How about a Thalictrum?

The gardens continue to bloom!
Here's a couple more....

Below, is a Yellow Baptisia. I also have a blue one, but it blooms later than the yellow.
And below is a lovely dainty looking Thalictrum. It actually sends a long thin stalk about 5 ft above the ground. So it looks like a purple cloud floating in the garden.

I've got pretty much all the major weeding done and all the major out door projects done.

And during the week, I'll be moving 340 plants that are currently in every path through out my shade garden to the side of the driveway, getting ready for the big plant sale next Sunday.

And then the rest of the summer will be minor yard maintenance, so we can pretty much play the rest of the season.

funny friday

I got this e-mail from a friend, and although it sounds fake, pictures don't lie do they? So on to this weeks ff.............
How could we have missed it?
March 15 was Penis Day in Japan . Here are the photos.
The actual festival is called Honen Matsuri.
Celebrated every March 15 in Komaki, a town about 45 minutes north of Nagoya, Japan.
This is the time of year, where folks haul out a large wooden penis to give three cheers to fertility and renewal. The custom is an ancient one that is connected to bringing about a good harvest and having babies.

What do you say about a giant wooden penis?

Doesn't the little girl seem amazed by the size of it?

They seem sooo happy to be holding one!

I wonder what's in the bowl?

Have a great weekend!

It's wet

Just a quickie post this morning.
We received nearly 2 inches of rain yesterday. Our little pond overflowed and flooded my Sedum garden. So after a very long day at work, (which was from 8am-7:30pm) I bailed water out of the pond so the Sedum could dry out. And of course the rain beat the crap out of my huge Lupine I posted a pic of in my last post. It seems every year, just when it reaches full bloom, we get a heavy rain that breaks most of the flower stalks. Oh well, I won't have to water my 340 pots for a couple of days. And with all the rain we've had, the garden has just exploded with growth! I love this time of year! Everything looks so lush!
And now I'm off to work!

biking, bushes and blooms

Good morning from full blown spring in Mid Michigan. The trees are just about all leafed out, and more flowers continue to bloom.
In an effort to get more exercise, I got the bikes out of the garage ceiling, cleaned them up, and filled the tires with air, and actually took them for a little spin. It was fun! We plan on taking them on our trips also. Most of the parks we stay at have numerous trails. I don't think we've biked in 5-6 years. I didn't realize it'd been that long. We used to bike all the time. Lansing has a very nice river trail . Some how we got away from biking, but will try to do more.
And I also cleaned out the fire pit, and did more weeding, the yards looking pretty good.
And now, on with the flower show....

In case you missed it, I did 2 posts on Friday, my usual ff, but also a tree Peony post. So if you missed it, scroll back a bit, there are beautiful!
Here's a pic of the yard from the deck. The large bush with white flowers on the right, is a massive old Snow Ball Bush. You can see it better in the second pic.

And above is a Deciduous Azalea, and below, Chives next to a Cranesbil. I love Cranesbil! I have about 20 varieties, and they bloom over a long period.

And last, a very large Lupine, next to a dainty Ranunculus, in front of a Deciduous Peony just about ready to bloom.

busy, busy, busy!

A very busy weekend so far!
On Friday, Craig and I mowed the yard. On Saturday morning, I power sprayed the driveway. Saturday afternoon, I caulked all the cracks in the driveway. This morning, after cleaning the Salon, I sealed the driveway. Also on Saturday, I painted the front entryway, and stained part of the back deck. Today, I stained the rest of the deck, and sprayed all the paths for weeds. And all the while keeping 340 potted plants for the plant sale watered! But we're going to be in great shape for a work free summer! Almost everything that needs to be done is done!
And for dinner, I'm cooking Pork Steaks on the grill to have with Craig's home made Potato Salad and home made Baked Beans. YUMMY!

funny friday

A guy and a girl meet at a bar.
They get along so well that they decide to go to the girl's place.
A few drinks later, the guy takes off his shirt and then washes his hands.
He then takes off his trousers and again washes his hands.
The girl has been watching him and says: "You must be a dentist."
The guy, surprised, says: "Yes …. How did you figure that out?"
"Easy.." she replies, "you keep washing your hands."
One thing leads to another and they make love.
After it's over the girl says: "You must be a good dentist."
The guy, now with an inflated ego, says: "Sure - I'm a good dentist. How did you figure that out?"
The girl replies: "Didn't feel a thing."

Have a great Holiday Weekend!

Tree Peonies

One of my favorite garden plants are Tree Peonies. Not only do they have gorgeous flowers, but they make a beautiful bush. Unlike herbaceous peonies that die back to the ground each year, Tree Peonies die back to a woody stalk that ever so slowly gets larger every year. I've seen some Tree Peonies get nearly 6 ft tall. And the flowers are larger and come in shades not seen in herbaceous peonies. Okay, that's your Botany lesson for today. Now on with the pics.

I have 3 blooming right now. And I have a total of 8 Tree Peonies.

