Heading South for the Winter

I am pretty sure that this summer went by at record speed. Maybe it was because I worked my butt off or maybe it's due to the cooler weather we had. I do know that I'm sad it's over. I head South on Monday.

There is much to do this weekend. Plant the last of my new irises. Till the veggie garden to over winter garlic and some potted plants. Collect some leaves from the neighbors ditch. Still need an oil change and a tire rotation. A cookout with my family. I hate saying goodbye. Harvest my unripe tomatoes. They never ripened due to the cool weather. I plan to make some green salsas and fried green tomatoes with them. They will make the trip south with me along with peaches, nectarines, blackberry, raspberry and strawberry jams.

I'm making the trip by myself too. I really don't want to due to my driving anxiety but I don't really have a choice. My mom was supposed to go with me but we waited to long to get her a return flight and now the tickets are to expensive. Perhaps it will be a liberating experience for me. I have always envied those who can just take off on their own to see the country side or even backpack Europe.

Slightly Compulsive

I get a little carried away each year. Here is a list of most of the plants I bought this year through co ops.

1 lb of hardneck garlic Bought at Gourmet Garlic

600 Eon metal markers

09 Allium and Fall Specialty Bulbs:
7 Aflatuense
7 a. christophii
5 a. ivory queen
5 a. schubertii
15 a. drumsticks
5 a. mount everest
5 a. rosenbachianum
15 a. purple sensation
3 a. round and purple

48 Dog Tooth's Violet

ferns
1 Lady in Red
1 Pictum
1 Regal Red
1 Bradford Rambler
1 Ghost
1 dryopteris Brilliance
1 dryopteris austrailis

09 Hyacinths & Crocus:
5 Blue Jacket
5 Carnegie
5 City of Harlem
5 Gypsy Queen
5 Jan Bos
5 Pink Pearl
5 Woodstock

crocus
6 Colchicum Giant
1 Colchicum Mauve Wonder
6 Colchicum Water Lily

09 Bleeding Hearts:
1 luxuriant
1 aurora
1 candy hearts

lily
15 Casa Blanca

muscari and hyacinths
15 Valerie Finnis
15 Latifolium
5 Cotton Candy
5 english blue bells
20 siberian squill
5 hollandica Bronze Queen
15 s. histrioides Katharine Hodgkin
5 hollandica Eye of Tiger
5 hollandica Sapphire Beauty
5 hollandica Carmen
5 hollandica Yellow Queen

09 Narcissus
5 Dutch Master
5 Holland Sensation
15 Mount Hood
5 Exception
15 Money Maker
15 Daydream
5 Flower Record
15 Ice Follies
5 St Patrick's Day
5 Red Devon
5 Rainbow
5 Cool Flame
5 Misty Glen
10 Precocious
5 Thalia
5 Barrett Browning
5 Orangery
5 Fortissimo
5 Pappy George
5 LaBelle
5 Garanium
5 Pipit
5 Martinette
5 O'Bodkin
5 Pink Paradise
5 Sir Winston Churchil
5 Tahiti
5 White Lion
5 Yellow Cheerfulness
5 Golden Ducat
5 Obdam
5 Flowerdrift
5 Cheerfulness
5 Double Campernelle

heuchera
1 Heuchera Havana
1 Heuchera Shanghai
1 Heuchera Golden Zebra
1 Heuchera Electric Lime
3 Heuchera Midas Touch
3 Heuchera Midnight Bayou
1 Heuchera Mint Julep
1 Heuchera Sugar Plum

