Sunday, May 15, 2022

T Stands for Tuesday-Gardening at the Lake

 Hi Everyone,

      With the break in the weather-high 80's f instead of the mid 90's f and no storms as predicted, the lake out our windows Saturday was crazy busy. I spent the whole day planting what I had picked up at the greenhouse (see previous post) so I just mostly heard the loud boat noises-especially the race boats. People are really crazy out there.

   I managed to get all this garden soil down the hill and steps-with a little help from a friend-thank goodness. The soil in this area is really really bad-hard clay and stones In the back left corner is an old tree stump that we will be working to get dug out soon-so I can build my kitchen space for cast iron dutch oven cooking. and to the right of that are long bricks we salvaged taking out a couple of  partial walls into the living room-those were really bad-I think they were suppose to be indoor planters of some sort.

   The iris's here are beginning to bloom, and in front I planted snap dragons, and a couple plants for the butterflies and hummingbirds. All of the iris's in the photos I dug out of one these hills that eventually will need lots of rock to cover it-the goal is to get rid of weeds and grass here.


I moved all the bottle greenhouses over. Most are doing well especially all the creeping thyme ground cover, but I do have several that did not grow-will replant those I was disappointed that the dwarf black eye susans did not grow-except for one plant 


I bought a flat of impatiens thinking I wanted to plant them where the bottles above are-but too sunny there-so planting them in front of these iris's and in that back area of iris's and lilies This area is to the left looking out of the front door. Another pretty iris in bloom


This area is just to the left and back of above photo and another pretty iris


The pink I believe is a peony, I brought over one big clump that had come from my farm girl grandma's farm that I had brought to the woods home when we retired back in 2003. It has finally settled in this year with the first bloom here at the lake house Makes me happy




I had only brought to the lake a couple of my many clay pots I had-this one the bottom is almost gone now, but still useable. Petunias in here and along this edge on top of a stone wall is my very old lavender plant I brought over-still growing, and some mint in here too along with rocks we have collected over the years-do you collect special rocks too?


I planted some of the impatiens in that smaller clay pot


I did straighten out the big copper pot so it is no longer leaning when viewed looking from the front of the house, filled it up with lots of petunias, and over on the old tree stump is another large clay pot filled with petunias as well
   In front are lots of herbs-mints, thyme, lavender, oregano, rosemary and some ground cover type flowering plants, along with some wild violets Over in front of the stump are the three very small hummingbird mints that are already flowering. They should be tall plants-will see what happens. and that green to the right in front of that other rock wall all needs to come out, and more rocks need to go on the wall as well.
 
   I have become a bit overwhelmed with my large gardening project-to get rid of all the grass here and replace with flowers and ground covers. We just had a very long period of cold and so much rain before this warm spell finally. Felt a little better after getting all of these greenhouse plants in the ground. Lots of pretty blooms now


Below is lemongrass, looking it up online it says this will grow very large and spread but I don't think it will survive the winters here Have never planted it before so wanted to try it for tea-any tips on using it?





The three hummingbird mints-which are suppose to get quite large-and one already has flowers




 I am so thankful that we missed the worse of a huge storm on Sunday. We got around an hour of it early in the day, but we missed the worst of it when the storm split near Springfield Mo late afternoon.  The storm was to bring large balls of hale and damaging winds.

You know summer is almost here when you see the pirate ship-this is part of a restaurant on the lake-they pick you up and then take you back home after your meal


We always see these very expensive new docks on the lake going to their new homes


  We have been enjoying the full moon, although I only spotted it when I was bringing in the hummingbird feeders peeking through the tree limbs a couple days ago. Tonight is the blood moon but we may not have a clear sky-we'll see


     For my drink share, after a long gardening day, I made us another strawberry and blueberry margarita Saturday-so sharing my same photo from last week I love these cups as they are insulated and keep our drinks cold. I made a vita-mix pitcher full so there is enough for a glass on Sunday too (smiles)



  The orioles have migrated on, except for a very few of the orchard orioles, and I have not seen any of the grosbeaks for a few days so they must have moved on as well. We have just a very few hummingbirds, it takes awhile for them to find a new location of feeders. We did get a surprise over the weekend seeing a pair of doves enjoying the seeds. 
 
  Happy T and new week.





38 comments:

  1. I hope the flowers survive the storm.

    I finally figured out why I haven’t been able to reply to comments on Blogger. My privacy settings are set to prevent cross-tracking. Google collects a ton of information from users and doesn’t like that, so in order to comment, I had to turn it off. I’m sure they’ll love the fact I set my browser to clear on exit. But hey, at least a I can comment now.

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    1. google is almost worse than facebook-I wouldn't know how to do that but I will look for that. we missed the storm-so happy about that

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  2. Good work on the gardening. Lunar eclipse tonight

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  3. Awesome work, Kathy. I love that you always keep yourself busy.

