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Post by whollygoats on Jun 19, 2021 15:42:51 GMT
Sweet peas are abloom. Daylilies will burst in to bloom soon.
The star jasmine on the arbor is in full bloom. On a warm, humid evening, it fills the garden with its sublime scent.
I got cantaloupe sets, but not the Minnesota Midgets I'd hoped for. They are in the two pot pots closest to the rhubarb. I also picked up two Black Beauty eggplant sets, which went in to the tub in the 'mater patch at the crossroads. No cannabis this year.
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Post by whollygoats on Jun 20, 2021 3:33:12 GMT
The first bloom of the roses is over. I deadheaded most flower heads today.
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Post by whollygoats on Jun 21, 2021 19:31:32 GMT
The arbor with star jasmine (left) and grape (right) on Solstice. The Cage of Asparagus is in front. A look out in to the garden from the back door. My slacker gargoyle on the crowbar. Sweet peas. Orange sherbert colored daylilies. Red daylily.
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Post by whollygoats on Jun 21, 2021 19:32:48 GMT
I'll have to focus on getting updated pix of the new balcony awning, complete with new banners. It doesn't look nearly as tatty as it used to. Here:
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Post by Mari on Jun 23, 2021 6:03:40 GMT
What's the wood that clads your house? Cedar?
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Post by whollygoats on Jun 23, 2021 13:08:47 GMT
What's the wood that clads your house? Cedar? Yes. It is 'eastern white cedar', to be specific. No sealant nor preservative applied. It is contraindicated.
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Post by Mari on Jun 24, 2021 5:24:08 GMT
It is what now? I'm inferring that treatment of the wood isn't necessary How long does it last usually? We don't really have wooden houses here so I always like seeing American houses and their diversity with wood.
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Post by whollygoats on Jun 24, 2021 15:13:39 GMT
Yes. We were told by reputable sources that it needs no sealant. We were told that it will last much longer if not painted or sealed. It has a natural preservative which, if interfered with by applying a sealant, ceases to be useful. "Allow the wood to breathe and it will last longer than you." When it came time to redo the exterior of the house, I pushed for natural cedar siding because it obviated the need for repeated paintings. Around these parts, it is fairly common for oceanside homes to be done in this manner and there, the finish fades to a nice silver gray. It must be the salt in the air that does that. The cedar on my home has darkened in some places, but basically pretty much stayed in the tan/light brown tones. Believe it or not there are traditions as to what colors to paint the trim...green, like we did, or off-white, or terra cotta. It is pushed as the 'Cape Cod look'. Here is a picture of a small commercial district of Nye Beach, in Newport, Oregon. My wife and I were staying at Sylvia Beach Hotel, next door, when they were building out this little commercial district. It was ALL natural cedar siding at that point. It impressed my wife when she found out about the siding not needing sealant.... How long does it last? I dunno. I'm hoping I never find out. What we do know is that sealing the siding with paint or some preservative will most likely shorten the life of the siding. When I asked if, and when, I might paint it, I was told that was whenever I liked, but once done, it would be about twenty years before the moisture, trapped behind the inevitably cracked sealant that allowed it entry, will stimulate dry rot. Whereas, leaving it unsealed means that the wood siding is soaked and dries naturally and lasts longer (if you could time-lapse film it being soaked and drying, it would show the motion of the individual shingles swelling and shrinking, moving like feathers on a bird). It is currently at about 25 years since it was installed. The trim, done in the original fir wood fascia board, has been repainted once since (prolly having four or five paint coats below that). As noted in the past, my city is in the midst of a huge temperate rain forest. Wood is plentiful and adaptive to the region. Cedar is a common, but it is western red cedar, which blackens over time exposed to the weather. At one time, lumber and paper were king here, employing thousands in pillaging the landscape to make barkdust and buttwipe. Building with brick here is contraindicated due to the tectonics of the region....shaky potentials. And, it's relatively expensive. I would guess that 85%+ of residential structures in this region are wood frame construction. Next year, my home will celebrate its centenary anniversary.
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Post by Mari on Jun 25, 2021 7:02:36 GMT
That sounds very environmentally friendly and with no painting to be done every so often it's wedding friendly too. We built our porch with Douglas fir which is more common here. Doesn't need any treatment either, but will last between 15 and 25 years or so outside, so I've been told.
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Post by whollygoats on Jun 25, 2021 16:00:15 GMT
Yes. Douglas fir is the baseline timber in the region and is the source for most building lumber. Cedar, and redwood, are better for outdoor exposure situations.
Do you know if your Doug fir lumber come from Canada?
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Post by whollygoats on Jun 30, 2021 1:19:36 GMT
It cooled enough today to survey the damage.
I suspect my hanging fuschia basket is a literal basket case. The soon to flower Casablanca lilies, in a pot, won't bloom much this year, if at all; those buds are toasted. The last blooms of the first rose bloom are all fried (but one cluster on 'French Lace'). Leaves singed on the new miniature rose, in a pot. Most of the potted rudies are fried, but they may make a comeback with lots of water. The wall of jasmine blooms looked a mite peaked last night, but it got a deep watering and is looking much better now. All the hydrangeas wilted and I'm reviving with deep watering where I can.
