How to not make a major landscaping mistake...

it's yuuuuuuuge

not that I would ever do such a thing.

Oh yes I would!

Here it is.  Ready?

Always, always be aware of what the full size of a plant will be before you stick it in the ground.

Case in point:

When we moved in 20 years ago our five acres consisted of the noxious weed knapweed.  There was not one tree, bush, or blade of grass. Naturally, I was in a hurry to make it all pretty.  First up was to plan the foundation plantings.  I chose sea green juniper which is a pretty arching juniper - until it isn't.

Mine were about half this size at planting

They looked pretty innocent peeking out of a one gallon pot, so in they went.  I not only planted them in the front, I threw a few in behind the back deck and on the west side of the house because I wanted to keep in simple.

After about 8-10 years the nightmare started.  The back ones were so huge you could't see the back yard anymore.  I pruned, and pruned, and shaped, and pruned.  And they got even bigger.  So one day I grabbed my little hand saw and took the things down to the ground which was no easy task.  I ended up bloody and bruised.

I still see many nurseries recommend them as foundation plantings.  Unless you have hell's half acres to plant them - don't.

For the past several months I'd take my morning coffee out on the front deck and gaze at the massive junipers in front and plan my pruning. Two days ago I finally realized they had to go.  I called my charming, speedy, and very cute tree guys and requested their services.

Today was the day.

Before:  This is what I was facing even after some severe pruning last year.  Ugly sight.  What you can't see is the back where they were smashed into the house.

It also meant I couldn't access the upright junipers to prune, nor could I comfortably deal with the shrubs to the right of the path (yes - there really is a path there), so the bridal wreath, rosa rugosa, and barberry are also out of control.

See the little "puff balls" on the bottom?  That's from cutting back too far - or not far enough. 

After:

Buh bye...

Holy crapola!  Will you look at the size of that space?  It's screaming for a bird bath.

There's actually bark underneath all the juniper droppings but more bark will just be put on top.  Thankfully we put landscape fabric under the whole area.

Green meatball bush overkill.  Ewwww

The replacements will be one Japanese Maple in the center between the window and the remaining upright juniper which will be pruned tomorrow.  Joining the maple will be some hosta and probably a few pink syringa or boxwoods since they're easy to prune into a little ball.  I've resisted "little green bush meat ball syndrome", but at this stage of my life a little green ball of a bush is just what I need.







In October we'll have a nice bonfire in the field outside our fence.  Hot dogs, anyone?

It's deceiving, but that pile is about 5 feet high

Eclipse Day is Tomorrow

If you're in the path of the eclipse please use proper eye protection.  Some of the eclipse glasses sold on Amazon are possibly fake.

Here's How You Can Tell If You Accidentally Bought Fake Solar Eclipse Glasses

We're not in the path of totality, but about as close as you can get.  It starts at about 9:13 am for us and I'm planning an eclipse breakfast on the deck.  Eggs Benedict, hash browns, fresh tomatoes with basil from our garden, orange juice, and fresh plums from our garden. 

Nap to follow?  

Amazon Deals in Patio, Lawn, and Garden - now is a good time to start getting stuff for next year's garden.

Lightening Deals in Kitchen

This is why I voted for Trump...

may God protect him.





Some great deals at Amazon today

A short statement about Jeff Bezos offering a cut rate Prime plan for EBT users. 

Let's first hear from a "conservative" site:

To think Amazon couldn’t get any bolder in their seeming quest for consumer-world domination—they’re now ultimately awarding and enabling folks who are unemployed. How? They’ve just declared discounted, Prime memberships to those on government assistance and food stamps. (What a way to incentivize slacktivism and thwart job prospect.) source

Anyone who thinks that a half-price Prime membership will stop people from looking for a job is not thinking this through.  People who want a job, will find a job.  The others will continue to scam the system.

Washington Times:

The tech-news website reports that the Seattle-based company is offering its full benefits to discount users, a move which could help it compete among low-income Americans with discount giants such as Wal-Mart, especially on household essentials and infant-care products. After all, Prime memberships include a 20 percent discount on diapers and baby wipes, TechCrunch noted, and the free home delivery could be beneficial to EBT recipients needing to cut down on commuting expenses.  source

I pay $99.00 per year for Prime which is $8.25 per month, so I have no idea why everyone is saying it costs $10.99 per month. I also use my Amazon credit card which gives me 5% back on all Prime orders in the form of points to use on future purchases. The people on government assistance will be able to purchase Prime for $5.99.  That doesn't work out to "half price."

