What have you done today? (Pt 2)

[Pyraxis]

 

Shoo! Shoo! Bad gopher!

[odeon]

Sorting laundry.

[FourAceDeal]

Nothing.  The football hasn't started yet.

[odeon]

Got jab #2.

[Pyraxis]

Congrats.

[FourAceDeal]

Nothing.  The football hasn't started yet.

Same again.

[odeon]

Took the day off. Not feeling well.

[DirtDawg]

Gardening, although the reason for all this has changed.

I mentioned that this property in which we dwell has been condemned through local Eminent Domain appropriations. The city has yet to settle with us for an amount for our property, nor have they offered even a timeline for our concerns being addressed.
We have to move next year some time.

So, gardening this summer is all about finding ways to move the plants I would like to keep. Pot some up as shoots or more mature specimens, depending upon the type of plant and growing patterns, leave some in the ground, but root prune to make the move less stressful.

I have a classic hydrangea of City Tour quality growing in my front yard. Last year I was going to divide it up so I could spread it around. So two years ago I did a massive root pruning process, effectively dividing this huge plant into six "quarters" and it is really kicking ass this year. So much growth, mainly from the pruning I believe.
I plan to take a couple of two foot diameter balls of this plant with me. Can't do anything with my prized Japanese maples; been in the ground too long.
Still having fun in the garden, just with an adjusted view of what to do next and what to put off.

Tits would be good about now.
 

[Pyraxis]

Oh that's sad about the Japanese maples, those are gorgeous.

[odeon]

Woke up and had coffee. I have the day off as it's a Swedish national holiday today.

[DirtDawg]

Oh that's sad about the Japanese maples, those are gorgeous.

I have two of the common variety Bloodgood, but they are both unique and quite different from each other. The third is a rarity that I can not remember the user name right now. It is a proper species plant, but it can boast shrub properties, sporting twelve trunks, unlike the Bloodgoods which are single trunk "tree form" commercial nursery varieties. Its more yellow and bright green than the typical reds so common among these imported (and dramatically overbred) plants.

[Pyraxis]

I keep wanting to plant a few trees in the yard here, the big(ish) areas that are still undeveloped and the areas with invasive shrubs I haven't properly cut back yet. But keep procrastinating on what to get. Not to mention I wanted a juniper (I think) for the front walk, but what I ended up getting on my mother's advice was most definitely not what I'd had in mind.

I do not have a whole lot of spare time and energy for proper plant research. 

[rock hound]

My antiques wood inlay box that I found in a pile of trash has undergone a resurrection!  When I restored it a few years ago it needed the original lock fixed.  Fortunately I found a local locksmith who got it done.  Flash forward to our move of two months ago and I thought the lock broke again.  I was about to give it up to a local thrift store and bought a new one from Hobby Lobby and am in the process of fixing it up to my liking.  Anywho, I took the old box and took out the lock and tried the lock one more time...........and it WORKED!  The box will be 90 years old next year, according to the person who first bought it and wrote on the inside lid.  They bought it in Gunnison Colorado in 1972 when it was 40 years old.  So it was like telling me a story from the past.  After I restored it to its original appearance, removing cheap felt from a cheap craft aisle, and the hot gun glue that held it in place...that was a job!  Delicately removing old pain spots from the exterior, fixing the hinges and a crack in the interior wood.  It was missing one tiny piece of inlay on the outside.  I spent months looking for the right piece of wood to be inserted in that spot.  I found it using a discarded scrabble chip and using my Dremel tool slowly got it down flush with the other inlay pieces.  With a little staining I can now barely see the seam and the color blends in with the others.  A little tung oil polish and it was done.  I guess you might say I have an emotional attachment to this beautiful wood inlay over a plain wood interior.  So I got a major amount of pleasure at my ability to restore it and it still having a functional original lock. 

The new box has just been stained with early american stain pen and the interior is stained with golden oak.  On top I took a sterling silver cufflink that I found by the side of the road and used my Xacto knife to carve out the right sized inset and it looks pretty good in the center of the lid.  Held in by a dollop of craft glue. 

As for the old box, I wrote my own continuation of the story, where and when it was found and restored.  Big pleasures are great, but, it's the little pleasures of life that have kept me going over the years. 

Ok, that's enough rambling for one day.

[Pyraxis]

That sounds beautiful, you should post pics.

[DirtDawg]

I keep wanting to plant a few trees in the yard here, the big(ish) areas that are still undeveloped and the areas with invasive shrubs I haven't properly cut back yet. But keep procrastinating on what to get. Not to mention I wanted a juniper (I think) for the front walk, but what I ended up getting on my mother's advice was most definitely not what I'd had in mind.

I do not have a whole lot of spare time and energy for proper plant research. 

Everyone needs juniper near them. You can grow them in containers for years. Start now. I might try a "Green Mound"  or possibly a "Blue Rug,"  but I have only grown the rug variety. A neighbor has the "Green Mound" and it has similarly pleasant habits compared to the Rug one I grow and nice to touch, plentiful berries. There are many, but I prefer the NON poking, softer needled types. Super popular right now is the "Blue Star" and I wouldn't want one near me. Stunning in landscapes, but not very fruitful and very thorny needles. BTW, these are all considered to be creeping junipers. Too many junipers to talk about. Juniper trees are amazing, too. Get some.

Not much research necessary to identify an invasive plant.  Western Hemisphere has declared an undeclared WAR on invasive species. Go to what ever Canadian facility that emulates our County Extension Services and bring in a sprig of your invaders. They will know what it is and offer solutions for controlling it.

Easiest way to kill it all (I hate to say and I understand this method may not apply to a single, although awesome, mom) is a machete and some horrid chemical.
Going easy on the horror involving chemicals is to use a PH attack against the invaders. That might mean vinegar or lye type things, but identifying the invasive plant is FIRST. You have to know what you are fighting.

BUT, fucking plant a tree already. Make it a double!