Every Blooming THing: Late July 2022

Entering prime time for the yard when it comes to color.  Several hundred black-eyed Susans and purple coneflowers are blooming as are hostas, bee balm, day lillies and some of the mums.

Between the heat and blogs, it is hard to get time to work on the yard.  Lots of trimming and weeding to do.  I didn't think it was possible to have so many weed trees growing.  

With a bit of a drought going on, I am able to skip cutting the grass for two weeks at a time.  It is better not to cut your grass during a drought (and really isn't necessary as the grass slows down growing a lot), plus, that saves on that super expensive gas.  (However, I should mention that a drought does not stop weeds from growing.)

Sadly, I have around fifteen milkweed plants that I was hoping would attract monarch butterflies, but have only seen two this year.  Even before the milkweed plants, I used to see several hundred over the course of a summer.  I guess they are right about becoming endangered.  I sure would miss them if that comes to pass.  They sure are beautiful insects. 

Bring Back the Monarchs!!  --RoadArch

Good Times Last Week: No Q But Stucky's, Donovan's Reef, Perennials, Gas Gouge, Nothin' Runs Like a Deer and Best Dog Ever

TUESDAY, AUGUST 31

We were going to meet Kevin and Kelly, Glenn and Barb at BB*Q in Spring Grove, but they weren't open and we fear are closed for good.  Fall-back plan was Stucky's in Johnsburg, Illinois, and their great half-price burger and $2 domestic cans special on Tuesdays.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1

FP (Front Porch) which I do every day for breakfast and coffee.  The FP chipmunk has me trained so well as his or her food requirements.  I had to help the guy from Buck Brothers push the lawn tractor across the yard and up a small hill to get it on the trailer so he could take it back to Wauconda to have them find out why it stopped running last week.  I'm getting too old for this sort of thing.

As usual, met Kevin and Kelly at Donovan's Reef in Twin Lakes, Wisconsin for trivia and drinks.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 2

Drove to McHenry, Illinois, where gas had jumped to $3.46 for Labor Day and Hurricane Ida.  Big Oil needs to make their profit, you know.  Sad to see that Meijer is now requiring face masks, but at least they had three bricks of cassette recording tapes.  Bought three hostas and two red perennials at Meijer as well for $4 apiece.  Then  bought five small mum plants for $1.25 each and two $4 gladidora perennials at Home Depot.

Found out the lawn tractor would cost $380 to fix and was happy to hear it as I was figuring that I'd have to replace my 27-year-old John Deere and that would be over $3,000.  So, I was happy about that.

Later went to Sunnyside Tavern in Johnsbirg and had probably the best hot dog ever for $2 and a dollar extra forb tater tots.

Eatin' and Drinkin' Cheap in the Neighborhood.  --RoadDog

Every Blooming THing, Early July 2021

Well, I actually had to cut the grass last week as after it turned brown during an extended drought, it had caught up quite well during the extended monsoon season we just had.  And, let me tell you, that grass/weed mix over the one line we use in our five line septic field was something else.  Took four passes to cut that mess down.

Right now, the mums are blooming their first bloom session (I have  to cut the blooms back in a few days in order to get that fall blast of color). 

The wild tall daisies are blooming.  Each one has anywhere between 50 and 100 tiny blooms on it.  (I don't actually know what they are called.)  Nor do I know what the pink or red flowers are that are blooming right now are called.

The daisies are blooming as are the tiger lilies, blue salvia, dianthus, potentilla and some spirea.

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GETTING READY TO BLOOM

hostas

purple cone flowers

blackeyed-Susans

daylilies

And, I have easily 100 of each, probably more.

Oh, yes.  The lovely Japanese beetles are back.  Just love those guys.

Getting Ready for the Big Bloom!!  --RoadFlower

Every Blooming THing, Early November

Keeping true to my goal of having something blooming with big color all the way between April and October, the yard has a lot of color right now.

Several hundred yellow and orange mums are still in bloom.  The sedum have the dark heads and yellow stalks.  Burning bushes are burning red.  Plus, my lone remaining Bradford pear tree has just gotten it autumnal tones.  However, I do have several Bradford pear tree seedlings growing.

Just finished raking pine straw up into my two pine islands; great mulch, but a whole lot of raking, especially with all the wind we've been having so that pine straw was spread out over a really bit area.  Hoping that I cut the grass for the last time.

Rolled up the front yard hose onto the reel (200 feet of hose) and will get to the backyard hose later this month after I finish burning limbs and twigs.  

We've been having a great Indian Summer around here with temperatures in the lower 70s for the last six days.  Last year this time, we had already had a Halloween surprise snow storm that dropped six inches on the ground and then there was another surprise Veterans Day six inches.  No snow this year, but we have had a couple frosts.

--RoadDog

Every Blooming THing: Early October

Another fast summer.  Why can't winter go that fast?  

Pine straw is starting to fall.  That is always nice because that is free mulch, but does require a lot of raking.  I have two big pine islands with 15 pine trees.

