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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?
Diary entries for 2004 through 2012
Entries below 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 without years refer to other entries in the same year as the entry in which they appear — including entries on prior pages for the same year — unless a different year is given.
| Date and Weather | Observations and Activities |
|---|---|
| 29 Apr
Cloudy and then clear, gray and then sunny, and cool Temp: 48-69
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Finished tasks in front (22 & 18 Apr):
Rain —
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| 22 Apr
Clear, sunny, and warm Temp: 68-84
Rain —
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Fed the roses (except those recently planted, 1 & 5 Apr) with high-nitrogen ammonium sulfate (21-0-0). I do not give new roses any nitrogen fertilizer the first year after they are planted. Nitrogen promotes the growth of foliage, which could result in more leaves than disturbed roots can support. Next year, the new roses will get the same feedings as the other roses.
Trimmed another eugenia (18 Apr) along the east property line in front. I definitely should have done this last year. They had become tree-like. The other eugenia — against the house between the front porch and the garage — are not a problem since there are no sprinklers among them. The dwarf Burford holly (Ilex cornuta 'Burfordii Nana') in front seems to be responding to my attempt to rejuvenate them (14 Jan). They have numerous new shoots developing. I trimmed away some of the weaker old growth, primarily thin shoots with leaves only at the ends. Then, I gave the holly some more 27-0-6 lawn food. Weeded more of the brick path in front (18 Apr), reaching the mid-point. This time, my hay fever remained under control. |
| 18 Apr
Clear, sunny, and mild Temp: 55-73
Rain —
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As winter recedes and summer approaches, the apparent path of the sun has shifted northward. This means the greenhouse window gets too much sun in the morning. Today, I hung shade cloth over the window.
Trimmed two of the eugenia (Syzygium paniculatum) along the east property line in front. I now realize that I should have done this last year. Having filled the green trash bin for the county's composting project, I will have to trim the other eugenia in a few days. Of the four roses I planted (1 & 5 Apr), only three are growing. The 'Voodoo' rose seems to have failed. I noticed when I planted it that its root structure appeared quite puny. Weeded part of the brick path that leads from the public sidewalk in front to our front door. My hay fever acted up so badly that I had to retreat indoors before I finished. |
| 12 Apr
A few scattered clouds, mostly sunny, and mild Temp: 46-65
Rain —
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Dropped fertilizer with systemic insecticide down the vertical irrigation pipes for the Japanese zelkova (Z. serrata) in front. Woodpeckers have been leaving serious holes circling main branches, so I want to reduce the population of borers that the woodpeckers seek. I noticed that the irrigation pipes were dry, so I ran the hose to fill them. They are supplied with water when the front sprinklers run, which will be tomorrow. I plan to check the pipes then to see if they received any water.
Climbed My Hill to broadcast fertilizer, the same house-brand 27-0-6 lawn food that I used in the rest of my garden (e.g., 3 Apr). Never wanting to climb My Hill for only one purpose, I also straightened two of the rotating sprinklers, which I plan to run this coming Saturday and Sunday (watering My Hill every third weekend). The next time I climb My Hill, I will have to trim some of the Rhaphiolepis 'Majestic Beauty', which are blocking some of the sprinklers. |
| 8 Apr
Clear, sunny, and mild Temp: 55-79
Rain —
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Cleo is awake! That means I can no longer prop the side gate open while gardening.
This past January, I put up three cuttings of 'Simply Marvelous' floribumda rose. These were from prunings given to me at the gardens where I am a docent. Today, I discovered that one failed; and the other two have significant roots. I will leave them in their pot until they are more well developed. When I planted the 'Poseidon' rose (5 Apr) in front, I noticed it had very poor root development. If 'Poseidon' fails, and the 'Simply Marvelous' continues to grow, I will replace the former with the latter. Started trimming the edges of the paths in back. Actually, I started by trimming the lawn off the main patio, where the red fescue had grown several inches over the concrete. I then trimmed the edges of the path between the lawn and west bed from the patio to the potted dwarf lemon. Also started pruning the Artemisia 'Powis Castle' (A. arborescens × absinthium). I learned long ago that pruning these in the winter — when I prune my roses, peach tree, and grape vines — will likely result in dead Artemisia. |
| 5 Apr
Clear, sunny, and mild Temp: 49-72
|
Planted two roses in front: 'Voodoo' to replace 'Brandy' and 'Poseidon' to replace 'Burgundy Iceberg'. The replaces roses just were not performing well.
