Rambles and Brambles

Where did these come from?

2010-07-04T13:41:00.002-04:00

Still no sky blue morning glories. Now instead of dark purple, I'm getting white with purple accents. I'm so confused.

2010-06-29T10:59:00.002-04:00

First Morning Glory of the year. - surprisingly dark in color.

First Nasturtium of the year - also surprisingly dark in color - pleasant surprises.

Marigolds and Zinnias already bloomed....but I've been waiting and waiting for the first MG and first Nasti.

Showing Promise

2010-03-21T14:48:00.002-04:00

..and not quite in flower, but showing promise...

Spring plus 1

2010-03-21T14:33:00.004-04:00

Meant to get out to take a few pics on the first day of Spring..oops.
Here's March 21st...or Spring plus 1.

Leftover pics from summer '09

2010-03-21T14:18:00.005-04:00

Found these few still hiding in the depths of the digital camera:

at the house...

2009-07-04T17:03:00.005-04:00

Apartment Balcony

2009-07-04T15:32:00.004-04:00

Quick Check in

2009-06-06T20:11:00.004-04:00

Memorial Day Weekend

2009-05-23T16:35:00.001-04:00

New Shipment & Tulips at the Tree

2009-05-10T19:03:00.004-04:00

Z'ville : Last Look

2009-04-26T08:12:00.003-04:00

Last look at the flowers in Z'ville as my parents, aunt, and I moved out my furniture:

83 degrees outside!

2009-04-24T16:10:00.003-04:00

Moving Day is tomorrow...it's hot and sunny...and the apple tree is in bloom :)

Zionsville Weekend

2009-04-19T19:47:00.007-04:00

Went to Zionsville to pack up my apartment Saturday and today.

The flowers in Z'ville are always late because they are all shaded.

Saturday had lots of healthy plants and a few flowers:

Sunday had a much better display (oh, the difference a day makes):

Spring in Fort Wayne

2009-04-17T21:14:00.004-04:00

I haven't seen my Zionsville apartment garden in several weeks, though I will be going tomorrow to haul away more of my things. I am looking forward to seeing the progress they have made in my absence. Here in Fort Wayne my tulips came, and were cut by my dad. He thought it was going to freeze (which it didn't) so he cut them and took them all in the house, so no pictures this year :(

It was 70 and sunny and gorgeous today...so a few daff pics...and a few surviving tulips:

Doing better than I thought...

2009-03-11T02:31:00.010-04:00

This was the first little guy I was referring to:

But upon closer inspection, things are going much better than I first thought....

Tons of Tulips:

Some Dandy Daffodils:

Hollyhock Year Two:

Debut Appearance

2009-03-09T14:28:00.000-04:00

Found the first little sign of a bulb (likely a daffodil) poking a few leaves out of the ground! It's in an area that gets a little sun in the afternoon...so I figure the ground is warming up a little faster over there. Most of my apartment garden is still sitting in the shade and the ground is still cold and likely frozen (which is why I figure my tulips are always the last to bloom in my complex) Darn shade!
I need to go back outside and take a little picture to post here....

Staring at the Dirt

2009-03-06T20:59:00.001-05:00

I am in the process of moving from Indy/Zionsville back up to Fort Wayne. This leaves me a bit sad, staring at the dirt in front of my apartment and wondering if I will see any of the fruits of my labors last fall. I planted daffodils, tulips and more lilies (it was a whole grab bag full of bulbs) last November. I have my apartment through the month of April, so I should see at least the daffs and the tulips...and maybe the first signs of the lily plants. I hope whoever gets my apartment next appreciates the handiwork outside their front door...And I hope I get to see a little of it this spring before I go...

I saw the first signs of tulip foliage last year on March 22nd.

Free Garden Show

2009-03-05T15:18:00.000-05:00

The following press release crossed my desk this afternoon. I wish I was still going to be in town for the event itself...but a move/new job is underway...(the "FREE SEEDS" are what caught my attention..lol)

"Gardening for ALL Ages" kids-seniors.

April 4th, 2009
9-4pm
Hendricks Co. Fairgrounds
Danville, Indiana

*Hendricks Co. Master Gardeners 21st Annual Free Garden Show*

Free trees to 1st one hundred families, Free seeds, garden catalogs & magazines. Door prizes, Instant Winners. Garden advice provided by master gardeners. Programs include bonsai, 2009 best plant selection, cooking with herbs, tools for the garden and growing orchids. A special children’s activity area. Shop at the garden vendors. "Gardening for ALL Ages" purpose is to educate the community about the latest in gardening. Come & talk with us over a cup of free coffee!

