Author Topic: Peri's Garden Blog is Back! (Read 33001 times)

Peripherie · « **on:** June 16, 2014, 09:42:04 AM »

I have some free time over the summer and one of the things I want to do is turn my humdrum yard into something just a bit more colorful and mine. Although I don't have a great deal of know-how or money to tackle any big projects, my main goal is just to spend a little bit of what i do have (time) in my yard every day. Here I will chronicle my attempts and triumphs (with pictures!).

Monday 6/16: The vine massacre and some Vinca!

Since I bought my house five years ago most of what I have done is just kill...... kill! My backyard was just an overgrown, shady mess. And my little plot is surrounded by swampy land and a few pockets of trees that my neighbors don't care about. But I care as it all just tries to visit my yard and take root! So my first picture is of the vine pile at the end of the driveway. It shall grow much later until Friday, trash day.

To offset the destruction, I did also plant some Vinca in a cute pot and it is now living on the steps of my front porch. (We shall see how long it lives - I'm not always great at the perfect water ratio.)

That's it for today. More tomorrow!

(Note: Yeah, that banner wasn't made by me nor is any of the pretty growing things in at anywhere near my house.)

Dovel · « **Reply #1 on:** June 16, 2014, 10:15:04 AM »

Oh this is a wonderful idea for a Blog!

I am looking forward to seeing all the wonderful things you can grow. If you have room, and you don't need very much, perhaps use some of those greens you cut down to start a compost pile. They are easy to manage and the soil you get from them is perfect to use for gardening.

Rhedyn · « **Reply #2 on:** June 16, 2014, 02:49:03 PM »

Oooo, I'm looking forward to this blog! I'm not great at gardening but I love seeing what other people come up with for theirs <3

Oniya · « **Reply #3 on:** June 16, 2014, 04:36:25 PM »

Most of my successful plants are 'accidents' (like the tomato plant that grew out of my compost bucket last year, and re-seeded for this year.)

Aislinn · « **Reply #4 on:** June 16, 2014, 07:54:48 PM »

I'm currently in the process of landscaping my backyard. Well, to tell the truth, I've been in the 'process' of landscaping it since the house was built. I decided this year that I'm going to make more of it 'user friendly' instead of having boring grass. I had a concrete pad poured when the house was built and I'm going to do a fire pit nearby. Still poking through books and websites to find ideas I like. I just get tired of mowing the lawn, dealing with crabgrass and whatever weeds pop up and maintenance. Have to keep some for the dogs, obviously, but a good portion of it is going away!

Peripherie · « **Reply #5 on:** June 16, 2014, 08:23:52 PM »

Quote from: Dovel on June 16, 2014, 10:15:04 AM

Oh this is a wonderful idea for a Blog!

I am looking forward to seeing all the wonderful things you can grow. If you have room, and you don't need very much, perhaps use some of those greens you cut down to start a compost pile. They are easy to manage and the soil you get from them is perfect to use for gardening.

A compost pile is a great idea, thanks hun! I even found a DIY version that seems pretty cheap, not too extensive, and easy to put together.

Peripherie · « **Reply #6 on:** June 20, 2014, 08:40:25 PM »

Friday 6/20: Gnome garden and DIY update:

Where did the week go!?!

I borrowed my mom's drill to start my DIY compost pile in bucket project but the drill battery pack ran low. It is charging and I shall have it finished tomorrow and composting very soon!

Here is my little backyard garden patch:

It currently contains just some Elephant Ears and weeds. But soon I will find some cute flowers to plant in front. There were some pansies but some local critters didn't like my color choice and dug them up. O.o

That was it for today. Rain is in the forecast tomorrow but I think I shall still get my Compost Bucket done. ^_^

Dovel · « **Reply #7 on:** June 21, 2014, 05:42:55 PM »

The spot you chose looks great. I have a similar problem with my own local critters. They love to dig up the peas I plant. Nothing else, just the peas.

Peripherie · « **Reply #8 on:** June 30, 2014, 12:02:01 PM »

Monday 6/30: No more weeds, just pretty growing things!

Finished with my compost pile in a box! Tada:

There are holes on the bottom and all four sides. It was actually pretty easy to drill the holes. I've put leaves, some wilted salad leaves, tea bags, and some celery in it so far (along with some soil and water).