This last one is gorgeous! I love how it goes from a purplish pink in the center, to nearly white on the edges. We got this one from a co-worker. She had it in her front yard, and didn't want it. Can you imagine? It was quite large, about 4 feet across. It had a massive number of woody stalks. I didn't know if it could be transplanted that large. I dug as large of a root ball as I could. Tree peonies are not easy to move once established, and as careful as I was, I thought we'd lost it. Most of it died that summer, but part of it came back the next year, and this is what it looks like now after about 6 years.

If you've got the time, Tree Peonies are a great addition to the garden. I'll post the others as they bloom.

American Idol and stuff

Kris did it! He won American Idol! I really think Adam has a stronger voice, but Kris is just more over all likeable. And remember, it's not about talent, it's basically a popularity contest. And I thought Danny's voters would probably swing to Kris over Adam. But no matter who one, I think they both have a good music future.
And now onto other things.
I'm now spending an hour or so in the yard in the morning before work, trying to get all the flower beds weed free. I could have used Preen last fall, and early this Spring to help, but a lot of perennials self seed, and with my plant sales, I need all the plants I can get.
We're staying home for the holiday weekend. We hope to get the driveway sealed, and the deck re stained. Windows washed, and screens put back in. Pretty much all the spring to do stuff, so we can play the rest of summer.
And some more currently blooming flowers......

Above is an Azalea, and below, a type of Ranunculus.

And although my bearded Iris aren't yet blooming, this miniture one is.
And now, back out in the yard before work!

no more frost

Good morning!
I believe the really cold weather is finally behind us. After 2 days of frost, it appears we're on the upswing. It's currently 47 out, going for a high of 72. And the long range forecast is showing above freezing for the next 2 weeks.
I'm finished with my dividing and potting. I have 340 plants for my plant sale. Not the 370 I had last year, but more than the 234 the year before. Now, I just hope people show up and buy them all! ;-)
I also planted some pots with annuals for the deck and arbor, and today am planting 3 different Peppers, and 3 different Squash. I've got the pond crystal clear, and have been spot treating the lawn for weeds. And now with the plant sale plants done, I really need to get the gardens weeded. But I have nearly 3 weeks to get them looking good.
So while Craig sleeps in, I'm off to work in the yard.

Sunday

Good morning from a chilly Lansing, MI.
It got down to 35 last night with scattered frost. Today's high is expected to be 59. It sure has been a cold wet spring! But I just finished a very busy week at work.
We also had another business broke into in our Mall. The second in 2 weeks. Last week a Chiropractors office window got smashed, and they took a flat screen TV out of their reception area. This week, a business that grades tests, got their window smashed, and they attempted to steal a slew of laptops. But they were all chained to the tables, so they got nothing. Hopefully, we won't be next!
I also have managed to pot up a total of 317 plants so far for my sale. I cleaned the salon this morning, and today I'll be buying a new garden cart. My old one is getting pretty bad, and it'll help with hauling people's plants to their cars during the sale. Craig's going to burn up a big pile of branches, while I finish cutting back roses, and dead branches in bushes. And this is my final weekend to finish dividing and potting plants for the sale. I've also bought all the annuals we plant in our pots, but with another frost scheduled for tonight, I'll wait to do that Monday, or Tuesday.

funny friday

Women are like phones:
They like to be held, talked to, and touched often.
But push the wrong button and your ass is disconnected.

Have a great weekend!

I'm exhausted!
I weeded this morning for 45 min. before I went to work. Started at 8 am and came home at 6:30pm. And I'll be back at work at 8 am tomorrow. But here's a few pics of things blooming in the yard right now......

I have no idea what this is, but the second pic is a pretty Cranesbil.

Above is a Flowering Quince, and below is a Berginia.

And last above is a beautiful Crab Apple.

And Kris made it into the final round of Idol! YAAAAAAAAAA!

the weekend recap

And a good morning! And now for a weekend recap. We took the mo-ho to Muskegon after work on Saturday, for the weekend for Mother's Day. Spent 2 nights at Muskegon State Park. On Sunday, took Mom to Applebee's, where we were joined by my youngest brother Bruce, and his lovely wife Laurie, and their adorable son Ben who live in the Grand Rapids area. And I just never seem to think about taking pictures! I've got to try harder. After a delicious lunch, we headed over to the VFW for drinks and conversation. We arrived back home Monday late morning. While Craig did laundry, bookwork, and meal preparation, I gave the mo-ho a good thorough inside cleaning, dug, divided, and potted up more plants, (I'm now at 285) and cut back some rose bushes. And did a little weeding.
And of course, spent an hour last night on the phone voting for Kris on American Idol!
And now for a couple of garden pics......
Although the Daffodils are done blooming, and the Tulips are close, here's some pretty little double Jonquils, I think, that have just come into bloom.
And this is one of my 4 Japanese Maples that are fully leafed now.
This one is a Red Weeping Thread Leaf. My favorite!
More flower pics when I have time, but now I'm off to work!

trip #2

Good morning from a chilly Mid Michigan. Currently 37 out.
Made it back from Muskegon yesterday around 11am. We spent 2 nights at Muskegon State Park. After cleaning out stuff from the mo-ho, (clothes to wash, and food from the fridge) Craig did laundry, and mowed the yard, while I continued to dig and divide for my upcoming plant sale. I'm now at 263 plants. I may be done sooner than expected, as I'm running low on pots. I'm certainly not running low on plants! But I still hope to hit 300 by next weekend. Then the plants will have 2 weeks to 'take'. I don't want to sell any plants that won't do well.
Today I hope to pot up a bunch more.