New Nephew

2009-02-14T20:04:00.000-05:00

This is the baby that goes in the sweater I crocheted.

Mid Winter Musings

2009-01-08T15:06:00.000-05:00

Baby shower for my sis is this weekend so I'm looking forward to seeing lots of extended family. I'm also preparing for a little craziness and a long day on Sunday.

Gardening has ceased (for now). I got the last of my bulbs in the ground the week of Thanksgiving, the holidays flew by and now the wait...First for nephew...then for spring.

The seed/bulb/plant catalogs have begun to fill my mailbox the last two weeks. I flip through them in the evenings, making a list (a really long list) of things I will never buy (because I want everything!) I keep telling myself it will get warmer....some days I believe myself, and others I don't. I also keep telling myself that it is much colder in Alaska where my brother is...but that only helps for a few minutes.

December Ice Storm in Fort Wayne.

striped spider

2008-11-06T18:27:00.000-05:00

As I was planting lily and allium bulbs in my mother's garden two weeks ago, I came upon a black and orange striped spider...so I sat down beside her. She wasn't really interested in doing a photo shoot, but I managed to get a few out of focus shots, paparazzi style.

Baby Clothes Cont. (If you buy a girl some yarn)

2008-10-18T18:39:00.000-04:00

If you buy a girl some yarn, she'll make a baby sweater...when she's finished with the sweater she'll want to make a hat.
When the hat is finished her sister will ask for pants to complete the set...

...and when the pants are finished there will be just enough yarn leftover that she'll want to make some booties....then she'll be out of yarn and need to find a new project.

Last of the Last

2008-10-18T18:34:00.000-04:00

Last week...The first and last three tomatoes to ripen (I lost a green one to a chipmunk) :

And just in time for the first frost:

All done!

2008-10-02T18:26:00.001-04:00

Hooded sweater complete with hood, trim and drawstring.
Now my sis wants me to make pants...hmmm...guess I'll have to find a pants pattern....

Popcorn & Late Bloomers

2008-09-25T19:14:00.001-04:00

This is the only real result of the popcorn experiment. There were several other ears, but none of them had actual kernels. I should note that the ones that didn't have kernels had bugs...

This patch of yellow caught my eye the other day and I took a second look. I had given up on these plants completely, but apparently they have buds on them now. Better late than never:

budded, but no yellow flower yet:

And I was pretty much ready to pull these tall guys out last week after we had really bad wind that nearly knocked them over....but look...they apparently are going to flower after all:

And I've been busy. Now that my sister is expecting (and knows it's a boy) I got all motivated to do a little crocheting. I'd found a pattern, but had to wait to know if I should buy blue or pink yarn. Well, blue it is. I had some really unfun dental work done and took a day off from work. So yesterday's sick day yielded...drum roll please....sleeves. Still more to be done. There is supposed to be a little hood and navy blue edging...but I'm pretty proud of myself considering the only things I've really ever made before are scarves:

Busy Bees

2008-09-04T16:33:00.000-04:00

These little red guys are volunteers:The sweet peas are still blooming...some going to seed, or maybe I should say going to pod:
Took the last of this season's potting soil and sort of top dressed my tomato plants. They had very gangly stems that were laying on the ground...figured it wouldn't hurt to cover 'em up:

Some little critter has made a cocoon on my trellis: Apple bush/tree/thing at Mom's:

Baby Tomatoes

2008-08-20T15:33:00.001-04:00

Well, my parents have had tomatoes for weeks and weeks...more than they know what to do with. Mom says the plants have over done it and are dying out now. She says she has lots of veggies to send home with me when I visit next week. So I was feeling pretty bad about the poorly tomato plants that got stuck out in front of my apartment, they are definitely not overachievers. Seems so silly that they are from the exact same batch as the overproducers living out their lives adopted by Mom.

But......one of MY plants has finally decided to be fruitful. Three bitty tomatoes....they don't look like much so far...but I'm thrilled, because there for a while I was pretty sure I was growing tomato plants for their foliage.

I guess it says something about nature vs. nurture. The same seedlings all from same seed packet, same start...adopted out to different soils, sun, cities = completely different outcome.
In this case, nurture wins...

(all incredibly out of focus)

Pics from Home

2008-08-10T21:19:00.000-04:00

My sister snapped this pic today while my dad was putting in a new flower bed along the west side of the house. Apparently my mom did some bargaining with the Menards guy on some end of season pavers....Looks nice, doesn't it? Just imagine the possibilities:

Multiples!

2008-08-06T14:27:00.000-04:00

I'm now getting more than one morning glory at a time! I just wished they'd last a little longer than one morning:Before and After (but not during):

More little unidentified orange guys:

Nasturtium going to seed:

Morning Glories (it's about time!)

