3 Sept. 04 Fall garden plans, wild White Asters
3 Sept. 04 potting for fall
I’m getting potty again, have been thinking for awhile about the untidiness of the pots. They yellow over time, even if they get fertilizer. Some of the plants in them I want and some are out of control. The only solution is to go at them with trowel and pruners in hand. Some of them I want to move and otherwise renew.
There is also a large design opportunity on the back porch. Under the list of things I wanted to get to this summer was redo the floor in there. I did manage to finally get up all of the indoor outdoor carpeting that was yellow. There is linoleum tile out there of a beige that I ‘m sure guys love. It is very nondescript. I’d like to take the old linoleum up and ceramic tile in a catchy design or paint the cement. My porch is on the north side of the house and gets no direct sun in winter. It is off the living room and must look presentable. We decided not to re-window it and make it a year round space so for now, it is my garden room. I’d like to grow some onions and cole crops there in winter. There are problems with low light, I also get a huge number of aphids and white flies come February. The bugs wreak havoc with the tomatoes and peppers I try to grow there. Lettuce doesn’t fare too well either.
Chives seemed to like the cold last year and I had plenty come spring, then the Chives went outside outside regenerate. I planted the chives in the garden when I got tired of watering them in late spring. Because of the success of the chive experiment, I am planning to experiment with more herbs, definitely grow Chives again. Rosemary did ok out there as long as I didn’t let it get too cold. I regulate the heat by leaving the glass door open a crack when it gets cold enough to freeze out there. I have Egyptian Onions waiting for garden duty that might spend the winter on the porch in a pot for green onions. Garlic, and Garlic chives will be compared and contrasted in this group.
A large pot of exuberant geraniums will not last all winter, but will be sensational come fall on the porch. I have two huge pots full that have prospered all summer, but do not have room for both. I’ll have to make a decision about which pot, and maybe even put my beloved Geraniums in a smaller pot. I love to grow all kinds of Pelargoniums, alas I have only limited space and some of the lovelies end up in the compost when cold weather comes. I have boards and bricks to make shelves out of.
I have a list of things I wanted to do this year but didn’t: 1. make pots out of concrete a)with wire mesh frame as in a concrete boat and b)with molds. 2. floor on porch, 3. more vegetables and edibles, 3) sunken beds with compost? 4)Peony reposition, 5)Mica’s plant, 6) “ rain garden” behind porch, 7)replace the front walk that drains toward house with block, 8)the day lilies on the west of the house don’t look good.
I got caught today by the sight of a White New England Aster plant creeping from behind a pot along the fence. White Asters have been growing around the place for years. They grow 3 ft or more tall if left to themselves. My neighbor likes things very tidy so I have to pull them, lest they take over. I leave some and trim them back so they aren’t so lanky. All summer I didn’t like them much, as they seemed to be in the way. I caught sight of some, just out today and my heart rose all out of proportion to their size, which is diminutive. I love white Asters, little daisy-like composites. They are worth keeping around, even if they don’t come out until fall and even if they have to be cut back a time or two over the summer.
I’m getting potty again, have been thinking for awhile about the untidiness of the pots. They yellow over time, even if they get fertilizer. Some of the plants in them I want and some are out of control. The only solution is to go at them with trowel and pruners in hand. Some of them I want to move and otherwise renew.
There is also a large design opportunity on the back porch. Under the list of things I wanted to get to this summer was redo the floor in there. I did manage to finally get up all of the indoor outdoor carpeting that was yellow. There is linoleum tile out there of a beige that I ‘m sure guys love. It is very nondescript. I’d like to take the old linoleum up and ceramic tile in a catchy design or paint the cement. My porch is on the north side of the house and gets no direct sun in winter. It is off the living room and must look presentable. We decided not to re-window it and make it a year round space so for now, it is my garden room. I’d like to grow some onions and cole crops there in winter. There are problems with low light, I also get a huge number of aphids and white flies come February. The bugs wreak havoc with the tomatoes and peppers I try to grow there. Lettuce doesn’t fare too well either.
Chives seemed to like the cold last year and I had plenty come spring, then the Chives went outside outside regenerate. I planted the chives in the garden when I got tired of watering them in late spring. Because of the success of the chive experiment, I am planning to experiment with more herbs, definitely grow Chives again. Rosemary did ok out there as long as I didn’t let it get too cold. I regulate the heat by leaving the glass door open a crack when it gets cold enough to freeze out there. I have Egyptian Onions waiting for garden duty that might spend the winter on the porch in a pot for green onions. Garlic, and Garlic chives will be compared and contrasted in this group.
A large pot of exuberant geraniums will not last all winter, but will be sensational come fall on the porch. I have two huge pots full that have prospered all summer, but do not have room for both. I’ll have to make a decision about which pot, and maybe even put my beloved Geraniums in a smaller pot. I love to grow all kinds of Pelargoniums, alas I have only limited space and some of the lovelies end up in the compost when cold weather comes. I have boards and bricks to make shelves out of.
I have a list of things I wanted to do this year but didn’t: 1. make pots out of concrete a)with wire mesh frame as in a concrete boat and b)with molds. 2. floor on porch, 3. more vegetables and edibles, 3) sunken beds with compost? 4)Peony reposition, 5)Mica’s plant, 6) “ rain garden” behind porch, 7)replace the front walk that drains toward house with block, 8)the day lilies on the west of the house don’t look good.
I got caught today by the sight of a White New England Aster plant creeping from behind a pot along the fence. White Asters have been growing around the place for years. They grow 3 ft or more tall if left to themselves. My neighbor likes things very tidy so I have to pull them, lest they take over. I leave some and trim them back so they aren’t so lanky. All summer I didn’t like them much, as they seemed to be in the way. I caught sight of some, just out today and my heart rose all out of proportion to their size, which is diminutive. I love white Asters, little daisy-like composites. They are worth keeping around, even if they don’t come out until fall and even if they have to be cut back a time or two over the summer.
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