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Post by whollygoats on Jun 30, 2021 2:17:58 GMT
It cooled enough today to survey the damage.
I suspect my hanging fuschia basket is a literal basket case. The soon to flower Casablanca lilies, in a pot, won't bloom much this year, if at all; those buds are toasted. The last blooms of the first rose bloom are all fried (but one cluster on 'French Lace'). Leaves singed on the new miniature rose, in a pot. Most of the potted rudies are fried, but they may make a comeback with lots of water. The wall of jasmine blooms looked a mite peaked last night, but it got a deep watering and is looking much better now. All the hydrangeas wilted and I'm reviving with deep watering where I can.
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Post by Mari on Jun 30, 2021 6:10:16 GMT
This year we had quite a bit of rain in our holiday week so for the first time in years I came back to a blooming garden instead of a dead or dying one. I have a hanging basket with fuchsia under the eve however and that one needed some reanimating.
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Post by whollygoats on Jul 9, 2021 19:40:14 GMT
I've spent the past couple of cool mornings doing hand weeding on the walkways through the back garden. This is where I've planted all the Irish moss and fairy thyme that I'm encouraging as my 'pathway surface'. I also deadheaded Cecile, which was no small matter.
Today, I'm malingering indoors with lower back pain. That's what I get for hanging out with that nasty hoe.
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Post by whollygoats on Jul 10, 2021 15:09:19 GMT
Perfect weather for gardening, and I'm on the 'injured reserve list'. Crap.
So, I ordered some more iris rhizomes and pondered the possibility of chocolate cosmos.
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Post by JoeP on Jul 10, 2021 16:14:13 GMT
I too am intrigued by the possibility of a chocolate cosmos.
Would this be just stars and planets, or is the theory that the "dark matter" scientists talk about could be chocolate?
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Post by whollygoats on Jul 21, 2021 17:37:42 GMT
Rudies are ascendant in the garden now. The second bloom of roses has started in the midst of the explosion of screaming yellow rudies, but just don't have the visual impact of the first bloom. More intriguing are the gladiolus bulbs I planted two years back in several of the pots. Tall, statuesque flower columns, with the flowers being of clashing colors like magenta making something of a splash.
The raspberries are still bearing, but not lavishly. The melons, eggplant and peppers are all blooming. The problem is that with two weeks of enforced inactivity, some of the weedy areas are overgrown with unwelcome visitors. Once off the injured reserve list, I shall need to excise weeds and a goodly portion of the rudies. But, not today.
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Post by Mari on Jul 22, 2021 9:26:48 GMT
My raspberries are only growing this year. Not a flower or berry in sight, though its height is nearing the top of the wall...
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Post by whollygoats on Jul 24, 2021 14:40:16 GMT
Yeah...I've some of that going on with my raspberries, too. Then, I have a certain number die off....I dunno WTF is going on with them.
Today, I am gratified that there is clear evidence that the clematis which were toasted in the excessive temperatures are putting out new stem and leaf growth all along the existing vines. Resurrection!
Huzzah!
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Post by Mari on Jul 26, 2021 11:17:37 GMT
My fuchsia is dead by the way. Yours still going strong?
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Post by whollygoats on Jul 28, 2021 14:27:33 GMT
No. It IS going, but not strong. It has been crippled. Where once it had hundreds of blooms, it now has three.
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Post by Mari on Jul 29, 2021 16:21:28 GMT
Shame. They just die too quickly when it's hot and dry.
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Post by whollygoats on Jul 30, 2021 18:01:53 GMT
The clematis blooms again! Fairly prolifically, too.
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Post by whollygoats on Aug 16, 2021 16:55:22 GMT
I have finally healed enough that when it is reasonably cool, I can resume weeding in my overlooked back garden.
I started by taking down the sweetpeas. This led to weeding the plaza and then the crossroads. The rising sun overwhelmed me before I could progress down any walkway.
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Post by Mari on Aug 18, 2021 17:28:10 GMT
Weeding... I needs to do that too. Somehow I keep finding excuses... You've been ill too then? All better now I hope?
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Post by whollygoats on Aug 19, 2021 1:29:19 GMT
Yes, somewhat better. I have recovered from my lumbar/bursitis event. I was down for almost a month.
I'm still not moving fast and having been largely inert for a month means the doing anything active will lead to post-event muscle soreness. It has.
I need to work a day and rest a day, just to recover. Cool temperatures don't last that long. It now depends upon me being enthused enough early enough.
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Post by Mari on Aug 19, 2021 9:08:15 GMT
Well exercising has its own rewards. Or so I've been told.
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Post by whollygoats on Aug 20, 2021 3:40:09 GMT
Exercise is also its own punishment.
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Post by JoeP on Aug 20, 2021 7:57:13 GMT
*nods*
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Post by whollygoats on Aug 20, 2021 13:55:45 GMT
'Tis the beginning of the end of the second bloom of roses this summer. I deadheaded three roses almost completely yesterday.
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