2008-08-01T15:08:00.001-04:00

First Morning Glory of the Apartment growing season (Thursday):I'm fascinated by the same flower on day two:Also day two (today)...apparently I'm only going to be getting one flower a day from this vine:Zinnias:Marigolds:Popcorn experiment ears:Getting SO tall: Ear on plant #2:

What I think was supposed to be blue flash dwarf morning glories (but at this point, who knows):

Meanwhile back at the Fort

2008-07-23T11:30:00.000-04:00

A quick check of what is growing (better) in the Fort.

The healthiest marigolds ever: Mom says she likes the lilies I put in:

A little something blue bridging the gap between flowers and tomatoes:

Lilies in the shade of the tomato plant:

Volunteer impatiens:
Sweet peas at the top of the fence:Cucumber vine and flowers:Pepper flowers:Baby Peppers:

Out of control tomatoes:

Overview:

Not very pretty....petunias taking over the geraniums:

After weeks of neglect....

2008-07-21T21:30:00.000-04:00

After weeks of neglect, things seem to be thriving on their own in front of my apartment despite the heat and lack of attention:

Pretty sure these flowers were supposed to be Blue Flash Dwarf Morning Glories....guess they're White Dwarf Morning Glories instead (and something's nibbling on them...)

Flower boxes add a bright spot:

Something's eating away at the climbing morning glory leaves too: ...but it is getting quite tall. I've had to guide it back to the trellis:First flowers on my tomato plant:

Day In The Woods

2008-07-09T18:27:00.001-04:00

Spent a little over 3 hours in the trails of Starkey Nature Park yesterday afternoon. This is what I have to show for it:

Water:

Plants:

Tracks:

Critters:

Got lots of mosquito bites, but didn't get stung!

Almost stepped on this little guy trying to make his way across the trail.

So bitty, I almost missed him (or her).

This locust was busy doing summersaults and digging his hole. I wasn't quick enough with the camera to get him face and beaty-eyes-side-up.

Found the following online about the park:

This 77-acre park, located a quarter-mile southwest of the village, is the largest park in Zionsville. Starkey Park is named for Lucile Starkey who bequeathed a major portion of the land to the Town in 1974 for use as a nature park. The park's wooded and open bottom land along Eagle Creek offers scenic beauty, hiking trails, nature study, picnicking, and perfect settings for photography. Youth and adult educational programs are offered throughout the year. This park is a restricted-use nature conservancy.

Candytuft Appleblossom

2008-07-06T21:14:00.000-04:00

So, out of the 200 or so Candytuft Appleblossom seeds I planted from Value Seeds, there is only one flower (that I've seen so far). So either they didn't come up, or I weeded them out because I didn't know what I was looking for. I had forgotten I'd planted them and just saw this funny looking solo flower and was wondering what it was for about three days.

Today I was on Value Seeds website trying to ID something else I planted from them and saw a picture of my funny looking flower on the first page....I'm so forgetful....

Finally a healthy Nasturtium plant with flowers bright enough to be worth showing:

Category : Before and After

2008-07-01T18:14:00.001-04:00

Show me what'cha workin' with (the best annuals are closeout price annuals!) :
The little brother was good enough to wield an ax and break up some of the most severe tree roots: Before:
After (first attempt at underplanting! Thanks Aunt Val for the hosta and yucca divisions) :

Before: After:

The Latest from the Fort

2008-07-01T12:52:00.000-04:00

Geraniums doing well, somehow last year's petunias have emerged from these pots too...re-seed? roots? :

Impatiens have also re-seeded themselves...Dad says he's glad he didn't weed them all out:

My tomato plants from seed are HUGE at 'home.' Just more proof that there is no nutritional value to the soil in front of my apartment:

Tomato dwarfing pepper plants....it's looking a little crowded in there now:

Dragon flower, spreading quickly. Also Marigold from saved seed :) I forgot about those! So it turns out the stolen pot of saved seed marigold wasn't my only chance to see saved seed flowers this year:

Who's eating the leaves off the lilies? Some of the buds have even been nibbled off. Nobody bothers the lilies at my apartment...someone in the rents back yard has been hungry...and busy:

Oops...And one accidentally in this batch from the apartment...I know I planted these, but I can't remember what they are..very light, feathery leaves, getting pretty tall...no idea:

2008-07-01T12:47:00.000-04:00

Little bitty plants with one flower each: Little bit of everything in the mixed pots:
Pink Cornflower? :Saddest little marigold plants I've ever grown:
This one made one flower and flopped over:

Patio Sweet Pea and Other New Additions.