It may not look TOO much different but I weeded the whole bed and then spent the morning with my mom. She had some extra iris and lantana that she transplanted in the back.
Then I bought some vinca (as the one on my front porch is thriving and looks so pretty) and planted that along the front so it goes:

Back Row: Three Iris (left side) and lantana (right side - it's a little wilty right now)
Middle: Three elephant ears all spaced out
Front Row: four different colors of vinca (left to right: pink, white, red, purple).

My next project (besides just trying to keep the things in my flowerbed alive):

It really is my neighbor's fence but the part of their yard that is behind it is very overgrown and they don't care. :( So all their lovely foresty things try and move into my yard. So tomorrow I shall be hacking and cutting, hacking and cutting.

Phew, yay pretty garden!

Baneare · « **Reply #9 on:** June 30, 2014, 12:31:08 PM »

Side thought, if it's larger critters that are going for your plants...save some hair from your next haircut, and sprinkle it for a few feet in each direction around what you don't want taken. Deer will avoid the area, and might help with small animals too.

Peripherie · « **Reply #10 on:** June 30, 2014, 12:32:30 PM »

Thanks for the tip! :) We don't have deer where I live, as I'm pretty close to the water. It is mostly racoons and squirrels but it can't hurt to try.

Oniya · « **Reply #11 on:** June 30, 2014, 12:50:07 PM »

Do you have cats? I'd have to look it up, but some people use cat litter to 'mark' the territory somehow so that the smaller critters think there's a predator around. You can also purchase coyote scent, but using cat litter is *ahem* 'recycling'.

Peripherie · « **Reply #12 on:** June 30, 2014, 12:54:28 PM »

Quote from: Oniya on June 30, 2014, 12:50:07 PM

Do you have cats? I'd have to look it up, but some people use cat litter to 'mark' the territory somehow so that the smaller critters think there's a predator around. You can also purchase coyote scent, but using cat litter is *ahem* 'recycling'.

I DO have a cat and boy does he go through some litter. Though of course, it is quite floral scented litter but I'll try anything. Thanks Oniya!

Oniya · « **Reply #13 on:** June 30, 2014, 01:06:11 PM »

This is listed as protecting bulbs, but should have some useful tips:

http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/protect-flower-bulbs.htm

Peripherie · « **Reply #14 on:** June 30, 2014, 01:11:26 PM »

Quote from: Oniya on June 30, 2014, 01:06:11 PM

This is listed as protecting bulbs, but should have some useful tips:

http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/protect-flower-bulbs.htm

Oooo...it says I can use cat hair. Man, I brush gobs of it off him everyday. And I've been throwing that away!!!

Now I shall put his tumbleweeds of hair to use!

Dovel · « **Reply #15 on:** June 30, 2014, 10:02:09 PM »

Your garden is looking great, even after only a couple of weeks. You must have a knack for it. ~smiles~

Peripherie · « **Reply #16 on:** July 01, 2014, 09:48:59 AM »

Tuesday 7/1: I really need to start taking before pictures.

I spent a good hour and a half killing things outside today. (After I watered all the flowers I planted yesterday.)
This is not the section of the fence I took a picture of yesterday, this is to the right of that. And there is still a great deal of vines/ivy, etc to be cleared from the base of the fence.

BUT, below is load two of the limbs, vines, branches, etc that I ripped away. The whole corner is just so much brighter. :)

I'm really enjoying spending time outside this summer (though even with bug spray I'm getting eaten alive.

)

Baneare · « **Reply #17 on:** July 01, 2014, 11:02:40 AM »

Congrats, that's some good work you're doing out there!

Peripherie · « **Reply #18 on:** July 02, 2014, 08:20:22 AM »

Thanks Baneare! I am having fun with it!

Wednesday 7/2: Just a trim.

So I got out early while it was still cool and breezy and just did some more ~~killing~~ trimming.
Some before and after pictures:

Bush in the front of my house before:

After (it doesn't look like much in the picture but it certainly is more groomed):

(Kind of looks like a heart from this angle. lol)

Middle of the back fence before:

After:

Phew! That was a lot of looping and cutting and cursing. (Most of what I took down were vines that were intertwined through the fence over and over.)

Here is one of my next projects (after tackling the rest of the ivy on the fence):

My shed is a little house.

