Midwest Gardening:The Last Flowers of Spring

The Last Flowers of Spring!

Photos taken: May 12, 2020

Daffodils were so strong, and lasted over 3 weeks. Forsythia hung on a long time also.

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Last week we concentrated on getting the veggie gardens ready for planting---so hard to get so much done when we only have good weather a couple of days at a time.

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Red Tulips have always been my favorite--and this one was huge!

We had about 8" of rain over a period of 5 days up until Tuesday. So, much flooding and standing water everywhere. 

I took these photos before we started in on the veggie garden last week, as the last of the tulips were blossoming.

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I think the squirrels have been feasting on our bulbs. We will place a big order for bulbs to plant this Fall.

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I only had two red tulips this year, and then these few pinks. 

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Color is as photographed. So bright!  White Narcissus drooping in our warm weather. Those are the last of the those also.

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I love these almost wild looking French Tulips. My son as a surprise one year, came over and planted a 150 tulips in 2010, when I had my first knee replacement. Not too many left since then. 

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 My how time flies---and the birds too. We had an oriole on the front porch this morning. I've been hearing him, but that was the first we saw. I didn't get a photo, But, we have oranges hanging up now---so we will watch tomorrow morning 

and see if His Gorgeous Self  comes

 again.

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We had quite a few bunches of leaves, with no flowers, I will probably dig them all up when the gardens are planted

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For now after all the rain, these Iris are the only thing blooming, 

and are faux...sigh! 

Viburnum and Iris will pop this week though, if we don't get too much rain.

Our Sweet Peas are climbing 6" a day, and the Peonies are starting to swell. Both look very healthy this year.

Spring Anticipation....sigh! 

WHAT are YOU WATCHING 

and WAITING for to BLOOM?

Thank you for any and all comments.

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Sandi 

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Midwest Gardening: The Greenhouse May 12, 2020

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Hi Gardeners! Another post by two old farts trying to live a green life, and grow as much food as we can on a quarter acre. Our new (late last year greenhouse) has had a real work out, and was STUFFED until I moved some plants out to put in the garden. 

Our only claim to gardening skill, is trial and error since 1970. With our climate changes and huge weather fluctuations in N.Illinois, every year is a new experience.

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We finally have had a break in the weather. After 3 nights of frost/freeze, the next 10 days look great. I wanted to share the greenhouse at this date before I plant too much outside. Basically everything has been in here since early April. Our quartz heater can maintained 15 degrees higher than outside temps at night on medium, or 20-35 degrees at full blast. So even with freezing temps, we maintained at least 40+ degrees, usually 55 or more.

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During the day, we have to watch the temp and open all 5 windows and door, and run the fan if it is sunny. Blowing air makes stems stronger anyway. 

Here you can see a full pan of lettuce in front ready to go in the ground. On the floor are those slow Caladium pots.

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Sunflowers 15-18" high, and tomatoes 10-12"

Sunflower seeds from 2016---are ready to hit the ceiling. These are 4-6' Fiesta (red) sunflowers. Some will go in the garden and some by our flag pole in the front.

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I held the camera as high as I could to look down. These are San Marzano Tomatoes similar to Romas...and they look great after a slow start. The larger leaves on the right are Early Girls---num, we should have tomatoes by the middle of June.

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Asters, Coreopsis, Bachelor Buttons, Echinacea are all doing well. I bought a succulent mat and have been pulling it apart for rocky places. They have already tripled in size and should be perennials.

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More sunflowers, these are giant...8-10ft. tall, they will go along the fences where they can be assisted in staying up. We have some winds here.

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 I started this Swiss Chard (greens) on 4/19. It was in the colder area of the greenhouse. I will start it in the house next year, and also will plant in ground when these are moved to the garden. Chard is full-flavored and not bitter, rich in minerals and vitamins. Can't wait, it has gotten very pricey in the grocery stores.

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Coleus was transplanted 4/10, they are 2 months old. These will go out at the end of the month, if the weather holds. By then, the color variations and size will be distinctive.

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I planted two trays like this of peas, one is already in the garden with seeds also. Hopefully all our fencing and gates will keep the critters from eating them down to the ground.

 Most of the Pumpkins (4 different), pole beans, winter squash, zucchini, eggplant, and pickles were laid out in the garden for planting today. I will do photos in the next post. The greenhouse was very crowded, you could hardly turn around.

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I don't have the patience for seeding herbs, so I buy small inexpensive plants and make my own herb garden pots.

Marjoram winters over, as will Sage usually-but my Sage plant died last year, so here is a new one ready to go, lower left.

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Finally the Caladium bulbs are popping through, as are Liatris, Stargazer lilies. Alliums aren't up yet. Pansy  and Impatiens seeds are very slow---I won't do those again.

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Apparently Caladiums like more warmth. So I may just keep them in the house next year as long as I can. I have one pot inside which is over 18" tall now, larger Caladiums and an Elephant ear.

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Pots of Dill to mix in with flowers for Butterflies. A GREEN thing to do, Monarchs and Swallowtails like to lay their eggs on the succulent stems.  These are from seed.  Plus they will reseed themselves if undisturbed. 

