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I’ll show you mine. Four.




Ok, so I had to do this one. You see, I've never really gone full-on gardening. Well, until the pandemic hit. I've been working from home since March and I've found myself with some free time and a backyard, and then the idea of gardening kind of took hold on me. Well, basically because I watch a lot of videos of people who have very nice gardens and I decided to give it a try. Also, because why not?

The fact that there was a huge swing set in the backyard, left by the previous owners of the house was really not conductive to thinking about gardening. It was one of those huge monstrosities that come with suburban life and two kids. But then one day, the swing set was gone and there was a huge space with... nothing. So then I decided to plant something. What? I had no idea (still don't) but I knew I wanted to plant something.

First, I moved around some hostas. Those plants are lush and resilient. My kind of plant. Then I planted some bulbs. Butterfly and bee bulbs, said on the envelope, and I thought that's what I needed. So I got to plant some of those bulbs all around and then sat down to wait. It took a minute, but now I have a bunch of little plants! What you are seeing is the first plants that bloomed: the long purple ones and the pretty, shorter, exotic ones. I'm thrilled. I've never had my own little garden. Let alone flowers. I also got a birdhouse (which is currently being occupied by a pair of very busy little birds) and a little bug hotel. 



I actually have several bug hotels. I had seen them in some neighborhoods in Chicago and I decided I needed one. They serve as refuge to butterflies and solitary bees and all kinds of little insects, necessary to keep healthy backyards. They attract pollinators to your garden and are cute! What's not to like?

Oh, I also have a bird feeder. The tricky little beasts have learned how to hang from it and open the compartment. So now I make sure I lock the little doors. It was a pain because big birds would latch onto the doors and they would swing open. And the squirrels and chipmunks were on the ground, ready to eat it all. Little fuckers.



I also planted a little apple tree. It's like six feet tall and it's looking very healthy.  I want apples next summer! It was on sale and I could not help buying it. Right now it has about eight or ten little apples and I'm exited about it. It may also look super cute when it grows. Another thing I discovered is that there were several nests around the house: under the stairs, on top of columns, on bricks in the facade. Some of them are currently empty but one has somebody living there! Totally exited about that too. 







Oh, there's a ton of flower plants growing right now, but there's also some 'useful' plants in the garden, too: peppers and tomatoes and one that I don't know what it is because I lost the little sticker that came with it and I'm waiting to see what pops up. I know, I should have photographed because I know some of you know your way around the garden and would have told me but alas, it's too late now.

So that's my post today. I think this is gonna keep me busy because just keeping the mulch free of weeds is a full-time job. Besides, most of the plants are very young (I started planting them basically in late May!) and some have yet to come out because they were bulbs and I'm not even sure if they'll come out before August. Or if they'll come up at all. I'm afraid I planted some upside down.

All in all, I'm enjoying it. Seeing the plants grow and flower has been thrilling! Of course I worry about a bunch of rabbits coming and eating them all, but I've also seen what seems to be a little fox roaming around, so I hope that scares them. And that's all for today. One day I hope I have a garden like John's (it's so cute!) but in the meantime, I'll just chill with my birdhouse and the bug hotels and the flowers that are about to pop.

XOXO




Comments

  1. OMG babe! You’ve got quite the green thumb! I’m done with my vegetable garden. Too much work for too little return.

    Now that you’re a horticulturist, arborist and landscape architect, I’ll have to have you come over and makeover my yard!

    XOXO 👨‍❤️‍💋‍👨

    ReplyDelete
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    1. BTW there’s an app called Plant Snap where you take a picture of a plant and it’s blossoms and it will try to identify it. 👨‍❤️‍💋‍👨

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    2. And Huntley....Six also now has to do a Boys With Plants Instagram picture for us now. Please??????????? Please????? I will get on my knees and beg if I have too.

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    3. Ha! Well, I've gone with bulbs and perennials. I think those are foolproof. The weeds, though are gonna be the end of me. And I may need that app!
      Maddie, there's no way I'm gonna IG my plants! LOL. I've seen Boys With Plants and it's not happening.

      XOXO

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  2. Replies
    1. Thnx!
      They're pretty! Some have gotten eaten by the birds, I think. And there's tons coming up in the plant...

      XOXO

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  3. well, get a load of YOU, mister green thumb! LOVE the bug hotels and the cute lil veggies.

    spouse's single cucumber plant is producing more than he can eat, so we found a local food bank that takes home-grown produce to feed the hungry. so far we have given them 14 cukes, with more coming.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LOL
      Thank goodness those are good resilient plants. There's a ton of wildflowers that I think are just growing. I have no idea what I'm doing.
      The bug hotels are my project and I love those. I think I may have cucumbers next year!

