herbage

Walked over to Payne's today and picked up a thyme start and a hose end repair kit for the soaker hose. (Wrong size. [rassafrassa] So I scavenged an end piece from some old unused drip line. Seemed to be holding, so I buried the soakers under the straw.) So the herb area in the raised bed now has three sparse-looking chive plants, one vigorous garlic chive plant, three basil plants (two okay, one struggling), one thyme, and two perennial arugula transplants from the ever-fabulous Bev. Had to add the bamboo stakes after the dog tried to lie down up there.



Arugula:



Chives:



Thyme, basil behind:

planting tomatoes and basil

It was overcast out, so I put in the basil and tomatoes after work. Raked aside old straw, watered, dug in two bags of mushroom compost. Had the drip hoses all set up and then I accidentally put a hole thru the end one. Will have to water by hand until I get a replacement/fix. Planted, then re-mulched with a mix of old and new straw.

Hardening off for the last couple days.



Sungolds in the side bed:






Robesons and basil in the raised bed. Lots more room since I ripped out the sage and without the fennel that died this winter. I hope the chives do better without the crowding. Also need to replace the thyme.

front bed

Did some Mother's Day gardening. Raked, dug up all the dead iris roots (remaining six or so healthy rhizomes to Stacy), found Paul's black-and-gold D20, and ripped out all the defunct drip lines. Watered, dug in a bag of mushroom compost, watered some more, planted the daisies, cosmos, and sage I picked up at NM Plant Co. plus a Home Depot impulse-buy gaura, watered again, spread mulch, watered. Oh, and I also planted the geranium and petchoa in the big pot.

Waiting to be planted:



Front bed:




View from the other direction:



The next day, slightly overcast:



Gaura closeup:



Rusty stuff:



Elspeth always gives me the side eye.

2013 nursery trip

Took a couple hours off today and went to the New Mexico Plant Co. with Stacy, Beverly, and Mary. This is the same place I got plants at last year, and the year before. Weather was cloudy, cold and blustery. Forecast was 70% chance of rain, but that didn't pan out (although I did pass through a sleet (!!!) squall driving back to the office).

I spent $26 and change and got:

• 2 blue petchoas
  (for the big pot by the front door)
• 1 white geranium (pelargonium)
  (also for the big pot by the front door)
• 4 cosmos
  (for the bed next to the front door)
• 3 shasta daisies
  (also for the bed next to the front door)
• 2 purple flowering sage
  (also also for the bed next to the front door)
• 3 basil starts
  (for the raised bed, to go where the fennel was)

NM Route 14, grey skies on the way out:



The ever-fabulous Bev:



Stacy and Mary:





A picture of Stacy taking a picture of her haul:



My haul:



The usual Ladies’ Lunch at San Marcos Cafe + Feed Store afterwards. One of the peacocks put on a show: