Okay, so my promise to blog has been falling by the wayside. That's only because I have been busy with other things.
For starters, Brian had someone steal a boatload of plants from his yard last weekend. They took a pair of crinum lillies, flax, bird of paradise, cannas, about 30 potted plants in all, as well as ceramic pots. That meant we had to move his remaining plants to other parts of his yard that would be more protected from thieves. It was an all day chore, so it was a good thing that he had taken the week off to get things done around the house.
Next we have been working on getting my room redone. We spent 3 days on my closet alone. It was gutted, with all the shelving taken out, carpeting removed, and molding pried off. I patched holes, and we painted it all white. 5 coats of white. There was some water damage from 35 years ago that kept seeping through the paint, so I had 3 coats of KILLZ to cover the discoloration, then two more coats of white. Then I put up all new shelving, adding a bunch extra to hold some of my collections of stuff. Maybe it was all the rain, but it seemed to take forever to get the walls white, and it also kept me from working in the yard.
The rain was very good for the night blooming jasmine. I got a big growth spurt, so I took a bunch of cuttings and they are already rooting! It's a fast grower, so look for a couple in the next plant raffle.
I was just outside and I find that all of my brugmansia have buds showing up. How great is that! I picked up 4 plants at the last meeting, and even 2 of them are budding up. I will soon know what colors they are. I know for certain what I already had, even though they never bloomed. I have an apricot that I got from John Starnes. It is still only 3 feet tall, but nicely full and it has those long, pointy buds that the apricot trumpets get. The double white I got from the Bulb Lady is finally growing and is loaded with buds. I am anxious to see that one open since it's 2 years old and only just getting its first flowers. I hope I got what I paid for! The newest trumpets are still a mystery since several of them are hybrids, but I am trying to be patient.
The hawaiian plumerias are really taking off, too. Two have bloomed, and several more are getting ready to. I have mostly dark pink-orange combinations, and a large white with only a slight fragrance. I'll be taking photos as more come into flower.
All of the rhyzomes I got at Green Thumb are taking off. I potted them all, and they are ready to plant in the garden. They will go into the back corner, but first I have to get about 25 bags of mulch to keep the weeds back.
I hope to spend tomorrow afternoon painting one wall in my bedroom, so I don't have too much furniture to move at one time. I'll do the back wall for starters, and work my way around the room, ending with the closet. That way I can hold off changing the molding and painting the doors. I am still visualizing the room with the new roman shades I have yet to make. As if I am not keeping busy enough, I sold 3 petticoats that I have to make this week. Yikes - I had better get to work!!
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Thursday, May 21, 2009
A new day
It's a new day, but still raining. I'm not complaining for the obvious reasons. We need the rain! My plants are going great guns in back, flourishing in all the water, but I can't paint because it is too humid! I can't garden in the rain! No one has bought any of my eBay items, so I am not sewing - I am again a couch potato.
I attended the club meeting on Sunday and had a great time at Rick's home. It was so nice seeing friends who I haven't seen for a while. I filled in as photog as Brad was knee deep in flooring issues. He and Gary are refinishing their wood floors, so of course, rooms had to be emptied in preparation. I know I will be going through this as I get ready to paint.
Today my job is to spackle the closet to get it ready for painting. Brian took out the clamshell molding that held up a long gone shelf in the closet and those 4 inch nails took out some plaster. I have to patch all of those holes so we can paint the closet white. Then put up the new white wire shelving - thank you Closet Maid!
Nothing else to report. Brian tells me he is taking next week off, so if he can come over he will help me finally get the room painted. Then I can start work on my roman shades. It really is never-ending!
I attended the club meeting on Sunday and had a great time at Rick's home. It was so nice seeing friends who I haven't seen for a while. I filled in as photog as Brad was knee deep in flooring issues. He and Gary are refinishing their wood floors, so of course, rooms had to be emptied in preparation. I know I will be going through this as I get ready to paint.
Today my job is to spackle the closet to get it ready for painting. Brian took out the clamshell molding that held up a long gone shelf in the closet and those 4 inch nails took out some plaster. I have to patch all of those holes so we can paint the closet white. Then put up the new white wire shelving - thank you Closet Maid!
Nothing else to report. Brian tells me he is taking next week off, so if he can come over he will help me finally get the room painted. Then I can start work on my roman shades. It really is never-ending!
