House Shopping aka Looking for a Good Yard for Sale

So I've been house hunting for about two months now. Perfectly good houses have been thrown out of my search for lack of a good sunny yard...or for having no yard at all.

I think I have it narrowed down to three different houses.

One has a good sized, very sunny yard. It's basically a blank canvas waiting to be painted upon. It's very close (2miles) to work, but it backs up to a road.

Another doesn't have much yard to speak of and drops off into the neighborhood retention pond. Sadness because it seems like a great house and ALL of the appliances would stay.

And the last has a good sized fenced yard with a beautiful brick patio. During the showing, the woman across the fence was putting in plants and digging in the mulch (A fellow gardener for a neighbor!) My concern is that we saw the home while it was raining outside, so I'm not sure how much sun it gets and I can't remember if it had a bunch of shade trees or not. I guess if I needed more sunlight to garden, I could take down a tree at last resort. If you haven't noticed, this is the house I'm leaning toward. The kitchen has a beautiful tile backsplash, and there are real wood floors, and a big finished basement/bum room.

My parents are coming into town this week and my realtor is going to show us all three houses. I'm really in need of their guidance here. I really need some feedback and I know they will give me their honest straight forward opinions.

Passover

I must have properly marked the outside of my home and put up the proper sign upon the windowsill because I believe I have been passed over by the mulchers. It feel very blessed. I felt a little bit like the angel of death has passed me by.

I woke up at 8am to the sounds of shovels scraping and a truck idling. I knew they had come. It took everything in me not to get up and go outside on my front step to superivise the goings ons. I tried to stay in bed and listened to the shovels which sounded decently far away. Eventually I got up and peeked out the blinds. All of my neighbors got new mulch today, but I was spared, and I am thankful.

Albino Seedling

Another blogger's post inspired me to share my albino seedling. I'm nearly certain these are all grapefruit seedlings. I put cosmos in this pot and nothing happened, so I threw in a few grapefruit seeds from my breakfast.

One came up completely void of color. It's gotten to a decent size and unfurled two big leaves, but now it's growth seems to be stunted compared to the others.

I'm wondering how common this type of occurrence is. I've never had it happen to me until now.

Good Customer Service & Too Many Pictures

First things first, a shout out to the customer service people at MI Bulb. I was really dissapointed that my Rembrandt order came up as red tulips. The red ones, were nice, but obviously not what I ordered. One e-mail to MI Bulb and they are now sending me a full order of Rembrants, due to arrive on my doorstep in September. No haggling, no drama, just more (the right) tulips. I'm very pleased considering I was prepared to not get any response from them.

Okay, on to second things. Tulips are coming one at a time now. Today a light pink in my pastel grouping. And the peach pastel is turning orange. Lots of pictures below....probably way more than you care to see :)

new pastel pink

pastels

pastels angle 2

pastels angle 3 (I know I couldn't stop myself)

peach turns to orange

As good as it's gonna get

Today a new little peach tulip from my 'original' pastel grouping of about four or five. This is the first tulip this year from that planting.

It really stands out from its pink sisters all in a row. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I really wish I would have planted more of them.

So, just in case the mulch men bring death and destruction to my little plot of heaven on earth, I've taken a few snapshots to document things as they are now, nearly perfect in my mind, or at least as good as they're going to get this spring if bad things come my way.

Today I dug, moved mulch, spread the mulch around the plants, watered plants and mulch, marked the areas where plants are, and put up plant markers. Those markers are not really indicative of what's planted where, but they should be very obvious signs that: something is planted here, hands off.

Tomorrow I will put out my sign when I head to work. Wish me luck. I've done just about all I can think to do. This is about as good as it's gonna get.

I fell into the WalMart

First, a big thank you to Neza for helping me with my translation. Hopefully my message will be clear and they won't think I'm just a goof ball leaving messages in broken Spanish. I will use the simpler version....although I kind of do feel like pleading with them to leave my plant babies alone.

Anyway, I'm so worked up about the mulch and having other people in my garden that I haven't posted about my adventure at WalMart. I went looking for tools, nothing more. I found said tools.

It was at this point I should have left the store, but I couldn't leave without going down every aisle of the garden center (you all understand)

They had cheap potting soil, which has actually turned out to be pretty cheap. It has little gravely bits in mixed in. I guess you get what you pay for. They also had plastic planters made of recycled materials, made in the USA for 88 cents. So naturally I had to buy two of those.

And people, WalMart sells really cheap bare roots plants and bulbs! How did I not know this? Granted you get what you pay for may hold true here as well, but I got to dig in the dirt for several hours and put in 8 daylilies for less than 8 dollars, so I'm content and think it was money well spent. I also got Iris Bulbs for Mom's yard. I am not allowed back in that garden center. I need someone to follow me around and make sure I don't buy any more plants and seeds this season.

My tulips are blooming now which is why I'm so focused on saving them from mulch and shovels.

Lots of photo ops for the lovelies that line my front steps.

