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Many years ago, when I first started my Web site, I created an online diary of my gardening activities and observations. However, with work and the commute from Hell, I was often so tired I had to choose between maintaining my garden and maintaining my diary. Sometimes, I did neither. In 1998, I stopped my diary and removed the pages from my Web site.
Now I am retired. I am well-rested and have plenty of time to both garden and maintain a diary. This diary is primarily for my own benefit, so that I can look back upon what I did and when. But I thought others might also be interested, so here it is.
Also see What's Blooming in My Garden Now?
Entries are in reverse order (latest at the top). Daily, I might stoop to pull a weed or use a hose to water some potted plants; however, I don't consider those significant gardening activities. Thus, you will not see daily entries. Also, I might accumulate a few entries before updating this page on the Web.
When plants have well-known common names, their scientific names are given only the first time they appear on this page (entry closest to the bottom). There, the common name is in bold or appears as a link to another Web page.
Dates refer to other entries in the same year as the entry in which they appear unless a different year is given. However, they may refer to entries on prior pages.
| Date and Weather | Observations and Activities |
|---|---|
| 3 February
Clear, sunny, and mild Temp: 57-73
Rain —
|
The liquidambar tree (L. styraciflua) in front frequently suffers from chlorosis, an indication of either an alkaline soil or poor drainage. As winter approached (9 Nov 12), I spread generous amounts of soil sulfur and gypsum around it. Soil bacteria very slowly convert the sulfur into sulfuric acid, and the gypsum (calcium sulfate) reacts chemically with the clay soil to make it granular and porous. Since the leaf buds are now starting to swell, I gave the liquidambar a different dose of acid, spreading a generous amount of iron sulfate and smaller amounts of zinc sulfate and Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) around it.
Climbed My Hill to apply dormant spray (29 Jan) to the grape vines there. While at the top of My Hill, I made five bundles from branches and vines that I had cut when I pruned the grape vine there (10 Jan). I tossed the bundles towards the bottom of My Hill so they could be trashed. There are still several bundles of debris to make and remove. Having almost filled the green trash bin with the debris from My Hill, I was only able to remove the small mound of leaves that were on the small brick patio. It has been sufficiently cold that the 'February Gold' narcissus might actually bloom in February this year; it did not bloom in January, its usual month. In the back yard, I now see the start of shoots from both lady tulips (Tulipa clausiana) and crocuses. |
| 29 January
Overcast, some hazy sun, cold Temp: 42-61
Rain —
|
This past weekend, I loaded more leaves into the green trash bin for the county's composting project. The mounds of leaves have all been removed from the paths in back, but there are still mounds on the large concrete patio and the small brick patio. In the meantime, buds on The Tree are swelling; it might have new leaves before I can get rid of last year's leaves.
The weather finally cooperated to permit the use of dormant spray on the peach tree and roses. I used a water emulsion of light oil and copper sulfate with a small amount of liquid soap. This is the only preventative spraying I do in my garden. The oil smothers over-wintering insect eggs. The copper sulfate is a fungicide that will inhibit mildew and rust on the roses and shot-hole disease on the peach. The soap is a wetting agent that helps to ensure the spray coats the entire plant. While the peach tree is still dormant, growth buds on the roses have started to open; the climbing 'Dublin Bay' rose already has some new leaves. Thus, further delay in spraying would not have been good. I still have to spray the grape vines on My Hill, and the peach tree will require a second dose when its flower buds show some color just before opening. |
| 20 January
Clear, sunny, and mild Temp: 57-76
Rain —
|
Amazing! The low temperatures during the past four nights were higher than the day-time highs a week ago.
We reached 34°F in the early hours six days ago. The damage to the Cuphea hyssopifolia in back now seems much worse than I previously thought (13 Jan). Some of them in the rose bed might not recover. There is also significant damage to the wax-left begonias in the raised bed around the dwarf tangelo. Yet the eugenia in front and the statice (Limonium perezii) in back — both of which were killed or severely damaged in the "Great Freeze of '07" (see various diary entries from January 2007) — seem to be surviving well. Raked more leaves but not enough to fill the garden-waste bin. Thus, I was able to start removing some of the leaf mounds in back. My deciduous trees are now all leafless. |
| 13 January
partially cloudy, mostly sunny (sometimes hazy), and cold Temp: 37-54
Rain —
|
Temperatures have reached below 40°F the past four nights. Besides some frost damage to the pink clover (Persicaria capitata) in back (23 Dec 12), I have seen some scattered (but not serious) damage to other plants in my garden, mostly in back. Some leaves are dead on the wax-leaf begonias around the raised bed of the dwarf tangelo. Some branches of Cuphea hyssopifolia in the rose and teardrop beds are dead. I expect them all to recover in the spring. Interestingly, the eugenia (Syzygium paniculatum) in front — which are quite tender to frost — show no damage at all.
