TheCapeBlog

I transplanted several bunches of Hosta from the front to the corner by the stairs.

They were pretty crowded in the old location, so I’m hoping that the change will benefit them.

I picked the plants with all-green leaves, on the theory that because they won’t receive as much sun, they need all the chlorophyll they can get.

It was hard work and frustrating because the plants were so close together, I couldn’t avoid breaking leaves.

I found some worms and put them in the compost bin, which doesn’t smell all that great, so I added more ground up leaves and will try to turn it some more tomorrow.

Finished painting the section of fence that’s been in the shed. We’re supposed to get sun on Wednesday, so I hope to assemble everything then. I changed my order with Eagle to an 8-foot length instead of 7 because of all the rotted wood that needs to be cut off the ends. Poor fence!

I like this combination for the shady area next to the back stairs. Vinca would work for a ground cover.

Did some more painting in the shed today, as well as a foolish attempt to work on the fence in the rain. Fortunately, Mother Nature provided a good downpour afterwards to save my poor plants.

Robert and Emme went to Youth Group together for the first time in months. They had fun and she volunteered to work on the youth Sunday service in June.

They ate very well when they got back, a surprise because it was a no-gimmick supper: steamed salmon trout, broccoli with cheese sauce, mashed potatoes. Robert did a great job smashing the potatoes.

Emme came over today and as before, was a big help getting things done.

She planted zinnia and “money plant” seeds, ground cover, arranged popsicle sticks to define the placement of new bulbs in the fall, and sprayed the roses.

I added a compost starter to break down the compost and turned it; sprayed the tomatoes; and put lime on the lilacs and clematis.

We went to Woods Hole to check out the Earth Day activities, visited Spohr Gardens and stopped by the West Falmouth library so we could see what their gardens look like in early Spring.

I attended an excellent lecture at Sandwich Agway in the morning and learned that the implement I’ve been calling a pitchfork is really one of the gardener’s best friends, a spading fork. It has shorter tines than a pitchfork and is used to loosen soil and turn compost.

I paid bills today, stopped by Mahoney’s and Bush Gardens, did some food shopping, made chicken and rice for Fluffles, who threw up again.
I tried to do some painting, but by that time, I was tired and hungry. Found more problems with the fence, so sprayed it down with a bleach solution to get off the mildew, and left the painting for tomorrow.
Felt better after an early supper, so I put up another shelf in the shed and did some organizing.

Dug out another fence post.
Fed the big hydrangeas in the front, the azaleas and the holly.
To be done: feed the small hydrangea in the front and the six in the back. Paint the fence. Bring the old stuff to be replaced.

Finished planting the morning glory seeds today.

Fed 1/2 teaspoons of super phosphate to the “late” Miss Kim, the blueberries and the Montauk Daisies in the back. Fed Plant Tone to the peony and the other shrubs in the corner, hoping they’ll get some sun and dry off before nightfall. Put down more Repels around the tulips, which are really pretty today.

I’ll do the front shrubs some morning this week: azaleas, hydrangeas, the Andromeda. Will need to do the rest of the back garden, too, a big job. Would like to get all the heavy duty outdoor stuff done before starting at Fisheries, including the fence. Will try to recruit the kids to help.

Mr. Fluffles took the sun for a brief period this afternoon.

More frost, but I didn’t cover the roses again, for fear of breaking off the leaves. They seem to be fine. Started painting the fence yesterday. Got the small section done – looks good, but the work is tedious. Five to go. Dropped off the bad fence post to Reliable Fence in Hyannis as a template for a new one. They can’t duplicate the cut exactly, but I’m hoping it’ll be good enough. A/C in the truck isn’t working again, probably a leak and probably I won’t get it fixed – too expensive. Good meeting yesterday with Marie Sastre at 4Cs. She had some interesting suggestions for Mentor TechWorks. Give Camp con call with Jim and Kelley yesterday morning.

It was around 20 degrees when I woke up this morning. Removed two of the pillow cases that had covered the roses in the circle. The fabric was frosty and had that nice fresh air scent.
The cure may have been worse than the disease for the other roses; I’m afraid some of the delicate leaves may have broken off.
The sweet pea seedlings survived, as did the few healthy plants in the cold frame.
I threw some daisy and wildflower seeds in the planters next to the stairs. Think I’ll start the poppies and put them in the cold frame.

The lawn and tree people were here today, fertilizing the grass and spraying the oaks and the ornamentals.
I pruned all of the lavender – need to replace four plants.
Finished pruning one of the Miss Kims, two more to go. The fourth really does look dead.
One of the roses had black leaves at the tips, and the rose expert at Mahoneys thinks it was due to the cold. Seeing as how frost is predicted after midnight tonight, I put pillow cases and other lightweight fabrics on the rose bushes.
Spent several hours and hundreds of dollars at Hyannis Toyota this morning while they completed 120k service and recharged the A/C.
Had a job interview this afternoon.