A local weather person opined that it rained twice this summer. Each time for a month. It has felt like that. Going into the yard requires boots. Not just slip-on Sloggers, but calf high boots. I ventured out on Friday morning in my chicken boots to see what there was to see in the garden.
There’s a story to the chicken boots. I tried them on in the garden store, slipping both feet into the boots before realizing they were hooked together so I couldn’t walk. They were a tight fit and I had on the largest size. I couldn’t put the toe of one foot on the heel of the other to help lever off the boots. I couldn’t get my feet out. Should I call for help? “Gardener in shoe aisle needs assistance.”
I was spared the embarrasment of anyone seeing me squat until I could fall on my butt and pull the boots off. If there were cameras in the store, I’m surprised the video didn’t show up on YouTube.
2. Pink Muhly grass is blooming. I planted three clumps last fall in the bed that stays so wet. It wasn’t wet when I planted them. This spring it was clear the roots were rotting so I took them out and put them in a container. They may stay there or get planted next spring in a more hospitable area.
3. This is a seed capsule on a camellia bush. A google search indicated that the seeds can be planted, but “it takes years for seedlings to bloom and they are generally inferior to the parent.” I’m going to pass and pull off the seed capsule. The bush can better use its energy to set buds.
4. Rust spores on the underside of a leaf from hollyhocks I grew from seed. They didn’t get large enough to bloom. I need to steel myself to pull them all out and put them in the garbage. I cannot succeed in growing hollyhocks in our area.
5. A sweet, mild red pepper called Lipstick. The seeds were a free packet in a spring seed order. These taste good, but they were late to set fruit and the harvest was slim. This pepper was about four inches long.
6. This oak has been under roof behind the garden shed for almost a year and my husband has moved wood to the deck. We are ready for the first fire of the season. The green trash can with holes drilled in it was for a failed experiment in worm composting. Now the container holds kindling.
That’s my six for this week, a meme started by The Propogator, a UK gardener. This is the link to the rules if you’d like to join in.
Great wood stacking.
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My husband is the stacker, Tim. He is the fire guy in our household although cleaning out the fireplace in the spring is a joint affair. He used to be the wood cutter at our old place where we had 30 acres, much of it wooded. But he’s almost 80 now and we are too old to be doing what we did when we were in our fifties. Now a lovely truck comes and dumps the load although he still barrows it to the back of the shed and stacks it. He says he’d rather do that than go to the gym.
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I have grown one hollyhock, the only viable plant from a packet of seeds. It has brown spots not unlike yours. Should I be pulling it out and disposing of it? Last year it had flowers which were beige. Perhaps it isn’t worth keeping!!
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Jane, I’m thinking the spores will live in the soil so I’m going to pull out any hollyhocks I can find on my property. I had a white one a couple of years ago (gift from a friend) and it bloomed for two years without rust. Last year it was covered and didn’t survive. The photo is from some I raised from seed. They never put up blooming stalks but the leaves looked fine and I had hopes for next year. Then I began to see rust covering some leaves. These were far away from the other spots where I had tried hollyhocks. So they are coming out today. I’ll put them in the trash not the compost.
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Thank you Mala. I think I should probably pull mine out too. It was never very desirable anyway!
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Your ‘Lipstick’ pepper has an appropriate name, both in shape and in color! As for the rust spots on your hollyhocks, I had them here too at the end of the summer, but as they grow up early without, I can enjoy the flowering anyway
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Mine never sent up blooming stalks. The rust got the plants before that could happen. I had hopes for the ones in the photo since they were grown from seed and in a spot far from any other hollyhocks. Oh, well. Lesson learned. No more hollyhocks. I will harden my heart when the catalogues come with names like County Garden’s Bounty.
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Hollyhocks are supposed to do better with good amount of space and airflow round them, careful watering at base. Mine have done well this year, but still signs of rust. If you want more camelias they don’t take too long to get going as cuttings.
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The camellia will probably remain single. I don’t have room in that bed for another. The one I have is tucked against the garage wall so the buds don’t usually get destroyed by a late frost.
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So about this boot story . . . did you buy the boots that were a tight fit or order a larger size? I was very interested in the pink grass until I read it could grow as tall as I am. Not really room for something that big, unfortunately. An image search showed some gorgeous stuff there. Hope yours appears again.
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The chicken boots were a size 10 and a decent fit with socks so I bought them. The store didn’t stock larger sizes. It was just one of the more ridiculous situations I have found myself in. The pink grass doesn’t get too tall. 3-4 feet but under optimum conditions like decent soil which I don’t have. I’m hoping to find a spot for the plants because they are so pretty and airy.
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I laughed out loud at your chicken boot story. I can do relate! Nice red pepper though, all mine are still stubbornly green. Even the ones with names like Red Ace…
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I harvest two peppers today. There is still a green one on the plant. They’ve only turned red in the last week. I had one several weeks ago. So maybe four peppers total on two plants. Not worth the effort. The harvest to day went into a bowl of cucumber and onion salad. It was much more appetizing after the red punch of color.
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Mala, I have the chicken shoes! Love them!
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I need to give mine a good scrub after working behind the shed today sorting pots. I also have the Sloggers, the low ones that I can slip my feet into to take out the compost. They get the most use of all.
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Yep that’s the ones I have!
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That grass is beautiful! Love your welly story, make me laugh. 🙂
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I can smell the smoke from a few stoves around the neighborhood. It has not gotten cold enough for many fires yet. We do not use much fuel here. Because so many complain about smoke nowadays, many of us use more propane than wood for fuel.
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Propane would be cleaner for sure.
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Propane is too expensive for me while wood is free.
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The grass is pretty in the light there. Sorry about the bloodless, rusty hollyhocks — ugh. Mine did well this year but our summer was super dry. At least there are many thousands of plants you’re able to grow there, Mala!
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bloomless NOT bloodless!
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LOL.
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Love your welly story. It is a shame no video evidence exists!
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