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Recent Entries to this Blog
The hardest part of having a pet
Posted: 19 Feb 2017 Posted: 06 Feb 2017 Posted: 06 Oct 2016 Posted: 13 Sep 2015 Posted: 15 Jun 2015 All Entries |
Kay's Blog
Hello from a tired girl
Category: Landscaping Girl | Posted: Fri Oct 07, 2011 9:01 pm I have been so busy at my job! We have had a super busy year, and it ain't over yet! We have been blessed with perfect Autumn weather, and have done a record number of installation jobs. Could really use some rain around here though. Maybe this weekend, they say. The wind has been really strong the past few days, so a front must be making it's way here. I do get to rest during the "off season" which is usually November through March. However, we have yet to do any of the Autumn clean up work. So, I am still rollin out every morning and doing what I do. This blog entry has been viewed 1557 times
making plans to redecorate the garden
Category: Working in the yard | Posted: Tue Aug 02, 2011 6:11 pm My garden has been suffering through a long period of heat lately. We went from a cool, rainy June into this dry,hot weather. I have been watering a lot more than usual to keep up with plant's needs, especially the shrubs that I added this spring. The temperatures have been hovering in the high 90s mostly with the past couple days reaching into the triple digits. Ugh... In my backyard, the corner that was visibly changed by the removal of the big, old Pine is undergoing some stress. I was out early today, to beat the sun's heat to deadhead some Heucheras and Hostas. They are looking a bit scorched. I have decided to find new shadier homes for them. Earlier this spring, I already relocated several Astilbe, Hosta, and Heuchera. Now I am searching for spots to put the poor long suffering kids so they can do their best and thrive., but I'm going to wait until it cools off some. The bright side is that I have realized that I will have room to plant more, and I will be able to add some sun lovers for a change! This blog entry has been viewed 1638 times
Containers for orphan annuals
Category: Gardening 2011 | Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2011 7:40 pm Yesterday, a friend called and said she had a bunch of left over annuals from a plant seller she was working for. Would I like some of them? They come up here each spring from Kaw Valley, Kansas and must do a pretty good business (they have 4 stands in Lincoln each year) They pack up and leave at the end of June, and allow the employees to have leftovers. Pretty nice of em, I'd say! So, I went and adopted some pretties. What fun to pick, choose and grab for free! (they only go to good homes, you see) So, after work, I got busy and had a good old time planting. I didn't really have a plan in mind, I just started putting them together in ways I thought looked good. I'm pretty pleased with the way they turned out, and thought you might enjoy seeing my work for this season. 
hangin in the sun ( photo / image / picture from Kay's Garden ) 
container buddies ( photo / image / picture from Kay's Garden ) 
another purple mixed container ( photo / image / picture from Kay's Garden ) 
sunny container ( photo / image / picture from Kay's Garden ) 
purple mixed container ( photo / image / picture from Kay's Garden ) 
mixed container ( photo / image / picture from Kay's Garden ) 
mixed container ( photo / image / picture from Kay's Garden ) My friend just called again, she said she just brought home a load of perennials!!! Here we go again!! This blog entry has been viewed 1660 times
A renegade weed
Category: Working in the yard | Posted: Thu Jun 23, 2011 10:45 pm 
a big weed ( photo / image / picture from Kay's Garden ) I found this growing in my flower bed earlier this spring. I had amended the soil with some compost from my work. Our shop is on an old dairy farm, and we pulverize the mounds of manure to use in planting etc. It was a very nice healthy plant, no bugs, nothing wrong at all, with the exception of being illegal... It was hard for me to destroy such a pretty plant. Oh well, had to be done. It grows wild all over in Nebraska. We just don't pick it, or grow it in our gardens, if we are smart that is... This blog entry has been viewed 1948 times
Filling the empty corner
Category: Gardening 2011 | Posted: Sat Jun 04, 2011 2:05 pm This past February, we had to have an old tired Austrian Pine taken down. 
