RUG HOOKING BLOG

About Me

My photo
I'm a mother of four grandmother of seven and great grandmother of three. I live with my husband in the house that we built with the help of my brothers and will have been married for 57 years this February.

Friday, November 30, 2012

SLEEPING GARDENS

If you've been following my coming and going on this blog, you must know by now that I love  flowers. I got my love of flowers from my grandmother. She had some nice tiger lilies and some tall goldenrods.  I thought that when I'm older and  have my own house, I'll plant lots of flowers.

It all started so innocently with a little piece of this pretty bright yellow  Sundrop  perennial plant and a little piece of Phlox from my mother in law ages ago and a little piece of that one from a friend and before I knew it I was over run by flowers. I was planting seeds and needed to dig more beds to accommodate the plants divisions every year. I weeded faithfully even if I had to work in the rain.

Then I sent away for those plants and seed catalogues.  Petal greed took over... My husband had even built an attached hot house where my sunroom is now from recycled old heavy glass picture windows and angle aluminum frame. I could use it year round, starting all my own perennial and bedding plants.... I was in Petal Heaven....

Of course I was much younger and more energetic way back then. Every year I had to dig one more flower bed. It wasn't too difficult as I kept them weed free and mulched until I  had health issues  and not able to work much in the garden. Then the nasty flood  came and damaged lots of my work and brought so many weeds that I had never seen before. I started getting behind and couldn't keep up with all the flower beds. Winter came early and caught me unprepared and in the spring I had so much cleaning up to do in the beds that weeds would pop up and go to seed overnight it seemed.

I'm still not caught up but at least I've given myself a good head start for the spring. Oh I hope that the St John River doesn't overflows it's banks too much this coming spring. There's is absolutely nothing I can do about that.

Sorry, I don't have anything pretty to show you but sleeping beds today. As I reviewed my blog, I noticed that I have forgotten the huge bed at the back of the cedar hedge where my rhododendrons are .  It's needs major replanting and weeding. That bed has lots of weeds from the flood that just keep coming back.


On the left is what used to be my vegetable garden and is now a newly planted daylillies that I divided this fall  and the upper  narrow weed infested bed is a daylilly flower bed that needs to be dug up and weeded.




A the upper bed is daylillies and the lower bed is irises., some ground phlox at the lower end


Weeded and cleaned of dead foliage and the border redone.

This one need the border finished and also needs weeding. I cleaned out the dead foliage though.


Newly replanted and weeded. The border needs cleaning up as weeds got in between the bricks. Hopefully this will be done in the spring


My thorny rose bush needs the border cleaned up of weeds too.


My smallest bed of peonies needs the border cleaned of weeds


My hostas have been all cleaned up and luckily no weeds in this flowerbed.



This bed needs some landscaping as the rain water seeps in the basement when we have a heavy rain. Moss is growing here so it need major work.
I used to have foundation trees  in both beds in front of the house and I kept them pruned and when I was sick, they went wild and I had the pulled out and planted flowers instead.


Another bed inthe back cleared of dead foliage except my clematis growing on the chimney.

This is the other end . 



I have daffodils planted on the back deck. I had some excess bulbs and took two patio blocks out.


These are compost piles in the back of the hedge that are should be ready to use this spring. Not well managed as creeping charlie weeds crept in.

Hopefully the next time you see my flower beds it will be to show you some petals.

Take care and stay warm.  It's -8 Celcius in Fredericton right now. That's 17.6 Fahrenheit
Have a great weekend everyone.
JB

17 comments:

  1. Julia, I had 2 small flower beds in the backyard and I didn't touch them this year. But the weeds grew all by themselves. Lol

    ReplyDelete
  2. Put to bed for the winter!
    I see all those beds and I see work, therapy and potential!
    Beautiful yard.
    No wonder you are so busy!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Julia, Just shoot me your like a ever ready battery you keep going!I feel like a slacker when I see how much you accomplish.Lol Hugs Cheri Sit by the fire and warm your toes tonight.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great work, Julia. Wish I could grow some of the things you grow up there. Too hot down here for many of my favorites....would love to have daffodils and peonies but have to settle for buying them at the market.
    Have a great weekend,
    Robyn

    ReplyDelete
  5. If all that area were added together I think you would have about two acres of flower beds!
    I love the terraced area with the gazebo in the background. Yo do so much work for the farming part of your life and to add all this is a tremendous labor of love...Petal Love!
    It will be so beautiful in the spring and summer.

    ReplyDelete
  6. So this is what you do in your "older" days as opposed to your "younger" days? Wow, you do a great job of keeping up. I'm ashamed of myself! I didn't realize how close to the river you are. I'm assuming that's the river in the pics and not a pond? Your place looks amazing and I'll look forward to the blooms in the spring too! It's been very cold here but we're getting a nice weekend of a warm up. Have a good day!

    ReplyDelete
  7. And you didn't even show pictures of your two big flower beds in front of the cedar hedge!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, Christine, you are right. I forgot the two largest flower bed that runs along both Cedar hedges. It's hard to get all the pictures out without missing some.lol..

      Delete
  8. Gosh you are a hard worker Julia, that is so many flowerbeds. Flowers do that don't they? They just become more and more a part of what is important to me too.
    I really enjoy looking at your photos that you take around your place. I didn't realize that river was so close to your house.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Sweet Julia I don't think I have ever known anyone with as much energy as you must have. How do you keep up with all you do? When do you get sleep and rest. Your place is beautiful but you sure put a lot of work into keeping it that way. Hugs

    ReplyDelete
  10. Even of you plant no veggies this year because your "garden" is full of flowers, you know you can always pick what you need from my bed out back. <3

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Jackie, I'll go steal some veggies from your vegetable garden in the back and I might plant some tomatoes and cucumbers at the farm or even in my compost out back.

      Delete
  11. I so envy your energy And ability to do so many things so well

    I love reading your blog but you always make me feel like such a slacker Well that's because I am a slacker

    SIGH

    Typos are Siri's fault

    ReplyDelete
  12. Julia ~
    BBRRR! I hope you are staying warm. It was unseasonably warm here. Yesterday I mowed the lawn rather than rake the leaves. I don't think my entire lawn would equal half of your flower beds!
    Happy Sunday to you.
    Hugs :)
    Lauren

    ReplyDelete
  13. wonderful to see your petal heaven all tucked in for
    a long winter's nap....feels good, doesn't it.
    like when all the kids fell asleep at the same time
    and you finally get a real nap.
    that river nearby looks so nourishing and beautiful.
    i'm glad for the settling of the season.
    thanks for sharing,
    Jennifer

    ReplyDelete
  14. Julia, I am so impressed with the loving care you give your many gardens...you are such a hard working lady, Do you ever put your feet up and take five? The weather has become cold here in Maine, also a dusting of snow. It is beginning to look and feel like Christmas. Greetings, Julie.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Your sleeping gardens should be called "Sleeping Beauties"! You should see our gardens.....they are more wild and wooly....just not enough hours in the day...either that, or we're just not putting it high on our priority list this year.
    Very warm here, but good for putting up Christmas lights!

    ReplyDelete