempting to fix what I have screwed up. LOL
I think that, if it were me, I would buy a large canister of “WildFlower Seed Mix” and just dump it whereever I would like some kind of flowers to grow. The plants themselves are essentially weeds (so no one would know the difference if I didn’t weed them) and the individual plants will bloom with something from Early Spring until Late Fall. I have had great success with this in the past LOL
No great suggestions, but - I love working outside too. I love perennials. I love planting something that I know is going to come up year after year and become something beautiful. Hubs and I put in our own yard, and it was really satisfying. I was almost sad when we were finished with the initial landscaping.
sue’s last blog post..Things That Suck, Part II
Oh yeah, I have the same problem you do. I need to put in a garden in the new place and it terrifies me.
Veronica’s last blog post..Jellybaby Porn, A Love Story
While I love you desperately I nodded off during your post….. I HATE gardening with a passion. So much so that I have to watch a weed get to waist height before bending, ever so slightly, to pull the bastard out.
But alas, my weed patch is growing. So that will mean I will have to get out there. And appease my neighbours by putting on a show. I am planning on taking a camera out next time. To PROVE that my freaky neighbours do in fact sit on their front lawn, on a picnic blanket and watch me weed.
Kelley’s last blog post..What I am giving up for Lent.
Fuck a Duck!! I didn’t think anybody but me said that. My all time favorite expletive!
Mary’s last blog post..A case of the Mondays
Plant milkweed, even though they are annuals, they attract butterflies, notably the monarch. We grew several this year, milkweeds that is, and we had about 10 monarchs morph out of the caterpillars from them. This year we will plant more, 20 plants.
But for the wellhead I would put in a “structure” and leave it open. First thing that will happen if you put in plants is that the pump will need service, and then they will tromp those suckers up in a heartbeat, cause it will be raining when said repairs are being made.
What “structure” you ask. Well, how about a statue made to look like Mr Hot taking a two-handed wizz like all those statues you see in Rome. He would do that, I dont know about you however LOL.
LarryLilly’s last blog post..Its been a long time….
I said “fuck a duck” yesterday on the phone while talking to one of my friends, and she just totally cracked up - - she had never heard that before! I thought everyone had either said it or at least heard it before . . . glad to know there are others our there like me!
Liz J in Central Illinois’s last blog post..For the Moment - -
Call me crazy but I find growing food much easier than growing flowers. For some reason, garden seeds grow much better for me than flower ones do. That’s why i wait now and buy flowers when they are bloomed and in flats, or plant bulbs and pray they don’t freeze or rot. Good luck.
Lindz’s last blog post..A new breed of raccoon
Okay, hostas are good (the slugs shouldn’t get them if it’s not a real wet area), sedum(purple) is nice, gets tall, blooms in the fall, snapdragons (white, yellow, purple) self-seed and are terrific to put in with your tulips because they take over and bloom all summer and into fall and generally only need cutting back 1-2 times all season and their roots don’t bug the bulbs below. I love snapdragons. Plus they make a great cut bouquet. Black eyed Susans (yellow) are indestructible and spread well without being invasive–but again a fall bloomer. For earlier blooms right after the bulbs are done, try delphiniums (any color–take your pick–but I like blue) which are tall, showy, great for cutting, spread nicely and there are some good shasta daisies–like the Alaskan–that bloom all season and begin early.
Buy nothing smaller than a 4″ perennial.
Oh, and try Cosmos for filler–they spread really well and although they are tall, they don’t require staking or cutting back. If you’d like some seeds (I have mailed them to several people who are THRILLED with them) email me your address & I’ll send you some. They self-seed year after year and bloom white and purple.
Good luck, Green-Ree!
Melissa’s last blog post..Green Girl Posits a Theory
I’m very much a trial and error kind of gal and I never remember what anything is called so can’t help you there. I am SO looking forward to the heat being over, hopefully getting some desperately needed rain and then I am heading outside to plant, plant, plant. I love working hard in the garden, it’s very rewarding.
Gypsy’s last blog post..Happy Valentines Day
Gotta tell ya — I pull creeping charlie with my fingers. It’s an endless impossible job that I love.
Minnesota Matron’s last blog post..The Gauntlet, Laid.
Why not use those rocks to your advantage and get an Alpine garden in there. they’re small, compact, not wandering and with the right plants you can manage something that’ll have blooms all year. Alpines also work well in planters so if you need wellworks you can uplift the planters to clear the spot rather than pull out all your plants. The best thing: they’re easy care. Pretty much ignore them and their at their happiest. the harsher the conditions the more they thrive.
Lyvvie’s last blog post..I is a poseur