Weed, Water, and Watch

Last Saturday was weeding day at the historic cemetery. It felt awesome to be at that point! With the rock to mulch conversion done and the iris bed built, we now can weed, water, and watch. For this year 🤔

Back home on Saturday it was “remove clover, forget-me-nots, and dried leaves and blooms” day. Sunday was transplant day. And then yesterday … the gardens at home also went to weed, water, and watch status.

I was undecided on the pollinator created daylily seedling placement in our home gardens. Part of that decisioning was that I had eight new daylilies in my cart from my favorite seller. I knew they would be healthy, and strong, and potentially bloom next year. I was excited to add them to our gardens and share their beauty. But I was having a momentary lapse in judgement. With yesterday’s (yet another) blowzilla incident, I realized those daylilies in that cart deserve a better home. So, I have abandoned that hope, and will return to a “no new monetary investment” approach.

It is a “sigh” moment. I wish it were different. We certainly pay quite a premium for the blowzilla service. (You would be shocked.) It should be a delight experience. But it is not. So only the pollinator created daylily seedlings will go in this fall. No new already named daylilies will be added. And, unlike the happy feeling of weed, water, and watch at the historic cemetery, the weed, water, and watch feeling in our own gardens is a bit of a disappointment.

But alas, there are other avenues to explore and options to consider. You never know.

Today I leave you with second to last daylily bloom in the garden this year. She is a good representation of how I feel about the townhouse situation – a bit frayed. But she is still lovely and beautiful and resilient. And, in the future she may have children. Just not new neighbors.

It is Transplanting Day

Today was transplanting day. I had thought about it long enough. It was time for “Do”.

First up, this beauty moved. Poor thing. Believe it or not, she is a coneflower. She needs more sun.

She will either go to the historic cemetery garden (pending approval) or to the new daylily seedling bed. (More on that later). In her place, initially, went the Praying Hands hosta, but later the Praying Hands hosta moved and the Patriot hosta went in the old coneflower spot. I didn’t think I would get to moving the Patriot hosta today, but Yeay! Now the Patriot hosta is in the shade most of the day, tucked in by the Weigelia and up front with the red daylilies, white-ish Marque Moon daylilies, and Bluebells clematis (which, by the way, do rebloom). Pulling out that Patriot hosta was very hard. I am probably going to feel it tomorrow, but It was burning up in the sun year over year, and, recently someone’s dog was finding it interesting 😞

Here she is in her new location.

Next up was an un-named hosta. I used to know the name but I can’t remember it off the top of my head, so it shall be named “un-named”. It was one of my very first purchased hostas. I bought it from a lady who was having a plant sale out of her yard. It has been in the spot I pulled it from today for at least 15 years, and probably longer. It was fading. It needed new digs, and some dividing. She went to the middle back of one of the patio area gardens, in back of the old seedling bed.

The Praying Hands hosta was there for a year, but did not thrive in that spot. Last fall, we moved the Praying Hands hosta back from the little house up north (that we sold) and plopped her there. Poor thing. She will do much better quietly going about her business in a less visible role, in the spot where the peach daylily used to be.

The peach daylily, poor thing, languished in the shade when we had our smaller Traeger, and this year she did not bloom at all in the shade of the bigger Traeger. She needed to get back in the sun. She got to go to the spot where “un-named” hosta was. I’m thinking she will think that is “just right”.

And … 5 year old South Seas daylily seedlings got her chance to have more sun. She now sits between South Seas and tall cream colored daylily, in the spot where Patriot hosta used to be. I hope she blooms next year. If not, up north she goes, where she runs the very high risk of being deer yummies. Just sayin’. Bloom please.

Still left is the potential new seedling bed. It would be here.

That area was supposed to be the pepper bed but believe it or not, the peppers didn’t like it. So daylily seedling bed it might be.

The other option is to put them in with mature daylilies. And give them one year to bloom.

(They are unintentional crosses, so that is less likely. Now that my intentional crosses are going to seed I may stop harvesting any other seeds, to keep the daylilies from expending extra energy. All up in the air this fall. First I need to see how the intentionally crossed seeds perform.)

And last year’s seedlings? They will be tucked into the front of the old seedling bed to see if they can get a bit bigger with more sun. They are still pretty small.

But that is for another day. I am being wise. I have to work tomorrow. The seedlings bed decisions can wait for another day, or week.

