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This is an email from a new gardener, Tracilee, they had been here for the tour. She is in a home with some established plantings, and is just beginning to learn about gardening.
Thanks Marna! We had such a great time!!!! Attached are some photos of our gardens, pretty base, but you can see the retaining wall that I want to fill with wildflowers. I also found a double lily today!! How fun! And our leaf had 3 caterpillars on it - Ed, Fred, and Ted!!!! I'm so excited! thanks again, talk to you soon!
Her double orange Daylily
The retaining wall that has great potential as a backing for plantings! We will definitely be able to help her plan for a new garden there.
And the wonderful foliage of a non-blooming Hydrangea! Great topic for a future post.
An update on her Monarch caterpillars: Just want to let you know the caterpillars are doing wonderful!!! We actually have 3!!!Thanks again for giving us such a special experience! And a question on identifying a vine: attached are pic of the ivy stuff hanging from our trees. upon closer look, there are two types, a 5 and 6 leaved version... any ideas?
In this picture it is clear that there are 5 leaves. This is Virginia Creeper, Parthenocissus quinquefolia, which is a member of the Grape family, Vitaceae. It is a native vine, to 50+ feet. It has great fall color, often peaking before the trees begin to turn. It has greenish white flowers which turn to bluish back berries on bright red stalks. It is listed on the MA State Native Plants list.
This photo does look like there are 6 leaflets, but it's hard to distinguish with so many leaves in the photo. Did you actually get up close to the vine and determine there are 6 leaflets? They look like the same vine, but it is hard to tell from the photo.
Questions from Diana M.Hi - My Pink Bleeding Heart doesn't look very good. The leaves are all yellow. Am I supposed to cut them back?Bleeding Heart does not last all season. Because of the frequent rains this year they have lasted longer than normal. Usually, in the past, bleeding heart would be dying down as Hosta come up, which is why they are such good planting companions. It is up to the individual gardener to decide at what point to cut back dying plants. For Bleeding Heart, I have found that if I cut back the yellowing stems down to the joint where there is new growth, that I can prolong the foliage for quite some time. Even after letting my plants go to seed this season, I just cut back some of the yellowing foliage and found a lot of new growth at the lower joints, so I decided to leave the bottom part of the plants for the new growth to have the opportunity to develop. Regarding the mums(Chrysanthemum), I have found differing opinions. In order to promote a bushy lower plant, you need to pinch back your mums. When they get to be 6" tall you pinch off 1 inch from the top of each stem, all around the plant. When these new shoots reach 6" you do it again. Crockett's Victory garden says to stop by July 15th. The mum.org site says August 1. If you pinch back too late you risk taking off all the buds and not having enough time for them to develop new ones. You could try a few stems to see how they do this year. If they do not produce new buds you will not have lost the whole plant bloom. Then you'd need to make a note of the date you did it to have that info for next year.
Also, is it to late to trim back my mums?
I don't use mums any more. I find them too time consuming, and I would often forget to so the pinch back and would have spindly, miserable looking plants. I changed over to asters years ago. Yhose you can pinch or not and they always look great tall or shorter.
Was in the garden very early this morning. Heard the weather forecast before I went out!! Rain is coming. Not so good for Mia's cookout tonight (So a cook-in!?!) But the absolutely best thing for my gardens this week. As I have been working every day to catch up on weeding, cleanup, etc, I have found many plants that need to be moved or adopted out.
I am becoming very fond of living mulch, using it frequently throughout the gardens. My sedum has been growing wonderfully this season, so there's lots to move and give away. I filled the area by the Globe box and added in some sedum, which will help with the weeding problem in that area!!
As I move further away from the house with the living mulch, there is less and less weeding needing to be done on a regular basis.
So get out there and move things around the next few days. Looks like rain in the forecast for the next few days.
SOOOOO it is also a great time to get over here and take all these overgrown and runaway plants that are staring to look like fodder for my compost soon!!
