RUG HOOKING BLOG

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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.

Saturday, October 17, 2015

38 YEARS IS LONG ENOUGH...

This week I continued cleaning out flower beds and cut down the stems of my Peonies right down to the ground. Then on a whim, I decided to dig up those Peonies I'd been wanting to dig up for so long... The weather was summer like but the ground was saturated because of the heavy rain we had the day before. The mud was sticking to my boots, making walking very clumsy.

Had I known I would dig them out, I would have left the stems on to make handling easier.

At long last I dug up my old clumps of Peonies after 38 years in the same spot without being disturbed. It was difficult mowing around the Peonies  because I had three little flowerbeds instead of one continuous one. In 1977, I had just dug three small holes and buried three small pieces of Peony roots that I got from my mother in law. One white and two red. They have bloomed every year since, giving me  fragrance, beauty and abundant joy.


This is an old picture. You can see the three green flowerless little clumps of Peony by the shed in the fall. They were growing right in the lawn.


Although it's hard to make out, there are two red peonies side by side. See how the weeds are keeping them company.



And here is the white Peony. The fragrance is incredible when in bloom. They still bloom every year even though they're not in full sun as they should be...

I was really surprised at the size of the roots under the ground. It was a man job but I decided I was WOman enough to do it myself... The ground was sticky and heavy so I purchased a large bag of potting soil with perlite to lighten it up. It will make weeding a bit easier in the Spring.



My boots were getting heavy with mud sticking under so I had to use cardboard to walk on while digging.


Here are the divisions of the white Peony.  You can see the buds for next year.



This is the roots that are being discarded from the white Peony. After choosing a few good specimen, I even threw more roots away.

When digging Peonies, it's better to leave the stems on so you can see where they are when you dig them out  and it's easier to grab them by the stems to pull them out.... I don't think that I'll ever  dig these out in another 38 years though... I would be 107 years old. hahaha.




This is a picture of the finished border by the shed this morning. Notice our first heavy frost... I still have some sod to remove by the lilac tree in the middle of the flowerbed. I stuck red reflectors where the peonies are planted. I might stick some tulips in the new dug soil if it stop raining long enough next week before the ground freezes.



All that hard work made me hungry so here is a nice ham and broccoli quiche, Very yummy. I rolled out some pie dough I had in the fridge and as quick as a wink, my quiche was ready for the oven. I set the timer on and ask George to take it out of the oven when ready. A task he didn't mind doing...



Cypress wanted me to take a photo of him so  he got the step stool and set it up and waited for the camera to flash. Quite the little ham. I love his pumpkin shirt. He wiped out on the rug at his home and got a rug burn on his chin, poor little fella.



This is my front yard today and now it's raining again. At least it's not snowing.

Today I'm keeping my friends in Bakersfield California in my prayers as they are dealing with closed  out roads and mudslides after heavy rain. Keep safe....

Thanks for visiting and leaving your comments. I always appreciate your point of view.
Have a safe and good weekend.
JB

23 comments:

  1. Hello lovely Julia!
    Wow, your peonies were beautiful but if it makes the mowing easier, then it's much better!!! It's HARD digging up plants isn't it- if they've been there for 38 years, then I imagine they were super tough!!! Well done for working on them!
    Look at your frost- we haven't seen that yet but it's been mightily nippy!
    I went to try and clear up the weeds, debris and earth near where our car is parked in the communal carpark as a neighbour left messages asking everyone to do their bit and it was very hard work as we have the length of our car compared to the width everyone else had!
    Cypress is so sweet- he's so smiley- what a darling!!
    Your quiche looks delicious- I DO love homemade quiche. I've never actually made one before- I should try!
    How are the calves? They must be big now!
    Thanks for your comments on the cat items- they are really cute and I'm pleased you liked them too!
    xx

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  2. lots of work!! sweet little pumpkin poser you have. :)

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  3. Do you know I can only dream of peonies like that? It is so hot here we really are not in the zone, but I have always wished I could have wonderful peonies like that. I didn't even know they are fragrant until you said they are. Mine aren't. They are just beautiful. Cypress is adorable. I like his pumpkin shirt. I think that is so cute that he wanted his picture taken.
    It sounds like you are having a perfect fall day. It is nice here, we are supposed to get more rain. :) Thanks for keeping all of those poor people and those hard working men who are trying to dig out cars. I have never seen this in my whole life. Have a wonderful Sunday Julia.

