TheGreatWall is moving…..

….not really….

Just to a different part of the garden….

 

Due to new expansion of the HQ (the house),a portion of TheGreatWall has to be relocated…

A new raised bed was created…..

plantings include Wendy’s Wish Salvia,Giant Liriope,African Iris,and Italian Curled Parsley for a border.

Some green bean and Swiss Chard seeds were added for good measure,too.

Making use of the sunny space….

 

…but I had company….

this time,I made sure I had the new camera with me….

lovin’ this camera!

….of course,my ADHD kicked in….

African Iris

 

Alyssum

 

something self-seeded from the bird feeder (sunflower,perhaps?)

Cosmos and Kale,in the veggie garden

yep! I love this camera!

 

Only 3 more rows of block and 40 pavers to move….

 

Wanna help?

 

I thought that would be your answer….

:: sigh ::

A Wasp Tale........

While taking my morning stroll through our veggie plot-just checking on things,as we all do-this morning.I spotted something all over one of the tomato plants.EEEk! What the H-E-double hockey sticks is that ?!

I made a frantic call to my dad,who,from my description of these monsters,surmised they were probably some sort of parasitic wasp."Just leave 'em alone." I was told.

However,me being me,could not leave well enough alone.Oh no....not me.I just have to get involved....I grabbed the killer hose and blasted those suckers to kingdom come!

Then ,and only then,did I peruse the Internet to find out just exactly what those dastardly creatures were. They're Braconid Wasps.A tomato growers friend!Not foe.Ack!!!what had I done?I ran back outside,and thankfully the hosing had not deterred them one bit.They're they were,right where they had been before.Take that tomato hornworms!

And,just because I'm in a rambling sort of mood,this beautiful Florida spring day,I thought I'd include some backyard visitors.......

And,of course,I just have to include the daily snapshot of my favorite gardening buddy.Today,he was watching me plant some spinach.

After I had finished,he/she chirped and flew right over my head!Jon has taken to calling me the Hawk Whisperer.However,I think this is as close as we're ever gonna get.those talons are a little scarey!

I hope everyone is enjoying their spring gardening.......

Toilin' In The Soil

This morning brought much needed rain,via strong thunderstorms,to the Great Wall.Hallalujah!

So,it was decided,mutuallyI might add,that the day would be spent getting the rest of the plantings out of the way of Hillsborough County,before the projuect starts.It is now on the schedule for late June,early July.And we figured it would be best to do it now,instead of the heat of June or July.So,anything we really wanted to save has now been relocated to other areas of the yard.Even the Al Gore Memorial Fire-Pit has been taken down(hold back your tears,people....),and a new walkway out to the well has been put in.

The rest of the day was spent with container gardening.This is one that has gone in by the pool(AKA WaterWorld),containing Tick Seed,variegated Liriope,English Ivy,Dichondra,and Heuchera(Mocha Mint).Almost everything was rooted from previous cuttings,so it will take a while for it to fill in.

Jon decided to take apart our old,rusted charcoal grill,and I figured,"Oooo,a new planter." Two of 'em in fact.This is the bottom,which sits under the big old oak.It contains a division of a variegated Flax Lily,a lonely Impatien that popped up in the yard,and a potpourri of rooted cuttings that needed to be planted.

Shall we move on?

I really don't care for strawberry jars.They never look good,they're a pain to take care of,blah-blah-blah.but this year I decided to go for the succulent look.These two are on the new mini-me wall.Jon made some "watering sticks" out of PVC(I found the directions on the Internet).So far,they look pretty good in the succulent,rock garden.Time will tell......

You can actually see the piece of PVC in this picture.

The cannas are growing by leaps and bounds.Obviously,the freezes of this past winter did not effect them.I just wish the palms by the pool would recover as quickly.They're getting there,but they suffered some extreme damage from the cold,so I think it will take most of the summer for them to recover.That and alot of TLC.
And,Glory-Be,the "contraband plumerias" are bursting forth!! They got all mixed up on the way home(husbands just do not get the importance of these things.Grrr....),so,now,I'm not sure which is which.I'm hoping that this one is the double white.
The stag horn ferns are going great guns,too.So,if anyone needs a cutting,let me know.This one is incredibly huge.It really needs to be reduced in size.