Today's runaways include Obedient plant, Liatris seedlings, Rose Campion, Sedum, and 1 small Apricot Daylily, for the first person to ask for it!! Please do it through the comments, as that is the easiest way for me to see it.
So let's see how many of you can use your comment post and get yourself timed in for a chance at the lily.
So why am I not seeing snakes so much this year? Found a clue to the answer. As I was working in the gardens yesterday, I saw a snake which had been sunning itself, scurrying away under the black plastic I am using for mulching the strawberries. iI never thought to look there as it seemed to be no room for anything under it. I'll have to bring the kids out to explore that area the next time they are over.
Though I must admit, my hubby is very happy to not be seeing many snakes this year, not his favorite thing!!!
As I will probably never remember every single plant name, pronunciation or technical name on any given day. I will be subject to mistakes. I have been using the name Mountain bluet for a plant in my garden. I might have picked up a common name somewhere, but can't find it in any book so far. I got the Latin name right, Centaurea montana, or more common name, cornflower.
Also found out I do not have Jerusalem Artichoke in my garden - what I thought was that is actually Woodland Sunflower, Helianthus divaricatus. No wonder there weren't any tubers when I dug it up in November!!!
What's the old expression, live and learn? Never too old to learn!!
Found out I have a "highway in the sky" here in my own little haven from all things worldly.
One morning, while gazing at the back gardens, I noticed a lot of movement in the trees above. This land used to be a dense woodland.
When we first moved in we had just two squirrels which would frequent our bird feeders. As there were only the two I never minded them much. As they did eat most of the bird seed we would get them ears of corn from time to time. We named one of the squirrels, tho' not the other. Oh, well, sorry, but the other one really stood out. It had only a little fluff where its tail should have been growing!!
So, you probably guessed it, I called him No Tail. The two squirrels could been seen cavorting all over the yard, up and down trees, and up and down again, jumping from tree to tree via the many branches. in the upper echelon of the yard. Now that I think of it they had to have been same sex squirrels, as there were never any babies (or else my cats were very good at their hunt). No Tail was around for a number of years, and then one year we noticed there were no squirrels around at all. It was strange, when so many people were complaining about all the squirrels eating all their bird food all the time.
We just got squirrels back this year. Don't know why, no rhyme or reason to it. Not No Tail. And what I noticed was that I hadn't paid much attention to the squirrels back then,. Now as I gazed at them at play I noticed how easily and swiftly they traveled among the tree tops. They would run up the trunk, pick a branch, be it ever so thin and run down it, leaping across to a branch from an adjacent tree, not slowing down even a speck in their transit via their own "Highway in the Sky".
We will be heading off to the Poconos in PA next week for our annual company claims conference. This is our chance each year to have a vacation, as it is a company paid trip for my husband's company. We have traveled all over the eastern part of the country, and up into Canada, one year.
We will be away from Thursday, August 7th until Friday, August 15th.
I am trying to get my Mia's new laptop up and running so that I will be able to stay in touch and continue my daily posts.
I will be pushing to get as much gardening done as possible before I leave as I will be leaving my gardens for a week! (Oh, no, not again) But this time my older daughter, Paula will be staying here with her family and will be able to keep things watered.
When I return I will be scheduling work getting seeds planted in new seed bed as I will be able to ensure they will be kept nice and moist for germination. With 2 preschoolers, I did not want to leave that chore to Paula. The seeds will get enough of a start to be ready for next spring when you will all be wanting them for your gardens.
Plan to come and help with this process. This is being done to give you plants for your gardens. The seed bed will need to be raked, and prepared for the seeds, then as the seedlings come up they will need to be thinned and replanted with room enough for their anticipated growth before winter.
I will also use the seed be to lay in plants new to the gardens or winter over plants for those who may need the space here. I am working on getting new native varieties, so let me know if you have any I do not have.
So what will I be doing with all my free time when the gardens are put to rest for the winter?? Glad you asked! I will be offered all sorts of classes. Sewing, knitting, crochet, to name a few hand craft classes I could start up, from beginners to advanced.