2008-06-26T19:10:00.000-04:00

My potted Patio Sweet Pea has finally decided to show its color. It was from a mix, so I didn't know what it would become:

A golden zinnia in one of the flower pots:

Another cornflower I believe, this time pink (it has since opened up):

And more Nasturtium, because I can't help myself:

Today's Purchases

2008-06-20T17:44:00.000-04:00

Okay, so I saw a so-so trellis in a mail order catalogue for $17.99. I also saw a huge massive arching one for about $25. So I walked myself to True Value and bought this trellis for about $17...no shipping, no handling. It is now plunked down by my Morning Glories. No more broken sticks to climb for my little babies. Maybe I should plant them in ground instead of the pot...before they get too attached and I can't move them.I also broke down and bought some Miracle Grow, because I am absolutely convinced there is no nutritional value to the dirt in front of my apartment. Last year it supported zinnias, petunias and marigolds with no problem, all they needed was sun and water. So like I said, today I broke down and headed to the Miracle Grow isle. I thought the watering can singles would be cheap and easy....not the case. The box of little packets gives you .64 lbs of fertilizer for about six bucks. OR you can buy the a pound box of the same fertilizer (sans individual plastic pouches) for four dollars. Needless to say I bought the pound box, and so far I have used more than half of it.
With the trellis in one hand and the Miracle Grow in the other, I had no more hands with which to carry things and made my way to the check out. Never take a cart, and never take a car if you can help it....you can only have what you can carry. It's a pretty good rule, because there were some pots and some plants that wanted to go home with me too...(the only time to break this rule is when buying large quantities of potting soil, or mulch)

First Blooms of June (and a note on stealing)

2008-06-18T19:20:00.000-04:00

My first true bloom of June on Monday the 16th (and one almost there bloom):

More lily blooms have been opening both Tuesday and Wednesday:

Wednesday June 18th....first Nasturtium, Widows tears, and blue something (cornflower maybe?) And the zinnias two days later:

I thought maybe my winter sown marigolds would would have bloomed by now....however that pot has been stolen. Only two of my three orange pots remain. I hope whoever stole my marigolds is enjoying them. I worked hard to raise those babies from seed I saved last fall. They were the only two marigolds to come up from last year's seed. :(

Playing Catch Up (three posts in one day)

2008-06-03T22:28:00.000-04:00

A little More West Point....Swearing In and Pinning at Lusk Bridge:

Oh My How They've Grown

2008-06-03T17:03:00.000-04:00

I remember Aunts, Uncles and Grandparents always saying 'oh, my you've gotten so big.' I thought they were crazy at the time, but they hadn't seen me in months...so yes, I had gotten so big. Well, I haven't seen my peppers of tomatoes in 9 days, the other plants in over three weeks...and my, how they've grown.

Starting with the front fence...Maiden Pinks in full bloom:

Also at the front fence:

Moving to the backyard...Peppers and Tomatoes... One pepper in a popcorn can. Two tomatoes in the ground. Two peppers and a tomato in the box Dad built:

Morning Glories looking healthy, but nowhere near the fence yet:

Sedum:

I think these came labeled as hardy glads:

These came labeled as Mountain Lilies:

2008-06-03T15:16:00.000-04:00

Oh boy, here goes...I've been in New York for about a week...and things have really grown while I was away...but first...a quick tour of the Gardens and Brambles of West Point with some Rambles and family pics thrown in for good measure.

First up, the Superintendent's formal Reception, held at the Superintendent's house in his gardens. There was a formal receiving line and we were all properly introduced. Then refreshments were served and we were able to mix and mingle in the beautiful walled garden:

Next up, we got a bit of a walking tour. We saw Kosciuszko's Garden, built in 1778 for the purpose of rest and meditation. This is on the West Point, with a beautiful view of the Hudson.
Along the walkways, ferns grown right out of the sides of the rock:

We walked down to the docks to take a ferry to Constitution Island out in the middle of the Hudson. We waited on the dock in the hot sun and got quite a bit of sunburn. There is a historical house on the island that used to belong to the Warner family. It was a place where the Cadets used to go visit with the sisters that lived there for Sunday School and cookies and lemonade. There is a Warner Memorial garden along the path to the house. They put bars of Irish Spring Soap on sticks to keep the deer away from the flowers. Prickly Pear Cactus is native to the island:

You can tell West Point is an Army Post. We did lots of waiting. This is taken inside Eisenhower Hall:

We attended the graduation parade on the plain. During this parade, the firsties (seniors) physically and symbolically separate from the rest of the Corps of Cadets. The First Class Cadets can be seen on the left in the foreground. We took family pictures after the parade:

No festive West Point occasion would be complete without a formal dinner and hop. A good meal with family and friends and a little dancing never hurt anybody:

More to come.....