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Here is our 5 x 14x 4 foot high compost pile in the back on April 20, 

before 1 large bale and 2 small of peat moss were tilled in.

One thing we have really noticed is a mixture of our compost pile dirt mixed with potting soil and a little peat moss has produced seeded plants with roots all the way to the bottom of the 28 oz tall glasses. 

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Compost pile May12, is down 2 feet as I have filled almost all the pots on our lot. We still have empties on the porch, but I'm going to add moisture control dirt to those pots mixed with this compost. I will fill the bin in the greenhouse(18 cubic feet) for transplanting in spring. Plus the density will help hold temps in Fall.

Composting makes the best soil (we have clay soil, so anything helps). We use grass clippings, leaves, and roots from all our potted plants/vegetables. All our kitchen scraps are broken down in a small spinning compost bin with a microbe additive and later buried under the pile. New stuff goes in back, and we pull it forward as it is broken down, mix in with the rest. 

Compost TIP: (NO meat, oils, dairy products, or banana peels). Since we are cooking at home, I have had more than usual a mount of veggie scraps---usually a 6 quart bowl, every 3-4 days. 

Compost TIP:Coffee grounds and eggs shells are the BEST for a compost pile. 

I will take photos of planting the veggies into the garden. Cool weather veggies first, tomatoes, and peppers last, with a few marigolds and 

sunflowers mixed in. Most of my flowers will be in pots and here and there.

I did move the lettuce and onions outside the greenhouse this week, and I filled all the large pots from the compost pile to the right.

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Front to back: Green onions, Bibb Lettuce from seed, and Turnips and Radishes (planted last week and not up yet).

THINGS WE LEARNED 

 THIS YEAR!

NO MORE: Starter pods, pellets, or peat pots...in the future. 

The planting pods silky bags do not breakdown and seem to trap the root systems. When tilling the garden, we found totally encased root balls in their bags from last year's tomatoes. This forced our tomatoes to send out roots from their stems above ground. Cutting the bags before putting in the ground, destroys so many tiny roots also as they try to break through. They just doesn't work the way they are described to. 

The pellets system starts seeds well, but are either too dry or too wet, because of their density. They crumble when transplanting and the roots were very hair-like rather than thick and healthy.

 The peat pots dry out quickly and mold if you water them too much. It's hard to know when to water when the outside always looks dry!

WE WILL USE THIS FOR STARTING SEEDS:

A good quality potting soil that is soft and doesn't clump mixed with our compost soil.

We will reuse the trays with plastic lids or clear covering. I have also started flower seeds in aluminum dollar store baking trays, with lids or covered in plastic wrap.

Poke a few drainage holes in the bottoms, and store on a cheap cookie sheet. Far less expensive than the fancy seed starting trays. And they can be reused.

Next Post: Planting the Garden with a Plan?

HOW'S YOUR GARDEN GROWING?

Please Share in comments.

Thank you for any and all comments.

Finally I am able to reply to comments by using Chrome. So all you Mac users who have upgraded to Catalina---this might help the glitches on Safari  and Blogger!

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Thank you for your cooperation, 

Sandi 

oldnewgreenredo

Keeping Busy! DIY, Gardening, Dolls

Idle hands are the Devil's workshop! 

How many times have you heard that---from your mom, grandmother, father...one of those busy-body friends who never stops moving?

Thankfully we have blogging, where we can partake of others' busy-ness! LOL.

Anyway, most of my posts here have been of the outside, the greenhouse, and the yard. Inside not much pretty is going on.

We had planned to purchase new sofas and chairs for the living room, paint, and do an entire refresh. But, when a pandemic strikes, we decided to sit on our funds and concentrate on the yard and garden.

Easter was pretty much non-existent here. I put some bunnies in the ivy tree, stuck the egg ring around my vase, and took a drive and threw a bag of projects out the car window to our grandgirl. She's getting so big and 4 new teeth...I can't wait to hug her and smell her hair.....sigh.

We've had Daffy's for almost 3 weeks now...all over our property. They need to be split--which I will do when they are done blooming to give to my neighbor. 

Our bird feeder is just far enough away, it's hard to get a focused photo. We put out different kinds of bird seed, for multiple visitors. This old feeder has two suet containers in it, and is a favorite of woodpeckers and cardinals.

The garden and the peat moss were tilled since this photo---and then dragged, but it has poured rain for three days now---maybe I can show hubbies hard work tomorrow.

I have two rhubarb plants that are just going nuts. Even though we are still on the cold side. 

When it is raining, I'm still very busy.

For those of you who remember my doll posts on this blog, I have moved them over to my doll blog: Barbieoldnewgreenredo 

I do PG stories with dioramas and a huge cast of characters ---ALWAYS AD-FREE and always safe for kids, how to's, and all sorts of creative stuff. 

Since I have become older, I find working on a smaller scale for 'redo's' is really easier on my body. Besides who doesn't have fun 'playing'. 

My latest project has been

this Grand Hotel refurbishment. I found it for $9.99---totally trashed, but with good bones. Enjoy the transformation.