I will also be offering two gardening class series. One for the beginner perennial gardener, with everything you need to get a gardens started. The first thing you will learn is how to plan for and prepare your soil for next year's planting of perennials (which you will be able to get free from my gardens!) The other will be for the intermediate perennial gardener, who wants to learn more specific skills. The first one we will address will be putting your garden to bed for the winter.
I was going to do this through adult education at King Philip, but they don't yet know if they are even going to have a program, so I will be offering it here in my studio, overlooking my back gardens!! I will be limiting my class to 8-10 gardeners each. The fee will be about half of what it would be at adult education. I need to figure out how many weeks each course will be to figure out the pricing. Those of you who have worked in the garden will be able to apply points towards it, so no one should have to be excluded due to cost.
The fall classes will be able to benefit from being right here in the gardens, and the winter classes will be more from books.
I will be getting more information set when I get back from vacation. I'm planning on getting started with the beginner course the last week in August, so you have plenty of time to get your soil ready before the winter. Let me know if you are interested in signing up as it will be on a first come first serve basis.
Today I have to change the timing of my daily post. Due to the high heat and humidity I am finding it necessary to get out in the garden earlier in the morning. Many mornings, as I get into the writing of the post, I find so much to be conveyed on that particular day, that I spend much more time writing than gardening. And by the time I am ready to get outside, it is too hot to do so.
When you get to a certain age, the elements are not always cooperative with the body. Had such a day yesterday.
I got my post pictures uploaded the day before, so I could get right to my writing. Got post completed in time to get out to greet my gardener helper at 8 am. We got right to work and made steady progress. Next gardener came at 10, had a few minutes to get a quick drink while waiting for her arrival, set up down the end of the driveway and weeded while working up a great sweat!! As this was the gardener who had had her tour cut short, due to thunderstorms in the area, we finished the work session with a completed tour of the gardens! My gardener was set to stay and continue working, but had to send her home as my sewing class had begun to arrive.
With 8 kids ranging from 7 to 14, we prepared for the project of the day, sock monkeys, got our supplies ready, had lunch, then dug into the socks! With very finicky sewing machines, some not willing to cooperate at all, we proceeded to get our bodies ready.
I made the mistake of going out to pick berries for a snack while the kids got ready for a swim. Now I remember why I stay indoors at the height of a hot day.
I was down for the count for the rest of the day and evening.
So you can enjoy the following pictures of all my favorite gardening tools, etc and I will detail them after I get back in from gardening.
I put in two and a half hours cleaning up in the gardens, then went for a swim, to help me stay cool today. Feeling Great!!! On to finish my post, while listening to Eva Cassidy's CD "Songbird", a birthday gift from one of my big brothers! Thanks, Paul, I love it. She was so very talented. Such sorrow that she was taken so young.
This is how I carry my gardening tools around. I keep my common tools in my garden cart in the garage during the season. This is a great rubber bucket that I got at Gardener's Supply (VT). Gardener's Supply has the greatest variety of gardening items you could want. I haven't been to the store in Burlington, VT, but hubby gets up that way on a regular basis. He says it's a great store to visit. 
This came with a larger one that I use for weeding and garden cleanup. Have had both for over 15 years, have held up great. 
This is what I usually use for my garden cleanup. I prefer it to the rubber one as it is very light weight and I can handle it more easily most days than the rubber one, which is a bit heavier. This one has gotten a few holes in it, probably from thorny stems, but I've had it a number of years. Picked it up somewhere locally.
I always use a kneeler when gardening. I have joint problems, so can't do much gardening standing up. As I have aged, I have found items that work better for one who often needs help changing positions, or just in getting up from a kneeling position!This is a great addition to any garden. It gives support for getting down and up again, and can turn over and be used as a seat. Those of you coming to get seeds may have used it to sit on. And I've been known to bring it to Mia's karate and sit on it in the doorway so that I can watch her. Now mind you, the other mothers all sit on the floor, but that's not happening as I don't know if any of them would be willing to help get me up from the floor if I were to try it!!