Leaves You Can See

2008-05-25T20:27:00.001-04:00

I've been talking about lots of leaves and no flowers and since I haven't had any flowers I haven't bothered to take my camera outside....until today. I took some pictures to share...mostly because I'm tired of posting text only :) (and in the back of my mind

I'm hoping they grow and thrive while I'm away. I'm on my way to West Point for my little brother's graduation. God Bless my little plants for the next nine days.

Tomato and pepper seedlings headed to my parent's house (tomatoes have since been thinned). They'll be on their own for nine days too. :

Patio Sweet Pea:

Nasturtium. The biggest one so far:

Winter Sown Marigold:

Direct Sown Something (cosmos?):

Direct Sown Nasturtium (there's a bunch of these little guys):

Bareroot Day lily:

Out of focus Winter Sown Cosmos:

Direct Sown Cosmos :

Blue Flash Direct Sown:

Winter Sown Zinnia:

Involuntary Plantslaughter

2008-05-21T19:34:00.000-04:00

Tuesday I potted up three tomatoes and three green peppers...these are for mom. (The newspaper and toilet paper tube starter pots worked wonderfully!)

One really huge clump of blue flash seedlings has been divided into two huge clumps.

Winter sown Cosmos went from their pot into the ground. Sadly two of four seedlings died during the effort. They just refused to come out, and in the process of my squeezing and shaking the plastic pot, two stems became decapitated and lost their leaves. They were snubbed out of the world, just like that, because of my carelessness...I guess it's a little bit like involuntary plantslaughter.

Sunshine!

2008-05-17T14:31:00.000-04:00

It may rain around 5pm, but for now it is nice and warm and sunshiney...good for young sun starved plants :) A lovely day outside is also my cue to go to work, so here I sit at my desk, dreaming of the outdoors and not doing my work. I did a few quick things before coming in.
I got the winter sown zinnias out of their container and into the ground..they look happy. Three seed grown nasturtiums in a cell pack are now properly potted...they look happy too. And the sad little poached egg seedlings that were not thriving at all in their shallow little egg carton have been moved into the ground. I sprinkled them with a little water..they don't look so hot; I wish them luck.

Lots of Leaves (or no flowers in sight)

2008-05-16T19:07:00.000-04:00

Meanwhile, back at the apartment:

The tulips are no more and now all I have to look at are tulip foliage, lily stalks, a few day lily leaves and lots of sprouts and seedlings. I am surrounded by healthy green plant life, little miracles that have burst forth out of tiny seeds. Yet, I am impatient and disappointed because flowers seem a long way off, and may never come at all should the mulchmen come to weed. Obviously I'm being pessimistic, but it seems like it will never happen. I'm like a little kid on a road trip.

Are we there yet? NO. Are we there yet? NO. Are we getting close? NO.

Today before work I transplanted my two little winter sown marigolds into a pot that so far has had nothing to show for itself. The soil in their winter sowing container was pretty shallow and their roots had just ever so slightly started to circle the bottom. I hope they will do well. Right now they are the most mature of all of the sprouts and seedlings outside my front door.

I also hope the trend of cool wet weather lifts soon. I think it might be to blame for stunting their growth. It might also be to blame for my pessimism....

New Flower Bed

2008-05-13T22:24:00.000-04:00

Starting at a good clean square one:

First and foremost my thanks goes out to my Dad for cutting all of the sod out of the new garden bed and turning over the earth in the past two weeks. He even added several big bags of manure so my plants are off to a good healthy start. Today, I turned everything over, raked through, and planted. Easy Peasy!

I spent most of the day outside, from about 10:30 am until 4pm. It was very sunny and I was half smart and wore a hat. I was half stupid and now have a farmers' burn to show for it on my arms. But that is the extent of it thank goodness and hopefully it will fade to a nice farmers' tan. More green Aloe gel please!

Planted, watered and hopefully settled, square two:

Planted above are Hydrangea, Dragon Flower, Carnations, Coral Bells, and red lilies and white lilies.

I spent lots of time weeding the side bed, lots of grass had gotten in there.
Sweet peas I planted about 3 weeks ago are coming up nicely at the chain link fences and the little red lattice fence. I took out lots of wild violets that were trying to choke out about 5 sweet peas.

Morning Glory and Moon Flower seeds also went in at the chain link fences today. Also a smattering of 'other' seeds were scattered through the main bed seen above to hopefully fill in some of the gaps this season.

