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featherphobia
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Recent Entries to this Blog Annual Garden Sale
Posted: 17 May 2012
Huge elephant ear made me do it
Posted: 22 Apr 2012
Free Plant Tags
Posted: 08 May 2011
What I've been up to
Posted: 19 Nov 2010
Square foot garden (almost)
Posted: 09 Aug 2010

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featherphobia's Blog




Huge elephant ear made me do it

Category: DONNA'S DIRT | Posted: Sun Apr 22, 2012 1:00 am



Hyper tuffa bird bath. ( photo / image / picture from featherphobia's Garden )


After reading others success with using a leaf as a mold when I saw the size of the leaf I just had to try it for myself.
A client of mine mailed a small bulb back from Hawaii when he and his wife vacationed there a few years back. Their house has been for sale and now is going to closing. I had to go open up for the plumber to repair some minor items. The owner told me to be sure to get a bulb of the now huge clump. Going around the back of the house I saw these enormous leaves, not only did I get a few small bulbs I took one of the huge leaves.
Right after I finished applying the mix to the leaf it started to rain, I covered it good with some garbage bags and hoped for the best. After six days I unwrapped it and it is beautiful..I did use more cement than called for in the recipe wanted to be sure it held together.
Think I'll get another and make one for my client. What do you all think?


Last edited: Sun Apr 22, 2012 1:01 am

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Free Plant Tags

Category: DONNA'S DIRT | Posted: Sun May 08, 2011 9:27 pm

After stepping on some plants that were just peaking thru the soil, and now buying some new varieties of salvia. I think some plant markers might be a good thing. I've used just about anything in the past, twigs stuck in the ground,(no way of knowing what was there just keeps me from trampling it) Cut old mini blinds and a marker, wood shims with a marker.


plant markers1 ( photo / image / picture from featherphobia's Garden )



I believe we've all used some form of these same things. I even bought some of the very expensive ones. If you use a maker on them the name fades just like free mini binds.
I goggled free plant markers, found a guy on The Stew
who used on soda cans, Sounded good except for the sharp edges. I tried to fold the edges in on them selves, but it took a long time and made it look crinkled. Then you still had to find away to attach it.


first tag ( photo / image / picture from featherphobia's Garden )



Then, I remembered the ones I purchased having seen it a few days before only had one left). I dug it out and made a new plan.
At the flower Shop we got orchid plants in with plastic coated wire supports, we replaced them with bamboo trellises. The wire was kept, it did not have a purpose we just kept it. When the shop closed I took a hand full of wire.it was headed for the trash.

First cut the top and bottom of the can off, I used kitchen shears.



top and bottom cut off ( photo / image / picture from featherphobia's Garden )



If your afraid of getting cut wear leather gloves. I next cut the remaining piece in to four pieces. Bending the wires of the orchid plants into a "u" shape with three fingers width in the u. I rolled the can pieces around the wire legs. Wearing the gloves made this step easier.


can piece and wire leg ( photo / image / picture from featherphobia's Garden )






leg wrap ( photo / image / picture from featherphobia's Garden )



Look! I did it made some plant tags. I used a pecan picker to write on the tags, but any thing would work.






can plant tag completed ( photo / image / picture from featherphobia's Garden )



and here it is in the garden marking the name and presence of the new salvia.


salvia marker ( photo / image / picture from featherphobia's Garden )






tag doing its job ( photo / image / picture from featherphobia's Garden )





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What I've been up to

Category: DONNA'S DIRT | Posted: Fri Nov 19, 2010 4:59 pm

The garden is on the down side now I'm just holding out for the frost. There are lots of green tomatoes that will come off when that happens.


garden ( photo / image / picture from featherphobia's Garden )

We have not gotten enough out of it to make pickles or any thing, but enjoyed what has been reaped. Far as green tomatoes, They will be picked brought inside to rippen or fried green tomatoes...yum.





purple cabage ( photo / image / picture from featherphobia's Garden )

The cabbages on the other hand have take off with the turn of cool weather. My green cabbages are getting eaten up by worms, I've now put 7 dust on them. I guess they do not like purple because not one bite mark on them.