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  4. Your peonies were beautiful and didn't realize they came in the tuber variety. When first building this house in 1997 I was so anxious to plant gardens, ground cover, plant trees and now realize the ground cover encroaches, grass on acreage is a pain, as are some plants that I used to love.

    Oh my but I used to love quiche. Perhaps I'll check out to see if there is a recipe using Eggos instead of all real eggs with the cholesterol yolk.

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  5. We always had peonies when I was growing up. I just planted 3 this spring. I hope they grow as lovely as yours! I won't be here in 38 years either! Ha! Hard work is no match for your tenacity!

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  6. You are one hard worker Julia a WOman for sure!!! I love peonies, a beautiful fragrant hardy plant and have truly proven themselves - 38 years wow! Your grandson is adorable and a little rug burn is just what boys do haha! Keep up the good work girl, you are one amazing person!

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  7. I wish I had some of those roots. We haven't gotten the hang of growing Peonies yet.
    We haven't had a decent rain in over a month. We won't have much color I'm afraid. Thirty miles on either side of us it's rained like crazy. Interesting weather.

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  8. Yikes! I never knew peony roots were so BIG! Looks like a hard workout getting them up from the ground! That quiche looks delicious!

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  9. That looked like a whole lot of hard work. I have a few peonies but don't intend to dig them up if the house sells. I have dug up some of my mothers iris and potted them to keep. We are expecting our first frost/freeze this weekend. Looks like winter will be here before we know it. Cyprus is a typical little boy with the marks to show for it. My son grew up with so many scrapes and bruises that I worried about what people thought! Quiche looks yummy!

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  10. Peonies are one of my favorites. Yours are beautiful.
    We haven't had a frost yet, but last eve I took my grandson to Boo at the Zoo and there were these little white pellets falling from the sky. Not snow, not hail, but C-O-L-D!!! Not a pleasant evening. The frost will come all too soon...sigh.
    Hugs :)
    Lauren

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  11. I love the white and pink peonies. They are so beautiful!

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  12. Don't the peony years go by fast? Mine are old, too!
    You are a good digger, JB.
    I'm glad to see a post from you, friend.

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  13. Yes. I would agree that 30+ years is enough.
    That is a lot of work. I had no idea roots were that crazy.

    Your yard is beautiful and I am Amazed with all you do to keep it up plus have your critters that are so time consuming too.

    The quiche looks delicious. I'm afraid I would have caved and stuck a frozen pizza in the oven.

    You are always an inspiration to me.

    Hugs.

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  14. Wow, that is amazing about your peonies. :-) My grandpa was a gardener for Pabst Estate in Southern Wisconsin. He loved peonies. My mom has some of his peonies, when I moved to Cameron she gave me some. So now they are all over the State of Wisconsin. :-))
    I love your gardens.

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  15. That's a long time to keep blooming. The garden's looking good.

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  16. Oh my! I didn't realize that peonies had such heavy roots. Gave you lots of new plant material for starting over. They sure have beautiful blossoms.
    Cyprus is just as cute as can be.
    We just had our first heavy frost yesterday. I hate to think of the s-word already.
    Happy to see a post from you. Keep well!

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  17. Love reading about your adventures with the peonies. Once again your post tired me out just reading about all that hard work! Cute little pumpkin!
    No frost here...ever!
    Robyn

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  18. Did I ever tell you that you work too hard? I am sure I have and probably will say it again:) . Nice job though. Love the little beautiful face:) Hug B

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  19. I wish you would come to NC and teach me how to grow those beautiful peonies. I love them and think they are one of the most beautiful flowers yet I haven't had much luck. Maybe next year....Cypress is so cute in his halloween shirt. Don't you love it when they want their picture taken.....

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  20. Hard to believe the cold is already upon us! The ground is getting hard and cold so soon this year here. Very tired and achy hands these days, with all the digging holes and planting. Will be so grateful once I get everyone tucked in for the wintertime.

    Enjoy these last days before the deep freeze. And your yummy kitchen art:)
    -Jennifer

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  21. Peonies looks beautiful. Sounds that you had a hard time in cleaning all these things and to get ready for a next round. Good food after a hard work...

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  22. The peonies are beautiful! I am so envious this drought is terrible . I am planting just succulents because were only allowed to water twice a week. How cute is Cypress! I love his outfit. Hugs cheri

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  23. How nice that you were keeping us in your thoughts when the mudslide hit us. It has been raining again, but a milder rain this time. Hope all is well in your world and that you take some time to REST,

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