While planting 'Poseidon', I discovered the feed line for its drip emitter had broken loose from the manifold. It took some effort — fortunately without any trip to buy parts — to repair the system. Rain —
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| 3 Apr
Clear, sunny, and mild Temp: 48-70
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Fed the east, circular, and rose beds with house-brand 27-0-6 lawn food except for the roses themselves, the Camellia sasanqua, and the azaleas. The roses get much stronger fertilizers once each month. I fed the six Camellia sasanqua with a very mild (10-5-4) commercial camellia and azalea fertilizer. The azaleas will be fed when they stop blooming. This completes my annual general feeding of my garden except for My Hill, which I will feed soon.
While planting the roses in back, I discovered the soil was quite heavy. I gave each of the two new roses a generous dose of gypsum to improve the structure of the soil. Rain —
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| 1 Apr
Cloudy, some hazy sun, and mild Temp: 51-73
Rain —
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Potted a new basil (Ocimum basilicum) that I bought two days ago at a very large rose nursery. While it gets established, I am keeping in the shade on my patio. While the nursery has scant bedding plants, it does have herbs and vegetables.
Bought four roses at the nursery. Today, I planted climbing 'Don Juan' to replace the 'Dublin Bay' that I had removed (9 Feb) and 'Color Magic' to replace the shrub of the same variety that died last year. I still have to plant the other two roses — 'Voodoo' and 'Poseidon' — in front. Several days ago, I had to buy three new sprinkler inserts for the shrub heads in my irrigation system. The squirrels had chewed them, attempting to get at the water. Today, I tested the system in back and discovered that a socket for one of the heads had also been chewed. Because it leaks badly, I have to replace it before I can turn on the system, which I turned off during the rains. |
| 25 Mar
Parially cloudy, partially sunny, and cold Temp: 45-59
Rain —
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Usually, the rainiest months are December, January, and February. Over the prior 14 years, those months averaged 2/3 of a year's total rainfall. In 7 of those 14 years, those months accounted for over 3/4 of the annual amount. However, this March so far has had more than twice than the combined amount for those three months in the current rain-year.
The Kalanchoe blossfeldiana cuttings (8 Oct 2017) in my greenhouse window were well-rooted. I discarded the parent (although it had a flower cluster) and potted the cuttings. I then put up two cuttings of the Aloe vera, which had become grossly overgrown. Fed the roses in back and front. The climbing 'Dublin Bay' that I had removed (9 Feb) sent up a sucker from its remaining roots; I removed it. Trimmed the pink clover along the driveway and public sidewalk. Weeded the parkway and around the valley white oak (Quercus lobata). This was easy. There is landscape cloth under the crushed rock in the parkway, which prevents weed roots from growing into the soil but allows rain water to penetrate. Around the oak is a thick layer of mulch held in place with chicken wire, which also meant weed roots do not quickly reach soil. |
| 18 Mar
Mostly cloudy, some hazy sun, and cold Temp: 42-62
Rain —
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Fed the dwarf citrus and gardenia (G. jasminoides 'Veitchii') with commercial citrus fertilizer and a small amount of zinc sulfate. I also gave the citrus super-phosphate in holes (the same way I dosed the roses, 18 Feb). Besides promoting flowers, the phosphorus also promotes fruit.
The dwarf tangelo (Citrus reticulata × paradisi) is in the ground instead of a large pot. Although it is in a raised bed over a below-grade area that was well-prepared for citrus, its roots are likely to penetrate much deeper. The problem is that the soil is dense clay while citrus requires excellent drainage. Thus, I broadcast a generous amount of gypsum over the entire bed. Several of the citrus are afflicted with leaf miner. Since they will be in bloom soon, I must delay using a systemic insecticide. Otherwise, bees will be severely impacted. Fed the west and teardrop beds and the red fescue lawn (Festuca rubra) in back with the same house-brand 27-0-6 lawn food that I used previously in front (9 Mar). I have to buy more fertilizer in order to finish my annual general feeding. Trimmed the dwarf ivy (Hedera helix 'Hahn's')in the bed around the liquidambar tree (L. styraciflua) in front. I also trimmed the edges of the pink clover lawn (Persicaria capitata) along the brick walk. |
| 9 Mar
Overcast, hazy sun, and mild Temp: 53-75
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In anticipation of rain tonight, I fed the front yard with a house-brand 27-0-6 lawn food. I do such a general feeding only once each year.
Rain —
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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.
Winter chill is the cumulative hours of temperatures at or below 45°F from 1 November through 31 March. It is reported during that period and through April.
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 gusts parenthetically when they are significantly high.
Rain is in inches. Season is the cumulative amount of rainfall from 1 October until 30 September of the following year (our "rain-year"). Week is the cumulative amount of measurable rainfall from noon seven days ago until noon of the indicated date. If no measurable 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. Finally, such characterization reflects when I was actually outside and gardening and ignores changes that occur while I am inside.
The signature line I use when writing messages about my garden includes the following:
Diary entries for 2004 through 2012
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