Azalea Time

The Azalea show has been really spectacular this week with no rain or storms to knock the blooms off.  Soon they will fade and then I will start to shape and prune them. They look as if they have been neglected for quite some time and I hope to fertilize them after blooming and a good layer of mulch will help also.

And  the iris have been a nice surprise. Big blue and white ones.

I only have two clumps of iris and one is in too much shade to bloom and will have to be moved to a sunnier location and separated. Two peonies that are also in too much shade and look terrible and will have to be moved in the fall. I also have one  forsythia that is really alright where it is and two Rose of Sharon trees that are in pretty bad shape. I am hoping a little TLC and some shuffling of the existing plants to sunnier locations will improve the yard tremendously. My neighbor on one side has offered me some of her different kinds of hosta already and cuttings of any of her flowers. I have my rose bushes from the old farm in buckets and when they are established will find a good sunny spot for them. I would like to also try my hand at rooting some of the existing shrubs including forsythia, holly and Rose of Sharon that already bloom on the property. 

So that is the game plan for now to simply transplant to more appropriate areas what is already here. Then propagate  from the trimmings some shrubs to use for privacy screening from the existing shrubs on the property. Rooting shrubs most times is fairly easy. Most of these shrubs are very traditional landscaping shrubs and should be acclimated to this soil and climate to have lasted this long being neglected as they have. 

Mostly what is needed is some care, lots of pruning and lots of fertilizer and the yard should be able to be landscaped nicely for very little expense. I don't want to get too carried away with flowers because I want the lawn to remain somewhat low maintenance. There will be some work involved in these first few years to get it in shape though.

Hoping everyone has a safe and blessed weekend and a beautiful Mother's Day to all you Mothers out there.

Blessings form The Holler

The Canned Quilter

Busy Hands

With less house to clean and mowing and gardening to do I have begun to do more and more needlework.  I am trying to rebuild a stockpile of gifts. A handmade scarf makes a great birthday or Christmas present. Maybe a matching hat to go with it or mittens.

The scarf above is my first completed knitting project. I have been learning off of you tube videos and a book I purchased.

I love this one made with super soft yarn with just a modified Half double crochet stitch.

And a couple extra pot holders and I want to crochet some scrubbies and dishcloths to match and maybe sew a couple dish towels in a coordinating color. Wouldn't that make a great housewarming or bridal shower gift.

And for those baby showers and great nephews and nieces coming along a couple of these stashed away wouldn't hurt.

I also want to start crocheting some baby hats, socks, booties and blankets for a local charity organization called Newborns In Need. They make baby items and donate to the needy, shelters and hospital neonatal wards. It is so hard to buy items for those tiny preemies that fit and they also provide burial clothes for God's littlest angels. Those tiny babies that are still born or miscarried. 

As I restock my homemade gift stash I'll use those extra bits and pieces to make those tiny baby hats and booties with the leftover yarn and hoping to run across some sales on baby yarn to stock up a stash for this my newest endeavor. I also have a couple baby quilts to quilt too.

But those busy hands projects keep me out of trouble and off the streets and goodness knows I need it.

Blessings from The Holler

The Canned Quilter

Dirt Work

O Wise One has begun hauling loads of topsoil to the property. The topsoil is being mixed with purchased mushroom compost and used to make beds and finish filling garden boxes and to patch holes and bare spots in the lawn.

The hosta are being split one by one and found a new home under the trees where they should enjoy all that shade.

We are hoping they will fill out over time as they did at the old house.  We are trying to disturb the tree roots as little as possible and only added a couple inches of dirt and planted small pieces of hosta that didn't require lots of soil. It would have been better to do this earlier but we are hoping that with plenty of water they will do fine.We still have to haul mulch to go around them. 

Leftover topsoil is being used to fill in holes (ruts) in the yard and being over seeded with grass seed I found with the garden seed in the freezer. Not sure how old it is but worth a shot and it needed to be used  out of the freezer anyway. A little layer of straw on top and now we just need to remember to water it regularly.

The ten garden beds are all full now and we want to wait a few days and let it settle before attempting to plant any vegetable seeds in it. And life goes on as we settle in. Nothing like digging in the dirt to put your mark on a new piece of property. 

I am off to find some tomato and pepper plants. It has been years since I purchased vegetable plants but it was just too hectic to raise my own this year.

It has rained constantly since we moved here but that was before my garden, watch it quit raining now because that is the way my luck rolls. I think maybe we need to look into some rain barrels just in case.

Wishing everyone out there sunshine, blue skies and lots of dirt to dig in.

Blessings from The Holler

The Canned Quilter

O Wise One's Lair

Remember the big concrete slab in my new back yard. O Wise One found a use for it. O Wise One moved in a 12 X 24 Amish made building on there. He has been busy running electric and finishing walls. The electric passed inspection last week and he is now hanging plywood on the walls and insulating. The back wall will be a 8 x 12 foot pantry room with space for a freezer and shelves for my pressure cooker and both empty and full jars and canning equipment. Some of my empty jars I passed on to my daughter before I left. This takes the pressure off of my small kitchen in the house and allows me space for all my canning jars. He will install a small wall air condition unit and a small heater. The remainder of the building will be his workshop and tool storage. With lots of slab left over he is already talking adding a leanto addition to the side of the building and maybe something on front. 

In addition we have a small concrete block shed right out the back door where we store our lawn mower, weed eater and lawn tools. Work continues here in Hickery Holler rain or shine.

Blessings from The Holler

The Canned Quilter

My New Nimesis

In my many years of gardening I have faced many critters. We will all remember my love/hate relationship with the local deer herd on the Missouri farm. Not to mention the rabbits, ground hogs and moles/voles. Black snakes, coons, bobcats, coyotes, badger and those huge black snakes. Never will I forget the ticks and buffalo gnats. Well I have a new one. SQUIRRELS! Look at that little darlin up there. There are 4 baby ones that are in the tree right off my back deck. My yard is covered with them. They love them hickory nuts and big acorns off them white oaks.

I have a funny feeling that we are going to fight over my garden beds. 

It got so bad that the dogs were constantly barking at the squirrels through the sidelights on the back door. I finally put gallery glass window paint over them so the dogs couldn't see the squirrels but the windows still emit light. I had to for my own sanity. The dogs still stand there and look through windows that they can't see through. Yep them are some smart dogs.

So now the dogs have taken the pursuit of squirrels to new heights!

I think them squirrels just don't know who they are messing with. Know that chicken pot pie recipe....It works great with squirrel!@

Blessings from The Holler

The Canned Quilter

A Misty Mountain Morning

I love those mornings when I get up and a mist has settled on the top of the Mountain. While it makes for terrible driving it gives the place almost an eerie feeling and reminds me of the fogs down home in Louisiana rising off of the bayous and swamps. Seems like home somehow!

The remainder of my azalea shrubs are getting ready to bloom. Three bloomed a week ago and were white the remainder looking like they will be a pinky purple color. Azaleas are another reminder of my southern home. They wouldn't grow on the Missouri farm.

Look at all that bare ground where grass struggles to grow in the shade under those oaks. O Wise One and I are talking about adding some topsoil and over seeding with a more shade tolerant grass and maybe no grass at all under the trees but rather a bed of shade loving plants such as Hostas. It would probably look better than patchy grass. I have never really done much shade gardening so this should be interesting. Any of you readers have shady yards and have suggestions for plants that you have had good luck with. Luckily I have very little front yard and a big area in the back yard that is sunny for vegetables and such.

Well that's the end of another week here in Hickery Holler. Hope everyone has a safe and blessed weekend. Till next week....

Blessings from The Holler

The Canned Quilter