The Perennial Garden

50% success rate on the perennial garden! Finally! Year in and year out, I have never been able to get a good start on a perennial garden. The plants would die every winter and never come back,
Last June I planted an Echenacia, foxglove, 3 daylilies and something else I don't remember the name of. Pretty light blue fringed flowers.
The dayliies are coming up as well as the unknown. The Echenacia and foxglove have not come up yet. Still harboring a glimmer of hope, I am watering them anyway. I would like to add some hostas and a different perennial to the garden this year. Something for hummingbirds.
Our neighbors sold their house and gave us one of the spare garden benches. I created a cinder path and sitting area near the perennial and veggie garden.
Recommended reading - The Well-Tended Perennial Garden: Planting and Pruning Techniques

How to Design a Butterfly Garden

Cultivating and maintaining a butterfly garden can be a beautiful and unique idea for environment conservation. With over 700 different butterfly species in North America, it is easy to attract them to your yard.

Butterflies are an important part of the environment. The caterpillars and adults are both food sources for birds, bats and other wildlife. The adults pollinate flowers, and also the blooms of vegetables.

The size of your butterfly garden is of no real importance. Start small and add new plants yearly. Try clumping several of the same type of plants together as butterflies are nearsighted and are attracted to large clusters of color. Place the garden strategically in a sunny area that is partially protected from winds and relatively closely to any vegetable gardens. Choose plants that are popular to butterflies and provide them with nectar.

To provide a source of water, without encouraging mosquitoes, try placing a sheet of aluminum foil in an open area and add a shallow layer of aquarium gravel, creating a small shallow depression in the center to create a small puddle. As you water the flowers, this drinking pool will retain moisture. Just enough for the butterflies but not enough for mosquitoes to lay their eggs.

I want to attract many different species of butterflies to my gardens, so I select perennials suited to each species that is commonly found in my area.

The end of Winter is coming, making plans

... a bit too soon?
I finally remembered I had some tulip bulbs in the closet over the Fall and Winter and decided I better get them in the fridge. Too late! They had already started sprouting. So into pots they went and are doing well. I may need to bury the bulbs a little deeper.
Then I was wanting to start some blackberry seeds and completely forgot to put them in the fridge/freezer.They are currently in little solo cups of soil spending two days in the freezer, then a thaw, then back in the fridge. We'll see how that goes.
Trying to keep the greenhouse warm through the winter did not work well at all. At least I tried. New ideas for next Winter. It's late enough in the season now that I can hopefully talk hubby into letting me heat it so I can start peppers and tomatoes.

Slight OT Pumpkin Carving......papier mache style

I know, I know.... this is not really gardening related.... but it is Halloween and Pumpkin carving.....saving the real pumpkins for pies! LOL!
This is just too cool not to share. I think we may have to try this. Since we don't grow pumpkins and large pumpkins are expensive and last two or three days....
http://www.stolloween.com/?page_id=67&ref=nf

  

Avocado Pits

We started the one on the far left in July. All went really well, then the “stalkling” seemed to dry up. Still hoping a sucker will develop since the roots are developing at an astounding rate. Brought home two Mexicola avocadoes and started again. Both have split and the nodules are starting to sprout.

I’m really depressed over the burned out seedling. Chalk it up to a learned experience – keep the blinds down. I am sure the sun sunburned the poor thing. 

We’re just about ready to start the peach pits. They’ve been in the fridge for about 2 months now.

  

Bubble Wrapping the Greenhouse

It's still early October, but we got our first 33 degree night already!

I started insulating the greenhouse yesterday with bubble wrap. Purchased two 150ft rolls. I am just about half way through with taping the panels. Wasn't sure how much "air space" would be ideal. So, I decided to tape it up with the bubbles on the inside.

My hopes are to be able to grow salad fixings throughout the Fall and Winter seasons in the greenhouse. Trial and error.

I still need to paint more gallon jugs black. Enough to line the walls along the floor. With the greenhouse being only 6'x8', I don't have space for the larger barrels. Then  I will utilize a small electric heater. The main goal will be to prevent freezing temps.

I would certainly love to hear of others' methods of winter greenhouse gardening. The more "GREEN" solar type info I can get, the better. Not needing the heater would be the ultimate goal..... zone 5b

Adding a Bird Bath to garden area

During the hot dry early Summer I had noticed that there very few hummingbirds visiting the feeders. I put plain water in one feeder hoping that might attract a few more.
They finally re-appeared after a two-week long deluge of rain.
Yesterday morning, while watching the sprinkler water the garden, I saw two little hummers playing in the sprinkles! Sitting on the fence having a shower. So I decided they needed a little bird bath..... making do for this season as the hummingbird migration will soon be underway. I am planning ahead for next Spring!
I found 100's of Bird Baths at Garden.com that are offered at fantastic prices. The selection is great and I am planning my garden around the one I choose! I might just get two, one to keep shallow for the hummers and one for the big guys.