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    1. thank you Angie, yes we have always been busy with projects

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  4. You have worked very hard in your garden and it is looking great. Love all the flowers in pots, so pretty! Your drink looks yummy, too! Have a great day, and happy T Day, hugs, Valerie

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    1. thank you so much Valerie, I love flowers in pots too-Happy T

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  5. You have everything wonderful growing in the yard. Have a nice week.

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  6. Kathy, you have quite the gardening project going on. So many lovely flowers. Building an outdoor cook space sounds wonderful. I would something like that. It might entice us to eat outdoors more often. I planted lemon grass two years ago and loved it! It grew very well and was perfect in tea. You just have to be careful when harvesting as the leaves are sharp and can cut your fingers. I found a video online that showed me how to wrap several leaves around my hand and tie it into bundles. It made it more manageable to dry and store. And when I wanted a cup of tea I would just remove a bundle from the jar and pop it into my teacup. Hope that helps.
    Happy Tea Day,
    Kate

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    1. Oh thank you very much for the info on the lemongrass-good to know that it is sharp. I like that idea for harvesting for tea too thanks.
      I had one at our woods home and loved it. can be made very simply with those concrete blocks and just find a grate to go over the top if you want to cook that way. I also like a flat surface on the ground to do the cooking-baking with dutch ovens-I get coals hot and use them under and over the dutch oven Happy t

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  7. You've been busy Kathy. Your gardens are looking beautiful. I always want to make my plants thick, and I have to remind myself that in another month the plants are always much larger. And don't you wish irises bloomed longer. Yours are pretty. Enjoy that margarita and have a wonderful (and hopefully cooler) T day. hugs-Erika

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    1. I agree many of these blooms are for just a short while. we are able to enjoy the iris's more now since I moved them down to these two areas-before they were in a tall hill along the driveway down to the lake where we never saw them much.
      Yes I will be planting allot of perennials and they will spread-I want this are to be thick with blooms eventually to help keep the weeds out Happy T

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  8. You are going to love your garden when it is all blooming. I hope the parts you think won't make it, do. As far as the lemongrass, I bet Elizabeth will no it's uses. :) So, has the pirate ship ever picked you up and took you to dinner? That sounds fun! Happy T day!

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    1. I thought getting picked up by the pirate ship would be allot of fun, but we have turned into staying at home mostly-my husband is not that well so we pretty much stay away from people for the most part. I get out though and do what shopping we need-and I buy allot online as well. we do not go out to restaurants any more-and that can be a fun thing to do

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  9. Sounds like the screaming kids in neighbor´s garden with your speed boats :-(

    Wow, that is a LOT of work you did!
    My Dad had a great idea by naming me after the retina, LOL. It is kinda irritating to read my name all the time come Spring ;-)

    I in fact have one "rock" I got somewhere on the coast in Australia. Other we sadly have not enough space...
    Love that turquoise pot with the American flag.
    You have herb-heaven there!
    That ship sure is wonderful and wow on the dock there.
    Hope for clear skies for the moon.
    That cup is so beautiful. I have a similar one, will share next T.
    Have a happy T-Day! Hugs from Henry and me :-)

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    1. Yes that can be a good comparison as the lake gets very very loud on saturdays especially.
      Think of being named after the pretty Iris blooms-hugs instead.
      Most of these rocks are Larry's that he gathered from all over There are a couple of Missouri rocks-we live in a very rocky area so there is allot of quartz and other things here.
      Thanks the turquoise pot was already here when we bought this property-it is very heavy made out of concrete or something similiar.
      we did have clear skies for the blood moon eclipse-but I fell asleep-sigh did see great photos on facebook from Missouri thought of the eclipse.
      Happy T hugs

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  10. Looks to me Kathy that you are reaping the benefit of all your hard work. I can well imagine how happy you are that the peonies cuttings from your Grandma's farm have survived and are in flower. It sounds to me as if you have similar soil to what they get here in this area of the province which is very hard clay like soil which is fantastic for making pots but useless for gardens! When they were building the park in front of our complex there were numerous truck loads dumping good soil all over to give it a healthy top layer for the plants. What a shame about that copper pot! However the petunias have cheered it up no end.That tree stump by the pot would be perfect for a little fairy door hidden in its roots! That's my imagination running wild😁. I rather like the idea of the pirate taxi⚓️. Keep well. Amanda x

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    1. Good morning Amanda, I think the month of rain here really helped allot of the plants as we have been very dry for a couple of years now. and even though this is a clay soil the water goes right down deep-I think to all the underground rivers here.
      Yes I am needing to add in all of these bags of soil to retain some moisture. Yes it is a shame someone would drill holes all over it-on the bottom and also a ring of holes around the side-but it will be pretty here.
      speaking of fairies-below this area to left when looking towards the lake-there is a slate rock formation that looks like a fairy or a gnome house-perfect for a little animal thanks for visiting

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  11. So glad you missed the worst of the storms. We are having one right now. I suspect some of my seeds I planted will not make it now.

    Your iris is beautiful and your potted flowers are beautiful. I like your arrangements, too. You have a great eye.

