Michigan

[Jared77]

Swampducks sounds like you ate like a KING!!!! My wife and I love all the wineries up on the Leelanau Penninsula. Glad to hear you got the dogs back alright. Beagles are hard headed, I haven't met a hound that wasn't and thats why I don't have hounds. They are cute and Id love to chase some rabbits with one but they are just not my type of dog.

I don't think I planted the daffodils that deep. They were all Home Dept specials so that may have something to do with it. We bought crocus and they had tulips, hyacinths, and daffodils on sale so we got some of those as well. The tulips are alright, again nothing special. If they hadn't been on sale I wouldn't have bought them. Eventually I want to get some nice tulips but right now we'll enjoy what we have. The hyacinths are hands down my favorite from that batch. All pastel colors that smell wonderful and the rabbits don't mess with them. The plan was to have crocus up, then the hyacinths, then daffodils and tulips then we're well into spring and everything else is blooming. Well we got the first 2 of those to do well.

I'm also keeping my eyes peeled for Black Magic roses. They are a hybrid tea that my wife carried down the isle when we got married. Id love to get a couple of those but then there are not many roses that I'm opposed to.

Have your soil tested it won't hurt. Ammend the soil if you have to, then give those bleeding hearts a try. They are very tolerant, and they are so pretty. We bought a couple of them to fill in around the silver maple trees there were already a few in place. Bought them after they'd bloomed at one of the big box stores (could have been Walmart or Home Depot I don't remember) and got them for next to nothing. They wanted them gone to make room for something else and were not going to sell since they'd already bloomed that season. They were in 1 gallon pots or maybe 3 gallon pots I don't remember but there was nothing wrong with them other than taht. Little fertilizer when I planted them and they came back next year looking great and bloomed like they'd been there for years. Did the same with lilies after they'd bloomed and even hostas at the end of the year those things are so tough nothing phases them. I always park at the garden section at the big box stores so I can walk through and look for a deal. Never hurts.

If I don't talk you folks Happy Easter!

 

[swampducks]

I like the idea of buying bleeding hearts after they've bloomed. I'll have to check both box stores in Alpena sometime.

Ah, hybrid teas, so many lovely kinds and none which will survive zone 4. I've taken to buying rugosa type roses and others bred for zones 2, 3 and 4. Not quite the same as the teas but at least I know they're gonna make it through winter. My favorite place to get them is www.highcountryroses.com all their roses are grown on their own roots, no grafts so if the bush gets blasted by winter but the roots survive the plant survives. I bought 2 a couple years ago plus one for my MIL (Habitat for Humanity, a gorgeous red). Last year I bought 3 including a HfH for me because the one I gave my MIL is going gangbusters.

Was a beautiful day yesterday and almost as nice today except for the wind. I may dig the garden up a bit more.

Happy Easter, we ate so well the last 2 nights I'm making a pizza tonight. And maybe some brownies.

 

[Dascountry]

We've been having flurries most of the day. It figures because Saturday I did plant some lettuce, radishes, and spinach in the garden. Thankfully nothing is staying on the ground. The furnace has been running most of the day. I think Mother Nature is back on track though. I hope all had a wonderful Easter. I did I didn't have to cook. Went to sons and daughter in laws home in Mio. I could get use to that, I've done the Holiday dinners now for 35 years!

 

[so lucky]

Yes, I feel guilty for saying I am tired of having everybody to my house, but I am tired of it! Still had people here for Easter, but I didn't have to cook. We had take out pizza!

 

[Dascountry]

Yes, I feel guilty for saying I am tired of having everybody to my house, but I am tired of it! Still had people here for Easter, but I didn't have to cook. We had take out pizza!

I enjoy getting together with friends and family, BUT when you have to do it all yourself it gets old real fast. I'm so glad that my DIL has now matured enough to pitch in or have it at her place. What part of MO are you in? We lived in Kennett for a couple years. That was like 30 years ago though

 

[so lucky]

Dascounty, I'm near Cape Girardeau, infamous for producing Rush Limbaugh and Terry Jones (of burning the Koran notoriety)

 

[Dascountry]

Dascounty, I'm near Cape Girardeau, infamous for producing Rush Limbaugh and Terry Jones (of burning the Koran notoriety)

Oh I've been there. I love the weather around there...not really. The first year we were there in Kennett we had 3 tornados that spring. But the gardening was great because of such a long growing season. In the winter there I can remember a bad ice storm. It's been years though.

Anyone planted anything outside in the garden here in Michigan yet? I'm thinking of putting in some fennel, bunching onions, and chard today.

 

[swampducks]

Anyone planted anything outside in the garden here in Michigan yet? I'm thinking of putting in some fennel, bunching onions, and chard today.

Just my snow peas (planted more Monday) and the 12 foot row of potatoes. Too freakin' cold at night still. We hit 26 last night and the next 2 nights are supposed to be the same.

Been putting insulators on posts and trees for an electric fence and collecting guinea eggs to hatch but nothing else going on at my house.

 

[swampducks]

Good afternoon! Beautiful day up north. Sunny, almost 62 degrees, light breeze.

DH and I strung the top wire of our new electric fence. Calling this Operation Zap Ziggy. We ran a test right before lunch and the wire is HOT. Turned it back off for now while we work on the lower wire. Poor little guy doesn't know what he's in for. Neither does big sister Luna. Sure hope this keeps them from wandering!

Nothing to report on gardening today. Just waiting till the nights get a bit warmer. They're dropping back again next week.

That's all for now.

 

[Dascountry]

Chance of snow mix on Monday. I planted my carrots today. I have also started all my squash, cuke, ect plants inside. I'm going to put milk jugs over them once I plant them outside. Mini green house. Did that last year and worked pretty well. Still building the new coop for the chickens. I have finally decided which ones out of 47 that I'm gunna keep. 22 of them is the total, 20 hens and 2 roos. The extra roos are going to freezer camp and the hens will be sold. I had a hard time deciding which ones I wanted to keep. They are all so cute!