Well I guess I've turned into a regular Mary Freakin' Poppins over the last year or so, what with all the namby pamby gardening and flower posts. Long gone are the posts about slinging steel and chasing men and my whackadoo rantings about how all that was once a helluva time. Well, that's what happens when you get decrepit, not to mentioned married. Haha! Do I sound pissed off enough yet? I'm not I assure you. It just struck me as kinda funny as I was trying to decide what to post about tonight. It's been rainy and ungodly humid the past few days and my bones are killing me. I'm a little better tonight but still feel like somebody stomped a mudhole in me and walked it dry. That was very common to hear on the jobsites. I should make a list of all the old expressions while I can still remember them. And NO!! you are not going to have to hear me complain forever now about all my physical ailments. I shall not be constantly telling you about my lumbago (whatever that is) and my hemorrhoids and the typhoid and cat scratch fever I got last week. Just a tweak of information if I sound a little ill.
Sorry for the suck ass photo above. I should know better than to take a picture like that. It has absolutely no visual interest at all because I stuck the subject matter right IN the center of the composition and...it's too far away. At any rate, I was very happy to see this flower because I have been trying for years to get this astilbe to bloom. I've dragged this stupid plant all over my land trying to find the perfect shady and very damp but not too wet spot for it. I guess it thinks it's a new nomadic variety. And yes, I realize I'm the stupid one because it took me 3 years to think to put it down by the creek. Loves it there apparently. Now watch the deer eat it.
This store bought hydrangea had bloomed before but not much. Last year would have been good but the rats with hooves, as Woody puts it, decided they would taste test alllll the stems that had a little bud on the end. I guess they remembered they didn't really like it or else now think it is a native because they haven't bothered it. These plants are all down near the creek and away from the house and my fearless (as long as it's just a deer) watch dog, so I have to pick things that the deer just won't like.
The blue is nice and it's striking in the vibrant, green shade. I like the funky, abnormal shape of the blooms too. Slowly I am building up the visual interest along the driveway with flowers and shrubs so that you see more than just weeds and trees. My goal is to eventually have it lined with all sorts of blooms and textures.
This is the "snowball" type hydrangea. I don't know the actual species or type so if you do please feel free to pipe up. It has settled in well and growing. The deer obliged to prune it too for me last year. Little craps. We missed the daylily sale yet again this year as we had already made plans to go to Mobile. I hope to get back to it next year.
These blooms dry really well so maybe I'll snag a couple for that. So, well, there's yet another flower tour for you. I keep talking trash about showing ya'll some house goings-on but I haven't got very far on any of that. I have gathered all my materials to start the job..but that's about it. In my defense I have been throwing a good bit when my back is not trying to kill me so that is taking some time. Hopefully I can get caught up a bit on that soon. It just never ends really though. You never get caught up. You never get done all you want to it seems. Oh well....that is a whole 'nuther rant!!
9 comments:
I thought we was gonna hear a husband rant for a minute there. Glad it was just a bit of a misleading start to the blogpost. Annie, you got things bloomin that I've never even seen before. It's all looking very purty.
Beautiful photos! I love garden posts. I believe you enjoy dragonflies: http://awaytogarden.com/dragonflies-and-damselflies
That is an awesome hydrangea. I have not seen the two color blooms before.
Our deer dogs have graduated to a higher level of incompetence. They have sat on the porch and watched the rats pull one of our apple trees out of the ground. I have officially retired from the apple tree planting business. Between deer, drought and disease I have determined I'm no longer qualified nor financially capable of buying another apple tree.
Looking forward to the fine literary work that will develop from the compiling of the list of work site sayings. No editing for the politically correct.
Hey Mark! thanks! nah, I can't rant about Jack! He is too much of a sweetie!
Hey Erin! thanks! and thanks for the link! that's great!
Hey Woody! haha! well, I might singe some eyebrows with an unedited list of such sayings!
Seems you and I are having about the same luck with apple trees, just different culprits! Thankfully the deer don't bother mine but the voles are an underground evil!! Ate the roots completely off one; didn't even realize of course until the thing started dying. They were trying to go after another one so I dug the whole thing up, wrapped the main root in tin foil and planted it again. So far so good. Chigger and Callie catch a vole every now and again so they do try!
Are voles moles? I read somewhere moles only eat those white wormy creatures that evolve into something else. My brain is shot! I too am depressed about my apple trees. The "new Mommy" state I enjoyed earlier with zillions of baby apples turned to a 'sick to my stomach' depression when they all disappeared, dropped off. Same thing with my peach tree. Could have fed the community peach pie for a few years. Now I'll be so lucky if there is a handful come harvest. I'm plumb spiritually fallen and quitting the fruit farming.
Nice chatty post today. Keep them coming.
I like that tall pink bloomer by the creek; also the snowballs bushes. Hey, I found deer tracks here; got me excited. I wonder though if he ate my strawberries before they fully ripened.
Law me, Annie, its hard to believe you are hurting so soon. I thought this only happened to old people like me.
I love your first photo, whether you realized it or not you captured everything that was going on. I went back and looked a few more times. All your shots are great. I too love garden pictures.
Great post Annie. Those lacecap hydrangeas are stunning - another species I miss from back east. The snowball-type ones do indeed dry well. One use of the dried stems is Xmas-tree decorations - very Victorian but not fussy. Just tuck them into the tree with the stem pointing inward (obviously, doh!). Also, deer don't like astilbe, I think. This year I am using something called "Liquid Fence" to keep the deer and elk off my unfenced plants. So far seems to work very well! It is basically a solution of egg solids so smells sulfur-y. You could probably make it yourself with your home-cleaner expertise. It is expensive, and you have to re-apply after rain. (That is not such a problem here, haha). Anyway - again, very enjoyable post! --Pam
Annie, I want to hear about your ailments. I have ached all over and hurt for several years and have no idea whats wrong. So as I read how others are feeling I get a better idea what to research for myself. We have deer at our place. So funny, they look at me like I'm the one who's trespassing! Love to watch them.
Hey Sissy! no moles are not voles. Moles are okay and they do only eat grubs and such. Voles are spawn of the Devil and eat everything.
Sorry to hear about your fruit trees. I don't know if I'll ever get any apples out of mine; it doesn't seem like it sometimes.
Well, I hurt now only because of the condition I was recently diagnosed with an I have hurt for years due to that.
Hey JO! Well, thanks! I thought it was a bit boring but maybe not too bad.
Hey Pam! Yes, I've seen those used as tree decorations! it is pretty. well, so far just planting things that the deer don't like seems to be working. Honestly, i'm too lazy to be having to spray stuff all the time and with 18 acres I just gotta go with things they dislike.
Hey Rita! Did you happen to see the post recently about my diagnosis? One easy X-ray is all it took and then a little reading. Not much can be done but I'm glad I know the deal now.
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