I felt like a tour guide when my parents came home from work....'Oh, what's this one? What will it do? What kind of flowers does it have?' I feel like if I give them the tour and they can look forward to seeing the future flowers, they will be more likely to water and keep things alive :)

I've already got them scared to weed. Even though I've shown them all of the plants and which one's are the 'keepers' they seem a little reluctant to try to identify them and pluck them when I'm away.

Sprout Count

2008-05-09T17:10:00.002-04:00

Three days of rain means....the tulips are looking washed out. :(

Three days of rain also means.....you don't have to water direct sown seeds :)

We had a few hours of no rain this afternoon so I headed out to see if there was anything to see.

My sprout count is roughly 50 from my very scientific method of take a step, squat, look, repeat. I didn't label things very well, but I think the ones that are coming up are marigolds and blue-flash-dwarf-morning-glory-something-or-other. The nasturtium seeds had been uncovered by the rain, so I sprinkled a little dirt their way.

Also six more tomato seedlings have made themselves known. It seems late for starting them. I wonder if they will reach maturity and produce tomatoes. I was looking at green pepper and tomato maturity dates and it looks like anywhere from 60 days to 90 days. Surely I will see fruits and veggies before August.

They seem so small though. I feel like everything, food and flower are growing so slowly. I thought I was a patient person, but where is my patience now?

Goodbye to Bushes and Direct Sowing

2008-05-07T15:49:00.000-04:00

The apartment complex employees took out the big old gnarled bushes in front of my apartment last Thursday. They did a beautiful job and didn't disturb anything. If I had tried to do the job myself, things would have turned out much worse.

Monday I did some direct sowing into the huge spaces left by the bushes. I'd show you, but it's just a big open area of dirt.

The direct sowing and the two daylilies that have come up, survived the first mulchmen mowing, edging, weeding day yesterday. I stayed outside as long as I could before I had to come into work and they didn't disturb anything :)

Today is mother nature's chance to foul things up and wash all of my flower seeds away. T-storms are predicted for tonight.

Oh, and this past weekend was pretty busy, the parents and I saw three houses I wanted them to see...they all got the thumbs down...the search continues. I also ran the Mini on Saturday before a Very Long day at work.

Itty Bitty Yellow Buds or Teeny Tiny Tulips

2008-05-01T18:12:00.000-04:00

I planted two kinds of tulips last fall (1)purple that turned out pink, and (2) yellows with red streaks.

Some of the yellow/reds got itty bitty buds and some only sent up foliage. My first itty bitty yellow/red opened today.

The color is wonderful, but it is so small in comparison to the pinks. I wonder if this is how big they were supposed to be. Maybe they will get bigger in future years?

As a side note, the apartment complex maintenance guys came by this morning and asked if I wanted the huge ugly bushes in front of my apartment trimmed up or cut down. I picked cut down. When I was leaving for work this afternoon they had just arrived to do the work. They asked me where I had stuff planted so they could try to work around things. How thoughful.

We'll see how they did when I get home tonight.

I also walked to True Value today and bought two yard rakes. They were on sale for 3.99 each in this week's ad. I'm starting to accumulate quite a few things to go in my new hypothetical garage.

House Shopping aka Looking for a Good Yard for Sale

2008-04-30T21:28:00.000-04:00

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

2008-04-26T21:13:00.000-04:00

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

2008-04-25T21:43:00.001-04:00

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

2008-04-25T21:30:00.000-04:00

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

2008-04-24T14:48:00.000-04:00

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

2008-04-23T15:39:00.000-04:00

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

2008-04-23T14:26:00.000-04:00

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?

2008-04-20T21:25:00.000-04:00

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)

2008-04-18T15:37:00.000-04:00

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

2008-04-17T22:29:00.000-04:00

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...

2008-04-16T18:52:00.000-04:00

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

2008-04-14T14:27:00.000-04:00

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

2008-04-06T17:56:00.000-04:00

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!

2008-04-05T14:11:00.000-04:00

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?

2008-04-04T16:00:00.001-04:00

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?

2008-04-02T22:22:00.000-04:00

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

2008-04-02T15:09:00.000-04:00

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

2008-04-01T13:43:00.000-04:00

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.

New Tulips!

2008-03-31T16:10:00.000-04:00

About 53 degrees today. Went out for a nice long run. It rained on me, but only for about two minutes. I didn't mind much. I knew we were expecting rain, so I took my hooded jacket with me. And besides. I won't melt.