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Mea Culpa
I am so sorry for staying away from the blog for the past 2 weeks. It isn't that I have nothing to say, but have been otherwise involved. It is a very sad, yet true story, one that is just so gay I hesitate to tell it. I have been redecorating! Yes, it's true. I have been trying to make some sense of my bedroom. My bedroom has been a teal vision for the past 8 years. I found a great fabric - Monet's garden - that was awash in colors like an impressionist painting of a garden. I chose the subtle teal color within the fabric to paint my room and to select all of the accessories - which I lovingly found at Pier One, Home Goods, Target and Z-Gallery.
After 8 years of blissful slumber in my teal room, I found a new vase that I just had to have at Pier One. It was a large, shell-shaped aqua-blue vase with beige lines and just screamed out to me. I waited impatiently for it to go on sale - I may be frivolous, but I won't spend $100.00 for a vase unless it is Wedgwood! After 2 years, it was on sale and in my bedroom! Alas, it is the wrong color blue for the lovely teal walls and its subtle shades of aqua cannot be found in my impressionist window treatments - what to do, what to do??
Brian and I have been trying to find the right wall color - 7 color samples and 9 color squares on my walls was all it took to end up with the right color - a blending of all 7 color samples into a new color. The main reason was that I found the perfect draperies at Z-Gallery and while the color is a great match for the vase, it was a strange icy-blue color that was so hard to match in paint.
So, I have the paint, and I have the drapes, so what's the problem?? My closet has to have all of the shelving changed because my needs for it have changed. That means painting the inside of the closet which hasn't been painted in the 35 years I have lived in the house. I also want to change the wood molding for something more ornate and formal looking. I already have added a crown molding to the room which I was surprised really changed the look of the room. I also have to change the drapes I bought which are pocket drapes into roman shades and pleated valances. I was smart and bought an extra panel to make into a bedspread, so there is a good deal of sewing involved in getting this all done.
Right now, I am at the point of starting to paint the closet. I have taken out all of my possessions and clothing and they are lying in the spare room. The current shelving is down, but the holes are in need of patching before I can paint. All of the new shelving has been cut to measure and once the closet walls are painted, they can go in.
In the meantime, I have started these new planting beds out back, and have been trying to cultivate cuttings for our meeting. HOW DO YOU PEOPLE DO IT??? I can't manage to think with all that I have going on, and yet, I have friends who are on the go, redoing patios, redecorating, working full-time, and still have the most gorgeous gardens. I am at a loss! I generally work well under pressure, so I guess that is why I am faltering. I have no pressure to get this done. I am progressing at my own speed, which is a snail's pace for most people. So I have decided to put myself under some pressure. I want to commit to you that I will post to the blog every 3 days. That should be often enough to keep you interested, but also give enough time for things to progress. That will give me a day to work in the garden and a day to work on the room so everything will get done. It will also give me time to sew. We shall see!
After 8 years of blissful slumber in my teal room, I found a new vase that I just had to have at Pier One. It was a large, shell-shaped aqua-blue vase with beige lines and just screamed out to me. I waited impatiently for it to go on sale - I may be frivolous, but I won't spend $100.00 for a vase unless it is Wedgwood! After 2 years, it was on sale and in my bedroom! Alas, it is the wrong color blue for the lovely teal walls and its subtle shades of aqua cannot be found in my impressionist window treatments - what to do, what to do??
Brian and I have been trying to find the right wall color - 7 color samples and 9 color squares on my walls was all it took to end up with the right color - a blending of all 7 color samples into a new color. The main reason was that I found the perfect draperies at Z-Gallery and while the color is a great match for the vase, it was a strange icy-blue color that was so hard to match in paint.
So, I have the paint, and I have the drapes, so what's the problem?? My closet has to have all of the shelving changed because my needs for it have changed. That means painting the inside of the closet which hasn't been painted in the 35 years I have lived in the house. I also want to change the wood molding for something more ornate and formal looking. I already have added a crown molding to the room which I was surprised really changed the look of the room. I also have to change the drapes I bought which are pocket drapes into roman shades and pleated valances. I was smart and bought an extra panel to make into a bedspread, so there is a good deal of sewing involved in getting this all done.
Right now, I am at the point of starting to paint the closet. I have taken out all of my possessions and clothing and they are lying in the spare room. The current shelving is down, but the holes are in need of patching before I can paint. All of the new shelving has been cut to measure and once the closet walls are painted, they can go in.
In the meantime, I have started these new planting beds out back, and have been trying to cultivate cuttings for our meeting. HOW DO YOU PEOPLE DO IT??? I can't manage to think with all that I have going on, and yet, I have friends who are on the go, redoing patios, redecorating, working full-time, and still have the most gorgeous gardens. I am at a loss! I generally work well under pressure, so I guess that is why I am faltering. I have no pressure to get this done. I am progressing at my own speed, which is a snail's pace for most people. So I have decided to put myself under some pressure. I want to commit to you that I will post to the blog every 3 days. That should be often enough to keep you interested, but also give enough time for things to progress. That will give me a day to work in the garden and a day to work on the room so everything will get done. It will also give me time to sew. We shall see!
