Our helper decided to do some work when the real feel reached 100 degrees yesterday. Sassy and I jumped in the deluxe pickup truck (Lincoln Town Car) and went to Lowe's for mushroom compost and mulch.
Our target - the ugliest maple tree in town. Some inexpensive bulbs had been growing at the base of the tree, encased in roots and producing no blooms. The more we pruned the maple branches, the worse the base looked.
The plan - the shadier part looked like a good place for vinca minor (periwinkle) and the perimeter would be good for Gruss an Aachen roses. We could not get the roses yet, so we began a coverup operation that would elicit the envy of Washing DC and various synod headquarters.
Sassy is welcome at Lowe's so we went inside the gardening center together. She let out some happy barks, so I had to explain her loud barks. Lowe's staff gathered around, fussed over her, and asked about her history and DNA. She loved it.
We got 10 bags of mushroom compost and 4 bags of cypress mulch. I said, "That's a nice name for it - mushroom compost." They said, "Yes, more delicate."
In the old days, the same bags were composted manure, which was not the first thing the white gloved gardeners are going to buy. Mushroom compost sounds genteel, and the horses do not mind a bit.
Some readers may recall the post on manure adding "salts" to the garden and not good to plant in. The veggie garden is growing fine with mushroom compost, and the grass near it is growing even better. Still, I decided the compost should weather over the winter, because I want this rose garden to be the spectacular showpiece of the front yard, with a row of 8 rose bushes blooming in profusion around the maple, with periwinkle serving as ground cover in the shade.
Gruss an Aachen is famous for blooming in the shade, but that means it is even more productive in the sun. More pruning will give it plenty of sun.
As noted above, the day was brutally hot, so Sassy did not even want to play in the shady backyard with our helper's children, so she barked to go in. Normally she sits in the shade and supervises - her German Shepherd side.
We used circumvallation for the mushroom compost. I never get a chance to use that word - which describes how the Romans built a wall around an entire city, like Jerusalem. Its purpose was to prevent movement into a besieged city or escape from it. Fortunately Josephus escaped and wrote his history.
I did not want to buy a large supply of clay tiles to encircle the tree, and digging around a maple also seemed daunting. Weathered mushroom compost will make a good bed for the new roses in the spring, and the ground underneath will be thoroughly dug by earthworms and soil creatures. In effect, the roses will be on top the old soil with the weathered compost around them.
Today the rose garden exploded with blooms after seeming to be spent. All I added was Alex pruning all the old blooms off by himself, with a little grandfatherly guidance. He was very thorough and really enjoyed helping.
Everyone is interested in the gourds and pumpkins forming. The flowers are out and bees are working the pollen. That is another area where the Creator takes care of the work schedule. All I did was plant the seeds and water them. As soon as the blooms offer pollen, the bees move the pollen from the male blooms to the female blooms. I may forget to turn the elevated water system on - or off - but the bees show up on time.
Our helper is convinced I have a terrible weed in the rose garden. I said, "No I think I planted it." He wondered, "What is it? I think you have a very healthy weed." I was not sure - "We will find out when it blooms." Something is forming on the end, so I am hopeful for vindication.
The next planting will be fall bulbs:
- Crown imperial.
- Giant alium.
- Emperor tulips.
- Daffodils.Some crocus and early spring flowers - snow drops.
My daughter-in-law says that the animals eat the bulbs, so I will have to see what survives predation. Some bulbs are not likely to be eaten, but tulips and crocus are often eaten.
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| John Paul II |
Below the tulip drifts will be the last row of roses in the spring. I am hoping to alternate pure white hybrid tea roses with pure red ones - JP II and Olympiad. That will leave room for Double Delight, and some varieties that are subject to voting from the altar guild.
I told our helper, "The best way is to get the spouse interested in plans, so the budget is not cut."
The tomatoes are growing and getting ready to ripen. The pole beans are wrapping around the top of the fence. Some sunflowers are forming seed heads. Other sunflowers are still growing up.
I thought Agent Orange ate my new veggie garden, but that was because the radishes sprouted first and seemed to be orphaned. I should have waited. The rest came up later.
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| He stops by our salad bar - frequently. |