    As for lemongrass, I have grown it before and it does well. However, you are right. It will NOT overwinter outside. That's why I planted mine in a pot. U I can't seem to leave comments. I got a Whoops, which I haven't seen in weeks.

    I'm glad to read you are feeling better. I know the feeling of overworking and then suffering the next day. Take good care of YOU, dear.

    Your tag is fun and you got both a button and a bow in. Really cute and clever. I never considered growing it for tea, but to use as an herb in soups, stews, and on salmon and chicken. I have accumulated a ton of recipes, and will share them on my blog on a future Food Wed.

    Glad you enjoyed your margarita. It sure sounds healthy. Thanks for sharing your flowers, your hard work in the garden, your lemongrass, and your margarita with us for T this Tuesday, dear Kathy.

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    1. thank you Elizabeth, and I look forward to your lemongrass recipes-I have never worked with it before. I think it could be good that this does not winter over here as it sounds like bamboo and would take over an area. glad you stuck with trying to leave a comment-hugs

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  12. Hubs and i got to see the lovely lunar eclipse... clear skies here.. it was just gorgeous.. hope you got to see it.. I just love seeing all your flowers Kathy... You have certainly been busy.. i remember lemon grass at the garden center when i worked there but i don't know much about it i'm afraid... Those planters inside houses have always intrigued me.. I think you find them mostly in houses built in the 70's maybe 60's... Ofcourse it would have to be in good repair for me to even consider keeping one...I think often the floor underneath gives way as they don't support it enough.. I would be tempted to keep it.. Hubby would want it gone.. lol Happy happy T day!! Hugs! deb

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    1. I missed the eclipse because I fell asleep-I was so tried, I did see the beginning of it and was huge and close to the lake really gorgeous.
      these planters really narrowed the space into the main room off the kitchen. these were horrible when we started taking them apart they were full of cat poop-disgusting really why would she want to smell that-probably why she had a glass cover on top.. there were two of these and we were hoping the wood floor was extended underneath and it was- we still need to get that and sand it down and match the stain

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  13. Your garden is quite impressive and looks really beautiful. My mother gave me a peony from her yard when we first moved here, but it just didn't take. The soil here mostly clay. Happy T Day

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  14. Your garden is looking so beautiful, I love all the colourful flowers that you've planted and wow, those iris are amazing 😀. Margaritas are one of my favourites - yum and what could be better sitting looking our over the lake while enjoying one, well a girl can dream ...ha, ha! Happy T Day wishes! Hugs Jo x

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    1. I agree a margarita and watching the lake-perfect, you have an ocean near you? I always loved the sound of the ocean haven't been to one since the '70s thank you about my garden-it is getting there finally, working on getting several perrennials planted this morning that I grew from seeds-milkweed, coneflower, red yarrow and others

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  15. Oh my! You have been busy. Your garden is really looking amazing. With time stuff will spread and it will look even better. Impatiens and petunias are always good for quick color and they make every garden look pretty. I can just imagine you pottering about and doing things in your garden. It can be very relaxing (if you take it easy).
    The peony is looking great. I wish I could grow one. I tried (and failed) when we were in England. And I don't think our hot, dry climate here is suitable.
    Glad the storm passed you by.
    Happy T-Day,
    Hugs,
    Lisca

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    1. Hi Lisca, yes I am hoping all the perennials will grow well and spread, I just planted several this morning that I grew from seed. Should be rally pretty. Peonies can be touchy to grow I think and planting them not too deep as well that storm was a bad one so am glad we got missed, we have another one coming in today sometime

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  16. Wow! You've been busy ~ Your yard is looking wonderful! Your margarita is right up my alley too! Enjoy your garden and the season ~

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    1. Thank you Karen, I got allot more planted this morning too-Happy T

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  17. Hi Kathy, the yard looks fabulous. Lot's of work put into it but the end results are just beautiful. We finally got a day with out rain so I worked in the garden all day my self. Have a lovely evening.

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    1. Hi Nicole, I can relate to the rain-we have had sooo much of it this spring so far another round comes in tonight This are is coming along-thanks

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  18. Oh Kathy, your garden is already looking wonderful - we must get to Quarry Bank Mill gardens before the Iris flowers come to an end! I love your pots too. Sorry that the boats are disturbing the peace again! I use Lemongrass stems in a paste I make for baking chicken and also in curries occasionally. Your Margarita looks so refresing. It was too cloudy to see the blood moon - quite annoying as it was 4.30 in the morning when it was supposed t be at it's best! Belated Happy T Day, Chrisx

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    1. Good morning Chris, thank you for lemongrass tips I am anxious to experiment with this plant. your paste sounds delicious. we ended up with the perfect sky for it and I fell asleep. It happened around 11 pm for us. These iris's were all bunched up on a hill here-so I dug them up and seperated them all. didn't realize we had so many colors-they are really pretty now Happy T

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  19. The garden is looking lovely, especially those Irises, beautiful colour. Your margarita looks good too! Happy T Day! Elle/EOTC xx

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