tree stump ( photo / image / picture from Kay's Garden ) It was really hard to make a decision as to what to do with the space. I had so many ideas. A lot of them weren't feasible because of the cost (I so wanted another tree!) so after a lot of debate, and being anxious to plant something, we went for a pair of Lilacs. They should reach about 8 feet at maturity. They even had some fragrant blooms still on. I also put a trellis in the corner and planted a Morning Glory at it's base. That way, I can change that, perhaps with a perennial vine in the future. 
filling in the corner ( photo / image / picture from Kay's Garden ) As you can see, the perennials have returned, and I had to do some rearranging of them. I moved several Astilbe as it was going to be too sunny for them. The Daylily is happy in it's new spot. And the stump will serve as a pot stand for now. I wouldn't let the guys stump grind because I thought they would be too destructive... This is just one of many of the examples of how we all adapt to the changes that continually take place when we garden each year. This blog entry has been viewed 1159 times
Spring cleaning in my sunroom
Category: Gardening 2011 | Posted: Fri May 27, 2011 1:08 am The time had come, I was ready to do some spring cleaning in my full-of-houseplants sunroom. There was barely room to walk in there, something had to be done. I dilligently monitered the overnight low temperatures, and I "pulled the trigger" last weekend. Two huge Fig trees: out you go! A Schefflera: out the door! Several Ivy and Spider plants: get outta here! Four big old Sanseveria: collecting dust and taking up room, get out! The Purple Heart with it's companion Wandering Jew, take a summer vacation! Hey! I can see the floor in my sunroom! I can see the walls! The weather was not too cold, and not too hot, just right, and we even had some nice rain showers so they all got a good bath. I like my deck all full of greenery. It's a good natural screen. So, then what did my sister just give me? A lubbersii Calathea. I like it and of course found a spot for it... in my sunroom. This blog entry has been viewed 1595 times
I'm a busy girl these days!
Category: Landscaping Girl | Posted: Thu May 05, 2011 12:59 am This is a very busy time of year for me at my job. Since mid-March, I have been supervising my crew doing spring clean up and mulching. We still have some jobs to get done, but all of the sudden, Mother Nature has decided to let us have some nice weather, and we have started the plant installations. It gets pretty crazy on some days, we work long and hard hours. I am in charge of finding and purchasing the trees. shrubs, perennials, and annuals for the designs. I get them to the job sites, and work with our designer to place them. Then I oversee the crew as they plant. I also am the "front woman" for customer contact, to be sure they are happy. I am good at this "gabby" part because there is nothing I love better than talkin plants! I come home just exhausted some days. We work long hours, and we work hard to do the best job that we can. It gives me a lot of satisfaction. I am often too tired to get on the computer and do much besides read at little. But I wanted to say hello and I miss my Stew friends. Happy Gardening!! This blog entry has been viewed 1839 times
Part of my job
Category: Random Stuff | Posted: Sat Mar 26, 2011 4:37 pm Last week, I worked along with my fellow employees to create our display for an annual Home and Garden show. It focuses on outdoor living and drums up business for us every spring. We spend many hours getting ready. The boys set up an outdoor fireplace, with a paver block patio in front of it. 
outdoor fireplace display ( photo / image / picture from Kay's Garden ) They also made a flagstone walkway and left the mulched area for me to fill in with plants. I had to buy the plants from our wholesale nursery, but there was not a lot to choose from as it is quite early days yet here in Nebraska. We won't be planting much before May. So, I chose an upright White Pine, a Mugo Pine, and a giant Pussy willow for the backbones, and used a Blue Star Juniper, Red twig Dogwoods, Ornamental Grasses, a new variety of Lilac called "Bloomerang", Heucheras,and Hostas. i found some blue Columbine in bloom as well as my favorite spring annual, Pansies for some color. 
my display at the show ( photo / image / picture from Kay's Garden ) 
my display at the show ( photo / image / picture from Kay's Garden ) 
Columbine in bloom ( photo / image / picture from Kay's Garden ) The Lilacs were blooming too, and oh, did they ever smell great! I did a lot of talking to people who came out to the show to see what's new this season, and anxious to get outdoors again. So, 30 some hours later, the show was over and we had a few days of good weather to actually work. I supervise the crews that do maintenance and mulching. It keeps me on my toes, especially in the spring! Now, I am sitting indoors, and it is snowing for the second day. The columbines are sitting in my garage and will be mine to plant in my garden, someday soon. I sure have to be patient in the spring! This blog entry has been viewed 1309 times
Going, going, gone!
