Thistles, some evil, some tasty and some beneficial

I did some serious work in my yard yesterday and have more to go because two years ago I very stupidly ignored a thistle growing in the parkway of the lot next to us. I should have taken care of it even though it was on Proctor Endowment's Homes property because of course guess who's over run with thistles now!!!

In case you don't know the thistle intimately, here it is:

Scottish Thistle

Beautiful isn't it. I find it so anyway. But that's the flower. The rest of it. Well not so much. Because it's covered in spikes.

It's like a dandelion that's gone to the dark side.

And like Dandelions, you're in big trouble if the flowers get to this point.

Because then you'll have this...

My yard isn't that bad yet but seriously I have to go after them now or next year it could be and then my neighbors will really come for me. The guy's yard this came from died or I'd be pissed at him. So when they're about 3 feet high and spiky how am I to clear them. I have a system.

First I use my loppers and I cut them back to the ground and use the loppers to grab a hold of them and not cut again but fling them out of the way. If that doesn't work I have a pitchfork I pick the peices up with and put directly into trash can. Then I go after the root with a Mattock. What's a Mattock? It's like a pick-axe with a flat blade. I chop at it with both ends. I also use the Mattock to smash them down into the garbage can so I can put 20 or so of these monsters in there.



Chances are still good they will come back but I'll be watching and keep removing them which is called exhausting the perennial roots. You have to go back every 21 days or less and remove any top growth and it'll starve any roots left.

Yes. So let this be a lesson to all of you. Don't be fooled by this pretty flower. It's evil. Remove and destroy it as soon as possible.

And don't mistake your artichoke or milk thistle plants for a Scottish thistle either.

Here's an artichoke allowed to bloom instead of being harvested to eat.

Yum yum.

And this thistle will heal your liver. Milk Thistle.

LONG time no post! Sorry but we went to new EMR and then bought a building!

So I thought I'd do a little collage tonight of what I would love to do at the building. This would only be seen from the billing offices and employee lounge or from windows on main and upper floor if people looked down.

I wonder how much that would cost! About 150 Japanese Gold Forest Grass plants or Hakonechloa macra aureola. 50 Obsidian heucheras. 10 Hostas. And a whole lot of pine bark mulch. Problem is would that slope fill in enough and not get washed into the moat? I just don't like mowing it. 

What is looks like now:

Panoramic view. 

View from what will be employee lounge/break room. 

Another collage without the fancy letters. 

Bought the Wrong Mulch But I Was Distracted

Today I finally resolved to get outside and start working on my yard. It’s a disaster. A disaster of biblical proportions. It used to be nice. Church service this morning was all the choir program and I enjoyed it. Probably because the cantata contained many old hymns that I miss. After the service, I slipped out to where I parked in this little lot on the other side that I usually don’t park in but being close to Easter the lot is more crowded. I got in my car and posted a picture of the choir to Instagram in their pastels and thought what a beautiful day. I will go get mulch and get to the yard! I looked in my rear-view mirror and stopped. Something is wrong. Took me a second, why it’s a dog in a car that appears to be all closed. Crap! It’s a boxer mix. But he’s not panting. My car was warm when I got in but not terrible but what if the person that owns the car is staying for Sunday School? Then some people came out the side door and I thought whew here they are so I backed out and left but I realized when I was going down the road and looked back over they were getting into the car next to the one with the dog. Didn’t they see the dog too? Ok I’m getting my mulch and I’m coming back.

Obviously, I was in a hurry because I didn’t want the dog to die and I was not too happy with the owner either. I had planned on shopping slowly and perusing but I bought 4 bags of what I thought was pine bark mulch and headed out. I wouldn’t even let them load for it me as I knew I could do it faster. I drove back to church and pulled in right next to the car with the windows still closed and didn’t see the dog. I was so scared to look and see the dog lying in the car probably near dead. But no dog. Then I looked up and here comes the dog with his owner. Very happy to have been walking the trails. This older man, clearly is wondering why I was looking in his car. I said “Oh there you are!” to the dog. Who ran to me and I petted him or her. He slobbered me good. I said to the owner that I had to come back to make sure the dog wasn’t left in the car without any air since the windows were closed. The owner told me she loves to come with us and I walk her between services back on the trails. He says, “are you ready for your water?” and lets the dog back in gives it water but still doesn’t lower any windows.

