Secrets

Its a start...

So you have all these LARGE pots—say ten. And you have all these bags of lovely organic potting soil with built in moisture control—say twelve. And you have exactly ten million, four hundred and eighty seven bedding plants that desperately need a new home. And the wedding for which you have promised to provide beautiful flowering pots is IN LESS THAN 100 DAYS. And these pots will need to be planted in one place, live in another place, and then be moved into place for the wedding.

And did I mention they are LARGE pots? With moisture control potting mix? And that these suckers are going to be H-E-A-V-Y? And I am puny when it comes to upper body strength? Not puny enough that you should worry about me in the event of a zombie apocalypse---trust me, I’m strong enough to fight zombies—but puny enough that people often feel obliged to come lift heavy things for me. So how do I make these pots light enough for me to lift by my little puny self?

I have a secret: Recycling.

Yes. Really. Take your ten pots-- hopefully you have had the foresight to either buy pots with drain holes, drill them yourself or (and this is my favorite method) get your favorite brother-in-law to drill them for you. Anyway, ten pots with drain holes. Some people advocate filling the bottom of the pot with gravel for drainage but I say gravel is expensive and HEAVY and if your pots are LARGE---fill the bottom third of your pots with your recycling.

Recycling: its not just good for the planet
It's also good for your back

 Empty gallon milk jugs--or any clean plastic container with lids on tight—empty aluminum cans, bulky Styrofoam; any bulky, light, non-biodegradable item will do. Fill the bottom ¼ - 1/3 of your pot with your recycling. If you have styrofoam peanuts add them to fill in the cracks, otherwise a few compacted beer cans will work. 

Top it all off with a layer of landscape fabric to keep the soil from washing down into the recycling. Now fill with potting soil. Easy. Peasy. DONE.

With a Little Help from My Friends

Pot Edition

What do you do when you have 10 brand-new LARGE empty pots, ten million, four hundred and eighty seven bedding plants, and 12 bags of organic potting mix? Oh—and in less than a 100 days, there’s a wedding in your back yard.

If you said “freak out”, I will give you partial credit---but the correct answer we’re looking for is: Enlist the help of those nearest and dearest to you. And the neighbors who were lured over by the promise of iced tea. And their three-year-old granddaughter. And anyone else who may be passing by.

For those of you who are saying “That’s all fine and dandy, Sue, but what does that look like in step by step terms?” Never fear! I will break it down for you.

Because of space constraints I’m going to skip over the part where I discuss purchasing ten million, four hundred and eighty seven bedding plants---I needed no help in that endeavor, just a credit card---and get right down to the nitty-gritty: potting up the plants.

My Pretties

How cool is that? And it was called "Latte"
I HAD to have it

Too pretty to leave behind

 

After you’ve agreed to host the event, purchased as many large Costco pots as would fit in your car and carefully calculated the exact number of cubic feet of potting soil needed to fill X number of pots (in this equation X = pots. 

Cameron pushing Jordan.
Because if you can't have fun...why would you do it?

 Multiple X by the number of bags of potting soil you think you can easily convince your sons to load, divide by the number of sons you have---carry the one—take that number and add two more bags to it because you don’t want to run out; remember large pot=large bags so add an extra—wait. Did I remember to carry the one? Count the number of pots again. Squint at the bags. Decide the bags will fit in the pots. Carry the one...



Oh, just get as many bags of potting mix as you have pots. Plus two.

Simple math people. Now go home and pot.

My work. Cut out for me.

A Rude April Surprise

Or What March Showers Bring

When the record rainfall of March gave way to April sunshine, I addressed my garden chores with enthusiasm.  It felt good to be outdoors in the warmth and I was pulling weeds with reckless abandon---I had weeds for days but the clock was ticking on the sunshine and I wanted to sneak in a little car washing while the weather was fine. So while I knew I couldn’t get ALL the weeding done---right, like weeding is ever “done”---I figured I had enough of the weeding done around my delphiniums that adding a little chicken poop to discourage the greedy elk wouldn’t hurt.

Much to my surprise, I ran out of delphiniums before I ran out of chicken poop. Upon closer inspection I could see that where some of my delphiniums where supposed to have been there were only ragged little nubs, browning at the ends. Not the work of elk but of that other garden pest, the ones WITHOUT feet: SLUGS.

Clearly, while the heavy rains had been keeping me hostage INSIDE, the ravenous mollusks had been helping themselves to my hapless plants OUTSIDE. The wet conditions only encouraged them, the deluge aiding and abetting their slimy assault. I hadn’t ventured out of my house except for brief dashes to and from the car, my poor flower beds had been left unguarded, and my lovely---and apparently delicious--delphiniums vulnerable to their voracious jaws. (Yes. For the purposes of this narrative, slugs have jaws. Adjust your visual accordingly.) 

Of course, the warm temperatures that had drawn me out of the shelter of my house had also driven the slugs to seek shelter in their secret lairs, nary a one to be seen.

More’s the pity too, because I now have a jug of salty brine just waiting for the little buggers.

Let’s Talk About the Weather

There’s nothing like getting a taste of good weather to make me want more of it. The minute the sun comes out in the spring all I want to do is go outside and play. Fortunately for me, there are plenty of outside chores for me to do.

I have a back yard that is full of things that would normally live on my Continually Under Construction Deck. And, if I’m going to be honest, some of those things that are now residing on my rapidly greening grass needed to be stored away for the winter. However, the good news about my slothful ways is that last year’s Failure to Finish My Chores is now an Opportunity to be Ahead of the Season---look! All the lawn furniture is already out!

My flower beds are in need of attention. And chicken poop. Mmmm...Smells like---Spring.

I have a flattened (former) motorcycle track that is in need of re-seeding, a fence that needs building, a pound plus of wildflower seeds to scatter, and a herd of marauding elk to thwart. Not to mention concocting a plan to deal with my plague of moles...

There are plenty of tasks to keep me occupied here at home---I haven’t even started on all the windblown branches festooning the lawn--- but this time of year I am especially susceptible to the siren song of the nursery ...all those sweet little plants, all in need of a good home. Most days it is easy to think what a lovely day this would be for a drive....touring all the nurseries, far and wide.

After all, with the wedding only four months away and ten new large planters to fill, a field trip is certainly in order...and maybe a picnic...