Se ruega no molestar

Okay, so it turns out there is no do-it-yourself mulch. I'm totally bummed. And the mulch men are coming Friday or Saturday! This is very not good (muy mal). I just put in bare root daylilies and my dustymiller is coming back from the root. The mulch men will surely put an end to all of my efforts :( So I have a new plan. I'm going to put lots of stuff in my area, potting soil bags, flower pots, planters, shovel, rake, etc. I don't think they'll actually make the effort to move everything. Also I am planning to put all of my empty seed packets on sticks and put them in the ground as identification markers...hopefully this will clue them in that I've planted something. I'm digging up the mulch from the last five or so years too to make it look fresh. Maybe they'll think I already mulched like Jerry and Rita did.

The last part of the plan is a bilingual sign that reads : Se ruega no molestar el jardin. Gracias, la jardinera y los flores.

This is meant to mean: Please do not disturb the garden. Thank you, The gardener and the flowers.

Anyone know if this is an accurate translation? My high school Spanish classes aren't exactly fresh in my mind. I had to take a glance into my Spanish/English dictionary to get as far as I did.

Do it myself mulch?

On my way in to work I noticed two of my neighbors putting down mulch in their gardens today. I am wondering if the mulch was provided by the apartment complex or if they went out and got it on their own. Last year I had the worst experience when the 'gardeners' came to put down mulch. They trampled my tulips....and I was livid. If the complex would let me put down the mulch intended for my apartment I would be more than happy to spread it if it would mean saving my tulips and lilies from being manhandled. I'll have to call the leasing office in the morning to see if they have a do-it-yourself mulch policy.

Only slightly shaken (stirred too early)

I would like to thank the earthquake for waking me up WAY before it was time for me to get up. Even though I knew what it was it took me forever to go back to sleep. Barbara doesn't do mornings and she really doesn't do 5:35am very well.

Post breakfast and post aftershock I checked some of my 'winter' sewn pots, two marigolds are up. Took pics, but they're Really unclear.

Also, two somethings have also sprouted in the container I labeled Patio Mix Sweet Pea/Morning Glory. If I had to guess I'd say they were morning glory, but now I'm wishing I hadn't mixed them together. They'll stay in that flower pot together all season, so it's not absolutely necessary that they be ID'd, but now I wish I knew what I was looking at.

Lilies are up and looking good. Well, five are up and looking good, one is up and looking sad. I think some have multiplied :)

Buds

I spotted my first tulip bud this afternoon as I went down the front steps on my way to work! If I hadn't been headed to work I would have stopped to investigate to see if there are others. I'll try to remember to snap a picture tomorrow as a little update. (update below)

Also, I have something coming up in my little blue flower pot. I think I put cosmos in there and forgot about them, so that may be it. But I also threw a few grapefruit seeds in there from my breakfast after I'd given up on the cosmos. I wish I knew what grapefruit seedlings were supposed to look like....

And don't forget the seeds...

Yesterday I planted sweet peas before I left the Fort. I planted the patio mix out by the red fence on the corner. The regular vine sweet peas went by the chain link fence by the rose bush and the chain link fence along the long flower bed (seen in the previous set of pictures.)

I got the bare root geraniums into pots on the patio, watered them and crossed my fingers. They're going to need a little luck

I had taken the envelopes of morning glory and moon flower with me as well, but I've decided to try to start them inside and transfer them out later.

I didn't leave the plants with the rents either. I'm going to have to babysit them a while longer. It's back to window gardening for a while.

I showed Daddy my garden plans and we went out and measured the yard and marked the corners of the new bed with stakes. He says he'll dig up the grass before I come home again. I told him he could wait awhile until things dry out a little more.

I didn't have a lot of time at my apartment because I was running late for work, but I know I have at least one more bachelor button sprout in my little three pack that I left by the window. I haven't had a chance to check the three pack on top of the fridge yet, but I'm hopeful.

I did a quick glance of the winter sowing pots as I was emptying my trunk and made several trips in and out my front door. Nothing promising there.

Homeland = Swampland

Came home this week to plant nursery plants that have been in my living room for a week. Guess what? Swampland. It would have been really nice if Mom or Dad would have mentioned how soggy it was here before I drove two hours to *not plant the flower beds.

Here are the poor little plants...MI bulb should really ship later than they do. The plants are sitting on my parents' deck. I'm just hoping they don't kill them before the ground is workable.


I took a walk through the 'swamp' and squished my way around the yard. Got my shoes all muddy and tracked mud into the house which I have cleaned up so mom doesn't see mud on her new floors. The 'swamp' is below. You wouldn't know from looking at it.

In better news, flowers at the front fence are coming up. The maiden pinks ground cover is coming back with a flourish. Things that are supposed to be coming up are, so at least something's going right.