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
new planting beds
I have divided the middle of the back yard into three sections - left, right and water feature. As you know I have been wanting to add a water feature to my garden for a long time. I found a fibreglass ball at one of the Macy Prop sales a few years ago and knew that it would be perfect for a fountain. I also got a small architectural piece for a base, and a round pond piece to build it in, which I have to bury into the ground. I will pick up a bubbling pump in a week or so and finally put it together - for about $20.00 plus the pump. I hope it will look as nice in the flesh as it has in my head.
The left side was where I put all of the current potted plants I have. I situated them where I wanted to put them, and left them alone for a week to become acclimated to the sun and heat. They have been on my patio for ages, and were quite used to the filtered light from under the screens. Before I planted anything I want to make sure that they will like where they are. Also, I figured it would take me a week to get everything together before I planted - the irrigation system connected to the main line, etc. I went with Brian to Home Depot and got the necessary hose and sprinkler heads to add onto the drip system, spending about $30.00. 
I already have the black hose that runs all around the house and fence, so I knew it would be a simple matter to tie in with a tee connector and go from there. I divided the 100 foot hose in half, and connected to a tee in the center of the yard. I looped each back upon itself forming two u-shaped lines emmanating from the center. These will become my planting beds. I placed a focal point in each, the birdbath in one, and the bird feeder in the other. I put the big plumeria cuttings on either side of them, future perches for the birds, maybe.
I already have the black hose that runs all around the house and fence, so I knew it would be a simple matter to tie in with a tee connector and go from there. I divided the 100 foot hose in half, and connected to a tee in the center of the yard. I looped each back upon itself forming two u-shaped lines emmanating from the center. These will become my planting beds. I placed a focal point in each, the birdbath in one, and the bird feeder in the other. I put the big plumeria cuttings on either side of them, future perches for the birds, maybe. At the furthest end of each bed I plan on planting 
shell gingers because they clump into round clusters, much like a large bush would. I have two types currently, so they should be similar enough to blend, but different enough to keep from being totally symmetrical. At the closest ends of the beds I plan to put brugmansia. Since the center of the two will be a water fountain, I wanted to have a little bit of shade, and I like that the trumpets don't get too big to monopolize the yard. I got a nice hybrid (a pink and apricot cross) at the last meeting which is doing well, and I will look for a yellow for the other side.
shell gingers because they clump into round clusters, much like a large bush would. I have two types currently, so they should be similar enough to blend, but different enough to keep from being totally symmetrical. At the closest ends of the beds I plan to put brugmansia. Since the center of the two will be a water fountain, I wanted to have a little bit of shade, and I like that the trumpets don't get too big to monopolize the yard. I got a nice hybrid (a pink and apricot cross) at the last meeting which is doing well, and I will look for a yellow for the other side. I wanted to have a tallish plant near the shell gingers, so I decided on a gardenia for one side and a mock orange jasmine for the other. They 
are each about 40" tall, so they should be big enough to stand out from the rest and make a nice balance to the trumpets which will get about twice as tall. On the left side I planted the clerodendron from Brad and Gary, a variegated chiflera I got at Dani and Deb's meeting, and a 
painted ti - I think. I got it from Annie and Mitch - Hey Plantman - from the Saturday Morning Market.
are each about 40" tall, so they should be big enough to stand out from the rest and make a nice balance to the trumpets which will get about twice as tall. On the left side I planted the clerodendron from Brad and Gary, a variegated chiflera I got at Dani and Deb's meeting, and a 
painted ti - I think. I got it from Annie and Mitch - Hey Plantman - from the Saturday Morning Market. I plan on putting all of the rhyzomes I got at Green Thumb in the center rows, once I have added more irrigation lines to the beds. Then I will put newspaper down around all of the non-spreading plants and mulch.
Brian and I went down to Scott and George's home the other night. They invited us down to pick up some plumeria cuttings they got from the land fill. I was expecting a few 2 foot cuttings but what we got were veritable trees! I don't know what color they will be, but that is part of the fun of getting plumeria cuttings. We had a very nice visit with them both, and saw their lovely Florida bungalow home in Old Southeast. It was a good time to get to know other club members better.
If you have any suggestions for me, or want to help my little garden grow, please drop me a line!!
Bryan
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