Does offering a discount to welfare recipients lessen the benefits I receive from Prime? No.

Will there be corruption in the program?  You betcha.

Does that corruption lessen the benefits I receive from Prime?  No.

While I don't like the politics of Jeff Bezos, I will have to applaud his business sense.  He's going head-to-head against Walmart and I'm enjoying the show.  Walmart now routinely changes their online prices to match Amazon, and I understand they're going to have some sort of membership program like Prime in the future.  That's the American way. It's called competition and we're the beneficiaries.

In addition to the benefits I receive from Prime, I'm also an Amazon affiliate (something I'm supposed to disclose every time I link to Amazon, but don't.)  Amazon pays me a small amount of money if you purchase something through my links at no additional cost to you.  I certainly don't earn enough to live on, but every little bit helps with household expenses.

There are people who hate Amazon, just as there are people who hate Walmart or Target, and that's okay.  Everyone has to make their own decisions about where they choose to shop.

I'm happy that those who are unemployed, through no fault of their own, will be able to take advantage of Prime.  The scammers?  I can't do anything about them.

I'm more interested in getting people off government assistance than I am about their cut-rate Prime plan.

The problem with EBT and other welfare programs is not caused by Amazon - it's caused by the government. Maine has been a leader in welfare reform and now more states are following with common sense reform.

I could go on and on about welfare reform, but blessedly I won't.  Any thinking person understands the problems and the solutions.

Today

Today is going to be very hot, so my outside work will have to be completed by 10am.  I'm currently a bit more than halfway through massacring some junipers that have no business being where I planted them.  It's a mistake a rookie gardener would make.  Look how cute those little bushes look lining the sidewalk.  Fast forward 20 or so years and you have a nightmare which ranks up with the 75 or so lilacs I planted.

Last night I power washed off all the dead stuff on the inside so they look a bit ragged. By the time I'm finished they'll look just dandy and I'll get to cross off another item from my yuuuge to-do list.

I know it appears that it's just a few snip-snips, but, trust me, there are branches on the inside that need a saw.

Almost done

More:

Political Clown Parade:

Time Is Running Out To Nominate Your Favorite Blogs For The Fifth Annual Paul Revere Award

A Simple Kitchen Gadget Becomes The Tongs of Death...

your helpful garden tip for the week.

Quack grass

Who doesn't have the problem of different types of grass invading their flower garden?  If the grass gets entangled in the flower plants, there is no way to get it out.

The worst ones are those that grow by way of underground runners, i.e., couch grass or quack grass. Sometimes, manually pulling it can make it worse.  Obviously, you can't spray it with glyphosate (RoundUp) without killing the good plant.

Before we go any further, allow me to clear up some things about herbicides.  The world is at war with Monsanto, the creators of RoundUp, and I completely understand why.  Designing RoundUp ready crops and spewing glyphosate hither and yon over them is nuts.   I would never use any herbicide around where food is planted.  Nor would I apply it where there could be danger of runoff or drift.  I also don't approve of Weed and Feed type lawn fertilizers, preferring to spot treat with 2,4-D. But glyphosate, or any herbicide, if used properly, can cut hours from your gardening chores.

Couch grass

Glyphosate is a non-selective herbicide, meaning it will kill just about anything it touches. I use it in the spring to edge around my flower beds (never food beds), and in my gravel driveway.  I am careful to always apply it to the offending plant leaves with almost no contact with the ground.



So back to the grass growing in the flower beds.  Only a non-selective herbicide will kill it.  So, how do we get it on the leaves?

Enter the lowly Dollar Store kitchen tongs with some old kitchen sponge glued on the ends.  I flatten the tips slightly so that the sponges completely meet when you squeeze the tongs together, and any excess can be squeezed off.   I used Super glue because it holds up well when wet.

Grab a wide mouth pint canning jar and mix up a little glyphosate, and add some commercial surfactant to keep the solution from running. (Don't forget to suit up in latex gloves.)  Take your newly acquired "Tongs of Death", dip it in the solution, squeeze together to remove excess, and grab the grass sliding it up the length of the blade.  At this point, you may want to laugh hysterically, do a happy dance, and scream, "You're dead, dead, dead!"