Fresh Air

The winter window plastic came down today. The tape came off nicely and didn't damage the paint or the wall or the windowsill at all! I put all the storm windows up and opened all five of my windows wide. It was sunny and pretty and I could hear the birds chirping and the neighbor kids yelling to each other (and the cars whizzing by.) My early arrivals are now sitting on window sills, much better than their little row on the living room floor. The house plants are also getting a little more light now that I can actually move the blinds up and down and open and closed (they had been trapped behind the winter plastic.)

And I think I forgot to mention...I had a week moment on Friday and placed an order with Value Seeds. I've read both good and bad about them. So now I will be able to find out for myself.

They're here!

Big cardboard box on my front step last night full of plant life.
It was waiting for me when I got home from work last night.
Now I have a refrigerator full of lily bulbs and bare roots geraniums.
I'm hoping the Rose of Sharon stay dormant, but I'm afraid that won't last. They are sitting on the floor by an outside wall in an effort to keep cool.

I had to repot the dragon flowers immediately. I'd never seen such root bound plants in my life. There was hardly any dirt in the cell packs, only roots. Also roots sticking up out of the top. of the pot...that's a new one for me. So I had to rip the roots apart and I think they are all happily living in margarine, cottage cheese and cookie dough containers. I don't know that they'll thrive in those, but it has to be better than they were. And they only have to stay there for a week. I'll be visiting Mom in a week to get them in the ground. (where they'll probably freeze anyway)

Mom had a good idea though. Since I want plants to arrive later in the season. Next year I shouldn't even order until mid-April. They can't send them early if I haven't ordered them yet!

The potted plants took a little stroll out to the front steps this morning for a little fresh air and light. Not sure what the afternoon weather holds, so I brought them in when I headed for work. I thought they might like a little light after being in a cardboard box for two days.

Too Soon to Ship?

Shipping too Soon: I got an e-mail yesterday from MI Bulb saying my order has shipped. Seriously, there is no way it's time. It's way to early, right? I mean, the last frost date here, is roughly May 5th. Why would they send me plants right now when it's pretty much guaranteed to freeze again several times before 'spring' gets here? I wonder if they actually look at the address on the shipping label, or check the zone the shipment is going to. My guess is they don't check and they don't care.

Pansies: The Pansies that the apartment complex put in front of the leasing office last fall were coming back, greening up, leafing out, growing fast, and even started to flower again. So today I was really annoyed that they had torn them all out and put in brand new Pansies already in full flower. The ones coming up again on their own were perfectly fine. There was nothing wrong with them, yet they ripped them all up and threw them away. You would think the complex would want to save a little money by allowing the fall flowers to come back on their own. It seems like such a waste to pull out healthy flowering pansies only to replace them with healthy flowering pansies. I hope they freeze and have to be replaced; it would serve them right!

Survivor or Not?

Found this picture from a time before my digital camera started acting up. I'm curious to see if this little plant (Widow's tears, I think) comes up again this spring. Last year I planted three bareroots plants and this was the only one that came up. It greened up, flowered, and quickly faded away (possibly died?) Now I'm wondering if there's any chance of it making a repeat appearance this year. I'll be keeping close watch.

"Winter" Sowing

I was on another garden blog and remembered that I still hadn't done my winter sowing that I wanted to try. Sherbet containers, cottage cheese containers and coffee containers to the rescue along with some regular flower pots and the plastic I used to help insulate my windows over the winter. All of my little containers have been out now for about a day. It was good and cold last night, but tonight will be a little warmer. Since I didn't sow during true winter, I'm wondering if I'm doing it too late. But I figured it couldn't hurt and if it doesn't work, I'll plant again in May. The average last frost date that I'm going with is May 5th, so we're sure to have some winter-like weather between now and then for the seeds to get a good dose of 'winter' before they come up.

I planted the dwarf/patio mix kind of sweet peas, and a couple of blue morning glories. I wish them good luck and will be thrilled if they come up at their perfect internal time.

Brrrr

The temperature is dropping big time (yesterday it got into the 60's). The tulip leaves are drooping and look like they suffered in the frost a bit last night. It's going to continue to get colder for the next several days. And not supposed to warm up until the weekend.

I had to put on my winter coat today which is a bummer since I was wearing shorts on the trail yesterday. I also brought out the flip-flops for the first time this season yesterday afternoon.

One popcorn sprout has keeled over. It's still green, but I fear it is on it's way to popcorn heaven. The other is leaning, but has not fallen over. Should never have started them so early.

I was thinking about last summers flowers and I realized I don't think I took any pictures at all after the bunch of meanie 'gardeners' pulled up my sundrops. I had a nice crop of zinnias, though I couldn't bring myself to thin them so they were planted very close together. Cosmos came up, but were pretty crappy and thin, and not as tall as they should have been. I don't think they liked the mulch. I planted Nasturtium from seed, and they came up strong, but the leaves were all nibbled off by a chipmunk or bunny before they were more than two inches tall.

I also had marigolds and petunias and dusty miller that I bought as transplants. I like to 'rescue' a flat of leftover bedding plants once they get to be 50-75 percent off. I like the challenge of trying to coax them back to life.