Greetings on this beautiful Friday morning. I have today off from my real job, so I’m taking advantage of it – not entirely sure what I will be doing. Curtains to be finished for my daughter, and sunflowers to come down in the sunflower bed, perhaps I can do both? Seems reasonable at least? I did burn my fingers earlier in the week, so it might have to be an inside day to let my finger heal – damn hot glue anyhow! But the wreath I burned my finger on turned out lovely!

Thankfully the main garden is finished, as well as the sweet pea bed-all thanks to Joe and my son, and even the grand kids helped a bit!  It’s so odd having the kids here, calling my son daddy and me grandma, sometimes I still need to pinch myself, it all seems so unreal-where did the time go?  Soon we will have a little one running around calling my daughter mommy!  So exciting! 

I managed to get 6 rows done, Joe finished the last four, pulled up irrigation and pulled out all the netting for the sweet peas. My son dup up all the glads, dahlias and took out all the humongous sunflowers from the main garden. It looks great, and it’s a great weight lifted off my mind! I am storing the Dahlias in dirt this year, as you well know, I’m over them, and am fine if they do not make it. I feel so lazy that I can’t keep up with them, I thought about marking them all season but never did, I don’t have a reliable way to make them – everything I’ve found rubs off, I tried it last year and they all died anyhow, so I figure whatever makes it – makes it – and we will be surprised by what comes out! I might just sell them all if they make it through the winter since I am buying seedings. If I find one I really want, I will just buy it and run with it. Ms. Darlene was a big hit last year, so I will see if I can get my hands on one of those at least.

I’m considering no row cover for next year, that stuff never saved me any time – it caused more heartache and strain and frustration more than it helped.  We decided we are going to use the auger to dig the holes for next years planting also.  Not just for the bulbs, but for the main garden too.  Use the ground cover as a template to drill the holes, then take it up then plant in the holes.  So much easier – in theory!  We shall see what happens! 

We will also use nitrogen and lime next year, I’m considering a soil test, but we will see when it gets closer. We forgot the nitrogen this year – and a few things did not perform as well as last year, so it’s a definite bring back.

I’m almost finished with my spread sheet for the year.  I’m most excited about the asters and cosmos.  Such fun names for the Cosmos – Double Click Snow Puff, Afternoon white, Fizzy white and of course Cupcake Blush!  It’s fun because I know how they will grow, I know what they need and what they look like when I put them in trays and feel super confident that things will go well.  I’m looking forward to the new color of Strawflower – a silver rose it says.  I’m looking forward to strawflowers in general really, I love them, they are so hardy and are a big hit with everyone and look great in a bouquet and as a dried flower.  These are easy things to grow, and they like it here, so it will be nice to have a known – it will be nice to avoid things that I do not know – no need to experiment – no room!  Listen to me – chatting like there won’t be something odd in the garden just because! 

I’m also excited about the new kinds of sun flowers I’m going to try – pollenless.  I’ve had some complaints about the pollen, so it will be interesting to see how these work out.  I’m doing the green ones again, basically a backwards sunflower, that look like Oscar the Grouch from Sesame Street as well as Jade, that’s a true sunflower with petals as well as a plum, the teddy bear again-they grow well here and they are loved by many, a white, and a strawberry blonde. 

We left a few things in the ground this year – the yarrow stayed put, we shall see how it does next year.  I’m not entirely sure what colors are there, but it’s a nice filler no matter what happens.  I will probably still start some by seed, if I don’t need it I can sell it.  We also left the mysterious green leafy situation in the ground.  I have no idea what it is, other than it’s possible it is a rudbeckia.  It will be interesting to see if/when it blooms next year.    

I did find a wholesaler for the fairy garden items.  I’m running the numbers for the succulent garden event I’d like to hold.  Have some people over in the spring, get rid of the succulents, make some cute little fairy gardens – make friends and get tired!  What more could we ask for?

I also bought super cute succulents that look like hearts, Hoya Kerrii, they had a cute idea in the book which I think I can do – make a cute little burlap sack, I can stencil a heart on it and sell them for mother’s day.  Too bad I won’t have them in time for Valentines day.  They will still make super cute gifts. 

Another kind of succulent I managed to snag is one that looks like a stone, called Lithops, they are often called living stones.  I hope I can keep them alive long enough to sell them!  It will be interesting to see how it goes!    

The calendars are on their way, I had them done at Vista Print again this year, they do such a nice job! They are not inexpensive, it’s certainly an investment, but they are nice quality and make great gifts for the holidays. It’s quite a long process to pull together all the flower pictures I’ve taken over the last few months. The pictures look so good, and despite the time it takes to comb through the pictures – it’s so much fun to put it together. They were a big hit last year with friends and family as Christmas gifts and my clients will get one as a thank you gift with a little letter of what the plan is for next year.

The day is slipping away, I best get a move on! Hope your weekend is starting off well.  Stay safe and happy.  Until next time…hugs to you.