Posts from — July 2009

The end of July at the woodland garden already. It is hard to believe that time is moving so quickly. I still have a ton of projects and other obligations again this year have kept me from enjoying as much of my garden as I would like. But any time that is spent there is truly relaxing and enjoyable.

This weekend I will be spending a little time working on organizing and cleanup. But there will be time for a bit of fishing as well. I really have to modify the deck for that tree but it should not be that big of a project.

It is truly amazing what you can learn from your gardens. This year is no exception. I have found a lot more mushrooms popping up due to the cooler and wetter weather we have experienced. Also some of the plants have done much better than in the past I must contribute this as well to the extra rain this year has brought.

One of the biggest things I have noticed is that there are not as many birds feeding at the bird feeders but there are a lot more people using their sites this year so I have to believe the birds are getting well feed and that is why my food is lasting a bit longer. I spend a lot of time watching the birds they can entertain you for hours. All of the birds amazing they all have their own quirks and habits. I especially like when the young ones are out and about for the first time they are no so sure but they learn so quick.

Okay now it is time to head out so Have A Great Weekend and Enjoy Your Gardens!

Well Saturday was a good day at the woodland garden in general. The only thing that spoiled the good weather and my attempts to eradicate skitters from getting in side the screen room was the return of those maniacal moles. These insidious creatures have come back with a vengeance. These little vermin have manage to tunnel there way throughout most of the lawn and flowerbeds. It is like there is and army of them just trying to take over the whole property. I know why they are there but I find it hard to bring myself to insecticide the whole property to eliminate their food source so that they will move on to greener pastures. The woodland garden is full of all kids of insects and soil organisms which help keep things in check and balance. It is not to my way of thinking to kill them ll off to get rid of a pest.

I did see a new product on the shelf at the hardware store guaranteed to eliminate moles. I read the content 20% Castor oil 80% inert ingredients . I don’t know for sure but I do not see how this would get rid of the moles. The direction say apply to non infected areas day one and water in for 20 minutes. Day two you need to apply to affected areas and place two tablespoons into each tunnel then water in for 20 minutes. On day three you apply to all areas and water in for 20 minutes. Repeat as necessary to eliminate moles. Hmmm I don’t know about that seems like you can go through $50 or $60 real quick and I don’t know how good the guarantee is about refunds. I think I will need to do some research. Other than my moles I did enjoy the break and the chance to get away. Have a great week and enjoy your gardens.

Saturday morning and we are headed out to the woodland garden.I have a couple of things to do this weekend. First and foremost is cutting the grass. It missed a mowing last week and I am sure it will be long. It will be a nice day and I want to finish the screen room tweaks. Mostly the work will involve being sure all the nooks and crannies along the roof are skeeter tight. After that is complete I really am going to try and get the piece of deck and rail out of the way where the tree is growing into it. I think that is the most important of projects for now to complete.

There are always jobs and projects to be done at the woodland garden but I do not think of it as work. A lot of people who own places out at Woodhaven Lakes refer to it as Workhaven . I do not necessarily subscribed to that. Yes there is work and there are projects but I actually enjoy it. I get to be lost for a while out in my woodland garden and when I am finished with something I am working on I feel a great sense of accomplishment. If I had the money I would probably like a large piece of property where I could grow and sell plants and turn the whole thing into a self sufficient homestead. Sort of like the ideas I was exposed to back many years ago in my youth in the late 60’s early 70’s when I would read The Mother Earth News religiously. I think that a lot of the reasons I went into horticulture and groundskeeping stems from those days when I was reading a lot and trying different things. Oh well I guess my dreams may not really have changed as much as I sometimes think. Some people long to explore the world I am content to work and putz in the garden and let nature show me all kinds of new and exciting things.

Have a great weekend and get out and enjoy your gardens. See you Monday.