Category: Working in the yard | Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2011 8:31 pm There was an old Austrian Pine in the corner of our backyard that had lived around 40 years. It began to look stressed a couple years ago, and we have pruned dead branches from it. But this winter, with all the deciduous trees bare, it was evident that the poor old tree was not going to survive much longer. It had a lot of dead even up at the top. So, with a heavy heart, I scheduled the work. The tree crew from the company I work for showed up and made short work of taking it down. It took 3 hours from start to finish including the clean up, and trimming another Pine back there. I tried not to hover, but I wanted to be sure they were not trampling all over my dormant plants... The timing of this work was about perfect. It was a fairly decent sunny winter day. I wanted to get it down before any plants emerged from dormancy (which is no time soon here) I also wanted to get it down before any birds or squirrels built their nest in it. Larry made the job look easy, but climbing up trees to take them down is not for amateurs. The guys do it safely and the correct way. 
( photo / image / picture from Kay's Garden ) 
( photo / image / picture from Kay's Garden ) The two ground guys hauled the limbs and debris out pretty quickly. I felt compelled to help them, but I didn't! When Larry had the tree limbs all cut off, he came down. It was bittersweet to see what was left. I remembered watching all the activity of the birds and squirrels in it over the years. Then Jay took over and made the two wedge cuts to topple the trunk. It really made a big thud when it hit the ground! Then they made about 5 cuts to piece it out and hauled it out. I decided I didn't want the stump ground out because I have so many plants around it, and I knew they might not fair well! He cut the stump close to the ground, and we'll deal with it. I'll probably put rocks on it, or some kind of garden art thing! 
( photo / image / picture from Kay's Garden )
( photo / image / picture from Kay's Garden ) Now we're left with a gaping space! It looks so different, and I can't wait to remedy that! One thing our backyard doesn't have a lot of is privacy. We've only lived here 4 years, and have lots of ideas and wishes for the yard. Someday, if we ever finish the basement... (oh, the joys of home owning!) So, for this coming growing season, I have some very tall Zebra grass that I'll probably plant in the corner. It will fill the void. Then I can dream and plot my next move... A new tree? A shrub? Hmmm, I'll let you know! This blog entry has been viewed 1612 times
New shower in progress
Category: my Winter thoughts | Posted: Sun Jan 23, 2011 8:22 pm Almost 10 months have gone by since we chose tile for the new in-the-works bathroom in our not-so- finished basement. We finally hired a very talented, professional tile guy to do the job. I was beginning to wonder if that shower was ever going to really be a shower! It still needs the fixtures and ceiling light cover (all in good time) But the tile is up, and it is beautiful! Mick, the tile guy did a great job. It is a very custom design (have I mentioned that my Bob is a very talented carpenter?) It is nice and big, lots of room to splash around and get washed up! I don't think my photos can really convey just how cool it is. The terra cotta accent tiles are special to us. Bob's brother gave us a box of salvage tile from a job he was the construction manager for. It is a huge church and seminary for Catholic priests near our city. This tile is the flooring there, came from Italy, and was actually blessed by the Pope. Now, his brother did not make a practice of taking away salvage from his jobs, ever, but this time he did. This was to be his final job; as unfortunately, he lost his life to Leukemia not long after the job was completed. So, we feel honored to have it, and honor him by putting it up. 
accent tile ( photo / image / picture from Kay's Garden ) 
shower ceiling ( photo / image / picture from Kay's Garden ) 
new shower tile ( photo / image / picture from Kay's Garden ) 
new shower tile ( photo / image / picture from Kay's Garden ) We have a long way to go before the room is finished, cabinets, sink, toilet, lighting.... But the shower tile is up and I love it! This blog entry has been viewed 1655 times
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