And,of course,our gardening buddy was back,today.......I'm not sure,but I don't think this is the same one as usual.It seems bigger than our usual visitor.And he/she didn't seem to want to pose for the camera like the other one does.He/she had the attitude of,"Take the picture quick,lady,and be done with it!"

By the way,if anyone in your neighborhood wants to plant an Elephant Ear tree(actually,I think they are now considered invasive in Florida,and are no longer allowed to be sold.Correct me if I'm wrong.),shoot them!This is our neighbor's tree,and it is the messiest tree,I have ever seen!The pods are all over our yard.They do a real number on your lawn mower.If you don't get them cleaned up right away,they each start to grow.When there is a strong wind,branches fall into our yard.Yuck!!!

So,now,it's time for a shower and.........

And On the Fourteenth Day........

We're resting!!Because it is done!!!
After hauling retaining wall rocks,two yards of dirt(one yard for the mini-me wall,and the rest in the garden beds),gravel,and landscape pavers,we can finally say,it is done and it is good.It is good and done!

Here it is all filled up with dirt,and compacted down...... Gravel going in........
Ta-da!!!!!.....................

The rest of the weekend has been spent putting in new plants,shuffling some around.Those would be the ones that have to be relocated from the side yard,due to the county drainage project.We have taken to calling that side yard,TheGreatTrailerParkofLutz.It makes us very sad to look at it these days.The rest of the yard is looking so beautiful,and then we have this poor,pitiful side yard,which is barren and neglected.

But,to look on the bright side.There is planning to be done.For when it is done,it shall be filled with palms and tropical looking plants.Patience is not one of my virtues,either.I think I need to make a phone call to the project manager,and tell him,"I have plans.Get a move on!"

Jon's new rose garden is settling in.He got his first bud!He's the rose grower,not I.I grow everything else,but not roses.for some reason,if I touch them,they're goners.So I just leave it to him,and he can bring me a rose he grew everyday.Works out perfectly for us.

For some reason(the cold and freezes we had in Florida this past winter?),all of our mums are blooming.Go figure.Thoughts,anyone?

Anywho,these are the plants that have found new homes at the GreatWall.

St.Bernard's Lily (just 'cause I liked it)

Lemon Balm (for bees and butterflies)

Blue eyed Grass (planted underneath the plumeria)

Bee Balm(to attract bees and butterflies)

And,our gardening buddy has been keeping an eye on the progress.

This guy/gal seems to be fascinated by our landscaping attempts.Either that, or he/she is having a great laugh at us silly humans. Every day,whenever we are in the garden,he/she comes and sits and just watches us.Hope he/she isn't thinking about dinner......

For more of Today's Flowers,or to visit Luiz Santilli,click here.......

The GreatWall's Day Off

With apologies to Ferris Bueller,but we called in sick today("I was up all night sick as a dog.").If people up north can have snow days,I think those of us,in Florida,should have "perfect Spring days."It's just so much more fun to stay home on a day like today,than to sit in some office with no windows.
Why shouldn't we be able to stay home and just relax,look around the garden,and enjoy all the hard work we've put in to getting it back in shape,after the cold and freezes of this past winter?
And it's way more fun to watch the back-yard visitors that we had,today,than to sit in front of a computer in a windowless office,don't you think?

A Red-Shouldered Hawk on our neighbors dock Debate is ongoing if this is a juvenile female Cardinal,or some type of wild parakeet.Thoughts anyone?Bueller,Bueller....?
Tufted Titmouse.
(Feel free to jump in,at anytime,and help us out on the identification,people.)

Pileated Woodpecker

(he just refused to give me his good side!)

Squirrel

I'm thinking we need a bird identification book......Any recommendations on a good one?

So,that was our day,at The GreatWall of Lutz.Tomorrow,back to work.Playtime is over.Insert wailing smiley here.