My neighbors have these flowers/weeds/whatever they are, growing in their yard. I hate them. The roots run under my fence and sprout up every where! With all the rain we have had recently, they are out of control.
I cranked up the hedge trimmers and went to town on them! I just new I was going to see a snake up in that mess....but luckily there were no snakes. After I cut them down, I pulled up as many roots as I could. I did 95% of this in the rain. I was not happy....part of me wanted to throw the plants back over the fence for my neighbor.....but then the logical part of my brain decided against it. I really don't know how to tackle this problem. Round-up will not kill them. If you do kill them, new ones are popping up. It is like a vicious cycle....and I am at a loss. ISSUE #2 Time to Divide
I feel like I just divided amaryllis.....I know I divided some last year....and here we are again...dividing. I divided the daylilies and amaryllis.....in the rain. I would love to know what my neighbors thought of me while I was in the front mud bog (formerly known as grass) shoveling mud (formerly known as dirt) out of the beds to get to the bulbs. It was so wet, when I pulled the clumps out of the ground it made a suction sound, and then the hole would fill up with water. My feet sank into the ground, and left impressions in the flower beds.....but what can you do? It was raining, and it had to be done.
Some of the daylilies
Amaryllis
By the end of the day Sunday...I looked like Swamp Thing. I was covered in mud. I sat out on the grass, and separated the bulbs and let the rain wash me and the bulbs off. I ended up with 198 amaryllis bulbs. Now what am I going to do with all of those bulbs? I thought about setting up a bulb stand in my front yard and selling them....or heck...just give them away. I did manage to weed, trim the hedges and a few other piddly little things. We had an extremely dry July, so I suppose Mother Nature is trying to compensate for that now. I complained then that we needed rain, and now I am complaining because the rain needs to stop for a few days. My grass is dying from being water logged, and I do not live in a low area. Some of the flowers are dong the same. I just need it to stop long enough for my lawn to dry out, so I can cut it before my neighbors report me to the city. I drove across the lawn the other day (The Hunter had the driveway blocked), and I made HUGE ruts in the grass because it was so wet.
When I came home from work today I noticed my pumpkin topiary was slightly leaning. When I walked up to it to straighten it....I could smell it! PHEW!!! In one week those dang pumpkins have rotted!!! That is how hot and humid it is here. Does it normally take pumpkins a week to rot? I am not happy about this...I had big plans for those pumpkins....stupid me was hoping they would make it to Halloween! LOL!!! Are you kidding....they didn't make it 7 days. UGH! So now I am on a mission to find 3 foam pumpkins......they won't rot!
I will be back tomorrow...I promise. I feel so behind on everything, and I really do miss ya'll. My mom has been telling me about some of the blogs....and she doesn't blog! She does read some of them though. She will call me and say "Did you see what so & so did", that's terrible...I am so behind. I did notice I lost 5 followers over the past week. Oh well.....you win some and you lose some. Sorry I was enthralling enough. As for the other 120+ of you that stayed...thank you. I do try to keep up with each and every one of the blogs I follow, as well as my followers....but sometimes life gets hectic, and you just can't do it everyday. Besides that....all I have to blog about it mud....and who wants to hear about that?
My precious Bilbo will be arriving in Florida very soon......keep an eye on Darla @ More Family & Flowers
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25 comments:
go make some like my pumpkins....they are easy and they won't rot!
have a great day swamp thing!!!
I have missed the mud out of you! lol
sorry ....I had to say it!
Um oh my gosh, I know you described what it was like when you divided bulbs, but WHOA - this is like a commercial operation!!! I cannot believe that many bulbs can possibly fit in your beds!!!!!!! WHAT are you doing to get them to mutiply like rabbits?
So glad the job is interesting and keeping you busy :)
Oh girl there is nothing that stinks worse than rotten pumpkins. At work we have been throwing them away left and right. The heat is really taking a toll on them.
Hope you see some sunshine soon. We too have been getting lots of rain.
Hello Dirt Princess, what a job! But tired? I like to do gardening stuffs like repotting and propagating during rainy days too. This way, my plants would not be dried up. And when the sun comes back, they will grow nicely. But yes, too much rain is not good too ;-)
I am just imagining you out in the rain doing all that work and the suctioning sound when you pulled up the plants. That is wet!! I can't believe how many bulbs you have. Can you do some trades with people that live around you?
I remember you posting about your neighbors weeds before. I wonder if you could put a picture of them on Garden Web and see if anyone can identify them or how to get rid of them.
I think some followers come and go, I'm sure your regular readers wouldn't stop just because you've been busy.
OMG! Wet, dirty and with almost 200 bulbs! I bet you looked good, sister! It would be nice if you could sell part of them! I'll try to send some of our pretty weather your way! Hold on there!
Good morning Dirt Princess ~ Glad to hear you have a new job you are happy with.
Those volunteers from your neighbor ~ is that pink flowers I see coming up out of them? Wouldn't it be easier accepting them and growing with them, instead of being frustrated and fighting them? Just a thought. They must love your place and have moved in for the long haul. Since you can't seem to beat them, then join them by embracing their zealousness and simple beauty.
Of course, I'm not seeing the gazillion of these that you are having to put up with. I might be frustrated also if I did.
Look at all those daylilies and amaryllis bulbs. Do you dig these up every autumn?
Hang in there DP. The sun will come out, the ground will dry, and life will move along.
I can't possibly post on every blog I follow. I try to read posts that sound interesting to me on any given day. I post on my blog when I can, and do try to keep up with comments left in my blog.
The weekend is coming and I hope you have a great one.