09 Tulips:
25 Wildflower Mix
5 Peppermint Stick
5 Sweet Lady
10 Bronze Charm
15 Apricot Beauty
10 Yellow Emperor
10 Pink Emperor
10 White Emperor
15 Sweet Heart
15 Pirand
15 Pink Impression
5 Ivory Floradale
15 Apricot Impression
10 Apeldoorn's Elite
15 Jasp Groot
5 Design Impression
15 Ice Follies
5 Giant John
15 Shirley
15 Tennessee
15 Arabian Mystery
5 Yellow Flight
15 May Time
15 West Point
15 Burgundy
15 Elegant Lady
5 Pretty Woman
5 Bleu Aimable
15 World Expression
15 Pink Diamond
15 Temple of Beauty

terra nova 2010 pre order
1 Echinacea Firebird
1 Echinacea Maui Sunshine
1 Echinacea Flame Thrower
1 Echinacea Hot Lava
1 Echinacea Tangerine Dream
1 Echinacea Tomato Soup
3 Heuchera Autumn Leaves
3 Heuchera Berry Smoothie
3 Heuchera Fire Chief
3 Heuchera Georgia Peach
1 Heuchera Plum Royale'
1 Heuchera Mahogany
3 Heruchera Marmalade
1 Heuchera Midas Touch
1 Heuchera Midnight Bayou
1 Heuchera Midnight Rose
1 Heuchera Shanghai
1 Heuchera Sweet Tea

1 Pulmonaria Dark Vader
1 Pulmonaria trevi Foutnain

09 Iris:
1 Beautiful Vision
3 Edith Wolford
3 English Charm
1 Gypsy Romance
3 Mariposa Skies
3 Monet's Blue
1 Mother Earth
1 Night Ruler
3 Play with Fire
1 Spin Off
1 Tiger Honey

Irises
MEDIANS
1 All That Magic
1 American Patriot
1 Antics
1 Autumn Wine
1 Ballistic
1 Ballycastle
1 Bourgeios
1 Breezy Blue
1 Cantique
1 Cat's Eye
1 Cherry Curls
1 Clever Touch
1 Cousin Carol
1 Delirium
1 Domaine
1 Eye of Newt
1 Eyes for You
1 Face Paint
1 Fancy Sparkler
1 Folk Art
1 For Your Love
1 Foxy Doll
1 Glamour Cat
1 Goosebumps
1 Hot Glow
1 Hot Topic
1 Jillaroo
1 Maple Madness
1 Marksman
1 Midnight Mist
1 Mikey Likes It
1 Ming
1 My Kayla
1 Oasis Rootbeer
1 Oddbod
1 Overcast
1 Party Animal
1 Posing
1 Ruby Eruption
1 Ruby Slippers
1 Serendipity Elf
1 Smooth
1 Snugglebug
1 Stormy Circle
1 Ultimate
1 Winged Angel
1 Witch's Cauldron
=================
AUGUSTO BIANCO Irises
=================
1 Acqua di Rosa
1 Brigantino
1 Burano
1 Innocenti Evasoni
1 Nava
1 Pollicino
1 Polvere de Stelle
==============
TALL BEARDED
==============
1 Act of Kindness
1 Alien Mist
1 Bold Encounter
1 Bold Expression
1 Celtic Melody
1 Crystal Gazer
1 Dancing in Ruffles
1 Dandy Candy
1 Daughter of Stars
1 Doodads
1 Gracious Curves
1 Honey House
1 Ididit
1 In Love Again
1 Introspection
1 Mastery
1 Momentous Occasion
1 Moonlit Water
1 Musician
1 Oasis Classy
1 Oasis Elmer
1 Oasis Shooting Star
1 October Sky
1 Opposing Forces
1 Owyhee Desert
1 Petite Princess
1 Planned Treasure
1 Powerpoint
1 Prague
1 Pretty Edgy
1 Reality
1 Ring Around Rosie
1 Secret Recipe
1 Sharper Image
1 Slovak Prince
1 Social Graces
1 Socialist
1 Society Lady
1 Society Page
1 Splashacata
1 Sun Fun
1 Tamara Kay
1 Telepathy
1 Total Chaos
1 Tour de France
1 Trade Secret
1 True Spirit
1 Venetian Glass
1 Wearing Rubies
1 Who's Your Daddy
1 Wild Wings
1 Pane E Vino
abiqua falls
ghost train
badlands
arctic age
time piece
wild thing
lace legacy
qualified
hold my hand
double bubble
drama queen
decadence
candy club
battle royal
birthday girl
brilliance