I just got in my car and left. I looked at another person getting in her car with the license plate Lasse 1 or some number and thought you’re seeing this, too right? How can I sit in church now with that dog stuck out in a car without the windows even cracked? If this happens again next week somebody will be getting smashed windows for Easter. This person clearly loves his dog but if he doesn’t start cracking his windows I’m going to lose it. Could he honestly not know how hot it gets? His dog is a boxer mix to top it off so already disadvantaged in the breathing department. I wonder if I emailed the church office if someone would say something to this person?

When I got home I had lost some of my interest in working outside and felt compelled to work on my backlog of notes that haunt me. But I finally decided I had done quite a few and could take some time outside. I weeded my bed around the mailbox. Cleared the leaves I always pile around. Discovered the irises are probably in serious need of dividing and I have no clue but I know people that do! Went got a bag of mulch out of my car and opened it and oh phooey. Not the right mulch. I still had a bag of the mulch I like so I spread that first. But it didn’t cover the whole bed so I went ahead and used the wrong mulch. So now my bed has two mulches. I will probably take the rest of the mulch back and buy the right mulch. I’m also open to suggestions about the situation with the dog. How do you break the window if you need to?

Supermarket Park

Enjoyed some digging this morning in someone else's dirt! I'm trying to finish up this year's master gardener intern hours. I have about 10 hours left. So I went down for the clean up day and I was the only one there. Perfect. I really actually like the alone time. It was the perfect day for it too!!!

Before in background, and after in foreground. 

Whole long bed on side done!

New Idea for Backyard...Matrix Planting!

Get Year-Round Good Looks With Matrix Planting in Your Garden

The one with the allium globemasters or similar would be awesome. Wonder how this scheme works with dog poop!

Bill S. 1503 Illinois - Lyme and Tickborne Disease Act Approval: Voter's Voice!

Bill S. 1503 Illinois - Lyme and Tickborne Disease Act Approval: Voter's Voice!: If you or a loved one suffers from Lyme or  another Tick-borne Disease, We need your VOICE! From Lymedisease.org : Senators Kell...

Front side yard really filling in. Maybe too much!

Got a feeling I need to divide the perennials this coming fall or spring. It would be nice if the other side of the house was ready for planting then I'd have a place to put all the extras.

New Design Idea For Front Yard

Still wanting that addition so I can have a decent entry room to be a drop zone and way to keep the rest of the house clean. I'm telling you it would be worth it!!!!!!

Plus I love brick edging around blocks of concrete. I don't even need to change the siding to be happy with this look.

June 2015 CRASH Garden Hit By Tree!

Silver Maples.... Should be called spaghetti Maple.

I watched it happen in horror. My husband came in to our bedroom and said that's a good way to get killed. But I was stunned. I was standing in the window watching the wind whip the neighbor's trees like they were nothing and one came and reached out and looked like it was about to come through the very window I was standing at and then a loud crack. THANK YOU  Lord for sparing me as I was just standing there in awe of the sheer power of that wind and could very well have been hit by that tree. So it destroyed the back half of my garden. A very upsetting event you would think but I was grateful to be alive. 

I'll certainly never forget what it looked like when it snapped. It was so mesmerizing. It looked like Indiana Jones' whip just reached out and was about to brush my face when it cracked. 

Tree 1 Birdbath 0

Wow that was a lot of that tree. 

Definitely ruined.

Wheelbarrow in sorry shape as well.

Back fence and side fence also damaged. 

The back half of the garden has been a mess every since... 10/22/2016

How long does it take to build one garden bed?

Longer than I thought! Although I must say the second bed is larger and I had no help. So I wanted to make a bed before heading to Chicago for the weekend. Pat is already up there. Joe is at "Summer Camp" with the truck. Rylie can't lift a block. She even tried! Because I have these tomato plants I orded from Territorial seed months ago and had them arrive May 15th because I was sure we would have the beds ready by then. NOT!!!!

Derek's Truck

So I borrowed a friend's truck this morning and was at Menard's before 9 am.

50 Blocks!

I also bought a hand truck as recommended by Dr. Miles, our chiropractor. Then of course I had to assemble the hand truck and finding appropriate wrench was a challenge.