Here's an area that I painstakingly hand pulled just weeks ago. Fat lot of good that did.  This quack grass has completely invaded my ground cover.

 I took these pictures about an hour after applying the Tongs of Death.  Notice the blades are already tipping over.  The shine you see is from the surfactant.  Notice also, that little dead patch of ground cover.  That's what happens when you try to spray herbicide on the grass with a hand held squirt bottle.  Not my best idea. 

It's canning season and some prepper advice...

 I can't handle any more politics right now.

It's also going to be very hot today and tomorrow - close to 100 degrees, so I must get my outside work done early.

First batch of canning stuff:  sweet banana with cherry peppers and carrots.  My personal favorite?  Pickled beets.  Hubby hates beets.  No, really.  He'd rather dive into a pool of razor blades then be forced to eat a beet, so all those lovely beets are mine - all mine!  I'll probably make up another batch since my boss loves beets as much as I do.

Wealth

So much better than store bought

Beautiful color!

Simple water canner

After a lengthy discussion with the produce manager at the store where I work, I decided to buy another pressure canner.

He said that veggie prices were going to skyrocket this winter and veggies need to be pressure canned.  I'm also going to branch out into canning meat, since my freezer is packed.

I used to own a whoop-te-doo All American Canner.  They run over $300.00 for the large one.  I decided to sell it on ebay and managed to recoup my initial investment.

This time, I've opted for a simpler Presto canner - $80.00 from Wally World. It has 576 reviews and 470 of them are five star, 90 four star, with only 4 one star.  Works for me!  The reviews on Amazon are just as impressive. 

It holds 7 quart jars, 20 pint jars, or 24 half-pint jars.  I plan on canning chicken in pint jars and figure I will save about $1.50 per pound.  Each pint jar should hold about one pound which means I'll be almost half way to paying off the canner the first time I use it.

While our government is fond of telling you that things are wonderful, it's a lie.  I'm a careful and thrifty shopper and know my prices.  When I see prices jump one or two dollars per item, that is very alarming.  And I see that happening a lot.

Anything you can add to your pantry is better than money in the bank, since none of the banks are paying any sort of interest.  Indeed - some banks are charging you to keep your money in their bank.

It's a new world we're living in.

Patrice Lewis, who blogs at Rural Revolution and writes for World Net Daily, lives just south of us in the Palouse of Idaho.  She has wonderful advice on canning.  Give her a visit.

While I'm canning, I'll also be reflecting on how the president is spending his time.

The Sacrificin’ Never Ends

It's time to fertilize the lawn...

and so begins the search for fertilizer which still has phosphorus.

Why, you ask?

Because our stupid government has decided that phosphorus is dangerous.  It's why your dishes are dirty and cloudy after a run through the dishwasher using detergent without phosphorus. 

Let me say this as clearly as I can (Oh, good Lord - I'm starting to sound like Teh One.)

Just about everything can be dangerous if not used properly.  That also applies to fertilizer and herbicides.

What's the unintended consequence of using fertilizer without phosphorus?  Nothing; that is, if your soil has plenty of phosphorus.  A simple soil test will determine that.

However, if your soil needs phosphorus and you don't apply it in correct amounts, the result will be poor root development and/or possible soil erosion, which will cause your lawn to need more water.

What I find ironic is stacked right next to all those holier-than-thou bags of fertilizer with zero phosphorus is all the "weed and feed" products that, I might add, are spewed all over the fancy-dancy golf courses Odumbo plinks on, and they also include hefty amounts of phosphorus.

Wholesale slopping around of herbicides is a far bigger danger to the ecological balance than phosphorus.

 I might also add that those same golf courses have sprinklers that come on every single solitary morning so that the elitists can enjoy the greenest grass available.  Watering in this manner constitutes very poor lawn management.  That's why they need all that phosphorus.  Watering every day causes shallow root development, thus the need for even more phosphorus.

And you can bet all the greenie-weenie soy latte drinking elitist libtards are slinging that weed and feed crap all over their lawns in their gated communities, and congratulating themselves on not using phosphorus.  Dopes!

You can bet this lawn has had a bunch of herbicides dumped on it:  

 My garden calls...


More:

EPA Making “Greatest Water Grab That We Have Ever Seen By Federal Government”


Obama administration targets coal with controversial emissions regulation

Bill Whittle.com is live...

all the goodness of Bill Whittle gathered together in one very pretty place.

