I have been absent from my blog for quite a while. It seemed that there was not enough hours in the day, the weeks to get everything done.
I have taught a propagation class for the Master Gardeners. It would be easy if all you had to do was stand in front of the class and tell them about propagation. But it isn't like that. This is a hands on' class, and they did everything from makeing propagation chambers, to stick leaf cuttings (violets and sansaveria), make a rooting bottle (roses), rooting hibiscus in a plastic bag, dibbling seedlings (squash), cutting begonia leaves (Rex begonia), germinating fern spores, learning about seed dormancy, and learning about various rooting mediums and using various rooting hormones. All this takes place in 3 hours. It is a fun class, and the trainees are always very happy with the whole thing.
Some of the other MGs brought cuttings to the class, and we were very fortunate that we hadbeautiful pentas and Belinda's Dream roses at the courthouse that needed cutting back still. We saved the pentas just for this occasion. LOL We also had Philappine violets, several types of hibiscus, ice plant, and rope hoya to propagate. Several MGs acted as helpers- (we call them "Plant Chicks") - as did our agent. He likes doing things like that.
This was Plant Propagation for the trainees, and also a propagation seminar for the general public. I don't know how many we had at this seminar, but we had a room full. They also did hands on, but the seminar was only 2 hours for the public, so they didn't get to do several things that the class did. It was a lot of fun, also a lot of work, and I am glad I did it, and that it is over.
Now, get us through the plant sale on April 18, and I am done and can skate.
We had a workshop today to make troughs (hypertufa) to sell at our plant sale. We will plant them with herbs, some with succulents and sedums, and maybe find a few unusual things to put in a couple. This too, is a fun project. We made 20 troughs, and I think we will be able to sell them all.
Something else we are going to work on next week is a scarecrow workshop. We got to thinking about things we could do for the garden, and the idea of scarecrows came up, seeing as how everybody is growing veggies this year. You NEED a scarecrow in a vegetable garden. Don't you?
Several of our artists are painting small tiles to use as plant markers. I found them several months ago at Lowes, very, very cheap on the 90% off table, and thought they would make wonderful plant markers. Sooo.....
In the middle of all this, I got a new computer. It took me a week to set it up the way I wanted it, and I still have a lot to do. Plus, it has Vista on it, and that is a whole different deal! But I really do like it, and I love the big screen!
I am working in my garden, weeding and mulching like crazy. I want it all heavily mulched before the weeds make a claim on my little patch of ground. I have such beautiful things blooming!!! Salvias, Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow, african daisy, Blackfoot daisy, roses, plumbago, esperanza, mandevilla, shrimp plants, snapdragons, petunia, petunia, petunia...Laura Bush petunias, too...Aloe vera is blooming, as is gaura, society garlic, cleradendron 'Butterfly Blue', and Byzantine gladiolus.
We are going to run that little short fence all 'round the front of the garden to the taller trellis thingis, then pick it up past that, and run it to the end of the property. We really do like that little fence.
We got all the planting done in the back yard, plus we dug out a whole bunch of clumping bamboo. I was tired of it, as it gets too tall and gets to shading everything, then I just want to whack it down, and it starts to looking ugly. Better to just dig it out. I have some fig trees on the back fence, and some new hibiscus planted back there, and I have 2 wax myrtles to put in back there. The wax myrtles smell so good!
Bobby weed wacked the Mexican petunia that was trying to take over the cacti garden, and I am cleaning it out, bit by bit.
My friend Peggy gave me the prettiest flower. It has orange blooms, and is an amaryllis of sorts. It is called 'clivia', and is just beautiful! The picture is a clivia. Ain't it purty?
