Mumsy's Romantic Garden Advice

[MumsyII]

So is it easy to get cutting from any willow to root? I have a variegated willow bush that I would like to try, since I may be moving it this Fall. It is too large for its place or I may just prune it heavily every year.

Yes. Take a branch that is not too soft and the new growth has hardened off a bit. Old wood and very soft wood doesn't root as readily as a branch that has a month or two of growth. Put the whips in a bucket of water and set them aside in an undisturbed spot and they can root right in the water. Put some smaller cuttings in pots of wet sand too. Hedge your bets by making up cuttings in a variety of ways. This is what I do if the plant is special and I want to make sure some will take.

Willows take to heavy pruning. You can cut it all back to a stump and it will sucker. Depending on the variety, sometimes this heavy pruning can weaken the plant and then it may become susceptible to pests or disease. If it is a robust healthy plant, it should take the heavy pruning fine.

 

[aoxa]

Your images make me happy Justine. I love them so very much. Parker is a good looking kid.


Gardening with kids is as natural as breathing for me. Parker will remember for his life time. I got my love of gardening as a child. My three daughters did as well. My son not so much. He wasn't home as much as the girls so that may be a reason. But....His three year old son loves to help Tu Tu in the garden. I got him his own watering can (shaped like a bunny) a wagon, and bucket.

Beans are easy and fast. So are pumpkin seeds. Nasturtiums are great. So are sunflowers. You learned how easy those are to grow already.

My children loved having their own garden spots. I let them plant what ever they wanted but they were responsible for watering and weeding. They loved it.


My oldest child and # 1 daughter is Queenie of the garden. She is now married with two sons. She can grow amazing vegetables. She leaned here at a very young age.


My third born, second daughter was my shadow. She followed me everywhere in the garden. She was a quiet little girl but she paid close attention to everything I did. She is married now but can grow flowers from seeds like I never could.

The youngest of my four and third daughter is the tom boy. Is that even ok to say any more? She loved the animals. We had dogs in those days besides chickens, doves, Call ducks, Koi, Gold fish, and one cat. She loved and named them all and played she was an animal at every waking moment. My puppy girl. She is a professional dog groomer now and trying to figure out how to grow a vegetable garden in a rental. I have no doubt she will be a fantastic gardener someday.


Puppy girl age four with a death grip on a chick she named 'Woofpeef". Her way of calling the chick a puppy peep.

Children in the garden is a no brain-er. If we don't teach them where food comes from who will?

These pictures are gorgeous Mumsy. Yes it is still an acceptable term "Tomboy"

Your daughters are adorable. I so want a daughter to share this stuff with.

Though Parker is a very sensitive boy. He once said to me at the dinner table: "You know what? I think farmers are the best ever." I said "Why?" He replied: "Because they take care of God's creations!" He scrunches his eyebrows very seriously when he says stuff like this.

He also tells everyone he meets that he is going to be a farmer like aunt Jus when he grows up.

Except he will have horses as well. I can visit his farm too. lol

Remember the show "Kids say the darndest things?" Well he totally could have been on it.

 

[armorfirelady]

Mumsy The perennials I purchased are:
Belleza Dark Pink Gaura (gaura lindheimeri) This one is the shrub if I remember correctly
Chiffon cloud Gaura (gaura lindheimeri)
White speedwell ( (veronica longifolia "Alba") deer resistant


I think I may get a few more of the shrub ones since they are so reasonable priced and put at the property line at the back.They are suppose to get up to 4 ft high and 3 feet wide. I like them because they bloom from spring thru fall & have red leaves. Red is my favorite color

And then plant my blueberries in front of them. I have read that blueberries need a wind break? The shrubs & blueberries will go in the south east corner of my property where the prevailing wind comes from.


I am standing at the end of my property looking west in the south end of the property. You can just see the road beyond the red barn. The small white thing is the coop and the electric netting blends in so well you cant see it or the hens who are out there somewhere. This is where I would like to put the bushes and blueberries. It has full sum all day.


This area is where my compost pile used to be. In the right just past the 2nd clump of lilys. The tree is what I call a crab apple. Im sure thats not what it is. Its thorny and blooms 2 different colors (One tree only) in the spring. I want to eventaully add tall perennials & abuild a pergola (sp) for in this area. Very shady area. I did put a bag of wild flowers seeds where the compost pile was but none are growing.