It is in pretty poor shape, both inside and out. I plan to scrub it and paint all the wood the same color as my house (which is a light mocha color) and then paint the trim around the windows and doors the same color as my shutters (a dark burgundy.)

But it is covered with ivy and is pretty dirty. So I first have to figure out how to clean/prep it with killing myself and without destroying any of the wood.

First step to help control the ivy is I have been taking some of the bricks I have found around my property (There are just random bricks and hunks of stone EVERYWHERE!

) and am lining the base the shed with them to help keep the ivy from coming up from below.

(You can see where I have started on the left and the gap that still needs more bricks on the right.)

It was a productive morning. :) More cutting and brick laying tomorrow!

Peripherie · « **Reply #19 on:** July 03, 2014, 06:58:56 PM »

Thursday 7/3: Bricks!

So I finished putting bricks around the base of my shed. It needs a good cleaning inside and out and there are some dead ivy remnants from where it was growing up the side that I need to clear away before I can start painting it.

Question for anyone reading this that may know: Does anyone know what I would need to do to clean/prep/prime the wood before painting it again? (I know I will need some outside/weather resistant paint.) I imagine it will require a great deal of elbow grease.... or a power washer.

The fence is now de-vined (kinda). But I cleared all the stuff growing over the top. WHICH WAS A LOT!

Before:

After:

There is still a great deal of ivy growing at the bottom of the fence with a lot of debris mixed in that needs to be cleared. That till take a great deal more time as every bit of ivy/vine is tangled in and out of the rusty wire fence.

Baneare · « **Reply #20 on:** July 03, 2014, 08:42:39 PM »

Depending on the quality of the wood underneath the paint, you can either use a pressure washer to blast off the chips if there are no cracks or breaks in the underlying wood, or you'll need to take a paint scraper and go over the exposed paint to get rid of all the old loose paint. Either way, after cleaning you'll want to sand down the edges of the broken paint to smooth it down with the wood, then take a wood sealer to the exposed wood, and make sure it is weather tight again. After that is dried, it is safe to use an outdoor paint/primer mix or just go straight primer, then coat with your paint afterward. Either way, you'll be spending a good amount of time making sure it is weather tight again. Hope it helps...

Peripherie · « **Reply #21 on:** July 03, 2014, 08:48:37 PM »

Quote from: Baneare on July 03, 2014, 08:42:39 PM

Depending on the quality of the wood underneath the paint, you can either use a pressure washer to blast off the chips if there are no cracks or breaks in the underlying wood, or you'll need to take a paint scraper and go over the exposed paint to get rid of all the old loose paint. Either way, after cleaning you'll want to sand down the edges of the broken paint to smooth it down with the wood, then take a wood sealer to the exposed wood, and make sure it is weather tight again. After that is dried, it is safe to use an outdoor paint/primer mix or just go straight primer, then coat with your paint afterward. Either way, you'll be spending a good amount of time making sure it is weather tight again. Hope it helps...

Wow, yeah, that is a lot of work to be done. But thank you for sharing your knowledge with me!

Peripherie · « **Reply #22 on:** July 09, 2014, 08:30:54 PM »

Wednesday 7/9: Maintaining:

So while I haven't posted in a few days I have been out in my yard doing work (and I have the bug bites to prove it). But mostly what I have been doing is weeding/watering/keeping up with the progress I have made and trying to keep things alive.

My vinca that I put in a pot on my porch as exploded in blooms though so I transferred it to a slightly larger pot and put some petunia's in the original red 'flower shaped' pot the vinca had been in.
My phone is on the fritz, which means my camera is also on the fritz so no pictures as of yet. We are also going to have about a week of daily rainstorms so I probably won't be out much.

OH! And the lantana and irises that my mom transplanted are still alive - barely but they are slowly coming back to looking healthy.

Pictures when I get my new phone and the rain stops. :)

Peripherie · « **Reply #23 on:** July 10, 2014, 02:10:07 PM »

Thursday 7/10: Picture Update

So I moved the Vinca (originally in the right pot on the right to a larger pot as it has just exploded in blooms). And I planted some Petunias in the red pot. They are currently on my porch near my door to protect them from the deluge of storms we are going to have this week. You can see my kitty kat Orion supervising (which is what he does best)! <3

Rhedyn · « **Reply #24 on:** July 11, 2014, 04:38:41 AM »

Wow, you've made great progress so far! It's looking awesome and I love your welcome mat <3