Craigs List Find ( photo / image / picture from featherphobia's Garden )

After all the work my son and I did on the path I still needed more concerte for more stones. But motivating him is difficult to say the least.
and it was becomming evident it was going to be and obstacle.
I was posting some items for sale on craigs list and decied to look at the garden stuff others had for sale. Lo and Behold someone had the stones for sale and a lot of them. When I contacted her she lived in the subdivision next to mine. After several trips in my car the stones arrived at their new home.(she had bought the house recently and the whole back yard was covered in them. She wanted grass.)
I had enough to finish the path for the garden and redo the path in the back by the water hyacinth and lilly pond. There had been a hodge podge of brick and stepping stone path here. When the bricks were wet they were very slippery. Hope it does not happen to the new path. I did put the paver sand under it this time. But instead of grout I used small garden pebbles and lined it with some of the bricks. There's a lot of roots in the area because of the oak trees I'm hoping the pebbles will have some give to them. Here is the second view.





path 2nd view ( photo / image / picture from featherphobia's Garden )

In case any one interested here is a photo of the walk maker form we used on the garden.



walk maker form ( photo / image / picture from featherphobia's Garden )





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Square foot garden (almost)

Category: DONNA'S DIRT | Posted: Mon Aug 09, 2010 2:25 am

Well after much deliberation with my husband the chosen place for my new beds had been chosen. He did not want to cut around any more flower beds and I wanted it in the middle of the yard, where there is the most sun. However inlue of a divorce I decided to put the bed in a less controversial place.


Phase1 ( photo / image / picture from featherphobia's Garden )



In phase 1 I rounduped the area twice. Then I dug out a one inch deep trench for the walk way. At this point I enlisted my sons help mixing the concrete, it is a job for someone with more power than me.



Ty and Milo ( photo / image / picture from featherphobia's Garden )



Milo managed to get his signature on one of the stones at the very end. We did this on a day when the temps were in the high 90's. We got a good pore cleaning drinking 3 44oz cups of water in 4 hours. I put some concrete stain on the stones in different colors to make it look more natural then I grouted between them as the instructions on the net said to.



beds with weed barrier ( photo / image / picture from featherphobia's Garden )



With the beds in I'm now in the process of getting the soilless mix in. Peat, Pearlite, and cowmanure-mushroom compost.
I wanted to get this done so I can get a fall garden in. We have a long growing season. I hope it follows suite this year too. If not well I'm going have a place for veges next spring.
You might ask Where is Donna with all this work going on here I am.



( photo / image / picture from featherphobia's Garden )

As you can see it is now late in the day, the blaring sun has started a retreat. The concrete is dry enough that Milo can no longer leave his prints.
It is a good day when you see the results of your hard work. And it pleases your soul.



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self combust

Category: DONNA'S DIRT | Posted: Fri Jun 18, 2010 3:48 pm

Just sitting out side at 6:30, Trying to get a few moments in the garden, sweat running down my face as throw the ball for Milo our jack russell, from my chair. Then I started to think how hot is hot mabe I might just self combust. You know just Burst into flames. But wait... wet stuff, any wet stuff has trouble catching fire..it must be the soaking I'm getting from sweating thats preventing it from happening. Anywho. the angel wing begonia cuttings don't mind the heat they have taken off nicely. Potted up a few pride of barbados seedlings. Would post pics but my camera is vamoose, gone, disappeared. mabe it self combusted???

This blog entry has been viewed 11475 times


Happy hoilday

Category: DONNA'S DIRT | Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 3:33 am

I just love a holiday because that means digging in the dirt. Planted that tiny Bears britches. Potted up some star dust cast iron plants that were creaping out of their domaine- just plain getting to close to the wild gingers. took all the dead broms off the drift wood. Oh yea the back yard had a lot of the grass( weeds is all I have back there for grass) die during the winter so I found some good runners of the saint augustine in the front and planted it round back, we had some really good rains and and the spots were bare, hopefully no more.
I Found a really cute flower growing on the road side looks like yarrow/queen annes lace. Picked a few heads and put them in some potting soil.I would like to have them in the bed out front buy the light pole, it has already pink butter cups, daylillies, yellow lantana, a red rose, pride of barbado(?),and milkweed. the butterflies love it. oh yea tall orange tiger lillys. I think this softer flower will be a nice addition if I can get it grow.

This blog entry has been viewed 1643 times


La today

Category: DONNA'S DIRT | Posted: Tue May 25, 2010 8:59 pm

Hot HOt HOT 94 degrees and sweating. Stopped at the nursery, after my dentist appointment. Bought a tuber for the black elephant ear, yellow cala bulb, some freesia bulbs, and two unnamed peacock gingers, a small bears britches. The bears britches, I don't know where I'll put because I know how large they get, Saw one in a friends garden blooming recently and had to have one but I'm real frugal (cheap) and would not pay for a large one, this one is in a 4 inch pot- told you it was small. Feeling really lucky just to find a small one. Now I'll have to wait till this afternoon for the time to go down.. 89 and high humidity to boot to getting potting these new babies.

This blog entry has been viewed 1582 times




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