I bought a trumpet vine to grow up it.......my friend did that with a tree branch over his pond.....its grogeous. Hopefully it takes over the tree

vine is still small but bigger than it was last year. I just keep wrapping the shoots around the tree.


This is another area I would like to add more tall perennials & vines. The lattice covers pallets. Its my giant compost pile I made. I have lilys outside it now. This area is under water with heavy rains. You can see the trench I dug. I am trying to alleviate the standing water. Once thats done I would like to put climbing vines over the lattice. I was thinking a climbing rose (they are 1/2 off at home depot) and morning glorys. You can see the sunflowers towering over the veggie garden. The garden is about 30x80 and is the winter area for the hens. The maple tree is in the garden but provides some shade I need for cool weather plants.

 

[aoxa]

Mumsy The perennials I purchased are:
Belleza Dark Pink Gaura (gaura lindheimeri) This one is the shrub if I remember correctly
Chiffon cloud Gaura (gaura lindheimeri)
White speedwell ( (veronica longifolia "Alba") deer resistant


I think I may get a few more of the shrub ones since they are so reasonable priced and put at the property line at the back.They are suppose to get up to 4 ft high and 3 feet wide. I like them because they bloom from spring thru fall & have red leaves. Red is my favorite color

And then plant my blueberries in front of them. I have read that blueberries need a wind break? The shrubs & blueberries will go in the south east corner of my property where the prevailing wind comes from.

I wonder.. since deer are browsers just like goats.. if something deer resistant would be goat resistant?

 

[TexasLisa]

Good Morning Fellow Gardeners!

Aoxa, Parker is adorable. I love his eyes!

Armorfirelady I have inspectors like that too! They can be quite ferocious in their opinions.

Mumsy, I am a tomboy (and proud of it), so I guess the word is still good to use.

So many good ideas and can be quite overwhelming. I guess I have two places to work on. Our yard is wide open by the road. We can't plant trees because of the high wires overhead. Maybe bushes??? I also want to work on my husband's workshop. The east side is wide open.

Lisa

 

[aoxa]

Mumsy,

My mom has kept a tag on one of her rose bushes. It's called Emily Carr Rose.

It's beautiful.

I didn't bring my camera with me, but google image shows:


I do believe this is a Canadian rose. It's from the Canadian Artists collection.

 

[MumsyII]

I couldn't wait to get my morning coffee and come on here to see all my garden buddies and see what we will discuss today! Oh My! Lots of subjects to cover.

I'm going to address everyone's posts. I need to go feed my flock first and eat breakfast. Back soon. Truly.

 

[MumsyII]

Mumsy The perennials I purchased are:
Belleza Dark Pink Gaura (gaura lindheimeri) This one is the shrub if I remember correctly
Chiffon cloud Gaura (gaura lindheimeri)
White speedwell ( (veronica longifolia "Alba") deer resistant

Gaura is one of my all time favorite perennials. I have replanted it a couple times. It stays a medium sized plant in my beds. I've never seen a shrub sized Gaura. I need to research that. I lose it after two or three years after planting each and every time. Maybe it's too wet here winters. I have planted it in raised soil and still lose it. Veronica is another great one. I plant it over and over too. Usually if I repeatedly lose a plant, I give up and move on to something else to try in the same family to see if I have better luck. I'm so curious to watch your garden grow.

I think I may get a few more of the shrub ones since they are so reasonable priced and put at the property line at the back.They are suppose to get up to 4 ft high and 3 feet wide. I like them because they bloom from spring thru fall & have red leaves. Red is my favorite color

*Gah* I need to find a shrub Gaura. It sounds amazing!

And then plant my blueberries in front of them. I have read that blueberries need a wind break? The shrubs & blueberries will go in the south east corner of my property where the prevailing wind comes from.

With blueberries, your wind break idea is good. The branches are brittle and fruit will fall off if the shrub gets too much agitation. They use automatic shrub shakers to harvest the fruit on big farms up here. # 1 thing to remember with blue berries. They cannot tolerate water standing over their roots. Think of them like Rhododendrons and Azaleas. They also will not thrive with alkaline soil. They like to be mulched with woody mulch or leaf litter. Not too deep. Once planted, don't disturb the root ball.


