Crab Grass BE GONE!

Image courtesy of goodbadandugly2.wordpress.com

Late August to mid-September is the perfect time of year to seed and feed your lawn for the winter and hopefully eradicate that horrid crab grass for good.

I usually seed in the early spring (early April) but have never really seeded in the fall. This could possibly explain why crab grass continues to blight my little lawn.

Look at your supplies and stock up on your grass seed...cause next week we are spreading some seed!

VN Day (Victory over Nature Day)

Here's the tally so far...

Nature: 25*
Me: 30**

Well add ONE more to mine...making it a big, old, whopping 31!!!!!

YEAH, NATURE!! IN YOUR FACE!!!

Remember that blank patch of dirt I had in the early summer where I planted seeds (Morning glory, nasturtium and spanish flag). You don't?? Let me give you a visual.



Well look at it NOW!
Nasturtium

Morning Glory

Alright, so I will give it to Nature that she appears to have absorbed the Spanish flag seeds. However I consider it a worthy sacrifice to her for allowing the other plants to grow. Plus I would like to thank her for all the rain we've been having which saves me time and gives me ample opportunity to watch Real Housewives Marathons on Bravo (Oh, you know you watch it too.) Now if we could talk about the weeds.....

*Estimated but probably a lot higher
** Again estimated, probably a lot lower but let Nature get her own blog and keep track. Bleh! *sticks tongue out*

Happy Fourth of July!

Here are some pictures of plants that I will be discussing in the near future!



Hens and Chicks
I actually forget what these are called! Time to break out the information cards!

Geraniums

Lamb's Ear

Asiatic Lily

Hope you have a happy and safe holiday! Try not to eat too many hot dogs!

Moving on up...to the next yard!! (sing The Jefferson's theme in your head)

I was assessing my little yard today and the flowers that I have planted and have come to the conclusion that for some reason I may have been stricken with a dab of color-blindness this year. I have WAAAAAYYY too many different colors going on flower-wise, as you can see...it looks like a psychedelic circus and not the good kind (Is there a good kind? you ask. Yes! I answer.) Plus the one torch lily I have is HUGE and needs some room to breathe.

The photos don't actually look that bad...trust me...it's too much


The Monster Torch Lily


So what do I do?

My lovely neighbor, who is an overworked and underpaid police officer in this fabulous city is allowing me to take over her yard and plant some of my stuff! YAY! As an added bonus I am moving the flowers that have a tendency to be the ones the mysteriously "disappear" (read: picked by jerks) on a routine basis near the sidewalk.

The Blank Canvas


Here is what I am planning on transplanting into her yard and some basic info on each of the plants.

Asiatic Lily (the orange ones)

Light Exposure: Full to Partial Sun
Type: Perennial, Multiply over time
Bloom Time: June
Colors: white, red, orange, pink, yellow
Best Uses: Cut Flowers, Interesting foliage
Water: 1 inch per week.
Water at the root and not at the top of the flower to reduce rot.
When to plant: Spring

Torch Lilies (aka Red Hot Poker or Kniphofia)

Light Exposure: Full Sun
Type: Perennial, spreads to 3 feet over time
Bloom time: Different types bloom May to October
Colors: Red, orange, yellow, cream
Best Uses: attracts hummingbirds & bees, interesting foliage after flowers die, very unique flower, can be divided
When to plant: Spring or Fall




Tools Needed for Project:
Gardening gloves
Spade (Shovel with pointed end)
Edging tool
Tarp
Heavy duty garden refuse bags (get them at Home Depot or Lowes)

We have Seedlings!! (and lots of bird poo)

Some of the seeds I planted are starting to emerge! How do I know they aren't weeds? I don't, but I can dream--so BACK OFF! Whew! Too much caffeine this morning.

I am assuming that is what they are because they don't look like the normal weeds I am used to cursing at and removing with vigor and vengence.

I must say I have not had to put that much work into them and they are growing (my kind of plant(s)!) It also helps that we have been having regular rain and I have not had to water as much, which I love because sometimes (read: most of the time) I like to be lazy.

Here are some pics of the progress. I'd like to thank the birds for taking a big fat crap all over them and ruining the picture. Could I have taken the time to wash them off prior to shooting them? Yes. Did I? No. Why? Lazy. Plus it's going to rain later. Trying to be green, people. Al Gore would be proud.

Sometimes I Hate Rain.

Before

After


It's literally been raining for 2 weeks straight but it stopped long enough for me to mow my lawn which was a jungle!! (Note: The images above do some justice to the wreck that was and subsequent tailoring of my yard however are not equal in ANYWAY to the scale of my little patch of dirt.) I had to stop and unclog the blades on my little electric mower 2 times during the course of mowing, that's how bad (and tall) it was.

Here's a sneak peek of projects I will be reporting on soon!

1. Planting seeds and the results (hopefully **crosses fingers**)
2. Preparing the ground for and planting a new rose bush! (This should be fun--I have never done this before!)
3. Moving established plants and bulbs to new locations!
4. Planting new bulbs from potted spring plants!

I CANNOT WAIT....but it's supposed to start raining again tonight! Boo.

(Image courtesy of South Carolina Golf Course and travelblog.com )