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day!

Yep! Craig and I are currently in Muskegon visiting my Mom. Taking her out to lunch, and then the 'club'. Hope everyone is doing something with/for their Mom today.

funny friday

George Phillips , an elderly man, from Meridian, Mississippi, was going up to bed, when his wife told him that he'd left the light on in the garden shed, which she could see from the bedroom window. George opened the back door to go turn off the light, but saw that there were people in the shed stealing things.
He phoned the police, who asked "Is someone in your house?"
He said "No, but some people are breaking into my garden shed and stealing from me".
Then the police dispatcher said "All patrols are busy. You should lock your doors and an officer will be along when one is available."
George said, "Okay."
He hung up the phone and counted to 30.
Then he phoned the police again.
"Hello, I just called you a few seconds ago because there were people stealing things from my shed. Well, you don't have to worry about them now because I just shot them." and he hung up.
Within five minutes, six Police Cars, a SWAT Team, a Helicopter, two Fire Trucks, a Paramedic, and an Ambulance showed up at the Phillips' residence, and caught the burglars red-handed.
One of the Policemen said to George, "I thought you said that you'd shot them!"
George said, "I thought you said there was nobody available!"

Have a great weekend!

ps, do something nice for your Mom, it Mother's day weekend!

busy, busy, busy

I've been so busy, between work, and the yard. With my sale coming up, I'm in a deadline to get the yard in shape, besides digging and dividing and potting enough plants for the sale. So my post are going to be brief, as I don't even have time to read all the blogs on my list, But I'll try to catch up.
But here's a couple of pics.
First up, in full bloom, is a large shrub called Rose Tree of China. Nearly 10 ft tall with pink carnation shaped blooms.
Next up I have a miniature Hosta called Golden Tiara around a young London Planetree. As the tree has gotten bigger, it was pushing the Hostas out of the ground. So I edged out farther around the tree, and replanted them farther out. That should work well for several more years. Do you see the Hostas are just coming up? I've said, we've had a late spring this year!
And finally, the last pic is Dwarf Cattails in our pond. Last summer it got infested with grass, so pulled it out, pulled the Cattails apart, and replanted good ones back in the pot.
Any gardeners out there know there's always maintenance, even in perennial gardens.

And as soon as the sun comes up, I'll be back out in the yard for a short while until I have to go to work at 9.

Oh, and Chris has made it into the final 3 on Idol! YAA!

Ahhh Spring

Spring continues here in Mid Michigan. It hit 70 yesterday, and the same is forecast for today. I've been crazy busy outside. Washed the mo-ho, cleaned all the windows, dug and divided more plants. I now have 216 plants potted so far. My sale is June &th. And I quit dividing 2 weeks before the sale. I need to find more pots! I'm running low. I also planted some potatoes and a tomato plant. Well be planting some peppers and 3 types of squash this next weekend.
Now it's off do do some shopping.

It's finally Spring!

Greetings from a beautiful mid Michigan spring day!
It reached a high of 68 which was great!
I cleaned the Salon and then spent the entire day dividing and potting plants. I potted up another 60 today, and I'm exhausted! But I now have 162 plants potted up. My goal is 300. And the next 2 days are looking good, and I have 2 more weekends to divide, so hopefully I should reach my goal. I don't divide anything 2 weeks before the sale. I want to make sure everything 'takes hold'. If you want to see what I'm selling so far, look here.
Craig did bookwork and laundry, and started dinner, which right now smells great! We are having some type of beef roast and veggies. And tomorrow, I'll do more digging.
And we're getting the mo-ho ready for it's next trip.
So thanks for reading!

funny friday and such

So let's start with a recap of the week.
We arrived home from Columbus, driving through rain all the way. At least it didn't rain while we were in Columbus! Went to move the truck out of the driveway so I could park the mo-ho there, and stepped into an inch of water! Upon closer inspection, discovered the rubber seal around the door was coming unstuck near the one end, and with the door closed, you could actually see a gap. I also found out while we were gone, severe storms went through. So with all the wind and nearly 2 inches of rain, I had a small pond inside on the floor. Oh well, another thing to fix.
We did the first mowing of the season, and everything is starting to leaf out. I also potted up another 34 plants for my sale. And with a couple of days off work, it's been crazy busy! I'm working late the rest of the week.
But now on to our ff.....


While driving around Columbus we went by this cemetery. Craig saw this sign and just found it funny.
And why would a cemetery need fill dirt? hmm............

Have a great weekend!