The mums are blooming all over right now and I must have close to 200 of them, so quite the display of yellow to red shades all over the yard.  In addition, the sedum have all those red heads.  The asters are also in bloom now with the blues.  Also, some kind of a wild daisy is blooming all over.  These plants have hundreds of really small white flowers, but in masses so it is quite a thing to see.

The goldenrods have finished which is good because that means I don't have to be as careful now since the stingers that inhabit these when in bloom are also gone.  Anything that can sting you is all over those.  The sedum are still red, but when they first turn, they too are covered with little stingers.

The honeylocusts are starting to turn yellow now.

--RoadFlower

Every Blooming THing-- Early July 2020; Yard's Ablaze, Man

I took a walk around the house to make sure I got a list of all the flowers blooming right now.

clematis

wild daisies  (several hundred of them)

an orange perennial

some mums that weren't cut back

stella d'oro daylillies

Small, medium and tall daisies

spirea

bee balm

some dianthus

a blue perennial on a stalk

tiger lilies

lavender

Missouri primrose

some tall phlox

marguerittes

tickweed

blue salvia 

something with red flowers

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ABOUT TO BLOOM

daylilies

Asiatic daylilies

black-eyed Susans--  several hundred

purple cone flowers--  around a hundred

hostas

a pink perennial--  I have several hundred of them.

So, the Yard Is Ablaze With Color Right Now And Will Continue To be For Awhile.  --RoadFlower

 FOX HUNTING:  "Fox on the Run" was a 1974 hit song for which band?  

Sweet

Every Blooming THing, Middle May: Creeping Phlox and Some Perennial

It has been quite hard to work in the yard because of the horrible spring we're having.  Very few decent days.  Usually, quite chilly and/or rainy.  Once in awhile, we get a decent day, but it is a rarity.  Yesterday it rained off and on all day and was quite cool and windy.  Of course, then heavens opened up on Sunday and man did we get the rain.

Right now, the yard is a mass of tulips, mostly purple creeping phlox and some sort of perennial with gray foliage and yellow flowers.  The wild tall phlox and daisies are about to turn the yard into a purple and white affair (and I have hundreds of them).  The grape hyacinths are blooming.

One of the crabapples with white blooms is about spent.  The other day I was working out by it and it felt and looked like a warm snowstorm with all the petals falling.  I have four more crabapples beginning to bloom as well as the lilacs.

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Sadly, I have a golden rain tree and a Bradford pear tree which are dead and will have to come down.

I have been transplanting lots of hostas, black-eyed Susans, mums and purple coneflowers.

The daffodils and hyacinths are spent, but put on quite a show.

The dandelions, of course, are luxuriant and plentiful.

Hope to get to my huge burn pile this weekend.  We can only burn in the spring on weekends during April and May so am running out of time.  Pretty much every weekend has been a rainout or wind out so far.

My Flowers.  I Think I'll Keep Them.  --RoadBud

LAUGHTER HELPS WITH THE "V":  And I was just about to start going to the gym again.  Oh well, orders is orders.

Every Bloomin' Thing-- November 1st

We had our first frost last night judging from a little on the grass and the roof. However, it didn't kill my impatiens, begonias, or wandering jew plants. And they are very quick to go when there is a frost.

Most of the trees have lost their leaves, but the Bradford pears still have their leaves. The golden raintree, sumacs, and Asian maples have the most color.

As usual, the marigolds are making their fall splash of color. I have about 500 plants around the house, so when I say splash, I mean explosion. Mostly yellow, but quite a few reds and light purples.

Cut the grass for perhaps the last time of the year on Monday.

I've been raking the pine needles back into the pine islands and will collect what leaves I can find for a fire. There is few things better than the smell of burning leaves in the fall. That is the "Smell of Fall" for me. Unfortunately, or fortunately, I don't get a lot of leaves from my trees. Raking is not a big problem as it is with some of my friends.

One time I went over to Donovan's Reef in Twin Lakes where I raked and bagged several piles of leaves to bring home and burn. The people inside thought I had lost my mind. Maybe I have, but I do know that I really like the smell of burning leaves. Whenever I drive by people burning leaves, I roll down the windows to enjoy every bit of that smell.

Losing My Mind Over Da Leaves, Burning, That Is. --RoadDog

Every Bloomin' Thing

There is an old gas station in Waynesville, Missouri, which has been converted into a flower shop with the very appropriate name of my Every Bloomin' Thing.  I am using the name (with a capital H in Thing) for when I write about my yard every so often.

I had to cut the grass today as it had grown quite a bit since we left on the trip. A couple of my trees have lost most of their leaves without turning. The honeylocusts are turning yellow.

The mums are absolutely brilliant in their yellows, purples, reds, and orange color, and I have quite a several hundred of them. The sedum have several shades of red. A lot of the goldenrod are still bright yellow, plus there is some sort of a plant with huge clusters of white flowers that are ablaze from one end of the yard to the other.

Sure going to miss all the color at the end of this month which effectively ends my growing season until next April.

Love 'Dem Flowers. --RoadDog