I am standing at the end of my property looking west in the south end of the property. You can just see the road beyond the red barn. The small white thing is the coop and the electric netting blends in so well you cant see it or the hens who are out there somewhere. This is where I would like to put the bushes and blueberries. It has full sum all day.

Lovely. Just make sure water drains away from the planting area freely.



This area is where my compost pile used to be. In the right just past the 2nd clump of lilys. The tree is what I call a crab apple. Im sure thats not what it is. Its thorny and blooms 2 different colors

Kind of sounds like a Hawthorn. Need pictures of the bark, leaves, and bloom to identify.

(One tree only) in the spring. I want to eventaully add tall perennials & abuild a pergola (sp) for in this area. Very shady area. I did put a bag of wild flowers seeds where the compost pile was but none are growing.

*Gah* We are suckers for the slick packaging and promise of fields of wild flowers from those producers. I could have bought a new car with the $ I wasted on Wild Flower seed. And guess what? None grew for me either. Now days I collect seed or pull up the whole plant and wander around my gardens like 'Janie Flower Seed' (counter part to Johnny Apple Seed) and shake out seeds or just throw the spent plants in the areas I want them to grow. Works much better.


I bought a trumpet vine to grow up it.......my friend did that with a tree branch over his pond.....its grogeous. Hopefully it takes over the tree

vine is still small but bigger than it was last year. I just keep wrapping the shoots around the tree.

OOoooo! Trumpet vine!!! Had it once. It bloomed once. Then unceremoniously bit the dust. I would love to follow the journey of this plant. Please please please post a picture when it's on it's way. They can be slow to take off but after four or five years they can be glorious.


This is another area I would like to add more tall perennials & vines. The lattice covers pallets. Its my giant compost pile I made. I have lilys outside it now. This area is under water with heavy rains. You can see the trench I dug. I am trying to alleviate the standing water. Once thats done I would like to put climbing vines over the lattice. I was thinking a climbing rose (they are 1/2 off at home depot) and morning glorys. You can see the sunflowers towering over the veggie garden. The garden is about 30x80 and is the winter area for the hens. The maple tree is in the garden but provides some shade I need for cool weather plants.

I just smokes my brain to see pictures of what you folks have posted of your properties! So many choices of what you can do. Such great looking corners, nooks, and crannies to focus on.
You have such a great start going.

 

[MumsyII]

I wonder.. since deer are browsers just like goats.. if something deer resistant would be goat resistant?

They use rental flocks of goats to clear property. Of every living plant, twig, leaf, and bark. I have no clue to what goats won't eat.

That knowledge will come from someone that has goats. I raised cattle and horses. But not goats or sheep. Sorry Justine. Goat proof fences are the only thing I can think of.

 

[MumsyII]

Good Morning Fellow Gardeners!

Aoxa, Parker is adorable. I love his eyes!

Armorfirelady I have inspectors like that too! They can be quite ferocious in their opinions.

Mumsy, I am a tomboy (and proud of it), so I guess the word is still good to use.

So many good ideas and can be quite overwhelming. I guess I have two places to work on. Our yard is wide open by the road. We can't plant trees because of the high wires overhead. Maybe bushes??? I also want to work on my husband's workshop. The east side is wide open.

Lisa

Good morning back at ya TexasLisa!

It just so happens I have some knowledge in this area. I don't live under high wires but I've grown hundreds of shrubs and trees over the years. Fruit trees come in Dwarf and super dwarf sizes these days. The Japanese have perfected the art of bonsai. This can be used on garden trees to good effect. If you are willing to keep your loppers and shears sharp, you can keep your trees and shrubs within the right height. It's easier to just plant things that grow a certain amount and then go outwards.

I visit Omaha Nebraska every so often to visit friends. There is a fantastic public garden and arboretum built of the OPPD. It is planted for the education of home owners on what they can plant in that region under power lines. I have spent many a happy hour in the park. Taking pictures and studying the plants. The region of the Midwest is much different than where I live here in the Pacific Northwest, but the lesson is the same where ever we happen to garden. The right plant for the right spot. I will dig into my photo files and see what I can find.

Mulberry trees were in that park, Sumac, and many others.





Mulberry


Crab Apple