Something's Lurking in the Woods Around My House...

And it's worse than a wild boar, a peeping Tom, or a stalker. It's Poison Ivy. <br /><br />Although it's been raining 6 out of 7 days this week, we've managed to spend quite a bit of time out in our yard and garden. We built our home on wooded property two years ago and still have a lot of hedge row/wooded areas that need "clearing out". We've been taking down trees, and limbs and hauling them away. Unfortunately the areas we're working in are covered in <em>POISON IVY, s</em>o it means taking some precautions. <br /><br />I grew up in the "woods", so I've always had a very healthy respect for Poison Ivy, and know exactly what it looks like. However, I realized that lots of people don't know what it looks like (including my hubby, Big A). So I thought I'd take a minute to inform <strike>him</strike> y'all what it is, what it looks like, and what you can do about it.<br /><br />The BEST way to deal with Poison Ivy is to avoid it all-together. Know what it looks like and stay away from it. So without further ado...<br /><br />Poison ivy looks like this in the summer: <br /><br /><img alt="poison ivy in summer" border="0" height="350" src="http://www.poison-ivy.org/images/summer-1.jpg" width="350" /><br /><br />Notice that some of the leaves are shiny, and some are notched. The leaves grow in clusters of three. <br /><br />Here it is in Spring.<br /><br /><img alt="spring poison ivy" border="1" height="345" src="http://www.poison-ivy.org/images/spring-1.jpg" width="350" /><br /><br />The fall colors can be deceiving.<br /><br /><img alt="poison ivy in fall" border="1" height="364" src="http://www.poison-ivy.org/images/fall-1.jpg" width="350" /><br /><br />It also climbs trees. <br /><br /><img alt="climbing poison ivy vine" border="1" height="467" src="http://www.poison-ivy.org/images/climbs-1.jpg" width="350" /><br /><em>(Pictures and source </em><a href="http://www.poison-ivy.org/html/faq.htm"><em>here</em></a><em>.)</em><br /><br />The vines themselves are "hairy", like a coconut, and can be inches thick.<br /><br />Now that you know what it looks like, here are some FAQ's that might help you if you come into contact with Poison Ivy. <br /><br /><strong>Where does Poison Ivy grow?</strong><br /><br /><img align="left" height="79" hspace="5" src="http://www.poison-ivy.org/images/maplet.gif" width="100" /><br /><br />All over the United States, except in the deserts and very high elevations. Some small areas of the most Western US do not have it. It grows in woods, in hedge-rows, along the edges of fields, and can even creep into lawns. It climbs trees, and can grow into bushes. <br /><br /><strong>How do I get poison ivy?</strong><br /><br />By touching it, or touching something <em>IT</em> touched (like your dog or your clothes). Using the mower or weed eater, or chain saw, can spray you with the poisonous oils (just ask Big A). Burning it puts the oils in the air, and into your lungs, so <em>NEVER</em> try to burn it away. And, a word to the wise: If hiking in the woods, bring some TP with you - DO NOT be tempted to wipe with leaves! <br /><br />(Some people appear to be immune to poison ivy, but even if I thought I was immune, I wouldn't trust that.)<br /><br /><strong>What does it feel like?</strong> <br /><br />The rash produces one of the "itchiest" experiences <em>EVER</em>. It can give you small spots that itch, or large blistered spots, that spread and itch. <br /><br /><strong>What Can I do if I am exposed?</strong><br /><br />As soon as you think you may have been exposed rinse in <em>COLD</em> water (hot water will open your pores and let more poison in). Rinse in the cold water for as long as you can stand it. <br /><br /><strong>What if I start to itch?</strong><br /><br />If the rash is large, blistered, or seems serious, <em>SEE A DOCTOR</em>. For less serious cases, spray your body with deodorant that contains aluminum, and/or use calamine lotion. <br /><br /><strong>Can I get rid of Poison Ivy?</strong><br /><br />You can not burn it. You can't pull it out. You should not mow it, weed-eat it, or chain-saw it (Honey? Are you listening?).  You can <em>TRY</em> using Round up, but it's my understanding that there's not a lot you can do to control poison ivy. <br /><br />Here's what I'm saying in a nutshell - Stay away from Poison Ivy - wear gloves, jeans, and generally cover up when you're working in the yard - especially if, like us, you have woods. Better safe than sorry, right? <br /><em></em><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><em>My next post will be happy, I promise! </em></div><em></em><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><em></em> </div><em></em><br /><em></em><br /><br />

Something's Lurking in the Woods Around My House...