The Iris Bed

The iris bed at the historic cemetery is complete, and with it the fence garden project is fully complete. The response from the community to the full fence garden project has been incredible. The other day while I was working on the iris bed, a lady stopped her vehicle mid-road to tell me she drives by there every day and she really appreciates the updates on the garden. She went on for a bit – cars were building up behind her. But she really wanted to say thanks! And no one honked to push her along. A gentleman with a little girl on a bike came by that same day, and she must have been prompted, but she said it looked great and said thanks. Very sweet. She parked her bike and they went on to go walk around inside the cemetery. These things matter. Today someone who looked at a home in our development came to the cemetery and thanked us. Very random thing to happen. It is incredible and brings me great joy!

So the iris bed took about 8 hours – the initial dig of five irises from the small garden that was to be moved – the survival test, then the landscape fabric and mulch (and I had awesome help with that!), then weeding along the edge that met the sidewalk – just me wanting a nice end product, then the (digging) move of the rest of the small garden (Thursday and Friday morning), and the final remaining planting (Saturday morning).

I tell you, that iris bed was exactly as muscle wearing and sweaty as I expected. But it was fun to accomplish and I am happy with the results. I had thought about it and planned it and talked with the primary site managers about moving that small garden, and then I had the perfect opportunity – some vacation and a few nice days before the heat returned.

So, I present to you the iris bed – 25 iris holes plus three other plants that were also in that small garden that I moved.

Time to slow the pace. Should be maintenance from here out. Some plant donations are coming for the empty areas on the other side, but should be nothing like that iris garden! That was a “not to be repeated anytime soon” effort 🙂.

Friday night I teased the primary managers of the site – saying I was thinking we should dig out the big garden next year and get that out of the shade and into the sun along the inside of the fence – thinking maybe 300 bags of mulch. I quickly followed up with a JK, to which I received an “oh good!” response. I think we all need a rest!!! It has been fun but A LOT of consistent persistent effort from many people. And for that, and for the opportunity, I am grateful!

Naomi Ruth?

So, for the life of me, I cannot remember this daylily’s name.

I think it might be Naomi Ruth, but I am not absolutely certain. Naomi Ruth is a diploid. If I cross tall cream colored daylily with Tender Love, and get a seed pod, I will get closer to certainty. Bloom again soon please, Tender Love, before tall cream colored daylily finishes up blooming.

Tall cream colored daylily also threw a lot of pollinator or wind or whatever created seed pods this year, so maybe in 4-5 years, lol, I could see the parentage. Yah … or not. Those pollinator created seeds that do grow seedlings take FOREVER to bloom. I could have great-grandchildren by then. Ok, a bit of exaggeration maybe, but seriously, bloom or become deer food. Oh, that is another post, for another day.

For now, tall cream colored daylily suspected to be Naomi Ruth.

More please

We are down to one daylily bloom per day. After Marque Moon bloomed her last, hanging out a bit with Coral Majority, things really slowed down.

But then there is Tender Love.

Tender Love is a very later bloomer. And one of my new favorites. I would not change one single thing about her. In fact, I would like more. She is perfection. And she is ever so slightly fragrant. She is also a diploid, and she would be wonderful to cross. But I do not have any diploids that are still blooming. Maybe need to fix that.

I knew it!

The daylilies are almost done blooming, the hostas are starting to get that “tired” look, but the sedum! I knew it a few days ago! They had that “look” where I was prompted to check for pink. Sure enough! Today they started to bloom! Not all of them, just the ones with the most sun exposure. But it is starting!

Wonderful!

The rock to mulch conversion is complete at the historic cemetery! I lost count at 80 bags of mulch. I think it was in the high 80s.

What began as my (crazy, maybe 😂) brain child soon became an incredible team experience, and there is still more to be done – filling in with transplants and donations – but the rock to mulch conversion is done, and now we can play a bit. And maintain.

The neighbors, to a person, say it is so nice, a huge enhancement, and very enjoyable to walk by. Very rewarding to hear!

I hope you enjoy the view too!

And that is only one side, the shortest side at that! But first, a view of the resident turkeys

And now, the gates and the other side.

Almost there!

Still some more weeding and then fall trimming to be done, but the initial bedrock of mulch is laid, and now we can play.

I hear some more sun loving plants donations are on the way, and also ground plaques for every soldier.

What a treat to work at this site, along with so many others before and during, and Lord willing, to come!