I have used every type of rubber kneeler that has been on the market over the last 30+ years. I have finally found one that's a keeper and is holding up just as it was the first time I used it. It is from Crocs, yes, the shoe people. I got 2 of them, one for inside and one for outside. I have used it for 3 years now and absolutely love it. The rubber is just much easier on the knees. I am able to stay on my knees for much longer periods with it as opposed to the supported kneeler above, or others on the market.
This is the tool I use for all smaller planting projects. It is great for seedlings as well as larger plants. You just push it into the soil and work it around to create the size hole you need. I even use it for bulbs. It is also very light weight.
And these are the best garden gloves I have used, and I have tried them all. With this one you can feel what you are doing through the gloves, and get a fine grip on anything needed. It is a stretchy, comfortable fabric, and not too hot in the summer heat. They now have one that is longer to cover up to the elbow to protect skin from sun, irritation, etc. I just ordered a pair, on sale now. These are the Foxglove brand, they have their own website, with some very interesting looking tools. I got side tracked there this morning!! I originally got them at Northlands Garden Center, here in Wrentham.
For those with hand/wrist problems, these are the wrist supports I have found to work best for me in the garden. They support my wrists and allow me the flexibility I need to work effectively. I would not be able to garden without them.
As I have aged and developed serious health and physical conditions that have made gardening difficult, I have had to seek out tools and work aids to allow me to continue my passion. Have been very satisfied with several here following. This is Fiskars Hand pruner. We have the old standby, but this one is extremely light weight and much easier for me to carry and use. It does not take a lot of hand strength to use. It will handle most of the pruning I do on plants and shrubs. For the larger trees, etc, we use larger tools, which I am unable to handle on some days.
I don't have a hand pruner that I am particularly happy with, so that is open for another day. I have tried a new one each year, hoping it will be the one. So if any of you out there have a good hand pruner you like, please let me know. I just don't want to have to sell the farm to pay for it!! There is a great looking one on Foxglove's web site, but it seems pricey.
I love this little hand rake - It is perfect in the spring, while I'm tending to the garden. I can just grab it and rake up any little area I am working on, and I don't have to get up to find a regular rake. It works great in among perennials.
I do have a great adjustable metal rake I forgot to photograph. It can go from about 6 inches up to 24 with the slip of a hand. I also have a four pronged marrow rake that is perfect for early spring raking of leaves, etc off established beds.
A gardener needs good scissors. These are two pair that I keep on hand in my bucket. The top pair are good for trimming stems, leaves, a bunch of things at one time. The bottom ones are for more picky cutting needs. I prefer these most of the time as I can get my gloved hand into them easier. You can get them with a longer cutting surface, also. I am always losing my scissor, so I find the bright colors helpful in locating them when dropped. 
This is the ultimate gardening shovel, nice long handle, yet small enough shovel to be able to get among your plants without having to dig a mammoth hole. I do have a larger one I use on bigger plants and shrubs, but this is my shovel of choice. And it is also light weight.
I show it here next to my short handle shovel, with the shovel part the same size. This is the one I use when I am kneeling down. I only have the shovels in the garden cart when I know I will be needing them. 
This is a great hoe I have had for years. We used it a lot for vegetable gardening. I use it now to make a furrow for multiple plants, or for putting in a border or lawn barrier. I don't use it much now, as my back can't handle that kind of action.
This is a hand held hoe, that has an extension. This is what I use in a kneeling position to save on my back. I like the 3 pronged side as a weeding aid in areas of thick weeds.
Many of you got to see this shovel in action. It is a must have for any serious gardener. This is what will get to the bottom of most roots. I say most, as it didn't work on our front shrubs or the Burning bush we had to get moved. Plants with real deep roots are a difficult problem when you have to get them out. That is a topic for a different post. We used this to get out the Pokeweed in the new seed bed. We put it straight in all the way down all around the plant so as to loosen up the soil and allow us to get under the full root ball for easier removal. It is extremely heavy duty and makes it a much easier job than with a regular shovel.