And it's worse than a wild boar, a peeping Tom, or a stalker. It's Poison Ivy. Although it's been raining 6 out of 7 days this w...

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Me: 1 Weeds: 0

<div style="text-align: center;"><div align="left">I removed a dead snake, dodged several (live) large spiders, and unearthed hundreds of worms. There's still dirt under my nails, and my jeans are ruined. If I were a 12 year old boy, I'd be in heaven. </div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwVLqUqs9_6wIHA9q6PGdsI-v3dOVIYcjqo_46BXOn6_67qYJpmcVSGZbn8BUfENRQ48IrjrY0v28pv94Phn0ghTatYx2ZQ4fObE94V9YaJQ50FVnky0Hqfj60LLTxxC52gYBAzqlHESY/s1600/memorial+day+13+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwVLqUqs9_6wIHA9q6PGdsI-v3dOVIYcjqo_46BXOn6_67qYJpmcVSGZbn8BUfENRQ48IrjrY0v28pv94Phn0ghTatYx2ZQ4fObE94V9YaJQ50FVnky0Hqfj60LLTxxC52gYBAzqlHESY/s320/memorial+day+13+002.JPG" width="212" /></a></div><br />However, I'm not a boy or 12 years old. And, I'm not a happy gardener. I love the garden when it's all pretty and finished, but I complain and whine through the process of getting there. That being said, the storms finally subsided, and I managed to finish weeding and mulching my foundation garden - I'm <em>DONE</em>! But because I dislike gardening, I make sure I don't have to do it twice in one summer. Once is truly enough.<br /><br />Weeding and mulching are the answer to a hassle-free garden for an entire summer. The mulch conserves moisture in the soil, which means you ultimately water less. It keeps down weeds, by eliminating sun light to the soil, and keeps the soil cool for your plant roots. <em>PLUS</em>, it makes your yard prettier in general. Mulching around trees simplifies mowing - and it keeps string trimmers (that's so formal, let's say "weed whackers"!) and lawn mowers away from tree trunks. This makes my husband, Big A, happy. <br /><br />The first step with the garden is to weed. Weeding is my Room 101. As you may have guessed, I'm not into worms, spiders, or rotten leaves. I'm not very fond of getting dirty. But weeding each year is a necessary evil. I don't have any tips or tricks for weeding - it takes a lot of back breaking effort, plus a lot of time, and you get super dirty. Sorry. <br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Here's how to weed (a tutorial): </div><div style="text-align: center;">PULL. OUT. EVERY. SINGLE. WEED. BY. THE. ROOT.</div><br />When you have a 5 year old to entertain while you weed, take heed: <em>If you give him the hose to play with, he will soak the garden, and you will not only be weeding, you will be weeding on a mud slick. </em><br /><br />Assuming you survive the weeding, the next step is to prevent future weeds. Spread your plant-free areas with newspaper, about 4 sheets thick. If it's windy, as you lay the paper down, wet it with the hose, or get some more exercise chasing it around the yard. <br /><br />Once the newspaper is down it's time to mulch. The chart shows how much you will need. <br /><br />            <img alt="How much garden soil or mulch do I need?" border="0" src="http://www.homedepot.com/hdus/en_US/DTCCOM/HomePage/Know_How/Buying_Guides/Outdoors_Buying_Guide/Garden_Center_Buying_Guides/Mulch_Amendments/Images/mulch-chart.gif" /> <br /><div class="clear"> </div><div><div class="promo-copy-noimage"><!--This comment line added to address the div tag issue in DCTM 6.5 please dont remove this comment line-->Mulches should be applied at a 3" depth. Therefore, six 1 cubic foot bags will cover 24 square feet. This may be a little confusing, so, just ask at the store. I ended up needing 30 bags of mulch for my garden. You can do that math if you wish  - I prefer to save what little brain activity I have for trying not to get hurt while handling tools and such.</div><div class="promo-copy-noimage"> </div><div class="promo-copy-noimage"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Chart courtesy of </span><a href="http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/catalog/servlet/ContentView?pn=Mulch_Amendments&storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Home Depot</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">)</span></div></div><br />Once I had the mulch that I needed, I laid each bag along the edge of the garden, where I thought I would need it. (Just to save hauling it bag by bag from the truck while I was spreading.)<br /><br />Spreading the mulch is easy. Just pour each bag where you think you're going to need it. Spread with the back side of the garden rake (not with the tines). Once it is spread out fairly well, it's easiest to finish spreading it up to the plants with your hands. Don't get the mulch near the base of the plant, leave a little room. <br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXR4zFtw5yiJoVcenfxGGQB8GGzIXDxcLD_KKqctqpaJh22nOyI0wgxIb7wo5dd_Pe6DTJ6Vh2OX0j4KzhQmwJkyjT_pRlKOTOqrXwzFKOnmJKvgEQX3parfgvOamR5Ri2jVPY3Waj5_0/s1600/memorial+day+13+012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXR4zFtw5yiJoVcenfxGGQB8GGzIXDxcLD_KKqctqpaJh22nOyI0wgxIb7wo5dd_Pe6DTJ6Vh2OX0j4KzhQmwJkyjT_pRlKOTOqrXwzFKOnmJKvgEQX3parfgvOamR5Ri2jVPY3Waj5_0/s320/memorial+day+13+012.