FlowerLady
Hi Dirt Princess. We have had rain for the last week or so.My mexican petunias have finally begun to bloom!That is rather late isnt it? As for the pumpkins any time you cut into them they tend to go bad more quickly than if they were left whole. Your weather isnt helping either. Your display was lovely tho.
Oh girl, your in a pickle if Roundup won't kill the problem. I've been seeing all the rains down south and thinking and praying for ya'll.
We have had an unusual amount of rain this summer and now. I go out and work in my gardens and warp into a mud-baby who has to hose down before going inside.
Blogging is time consuming and I am finding it next to impossible to keep up with everyone yet I don't want to leave anyone out. What's a girl to do? Oh well, winter(uck,uck,uck!) is coming and inside time will increase.
Have a wonderfully blessed and productive day!!!
I know the feeling re: the wet lawn/heat/humidity.Our summer rain pattern just now kicked in.What's up with that?
And it is hard keeping up with blogdom.I think everyone has the same problem.All you can do is just try.
OH CRAP! Your neighbor's weed looks like it could be something called Glorybower, I believe. Do the blooms stink? Anyway one of the many old men in our neighborhood (that bring me plants)stopped and gave me one. I planted it about 6 or 8 weeks ago...this past Sunday I pulled up about 5 of them......geez!
You have had some serious rain haven't you? Why didn't my amaryllis bloom this year? AND where is the photo of you sitting in the rain dividing bulbs..LOL! Someone commented that Bilbo is taking the scenic route, I agree!
My goodness, girl that is a lot of bulbs!! I need to divide some too.
Love your last post of your fall decorations. The pumpkin topiary was beautiful!! (so it rotted, huh?)I may have to borrow that idea and see if I can make one.
Wow, what a dividing job you have.
I am never completely happy with the weather ;-)
Sorry about your pumpkins. That's a lot of bubs to seperate. Thank goodness looks like we are in for some drier weather and a cool down for next week. I'll be so glad for some cooler weather.
You have received a very important email. Someone is here waiting on a reply!!
Tootsie I do want to make some like that, I just don't think they would do well outside here.
Ginger I don't do anything to them...imagine if I did! They would be out of control!
Susie I didn't realize they stunk so bad! Very gross.
Stephanie I guess it is better for the plants, and it did help to cool me down!
Catherine I am pretty sure that Darla called out what it is. I am going to swap bulbs for some plants with a few friends!
Tatyana our city is having a fall event in the town square and our garden club will have a tent there, so I am going to take them there to sell for the club.
FlowerLady.....well you see what happens when I let them just grow...they grow everywhere. They would eventually take over my entire yard, and they stink. They shoot out long roots, some where coming up out in the grass. I can't embrace them....i just can't. I have a feeling that they would embrace me before I embraced them! LOL! You are right...it is hard to follow everyone and keep up with everything!
Jean...wow I can't believe your mexican petunia is just blooming, but atleast it is blooming! Thats a good thing. I knew I shouldn't have cut those pumpkins....live and learn! I am going to make my topiary out of the foam ones.
Nezzy blogging should be a lot easier during the winter! LOL! Then we can catch up on everything. The sun is shining today, so maybe it will dry up a bit.
Darla I am 99.99% sure that is the PLANT! It is a mess! KILL IT NOW! Yes it stinks! Terribly! Your amaryllis were probably planted too deep. They like to somewhat exposed. I plant mine half in/half out. They are like irises in that sense. If I could have gotten someone to take a picture of me...ya'll would have loved it...i was a mess! I had mud in my hair, on my face....ugh....bad!
Missy....word of advice...use fake pumpkins!!! LOL!
HHG that was only half of what I need to divide! To bad all of my blog friends dont' live closer, or I was rich and could ship all of you bulbs! LOL!
Becca I hope so!
Darla...going now :-)
Wow. It sounds like you are drowning out there. I'd probably work out in the rain, too, if it didn't let up. We have our neighbors weeds growing up in our yard, too. Thankfully they moved and we seem to have better neighbors who are taking better care of their yard. We had to finally hire a professional to treat our lawn this summer so we could get rid of some of those awful ones. You certainly had a LOT of bulbs! Wow! I wish I could sneak by and get some of them for my garden.
Sounds like you were really in a mud mess. So many amaryllis bulbs. You should list them on E-bay or Craig's list. Sending you some of this dry California weather.
Thanks a whole lot for the almost one hundred percent on the stinkin' plant that I just planted that I will just now be removing.........! Bilbo would not agree to photos this evening. He wanted some BBQ chicken, fried squash, early peas, a big glass of ice tea and a soft place to sleep. He was very tired....he better be ready in the morning..Maybe I'll give him some B complex and green tea to get him moving!!
What the heck are those nasty weeds???
And your poor pumpkins! You really have a humidity problem. ;-]
Hope the foam pumpkins will be kinder.
Sorry kiddo! I beat you to the post...Bilbo's up...
We really have to absorb a little bit dealing with neighbours, like overgrown weeds, etc,etc. But you did the most sensible thing....
Cheers, and have a wonderful day.
~bangchik
Don't feel bad about being busy and muddy! People who truly garden understand what it's like to work in your yard and lot play on the computer all day! I can't imagine what some must think of me but I have been knee deep in tomato canning and I need a break too!
Those pink flowers from your neighbor is Cashmere Bouquet, clerodendron bungei, and they do spread. I have some, but they are controlled by the lawn mower when young if they get out of bounds.
Jan
Always Growing
Hey Girl!
Any of those bulbs you're tired of? Just send em my way!
I think blogger has a glitch and drops the followers. There have been several blogs that I follow, I go, and have to re-sign up. I don't want my friends to think I just left. Darn blogger! Wish they'd fix that.
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