Maybe it's because i was an only child, but I have never had issues with being alone, or keeping busy. 

So, my construction crew did some serious demolition here. 

Adding a new floor, atrium,  and expanding. 

The best laid plans of mice and men!

Richelle was the main designer on this project.

This is the bones that were transformed to this, below.

The bakery(left) was the only shop able to open, because of Covid-19!

I've done several posts on Sindy's Pattiserrie, and even how they bake the goodies. And, how busy they are serving the near north side neighborhood during the pandemic.

Since the shut-down, Salon Jacquie(on the right of the first floor) hasn't opened, but she is ready.

Jacquie and her staff had a meeting the night before the total shutdown...! 

I keep reality in my stories. Carefully worded to explain to kids of any age what is going on. I try to keep the stories ethnically diverse, politics and religion free, with a sense of humor. 

Life is funny, sometimes! But, certainly not all pink!

Upstairs are two apartments, and a fictitious eight more on the four missing floors above.  I haven't even begun to introduce those characters, yet. 

The mysterious Diva, Colette and Emilie, who just arrived from Paris, with a very eclectic style. Just what IS their story...we have to wait and see. 

Lara, the manager of the BMR Ltd in Chicago, lives in the last small studio apartment. At least she has had time to unpack and catch her breath. 

Upstairs Atrium, hall and Elevator.

Please come visit the (Barbie Grand Hotel) now the GrandView located in the near north Chicago area. It's an 1892 refurbished building.

Grand View Walk through!

I'm currently working on permanent walls, I did foam core to begin with, but decided, it was worth the time for some removable  plywood walls that are strategically hinged. It's a journey and will be one of those projects, never really done.

Just when I was finished, I was already planning the REDO! 

The downstairs lobby Atrium...perfect for a visit and coffee, (prior to shutdown). 

It's not all rainbows and unicorn farts---!

Here's the working craft room/doll room. 

 Hubby is finally working on my sink and water during the icky days, otherwise he is in the garage and yard. (Secret to a happy marriage and shutdown---alone time, lol!)

Here's a new storyline, I'm working on. Jacquie's family---since the salon can't open, they are strapped financially, but working together. 

I have two work stations....I can set up foldable dioramas here, and also work.

I seldom buy new dolls. But, Ella Fitzgerald is on the desk...she's gorgeous and will have a storyline as Colette's Ma`ma!

Waiting in the wings is Trish and her greenhouse garden center, which will soon be able to open again! 

*(Again, I work with current social conditions/weather here in Chicagoland).  She has lots of plants and seeds, and just about everything needed for an urban environment! 

So, that's why I'm not decorating the crap out of my own home---I have a whole town to take care of. I guess I'm Mayor or City Manager of this near north side neighborhood. 

Vickie and Joe's Condo!

Jackie and Craig's blended family, and niece Kimmy (Mom is a nurse afraid of bringing home the virus) so she stays with Uncle Craig and Auntie Jacquie. Cousin Vanessa is helping her mom with the salon's social media campaign.

Vickie's Vintage Boutique, Vickie's is closed putting three people out of work.

The HFIM house where Impoverished Millenials refurbish a Victorian+townhouse as a co-op! Most are working from home, but three are unemployed. 

Social distancing isn't easy with 13 in the house! 

There were special dates,

and restaurant business meetings.

Even special events---the Oscars! 

Mysterious characters? Diva Colette...from Paris?

Before social distancing, backyard fun with the teens. 

Great selections at Trish's Blue Sprinkling Can Garden Center!

Sometimes a little history: James A. Baldwin for Black History Month. I do keep an ethnically diverse group of dolls-similar to the make-up of the neighborhoods. 

 Almost all my dolls are thrift store rescues, as are my buildings, furniture and settings.

Celebrations, they even decorate for holidays, too! 

Celebrate their favorite sports teams! 

Have pets....

Occasionally a celebrity comes around! This is Barbara Millicent Roberts, owner of BMR ltd. an investment and urban renewal corporation, she turned 60 last year and still going strong.

My gang makes seasonal jaunts...here to a pumpkin farm on a crisp Fall day.

Neighborhood events...the opening of a new business! Alderman and a TV crew.

Cultural visits to the Botanic Gardens!

Remember going on vacation! 

Sunning in Costa Rica on an Island.

Zip-Lining !

Working, planning, building! Vickie helps designer Richelle, plan for the new Vickie's Vintage. 

Charity events...

Bowling in the Northwoods.

A glamour shot...and 

the how-to! 

 Cooking at home....

Baking is a favorite past-time---my 5 year old grand helped Chelsea make these! 

Mysteries...Vickie's 'ghosts'. 

What was this all about????

Working from home....please visit my doll blog

 When you want to smile and get lost for a bit

 please visit and maybe subscribe to:

BarbieOldNewGreenRedo

https://barbieoldnewgreenredo.blogspot.com

Thank you for visiting, I will try and respond to every question and comment. I will be doing further posts on tutorials for the Hotel and contents.

Please follow me at these great blog parties:

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 Please do not use my photos without linking back to this blog without my permission. 

Thank you for your cooperation, Sandi