Garden Journal 9/9/2001
Zone 7
Basil was probably planted too late. It blackens as soon as cold touches it, can't even be stored in refrigerator. Crop will probably be small unless we have a nice Indian summer. Luckily, nearby farmer's stand lets me cut my own so will freeze some of hers for winter use.
Parsley self seeds and has formed an amazing groundcover under butterfly bush. Bunny who lives there doesn't seem to eat much parsley but I think it was the critter who ate down the entire Baptisia (false indigo) plant a month or so ago. Took all the stalks off at about 8 inches from ground. Just now getting some new leaves on it.
Got a great book; Salad Gardens by Mimi Luebbermann on sale today - mostly for the recipe for Winter Parsley Salad with Herb-Crusted Goat Cheese. Yummy, I'm not going to wait until winter to try it.
I want to plant some fall crops and salad greens would be perfect. Also spinach planted in fall starts growing, seems to die off but then picks up with great speed in early spring. Now is also the time to plant garlic, trees and perennials. Oh and pansies!! I planted some in the mailbox garden and the look great, surrounding a new aster and the baby statue. Planted 3 in a small pot with water absorbing gel and fertilized with Miracle Grow. They are looking quite dead. I'm not sure why.
Sage is huge. Need to find a use for it.
Lemon scented variegated thyme is alive but struggling, having been overwhelmed with parsley and zinnias too close by
Lots of mildew, mold, mushroom and rust problems this year. Colder than usual summer and fairly wet.
Need to plant climbing hydrangea, rosemary, clematis, yellow columbine, Siberian iris – all sitting in the shade of the pussy willow. Pussy willow is swamped with black and white yellow jackets that seem to wonder aimlessly from leaf to leaf and ignore nearby flowers.
Liriope is very pretty when planted well. Blue flowers now. I want to locate a source for the 'creeping liriope' type I've seen at the National Arboretum.
Crepe Myrtle also very pretty now (needs full sun), as are impatiens, annual vinca, coleus that has been deadheaded., and grasses like variageted Miscanthus. Seems to be getting more popular.
Sedum autumn joy is so tall it flops over. Neighbor said she cut hers back like mums and it is more compact. May try that next year or may just divide them and use peony type suuport cages. Every day now it is covered with little brown butterflies and wasps.
I was bitten by something, near my armpit! I think a spider. It didn't hurt much at first but has now grown into a hot, hard, red area covering 1/3 of my upper arm. Benedryl and 2.5% Hydrocortisone cream seem to help. Research on bites says this is a local reaction, not an allergy. Also had similar bite on my ass about a month ago. Still have residual red, hard area from that.
Divided new hostas and cleaned up lambs' ears and potted up new plants. Left in shade under pine trees.
Collecting different coleous
types to root and make into houseplants for the winter and then use as stock plants in the spring. Have green/yellow variegated with ruffles, pink/red variegated with ruffles, flat leave burgundy and green, tiny leafed burgundy and green and blood red and green, pink/green ruffled and yellow ruffled.
Need to sprinkle collected seed of larkspur. Started with plants from Mary L. (neighbor).
Cary's baby turtles died (2 out of 3). Stupid to try to keep them, should have left them in the woods.
My front planter is gorgeous. Even has own resident praying mantis. Planted with double pink impatiens, pink zinnia, yellow/pink lantana, small and large leafed burgundy/green coleous, ruffled pink/green coleous, blue salvia and blue Nile lily that has not bloomed yet... Did have pink 'wave' petunias but powdery mildew got too bad and removed it.