After I got home from my run, I took a little look around the leafy/mulchy area to see if there were any signs of the tulips I planted last fall. And there were! They have reddish leaves and are just ever so slightly poking through the ground. They blend in really well with the ground because of their reddish hue. I took a quick picture of one of them...I'm just now noticing that it turned out a bit blurry. Oh well, you get the idea.

There are about a dozen of these little reddish nubs sticking out of the ground. I am just hoping they aren't disturbed by the 'gardeners' who trampled my tulips last year. I hope they come up slowly as we are expecting some cold nights this week. I think one night below freezing.

I really hated trying to protect all of my tulips last spring. It went on for what seemed to be every night for weeks and weeks. If they could all just take their time and come up once it's actually warm, that would be great. I am happy that the new Menard's tulips did actually come up. I guess they really were just on a different schedule.

Also, I have a mouse in my house!...kind of like bringing the outdoors in, but in a bad way.
Nothing has been disturbed in my kitchen or pantry, but I hear it scratching inside my kitchen walls. Generally not good. I've heard it the past three nights. I told the lady at the leasing office today...not sure what good will come of it. I think I should have to pay less rent if I have to share my apartment with a mouse!

More Window Shopping

2008-03-29T21:23:00.000-04:00

This past week I've been doing lots of 'window shopping' of seeds and plants on line. I fill my shopping cart and then close the site. I know I could spend hundreds of dollars if I had less will power, yet even when window shopping I look for the best deals, the highest seed count per package and the buy one get one free specials. I already have plants coming for Mom's garden from MI Bulb and I've already bought seeds at Target. I also have seeds saved from last fall. I think if it was time to actually go out and plant I wouldn't be so tempted to buy more seeds, I would be busy with the planting and the growing and would be distracted from the buying and the shopping. I'm just glad I've been able to close the sites before buying or I would be hundreds of dollars in debt.

A Few Pics

2008-03-29T19:06:00.000-04:00

Happy House Plant...it's blooming for the second time since I got it. It was a birthday gift from my friend's mom.

This is a very sad story about a pretty pink flower. I bought six little pink sundrops from MI bulb last spring. Put them in and they did wonderfully. Then the "gardeners" at my apartment complex pulled them out (did I mention they left the true weeds behind?). The little pink sundrops are no more.

Flower Boxes & Elf the Gnome

2008-03-27T21:57:00.001-04:00

Mom came to visit Tuesday. We went out with my real estate agent and looked at ten houses. Sooo many to see. One of my favorites with a big yard is now pending to someone else :(
Mom brought me four flower boxes and the garden gnome with the creepy eyes.
The apartment complex came in to do inspections on Wednesday. I bet they were thrilled to see a big bag of dirt, flower pots, tools, and a garden gnome waiting patiently for spring in one corner of my living room. The garden gnome was in a cardboard box my dad labeled simply, 'ELF,' so the gnome's name will be Elf. She also brought me Easter goodies. I've already polished off the chocolate bunny and the Robin Eggs. Thank goodness I took the little chocolate bars to work to share.

Small Signs of Spring Poking Through

2008-03-22T20:28:00.000-04:00

The only sprouts that remain alive are the popcorn sprouts, growing straight and tall and each has added an additional leaf.

Mom may be bringing me flower boxes this week. If so, I want to fill them with potting mix and set them outside to try a little winter sowing. I'm thinking plastic wrap may make the best cover if I just poke a few holes in it for ventilation. I figure it will be just like winter sowing in a container, except I won't have to transplant them. If it doesn't work, I can just plant again in May.

Little signs of spring outside...the tulips that came up too early last year have again come up a little too early for the freakish Indiana weather. No buds or blooms to freeze and die just yet. Just leaf tips, so hopefully no damage will be done. Still no sign of the tulips I planted last fall. I got them on sale at Menard's. I tossed a couple, but most looked good when I put them in. Since I haven't seen anything from them yet, I'm hoping they're just on a different internal schedule than the 'early bloomers' that have already appeared.

In the kitchen, I just tried my hand at split pea soup for the first time yesterday. Success! Just a bag of peas, three chopped carrots and three chopped potatoes (I left the skins on) some garlic, parsley, onion, and thyme. Two and a half hours latter, perfection. I am going to be eating split pea soup for quite some time though. It made a lot!

Also in my love of sprouting things from my kitchen, the seeds of the most fabulous grapefruit are now under a blanket of dirt in an empty pot. I should have taken more biology classes in high school because I love the experimental side of waiting to see what will happen. I bet most gardeners would make good scientists as every thing we plant is an experiment.

planted too soon

2008-03-18T13:11:00.000-04:00

The little marigold sprout has died. The stem stayed straight and strong, but the seed leaves withered and turned brown. The lentils got very tall, maybe six inches, but now they are falling over limp. Only the popcorn sprouts remain green and growing in my windowsill. I bought Burpee seeds at Target yesterday. All for my mother's garden. Morning glory and Moon flower for the long fence. An heirloom sweet pea for the fence by the rose bush. Patio sweet pea for out on the corner by the little red fence. And zucchini because it called to me.