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Now a couple of notes: <br /><br /><ul><li>Putting untreated mulch up against your home’s foundation can lead to termite infestation. They are nasty. Make sure the untreated mulch is at least 12" away from your foundation. (We bought the treated mulch). </li></ul><br /><ul><li>Don't pile mulch right up to tree trunks or plant bases.The mulch holds moisture against the trunk, and that makes a breeding ground for fungus (or is it fungi?), which can eat right through the bark and cause the tree to die. Mulch should <em>never</em> be closer than six inches to a trunk.</li></ul><br /><ul><li>Mulch will last a summer or two, but isn't a permanent solution. All mulched areas should be renewed every couple of years by raking out the old material, re-spreading it thinly, and then covering it with fresh mulch.</li></ul><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwVLqUqs9_6wIHA9q6PGdsI-v3dOVIYcjqo_46BXOn6_67qYJpmcVSGZbn8BUfENRQ48IrjrY0v28pv94Phn0ghTatYx2ZQ4fObE94V9YaJQ50FVnky0Hqfj60LLTxxC52gYBAzqlHESY/s1600/memorial+day+13+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6VurXq3i6G3mPO1JXtPpVLKckLu0vijaHMvBLBLZG1ari6qMLwn-shTvDJNSYn53ZqSK8ld-PZOVj1oLYsDG9bMpGc466EWLnRDM2PSqUHuuC-gQAmFnMPjZUu1wvp4KqudTSVIXg1hs/s1600/memorial+day+13+008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6VurXq3i6G3mPO1JXtPpVLKckLu0vijaHMvBLBLZG1ari6qMLwn-shTvDJNSYn53ZqSK8ld-PZOVj1oLYsDG9bMpGc466EWLnRDM2PSqUHuuC-gQAmFnMPjZUu1wvp4KqudTSVIXg1hs/s320/memorial+day+13+008.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div>With the garden done for this summer, I am so relieved. Now I can go back to painting things, and planting in containers! Phew! <br /><br />PARTY TIME: <br /><span style="color: #45818e;"></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://boogieboardcottage.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Masterpiece Monday at Boogieboard Cottage</span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Mop It Up Monday at I Should Be Mopping the Floor</span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.alderberryhill.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Make the Scene Monday at Alderberry Hill</span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.asortafairytale.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Monday No Rules Blog Hop at A Sorta Fairytale</span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://thegirlcreative.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Just Something I Whipped Up at The Girl Creative</span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://betweennapsontheporch.net/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Metamorphasis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch</span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://makingtheworldcuter.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Making the World Cuter Monday</span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Before and After at Thrifty Decor Chick</span></a><span style="color: blue;"> (first Monday of the month)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://thegunnysack.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">What's in the Gunny Sack at the Gunny Sack</span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://thededicatedhouse.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Make It Pretty Monday at The Dedicated House</span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.modvintagelife.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Mod Mix Monday at Mod Vintage Life</span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.creativecaincabin.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Budget Decorating Party at Creative Cain Cabin</span></a><br /><a href="http://www.skiptomylou.org/2013/04/29/made-by-you-monday-150/"><span style="color: blue;">Made By You Monday at Skip to my Lou</span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://diyshowoff.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">That DIY Party at DIY Showoff</span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://homecomingmn.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">The DIY'ers Link Party at Home Coming</span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.creativelylivingblog.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Monday Funday at Creatively Living</span></a><br /><a href="http://jembellish.blogspot.com/2013/04/a-round-tuit-151.html"><span style="color: blue;">A Round Tuit at Creating My Way to Success</span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div></div><br />