The Tree has lost almost all of its leaves, proving that an "evergreen ash" is not necessarily evergreen. Many of the leaves blew away in wind gusts greater than 25 miles per hour over the past week. Nevertheless, I had to rake even more leaves today (10 Jan). |
| 10 January
Partially cloudy, mostly sunny (sometimes hazy), and cold Temp: 43-52
Rain —
|
Yesterday, raked even more leaves. The mounds on the patio and paths in back are getting larger (31 Dec 12).
Today, climbed My Hill to prune the grape vine at the top. First, I had to reduce some growth from the narrow strip above the cross-slope V-ditch. This included vines that have grown over and through the fence from the back yard of the house on the next street behind my house; it also included several large ash seedlings (Fraxinus uhdei) and volunteer Baccharis growing within that narrow strip. (I don't know the species of the Baccharis, but I do know it's not dwarf coyote bush (B. pilularis). The volunteers grow much taller and wider.) Some day soon, I will have to ask the neighbors to cut back the vines on their side of the fence. They were smothering the false rosemary (Westringia fruticosa) on my side of the fence. The problem is that the Westringia was planted to prevent erosion at the top of My Hill, but my neighbor's vines are not rooted there and provide no such protection. Also, the vines had grown across the V-ditch and were entangled in my grape vine. Finally, I was able to prune the 'Flame' grape at the top of My Hill, just below the V-ditch. That took much less time than cleaning out unwanted growth above the V-ditch. I then tied large four bundles of grape, ash, and other prunings to remove them from My Hill. I left far more pruning debris up there for another day. |
| 4 January
Clear, sunny, and mild Temp: 48-64
Rain —
|
Almost two weeks ago, I started to change a burned-out light bulb in one of the lights along the brick path in front. These lights are low-voltage with small bulbs that have bayonet bases (the kind you push down and give a quarter twist to insert or remove). The bulb broke in my hand, seriously cutting my right thumb. When my thumb finally healed, I had to disassemble the fixture in order to remove the bulb's stub. In the process, I broke some wires. Yesterday, I finally repaired the fixture and inserted a new bulb. This time, I wore a leather work glove to insert the bulb.
Pruned two more roses in back. As an experiment, I am not pruning the 'Salmon Ovation' miniature rose this winter. It's quite small with branches not any thicker than toothpicks. Thus, all roses are now done. Also pruned the two lower grape vines on My Hill. My winter pruning will be done when I climb to the top of My Hill and prune the 'Flame' grape vine. Then, I will have to apply dormant spay to the grapes, roses, and peach tree. |
| 1 January
Mostly cloudy, hazy sun, cool Temp: 42-54
Rain —
|
As is my custom on New Years day (weather permitting), I pruned roses. This time, I did the last three in front. |
Weather data are from the Cheeseboro (CHE) weather station, about 2 miles ENE of my house.
The high temperature (°F) is daytime for the indicated date; the low temperature (°F) is for the previous night.
The relative humidity is at noon. (In my garden, it is likely higher than reported, a result of regular irrigation.)
Wind speeds (mph) are average (not peak) low and high, midnight to midnight (subject to later correction for diary entries posted before the end of the day). I also indicate peak wind speeds parenthetically when they are significantly high.
Rain is in inches. Rain amounts are omitted after 60 consecutive days elapse without any measurable amount. Season is the cumulative amount of rainfall from 1 October until 30 September of the following year. Week is the cumulative amount of measurable rainfall from noon seven days ago until noon of the indicated date. If no rain fell in that period, Days since last is reported.
Characterization of the weather (e.g., Clear, sunny, and warm) is purely subjective; for example, "warm" might occur with higher temperatures than "hot" if the former occurs with lower humidity and more breezes than the latter. Also, a day that would normally be characterized as "mild" might instead be "warm" if the immediately previous days were quite cold.
The signature line I use when writing messages about my garden includes the following:
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