Sooo displeased

2008-03-09T21:01:00.000-04:00

I checked back at the Purdue Extension/Master Gardener Classes website today.
They have their fall classes listed. ALL at times I CANNOT attend because of work. Soooo not happy with them!

Day Class
• Master Gardener Class #2008-3: Wednesdays,
October 1-December 10, 2008, 9:00am-4:00pm (one
hour lunch break), Purdue Extension-Marion County
Classroom, 6640 Intech Blvd., Indianapolis, IN
46278, 18 3-hour sessions, $95 registration fee.

Evening Class
• Master Gardener Class #2008-4: Mondays and
Wednesdays, October 1-December 10, 2008, 6:00-
9:00pm, Purdue Extension-Marion County
Classroom, 6640 Intech Blvd., Indianapolis, IN
46278, 18 3-hour sessions, $95 registration fee.

Plants to Try Wish List & New Plants for this Spring

2008-03-06T21:45:00.001-05:00

PLANTS I'D LIKE TO TRY:
Iris
Roses (from cuttings)
Sweet Pea
Morning Glory & Moon Flower
Peony
Astilbe
Hosta
Bleeding Hearts
Foxglove
Daylily
Balloon Flower
Canterbury Bells
Bluebells

Tomatoes (from seed)
Cucumbers
Zucchini & other squash
Peas

PLANTED LAST FALL:
Maiden Pinks
Creeping Myrtle
Sedum
Mountain Lilies
Rembrandt Tulips
Hardy Glads

ARRIVING THIS SPRING:
Blue Hydrangea
Red and White Lilies
White Dragonflower
Red Coral Bells
Red Carnations
Rose of Sharon
Geranium
Asiatic Lilies

Master Gardening Classes

2008-03-06T21:41:00.000-05:00

I was looking on the Purdue Extension site at their list of Master Gardening classes. They don't have their fall ones listed yet, but the ones that are over and currently going on look like they're at such inconvenient times. Inconvenient for me anyway. Even if I had known about them in time to register, I wouldn't have been able to go to the classes because they were all during my work times. :( I hope this isn't a sign of class schedules to come. I'm crossing my fingers that the ones in the fall will be at a time I can actually attend. I need to remember to keep checking the site to make sure they haven't posted the new dates/times.

Flower Boxes & a Garden Gnome

2008-03-05T21:57:00.001-05:00

This year my mom has offered up her planter boxes and a garden gnome that mysteriously appeared on my parent's porch.

The big plus for the planters is that if/when I move, I can put them in the car and take them with me. Not that it would be awful to will my plants to the next inhabitant of my apartment, but I'd just like to have some instant color in my new home and for all of my hard work not to be left behind.

I was thinking of how many things I will need if I get a house: lawn mower, edger, rakes (garden and leaf), shovels (garden and snow). Right now, these are things I either don't need, or that are provided for me (courtesy of my dad's garage) when I go digging through my parents' flower beds.

waiting for spring

2008-03-05T21:41:00.000-05:00

Living in an apartment with no garden to call my own, only a front stoop and some mulch they call 'landscaping' outside my door.

I've started spouting lentils and popcorn from my pantry as I'm desparate to see something grow during this gloomy time of year. Now that they've sprouted they've gone to live with the houseplants for lack of a better home.

I planted marigold seeds saved from last summer too. So far, only one has sprouted. I fear the others were hybrids and have no future.

Spring refuses to come and snow continues to come down and I long to see the tulips I planted below the mulch last fall. This year I will dig up the bulbs and hope I have a new home, new yard and new garden in which to bury them this fall.

About five lily's are sleeping below the mulch too. I don't be able to take them with me. Any potential move would happen while they are still growing - digging them up then might kill them.

I've been looking through seed and plant catalogues for months now, circling and planning, basically just window shopping. I would have no place to put them, besides I would be broke if I bought them all.

I have 50 dollars worth of plants, flowers, bulbs, and shrubs on order, scheduled to be delivered in May. I have broken the news to my mother that there will soon be an influx of plants to her yard. She's very good about letting me use her yard to experiment with new plants. Its unfortunate that she lives two hours away. If I get a house and a yard, with a little luck I'll be able to step out my back door and get my gardening fix whenever I want, without the two hour car ride.