Me: 1 Weeds: 0

I removed a dead snake, dodged several (live) large spiders, and unearthed hundreds of worms. There's still dirt under my nails, and my ...

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Cowboy Style

[caption id="attachment_546" align="aligncenter" width="225"]<a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/photo1.jpg"><img alt="" class="size-medium wp-image-546" height="300" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/photo1-225x300.jpg" title="photo" width="225" /></a> Wellington Garden Boots[/caption]<br/><p style="text-align: center;">For those of you who garden, why not do it cowboy-style!!!</p><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> 

Cowboy Style

[caption id="attachment_546" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Wellington Garden Boots[/caption] For those of ...

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Garden phobia

Staying with the garden "theme" that I have going at the moment, I was thinking about why, no matter how hard I try to like it, I dislike gardening.  I dislike yard work.  And it's not because I'm lazy. (I swear!)<br/><br/>When I was growing up, we had a few decent sized gardens, for both flowers and vegetables.  Strike that, my <em>PARENTS</em> had gardens.  We were encouraged to help in the gardens - pull a few weeds, eat a few peas...  You would think that those memories would evoke a certain amount of appreciation for gardening.  But I all I can remember are these few incidents:<br/><br/>1.  The tomato plants.  I loooove tomatoes.  They're delicious right out of the garden.  My mom used to slice them for us, and we'd eat them with a little sprinkle of salt.  However, one morning, someone else took a liking to fresh tomato, this guy:<br/><br/><img alt="" data-height="183" data-width="275" height="183" id="rg_hi" src="https://encrypted-tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSOd46-SI778aqWOv-uqnUuHTL5qkWDNcCEiwNBm7QmXZCRtULnaQ" width="275" /><br/><br/>A tomato horn worm!  And all of his brothers and sisters.  Nothing turns you off tomatoes faster than having to de-horn-worm tomato plants!<br/><br/>2.  Digging in the garden with a hand trowel.  There's no getting around having to dig around the plants in the garden (either to weed, or dig up potatoes, etc.).  I don't have a problem with that, I guess.  What I do have a problem with is this:  no matter how careful you are, you will cut a worm in half.  And both halves still move.  If that's not disturbing to a 10 year old girl, I don't know what is.  And, it's scarred me for life.<br/><br/>3.  Mowing/raking grass.  Now this story is fuzzy.  Either I blacked out right then and there and lost some of the details, <em><strong>or</strong> </em>I later blanked some of the details from my mind, so that I could live a fairly normal life.  I was working in the front yard, and I'm pretty sure I was raking the grass cuttings, and I think I was in bare feet.  Either way, here's what I'm getting at:  <em>I. STEPPED. ON. A. BABY. BIRD.  And it "popped".</em>  Horrifying!<br/><br/>And, that's why I don't believe I'm lazy.  I believe that I was traumatized in the garden as a child, and now it takes sheer determination for me to garden at all!<br/><br/>Today, in an effort to feel better about myself, and my obvious gardening phobia, I looked up "gardening horror stories" and "stupid gardening mistakes"...  This story from another sight made me laugh, and cheered me up, so I thought I'd share it with you!<br/><br/>A tale of turnips, from <a href="http://www.gardenweb.com">www.gardenweb.com</a> (IE. this is not my story):<br/><br/><em>My MIL had a big, beautiful garden on the side of a hill, and as her family was getting smaller, she offered me all the space I wanted. I planted a lot of vegetables, but the mistake I made was that I planted the whole packet of turnip (rutabaga) seeds. I had a row of turnip 50 feet long. I had the nicest crop of turnip you could imagine. There was only my husband and myself to eat them, but I know lots of people that like them, I could give some away.</em><br/><br/><em>When it came time to harvest them, I worked my heart out. I'd cut off the root and leaves, and fill the wheelbarrow, trot the wheelbarrow down the row and pile the turnips on the grass. I worked for hours!</em><br/><br/><em>Finally, I was done, I took the knife into the house and washed it off, and went back out to the garden to admire my turnips. I had a pile of turnips as tall as I am. I was almost up to this great pile when a few turnips at the bottom of the pile moved, the whole lot of them started rolling down the hill. I was chasing after them, I'd gather a few in my arms and when I'd reach for another the ones in my arms would get away and continue down the hill. I must have made quite a sight, because my brother-in-law was laughing at me. "You'd better catch them," he</em> called,<em> "They're going to wipe out the neighbor's house"!</em><br/><br/><em> </em>Now, that's funny!<em>  </em><br/><br/>Got any gardening horror stories?<em> </em>