Hand Truck

So I put on sunscreen and started unloading the blocks and setting them. Each block weighs 30 lbs. Not bad but it adds up. I quickly drank my first 2L of crystal light.

I assigned Rylie the pool dredging to remove all the leaves. She lasted 10 minutes before complaining but she worked on it on and off. Then we decided to go ahead and drain it so we could clean it right and start off on the right foot this year.

Green Pool

We had some ducks hanging around last week but luckily I think they deemed our back yard too hazardous which was wise. BUT we're afraid they ate our frogs. :-( 

So here's the front of the garden. The salvia and baptisia are amazing this year.

So I took a break when I almost had first layer done around 1 pm. I realized this is not exactly an easy job. I knew it wouldn't be but I guess I was hoping for a miracle. I also began to realize my design was very flawed.

The zig zag side didn't look right like I planned and my alteration left me with spaces that were not block length. My thinking with this design was to try and capture more sunlight because the neighbors trees have grown over into our yard and cast a lot of shade now on the back half of the garden. We need to trim them back but even if we do there is one very tall tree in the yard behind ours that still casts shade from 3 pm on or it did today. But there was shade around 1 pm from the next door neighbors!!! Argh! So by stairstepping it something tall like tomatoes each one can be in the direct path of the rising sun. Capeche?

Half filled with dirt. 

But I had originally assumed the blocks would be 12" and they're 16" so that messed it all up. So back to the drawing board-ish. But this bed is here for this year anyway. 

My bed doesn't look close to as good as the one Pat did. :-(

For how big it looks in growveg.com it looks like I can only fit 6 tomato plants. Sigh.... I have 9. But I may extend the bed and do away with the areas in between. Then I can fit 2 and I can walk on the blocks to get to them. We talked about putting a capstone on them but if I don't I will probably fill them with soil and plant marigolds. 

Pool about drained.... now we just have to clean out the rest of the slime! And I swear I'm going to used the broken up concrete to make a retaining wall by the garden. Anyone else ever do that?

See that pile of rocks, that was our back patio slab.

OK I'm officially worn out. But one last thing on my to do list. Flowers for dad.

Love you and miss you Dad!

I also like to visit the angel headstone nearby. Very moving....

Rylie wearing last years pants as capris!

Very productive day.... took a long hot bath and feel human again. Peace out!

Spring has sprung! Saturday in the yard.

Had a good day working in the yard. Uncovering perennials and already fighting the creeping Charlie. Edged the rose bed after spreading manure on the roses and the asparagus.

Asparagus is already 3 feet tall if you can see it.

Between our piling some wood for a couple weeks and the utility company doing some digging we have some large patches of dirt next to our yard. They're on the "communal through way" that goes along side our yard to one block over.

The creeping Jenny and 'Big Ears' Stachys surprised me with how good they look together. The 'Elegantissima' Red Twig Dogwood is also super pretty.

I love the purple creeping phlox.  Or should I say lavendar or blue. 

Isn't this Columbine beautiful!

I love these Pansies! They look like they have dark eyes.

Closeup on the pale blue phlox.

We definitely need the rain promised on Sunday.

Ember's Vegetable Garden Version 2.0

It's been 5 years since we went from a chain-link fenced in 15x24 patch of clay to the 15x54 garden I have now.

Apparently that's about how long untreated wood will last when you use 10" or 12" boards for retaining your raised beds. So time to replace them and I've thought long and hard on how I want to do it. I've decided on concrete block with a capstone and then staining or possibly covering with a stone veneer.

Here's the first re-done bed. It will also function as a cold frame.

The one's along the house will now be flush with the wall. 

Looking toward the entrance to garden from front yard. 

Looking toward back yard. 

Couple of things I forgot in first bed but want to remember for the rest. 

1. Consider lining with hardware cloth or some type of chicken wire to keep out moles/rabbits/etc.

2. Insert PVC or metal pipe to add polytunnels? Or may just make a frame for several sections out of wood with cold frame like hinged top.
3. The capstone I want is on clearance at Menard's for $0.63 each! Wow how awesome is that!

Lay out for the rest of the beds is no longer going to be just rectangles that's boring and I can fit more garden space in by different shapes and also going to avoid some shade. The left page is the back and the right page is towards the front. The already build bed is the bed in the lower righthand corner.