Rain Rain Go Away....

I don't know about where you are but here we have lots...

and lots....

and lots....

of puddles...

and rain barrels FULL of water!

Garden Envy

Made a visit to the Denver Botanical Gardens this weekend. I must say that I now have garden envy. The weather has been so unstable the last three weeks that I have exactly nothing planted. Sigh. I have busied myself with transplanting and moving but have not actually planted anything into the garden. To say things are a bit behind is an understatement! There has been a little bit of method to the delay. Our garden seems to have been cursed with convolvulaceae! And no, it is not the desirable morning glory but its wicked sister bindweed! This is a particularly aggressive and hard to kill plant. As a result we have tilled and then allowed the plant to grow so that we can spray it. Yes, spray it. Generally I don't condone spraying in the garden but this is a competitor that cannot be beat by pulling! It has incredibly long roots! So we have sprayed three times....before doing ANY planting and tilled again. With any luck we are in the lead. Somehow, I doubt it. Any tips? I could use a few!

An Old Classic

If you ask me, gardening is for all the senses and nothing beats the smell of lilacs! They permeate the air like nothing else. No smell is more divine! My lilacs are most certainly a relic of the original farmstead. When the shrubs get too old, they can cease to bloom. Not to worry, all you need to do is cut them all the way down. I know it seems drastic but by the second year, your shrubs will be flush once again with that wonderfully aromatic smell.

Natural Country Girl

Join me in welcoming someone new to the blogospere! Natural Country Girl has lots of great tips and tricks for living. If you like what I do, you very well may like what Brandy has to offer.

How to Find Gold

I bet you didn't know it but your neighborhood is probably littered with gardeners gold! All you have to do is keep your eyes open and then be friendly enough to say HI! It will look like this:

In side these bags you can find one of the greatest compost materials and weed barrier products NOT on the market! I happened by a gentleman who was thatch raking and bagging in his front yard. I simply asked him if he had applied any chemical within the last three weeks and if I could haul away the bags for him! He was more than happy to let me have my share! Green bagged grass works well too. You just need to make sure that no chemical has been applied recently or that the lawn has been mowed three times since it was applied. I'm willing to bet that most of you have at least one neighbor that bags their clippings and would be more than willing to hand you the bags weekly. This weekend I used the grass to dress a garden bed after weeding.

In my opinion it looks better than anything you can buy and costs exactly a handshake! Use it around your garden rows and in your flower beds to keep the weeds down.

A 2-4 inch layer will go a long way keeping weeds at bay and moisture in the soil. Green grass clippings can be hot during decomposition so be sure not to pile to closely to tender vegetables. I also might suggest that you select a neighbor who's yard is pretty weed free so you are not introducing new problems. Be sure to recycle those trash bags too!

Sarah Spotted Something New

Check out what I spied in downtown Greeley! A new shop with lots of crafty promise: SEW DOWNTOWN. No indication in the window of when they plan to open but I will keep you posted!

And right across the street promise of a garden store! How perfect is that?

Once again, no info on opening but I will keep my beady little eyes on it!

MMmmmm Grape Jelly

Finally decided to dig the fall grape harvest from the freezer and try my hand at making grape jelly.

Of course your must have a friend to guide you through...

lots of boiling and smashing and straining....

But at last something awesome takes place......