Garden phobia

Staying with the garden "theme" that I have going at the moment, I was thinking about why, no matter how hard I try to like it, I ...

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Shoulda Used Mulch

<blockquote><br/><div align="center"><br/><p style="text-align: left;"><em>So, as I mentioned in my last post, I kinda dropped the ball, and left my new garden nekkid, while I took off for two weeks.  I came home to a garden filled with full grown weeds, some larger than my actual plants.  So without further ado, I'm off to finally buy some mulch!  Apparently the number one way to keep the weeds at bay, is to use mulch! </em></p><br/><p style="text-align: left;"></p><br/><p style="text-align: left;"><em>Not to mention, mulching flower and vegetable gardens will not only greatly reduce the amount of time spent on your knees weeding, it also helps with watering and fighting pests. Mulch also looks nice, and it keeps dirt from splashing up on your flowers and vegetables when it rains.</em></p><br/><p style="text-align: left;"></p><br/><p style="text-align: left;"><em>I am going for the wood chip type mulch, but there are all kinds of things you can choose.  Oyster shells, stone, newspaper, leaves....  The organic mulches are made out of a material that used to be living, such as bark, straw, leaves, grass clippings and pine needles. These mulches add nutrients to the soil as they decompose and also encourage earthworm activity.  (He he.  "Earthworm activity".  What is that, like, do worms have summer camps where they have "activity day", making little potholders for their moms?)</em></p><br/><p style="text-align: left;"><em></em></p><br/><p style="text-align: left;"><em>Anyway, if your buying wood mulch it can be pretty overwhelming trying to figure out how much to buy!  Mulch is usually sold by the cubic yard, and if you're anything like me, you'll stand there, starting at the pile of mulch bags, <del>lost and confused</del> deep in thought... </em></p><br/><p style="text-align: left;"><em> </em></p><br/><p style="text-align: left;"><em>Save yourself the stress, because here’s the easiest way to figure it out:</em></p><br/><p style="text-align: left;"><em> </em></p><br/><p style="text-align: left;"><em>1. First, find out the area you want to cover in square feet. In other words, multiply the length of your garden by the width.</em></p><br/><p style="text-align: left;"><em> </em></p><br/><p style="text-align: left;"><em>2. Next, decide how deep you want your mulch to be, in inches. A couple of inches is usually sufficient.  More is not necessarily better.</em></p><br/><p style="text-align: left;"><em> </em></p><br/><p style="text-align: left;"><em>3. Now multiply the size of your garden in square feet (#1) by the depth of your mulch in inches (#2).</em></p><br/><p style="text-align: left;"><em> </em></p><br/><p style="text-align: left;"><em>4. Divide the number you get in #3 by 324. This is the number of cubic yards of mulch you will need to cover your garden.</em></p><br/><p style="text-align: left;"></p><br/><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">So, there you have it.  Mulch 101.  </span></p><br/><br/></div></blockquote><br/> 

Shoulda Used Mulch

So, as I mentioned in my last post, I kinda dropped the ball, and left my new garden nekkid, while I took off for two weeks.  I came home to...

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Diggin' it!