      XOXO

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  4. Damn! You're a gardener!
    And I love the Bug Hotels!
    I'll have to find some for our yard. We have tomatoes almost ripe for the picking and I cannot wait. Next year we'll do peppers and tomatoes in pots on our deck.
    Nice share today!

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    Replies
    1. Ha!
      It's called inertia. I went for plants that were foolproof. I am SO into the bug hotels... I think they're pretty and ecologically sound. They help house insects that are good for the plants. I have to keep an eye on the tomatoes. They can get huge!

      XOXO

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  5. what a nice idea you had and so well realized!

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    1. Thanks!
      I've thought about planting something outside ever since we moved to this house...

      XOXO

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  6. Seems my squirrels are wreaking havoc all over!!!!!!! It's a lovely start to the garden for not being there long Farm Nonethewiser. I have hosta coming out my ass. When I moved here., I asked the association if we could plant and they actually encourage it , but with no access to a hose...i couldn't plant flowers that need a constant water...so I opted for a hosta and fern bed. White and purple. They do look cool when they bloom. I noticed the bird nest too!!!! And what's the little figurine?Now the question is.....Land...spreading out so far and wide...keep Chicago or just give that countryside?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh and the purple flower is in the Liatris family. It also referred to as Purple Marsh Flower.

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    2. Thanks, Maddie!
      I've never had a garden. And all of those plants just popped up. There's a ton that are just three inches tall. Hostas are foolproof. That's why I went for those. Ha!
      I want ferns! This mulch pad is in full sun, so I may look for a shaded corner.
      Yes, I found all those bird nests . The figurine is Finn, from Adventure Time LOL.
      Thanks for the purple flower info! I got most of those plants because they say butterflies and bees like them.

      XOXO

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    3. Your smart already!!!!! Yes...both purple and pink are big attracters to both. My mother has a few butterfly bushes that are very easy to grow....and they attract many butterflies. I can't remember the light...might be part sun and shade.

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  7. How wonderful. Plants can be very addictive. We don't want to lose you to The "American Hosta Society."

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    1. Hahahaha
      They can be! Now I'm thinking I need a little stool to sit on while I de-weed the damn patch. Weeds are insidious!

      XOXO

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    2. Check out this item. It can either be a kneeler or seat and folds up.

      https://www.lowes.com/pd/Yardsmith-11-02-in-Plastic-Elephant-Garden-Stool/1000384025

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  8. Gardens here of that type aren't to be seen, unless one has plenty of money to pay the water bills. And a green thumb, of course. It appears you have the latter. The lushness makes me remember my youth in OH, and my time stationed in NE.
    What variety of apple??? Nothing better than a good tart apple right off the tree! (Fuck that biblical nonsense - I'd take a great big bite!) XOXO

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, I can imagine!
      And I went for foolproof perennials. I got like four little bags of bulbs at ALDI's and went to town. It's very green here in the Midwest in the summer. And I have no idea what kind of apple? They said at the store you could make apple cobbler with them though...
      I also like tart apples! LOL

      XOXO

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  9. Well done, Mr Back-to-the-Land!

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    1. I feel very one-with-the-earth.
      I still have to plan a strategy to get rid of the weeds, though...

      XOXO

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  10. How wonderful. Good for you. And it is... good for the soul. Remember... we need gardens to grow in, and there must always be room enough, for all of us... Enjoy.

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    1. It's very relaxing!
      I've found myself spending one hour doing basically nothing there. I'm already planning how I'm going to attack the weeds and what I'd like to plant next year. It's funny.

      XOXO

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  11. Very, very nice. The bird house is a really nifty idea I might have to borrow from you. What kind of apple tree did you get? My peach tree is a dwarf and it's still going to get around 15 feet high.

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    1. Oh, you MUST have a bird house!
      I got the idea because I found all those empty nests around the backyard. And now there's some little birds living in the birdhouse! I may get some to hang from the trees next year. I'm not sure what kind of apple tree is that. They said that the apples could be eaten, though...

      XOXO

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  12. Awesome work, sixpence. Congrats on all of it as it looks great and you should be so proud of yourself. We tried bird feeders but the squirrels around here are just insane and the last thing we need is lunatic squirrels. I am going to check out bug hotels because that would be awesome to have in our garden beds. Keep up the good work.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks!
      It's my first ever gardening experiment. The squirrels here are deranged, too. I despise them. And you need to get some bug hotels! They're super beneficial for the garden. The kids would love them!

      XOXO

      Delete

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