Podcast: Royal Botanical Gardens

Got Clean Fill?

Last time it was "Got Mulch?" when we got a delivery of around 4 cubit yards of the stuff.  Well this time it is "Got Clean Fill?" & we had about 12-14 cubit yards dumped into our driveway this time.  Now that's a lot of clean fill & Bruce doesn't think it will be enough--we will see!  Bruce is wheel barrowing it from the driveway in the front yard to the back yard.  Bruce started on Thursday & Friday night after work.  On Saturday & Sunday, Calluna was delegated to help fill the wheel barrows with the clean fill--who says girls don't like to play in the dirt!  This is taking time!!

Truck dumping clean fill into our driveway

Truck leaving our driveway

12 - 14 cubic yards of clean fill in our driveway.  Now that's a lot of clean fill!

That's a lot of clean fill!

Calluna working hard!

Calluna & Bruce filling wheelbarrow like an assembly line.  Fill the first wheelbarrow, then Bruce wheels it to the back yard to dump it while Callluna fills the next wheelbarrow.

Making a small dent into that pile of clean fill.  It is sure taking time.

Working hard!

Slowly getting through that pile of clean fill

The backyard, where the clean fill is being dumped.

The backyard, where the clean fill is going

Looking good!

This is the pile of clean fill that was left at the end of Saturday.  Calluna & Bruce had done a great job. 

What was left at the end of  Saturday.

One side filled then the other side to be filled.

and the twain shall meet

Getting near the end of Sunday.

Working hard!

One side filled first, then the other side and then the twain shall meet.  Starting to look really great.

Middle being filled.

Union break!

Getting near the end of the pile.

The area has been filled with clean fill and there is only under the deck to fill.  After that it will just be grading towards the fence so that when it rains it drains towards the park.

Now only under the deck to fill.

Just under the deck left to fill.

Zebrina moving & tamping the clean fill under the deck.

Near the end of Sunday

The last filled wheelbarrow of the last 4 days.  There is still about a yard left to fill under the deck but that will have to wait as muscles are sore.

The last filled wheelbarrow of the day!

What is left to fill!

Looks really good.

What is left on our driveway is about 1 yard of clean fill.  Not really a lot when you think there was 12-14 cubic yards dumped there 4 days ago.  Maybe next weekend we will finish it.  Muscles are sore!

Only about a yard left to fill under the deck.

Podcast: Garden To-Do List for June

 

Sunflowers & Swiss Chard - Part 2

With all this rain we are having, the sunflowers are growing like weeds.

and so is MY Swiss chard.  Bruce & Calluna don't like Swiss chard.  Zebrina and I love it and the more the better!!  It's looking good but I see some skeltonization on the leaves so it is time for the remay cloth.

Swiss Chard growing with all this rain.

 

Tenting the Swiss chard with remay cloth to stop the plant from being skeltonized

Swiss Chard tented with remay cloth.

Tomatoes, They Are A Coming!

Tomato season is a coming!!  I can hardly wait.  We love tomatoes and it looks like we are going to have an abundance!

This is the Power Pops tomatoes in a container with lots of flowers.  This is the variety that grows 9 inches tall but 3 feet wide.  This is why we put them on the deck.  They are going to cascade down hopefully!

Power Pops tomatoes

Power Pops tomatoes loaded with cherry tomatoes

This is the other cherry tomato 'Cherry Punch'.  This one will grow 24 inches tall and 3 feet wide.  Hopefully it will cascade down the deck as well.

Cherry Punch tomatoes

Cherry Punch tomatoes with lots of flowers

This is our vegetable garden.  Actually it could be called our 'Tomato Garden' as what is in this vegetable garden is mostly tomatoes.  Can you tell we love tomatoes!

Our vegetable garden

Sunflowers & Swiss Chard

I love sunflowers, they are my favourite northern hemisphere flowers.  Every year I plant sunflowers in containers.

The containers are usually planted with dwarf sunflowers but this year I am pushing it.  As I said I love sunflowers so I am trying a few larger ones in pots.  We will see how this goes.

Music Box is a dwarf sunflower.

Music Box Sunflowers

The next container has 4 varieties of sunflowers in it.  The taller ones are at the back and the shorter ones are in the front.  Should be interesting to see how this works.  From the stick in the back going clockwise are Valentine, Royal Flush, Van Gogh & Cinnamon Red.  It's a bit crowded but that's the way I like it, over-planted.

Valentine
Royal Flush
Van Gogh
Cinnamon Red

I also LOVE, LOVE, LOVE swiss chard (Silver Beet for you Kiwis).  This year I planted 3 varieties, Italian Rib, my all time favorite, Peppermint Stick-which is new this year & Garden Rainbow which I have not tried until now.  I have to fight off one daughter who likes swiss chard as well.

Italian Rib Swiss Chard
Peppermint Stick
Garden Rainbow

We also planted our strawberry urn.  Looks great with Surprise Yellow petunias & Hot Rod Red Petunias from Dummen Red Fox.  Love the container!

Podcast: Deer & Rabbit Resistant Plants

Planting Day

Planting day this year was Mother's Day weekend.  We planted the vegetable garden as well as the containers.  We mostly plant in containers as you can move them around the patio and garden.  This year the tomatoes we planted from Presidents Choice are Mighty Mato Big Beef, Mighty Mato Tiger Blush, Mighty Mato Ultra Sweet, Mighty Mato Fireworks, Mighty Mato Indigo Rose, & Candy Red as well as Kapelo Peppers.  Then we went to Sunshine Express and bought 2 red cherry tomatoes, one Cherry Punch & the other Power Pops both indeterminate, they grow 3 feet wide.  We decided to put them into containers and then on the deck as they can cascade down.  We also got a yellow cherry tomato Sun Sugar from Rice Road Greenhouses.

One planting, one supervising!

Exempted from planting, she had to make dinner!!

The Hired Help

Both of the Hired Help

Planting one of the containers

The containers lined up ready to be moved to the patio

Containers planted and lined up, ready for the patio

One planting, one supervising

Rolling up the sleeves to plant.

Making her work planting containers as well.

Planting containers

Containers ready to be planted

Gardenia in full leaf, that was wintered in an unheated attached garage.

This is the indeterminate tomato that only grows 24 inches or 9 inches high.  I never thought of a tomato growing indeterminate WIDE.  This one will get approx 3 feet wide.  Have put it on the deck and it can cascade down.  Will be interesting.

Cherry Punch or Power Pops tomato