Once the garden was ready for planting, we needed only to dig the holes for the plants and plop them in!  We measured where we wanted each plant, so we knew right were they all had to go.  Here's what it all looked like before we planted:<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/digging-it.jpg"><img alt="" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-343" height="300" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/digging-it-199x300.jpg" title="digging it!" width="199" /></a><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/before-digging.jpg"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-344" height="199" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/before-digging-300x199.jpg" title="before digging" width="300" /></a><br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/>It's was pretty grim, but I kept myself optimistic!  Below are the "after" shots, which I think look considerably better than no garden at all!  We don't have mulch yet, but that's next...<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/planted.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-345" height="199" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/planted-300x199.jpg" title="planted!" width="300" /></a><br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/the-front-garden.jpg"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-346" height="199" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/the-front-garden-300x199.jpg" title="the front garden" width="300" /></a>And I'm looking forward to seeing the garden by the end of summer, and certainly by the end of next summer, when it will all be flourishing and the plants will look a little more substantial.  Planting a garden certainly gives new meaning to the phrase "Hurry up, and wait"!<br/><br/> <br/><br/>Now, contrary to my depiction of how to plant a garden (ie. plop the plants in) there are a few steps you’re going to want to take in order to <del>not murder</del> help your plants thrive.<br/><br/>- First, when you've selected your plants and get them home, make sure you water them in their pots the day before you intend to plant.  I watered mine when we got home and then again the evening before I planted them.  (I suppose it goes without saying, you don't want to wait too long to get them in the ground.) I made sure the water ran right through the soil and out the bottom of the pot.  Of course, I had help:<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/water-each-plant.jpg"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-347" height="259" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/water-each-plant-300x259.jpg" title="water each plant" width="300" /></a><br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/>- Remove the plants from the containers the minute you want to drop them in the ground. In other words, don't remove the plants from their pots while you dig and leave them sitting in the sun because the roots will dry out.  We planted on a 90 degree day, with full sun (not advisable), which had we left the plants out of their post, could have easily damaged the roots.<br/><br/>- When you take the plant from the pot (gently!), look at the very bottom of the roots. If the roots are densely packed or growing in a circle, gently pull them apart  with your  fingers, so they can spread out once in the ground.<br/><br/>- According to my Mom, the gardening expert, when you dig the hole for each plant, make it the the depth it was in the pot. If you plant them any deeper, the stem of the plant could rot. If you plant them too high the roots could dry out.  But I confess, we had some really tough digging, in rock hard clay. I did plant one shrub too high, about an inch, and I just piled the dirt up to the level I needed. BUT, <em>I swear</em>, I’m gonna watch that particular plant and keep the dirt mounded there.<br/><br/>- Once you fill in your hole around the new plant, don't press down too hard on the plants as you fill in the holes, lightly will do.  Over time, watering will settle them into the ground.<br/><br/>- Water the newly planted garden as soon as it is finished and make sure it gets watered each week, especially if its HOT.  Try not to get the leaves wet in hot sun because they can burn.  Also, it’s important not to get the leaves wet at night because if the water sits on them, they can rot.  <em>SO</em>, my deduction is this, avoid burns and rot altogether, and water only at the roots.  Not having a “soaker hose” I took my regular hose and set it to very low water pressure.  Then I set it at the root area of each shrub for about 5 minutes.  For the smaller plants (perennials) I set it on each for about 3 minutes.<br/><br/><em><strong>So with the garden essentially finished</strong>, this morning, at 7 a.m., with a sore back and coffee in hand, I watered my new garden and had a few <del>barely coherent</del> very intelligent reflections about the garden project/birthday "gift" to share:</em><br/><br/>Digging a garden makes for a pretty tiring couple of days.  I'm starting to re-think my idea of digging our own patio...  Or maybe not...  After all, Big A is still speaking to me....<br/><br/>I will never again paint my toes before digging a garden, especially because apart from when I was digging the holes, I wore flip flops....<br/><br/>How am I gonna keep the dog out of here ....<br/><br/>Should we have the brown mulch or the reddish looking mulch....<br/><br/>But, my main notion was this  - I'm very excited to see how all of my plants grow and how they'll transform the look of our home<em>.  </em><br/><br/> <br/><br/> 

Diggin' it!

Once the garden was ready for planting, we needed only to dig the holes for the plants and plop them in!  We measured where we wanted each p...

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