He has already posted a Virtual President video for opening day - and we thank him

Bill Whittle.com

I have so many things to say (for a change) and no time to say them.  Some might consider that a feature, rather than a bug.  

Another Announcement

I have finally made it to a million hits.  It only took about 42 years - or thereabouts.  A bunch of sneaky people made it happen while I slept - we thank each and everyone of you.

1,000,609

I shall return after (hopefully) doing some more front yard cleanup, planting five red maples, and making about 100 meatballs for our winter stash.

Meatball recipe HERE

The maples are waiting.  I bought these from a local lady for only $10.00 per tree.  Great deal! 

I have nothing to say...

nothing.

I admit it.

I do have some sewing to do.

See you later...

Our sunset on October 1st

Looking South

Looking East

Flower Tower Power...

in case you're sick of all the crapola going on in the world, I thought you might want to see something pretty.

I decided to make a flower tower for my front deck and I wanted it BIG - mainly because I didn't want to cut my fencing in half.  Waaaay too much work.  So my flower tower measures 4 1/2 feet tall from the deck to the top.

Here's what I started with back in May:

And here they are now:

(Notice also that the disgustingly ugly metal mini-blinds are gone.  We bought 2 1/2 inch Norman faux wood blinds from Blinds.com and couldn't be more pleased.  Great service and super great price.  We also put them in the bedroom.  They changed the entire feel of the rooms.  It also meant I could sh*t can the little cafe curtains which were there to hide the ugly mini-blinds.  I love wide open windows.)     

Next year I'm going to use three flats of petunias instead of two so they fill in faster.  And I'm planning another one for the back deck that gets full sun so I can use Wave petunias.  Maybe I'll shoot for 6 feet. 

I love petunias.  They smell so good in the evening.  You can just barely see little Frankie peeking out the door wondering what I'm doing.  Who else but your dog is interested in everything you do??

 The back deck is abloom, too:

Look closely and you'll see Frankie peeking out the back door.  It looks like St. Francis (Frank to his friends) is offering him a treat.

I love our decks.

My vintage ladder (painted a lovely pistachio green) has all but disappeared under the scarlet runner
beans.

 Here's how to make a flower tower.  I used the much stiffer and higher quality weed fabric from Costco.  It's much easier to work with than the limp black stuff and will last much longer.

Spring has sprung...(and an inspiring video)

seen last week:

My tomatoes have popped up:

Starting seeds is easy.  In the spring, I put a shelf unit in front of my back slider.  First to be planted are the tomatoes and the eggplant.  The only flowers I start this early are the moss roses.  The plastic covers are Costco spring mix lettuce boxes turned upside down.  Simple... 

When the plants are large enough, they will be moved to my upright cold frame hubby built for me using an old slider door and some free glass panels from our local window guy.

I also overwinter 4 or 5 different color geranium plants.   Geraniums root easily and those plants will produce about 50 or 75 additional plants for my garden and pots.  Notice the library books are overflowing their tote.

The greatest gift you can give your children is the stuff you teach them how to do.  My mom had me pulling weeds when I was barely in an upright and locked position.  She even convinced me it was fun (it is!)  In just a few months, we'll be eating strawberries, tomatoes, cucumbers, Roma beans, eggplant, lettuce, spinach, summer squash, and onions - all from our little garden.

My dad taught me how to caulk our storm windows, and now I'm the caulk queen of the household.  I can change washers in faucets, replace toilet innards, and cut in a perfect line when I paint the walls.  I do, however, manage to paint myself too.  Very messy!

The sun is shining, and I'll be outside trimming, spraying, and - pulling weeds.  Yay! 

Watch this inspiring video of a man who changes lives. 

Gardening Changes Lives

Just ask Ron Finley of South Central L.A.

Ron Finley plants vegetable gardens in South Central LA -- in abandoned lots, traffic medians, along the curbs. Why? For fun, for defiance, for beauty and to offer some alternative to fast food in a community where "the drive-thrus are killing more people than the drive-bys."

You have to actually visit to see the video...

Smoke...

where did our mountain go?

There are many fires burning west of us and the smoke blowing in here is so thick our mountain has disappeared.

How it usually looks...

How it looks this afternoon.  Cough, cough.