Gardening can get tricky when your body doesn't want to cooperate. The next items are specifically helpful for those impaired and needing extra help to get garden chores done. (as well as for everyone else, too) This is a Gold Garden Claw. This is a true gem. Just ask Mike. (Krissy's Dad) He used it to clear out the new seed bed in record time. We had another variety similar to this one that Krissy used, but this one was the winner. I got to keep it, the other went home with Krissy!! I'll be able to use it again as soon as my other wrist heals.
It is great for any area with more than just a handful of weeds. Just push it in the ground, twist it, and VOILA!!! Weeds are up, out of the ground!! With a little practices, you can toss them right into a garden cart. 
Grandpa's Weeder is great for individual weeds. You can weed and don't have to even bend over. 
You just push it over the weed, step on the lever and up pops any single weed. Works great for those loners that pop up in the lawn, will not wreck the lawn.
And the winner of my favorite gardening tool that I will never live without. The Cape Cod Weeder. Hands down, none has ever come close to this number one position in my gardening life. Many of you have already had the opportunity of trying one out while helping in my gardens. 
There are just the things I can not live without when working in my gardens. Any that have specific names can be googled to find out how to get them. Not too early to start your Christmas wish list. This is also a great time to get garden supplies on sale - check out your local stores. I usually stock up on gloves, especially mud gloves, which can be quite expensive in the spring.
Feel free to come and try out any of the above while helping in my gardens!!
Updating files, needing to get caught up on email questions and photos.
Babs sent this picture to see if I know what the plant is. I do not. Anyone know what this is? 
Krissy sent a picture of this Echinacea, Purple Coneflower, calling it a Siamese twin!!
From Krissy, beautiful photos of her plants. Asiatic Daylily
Moonbeam Echinacea
Cornflowers
From Krissy:
"My grandmother has this plant in her garden, Do you know what this plant is?"
My response "Looks like a Joe Pye weed, but different leaf and color flower. I'm just not sure. Can you get a close up photo of the leaf and photo of full plant?"
These are the pictures she sent. From the leaf shape and how they are spaced on the stem, I find the plant in my "Peterson Field Guide for Wildflowers".
The leaves of the Pye weed are not alternate as with this plant. The serrated edged leaves are also different.
On closer inspection of guidebook, I find that this is most likely New York Ironweed, Veronica noveboracensis.
Googled it to be sure. Yes it is New York Ironweed. 
Krissy also sent this beautiful butterfly photo, loving her Echinacea. This is a Fritillary, Argynnis, Brush-footed Butterfly, of which there are over two dozen different Fritillaries, with very subtle color differences. It is hard to identify it from just the underwings.
From Krissy and Kim. This is a Spotted Wintergreen, Chimaphila maculata, native to our area.
Kim sent this photo of Sassafras, which I had never seen before. 
She has discovered Fern on her property, which she had been wanting to plant around her fish pond.
And this red berry shrub is one she thought might be Spicebush. Was sorry to have to tell her it was Honeysuckle, so she would not be able to have a Spicebush Swallowtail caterpillar after all.
Kim also sent a picture of this great Garter snake. For some reason this year I am seeing very few Garter snakes. I usually have them sunning right outside my front door all summer. The grandkids are very disappointed that we haven't found any to catch at all. Often in the spring we round up lots of babies for them to learn how to handle and catch them.
These photos came in from Babs.
Lupine seedlings 
Monarch on Butterfly Bush 
Unidentified insect on Echinacea
This is her porch garden at the beginning of the season.
This is the progress as it is developing
And this is it in full beautiful form! 
Thanks for all the photos and questions.
In this picture it is clear that there are 5 leaves. This is Virginia Creeper, Parthenocissus quinquefolia, which is a member of the Grape family, Vitaceae. It is a native vine, to 50+ feet. It has great fall color, often peaking before the trees begin to turn. It has greenish white flowers which turn to bluish back berries on bright red stalks. It is listed on the MA State Native Plants list.