1 ABBEY AND ME...4...(2004)
1 ALPINE VIEW...9...(2002)
1 AMARILLO FRILLS...2...(2002)
1 BADITUDE...5...(2001)
1 BATTER UP...8...(2003)
1 BINGO BANGO BONGO...2...(2002)
1 DA BLUES...16...(2004)
1 FLORENTINE SILK...7+...(2004)
1 GRANDMA'S SMILE...21+...
1 JANE TROUTMAN...1...(2006)
1 JEAN QUEEN...12...(2005)
1 LEAP OF FAITH...27+...(2004)
1 NAPLES...23+...(2000)
1 NO DOUBT...28+...(2003)
1 OKAPI POPPY...8...(2003)
1 TALKING TURKEY...3...(2001)
1 TEAM SPIRIT...5...(2004)
1 TELEPATHY...32+...(2003)
1 VAPOR...27+...(2001)
1 WINNING DEBUT
dance recital
roadmap
starring
hue heaven
helgas hat
dark drama

Morning in Lake Leelanau

Sunflower Fields Forever

The new iris bed progress

Here is what is done so far. I have nine rows in. Each are 40 feet long. I extended another five feet at the one end too.



On Sunday I went to my friend Lynda's and she dug 19 new varieties for me. Probably 100 irises in total, if not more. So now I have to plant all those as well! Two boxes and a paper bag full. They are gorgeous rhizomes. Large and very healthy. Can't wait to see the show.




Here is Lynda's amazing farm. These are updates to the photos I had posted a few weeks ago.


One of the large barns, the greenhouse and her new gazebo. Behind the barn is a chicken coop as well.



The border near the house. You can see the other large barn in the back.


The flower beds along the stream.

New Garden Bed

It's all done. The manure and leaves are in. Here are some of the plants that will find their way into the new bed. Not all of them though. Making several more beds for that.



This is the bunch that I paid $38 for.


All Heuchera's.


A couple toad lilies.


Hakone Grass.


A whole mess of stuff including, primula, astible, umbrella plant, rodgersia, pulmonaria, dwarf solomon's seal, etc...and a dirty foot.


Four different epimediums as well. .40 cents each.


All these plants were on clearance. Run out and check your local garden centers, hurry!

Gourmet Garlic

Looking for a great source for gourmet garlic? Here you go. Great prices and customer service. Organic and sustainably grown.

Gourmet Garlic Gardens

Wide selection plus an extremely informative website. All positive feedback at Garden Watchdog as well. I'm placing my order for the Hardneck assortment today since it is the best choice for northern gardens.

They carry around 20 varieties plus 7 different assortments.

Note: This post is unsolicited. I just wanted to let you all know about this great garlic source!

My Dream Yard

These are some shots of a friends garden. This is just one small area of her yard. I for some reason didn't take more pics when I was there. She lives in a beautiful old farmhouse complete with several large barns, two cabins, and several small storage buildings, a greenhouse, sauna, and gazebo!

A small portion of her wonderful primula collection. Many are from seed from England.



A glimpse of one of the large barns.


The sauna and stream.

Is It Over?

The season isn't far from over here in MI. Night's have been very cool and I've seen some Maple's turning orange already. I only work five more weeks and then it's back to NC. Lot's to do till then.

Still waiting for tomatoes. Squash is prolific, when isn't it? The phlox, agastache, herbs and hydrangea's are blooming. Did I mention that I bought three new hydrangea's and a wisteria? I have, in three weeks, come home with a total of 111 new plants for under $100. Now that's how it's done!

Here is an Allium from earlier this year. It's either gladiator, globemaster or gigantium.

My Car Full of Plants

Here are the pictures from this past May when I loaded up my car and headed back up to MI for the summer from NC.

This is about as full as a cobalt can be. The whole trunk was just plants. Much of back seat was too. I had them in bags and boxes. Slugs, spiders and ants started crawling around with us during the trip.



Everything in this pic is plants.


See the greenery now. The canvas garden tote you see is all seeds! That empty space you see was filled after this shot. Its where we put my back pack and my brothers stuff.


I had 30 tomato plants, 9 hostas, 10 heucheras, 15 astibles, 5 hellebores, veggies, herbs, assorted perennials, etc.... I have a problem.