What have you done today in the Garden?

I should have added that we don't use the door to outside that's in the kitchen. The room is not very large and two large Joseph Joseph bins live up against it and the Shark Hydrovac we use to clean the kitchen floor.

 

Daniel I’m curious there are so many metal styles for roofing materials and colors that don’t look like metal , what did you choose?

I had looked at many metal styles/colors and decided that the original cement tile roof was the best fit for this house. I would have to add extra insulation under that metal section and rebuild the framing under it , so it just got to complicated. So I power washed the original tiles - again …and repainted them with elastomeric paint (which is made in Washington state) and were good to go…

If I had to clear an area around my home of trees and shrubs it would be impossible. I live next to a forest with so many beautiful trees. Over the years I have purchased several water holding tanks seperate pump and fire proof foam for protecting our home , but now I don’t think I could do much my body is giving in to my age . Luckily the fire department has our water tanks and foam on file if a fire is to come up the canyon. I worry about wildfires every summer. May is when fire season starts.

On the positive side … That’s is why I don’t burn the burn pile and it has grown into an island of beauty all on its own. Plus I depend on the trees to keep my home cool in summer. I don’t need to use the air conditioner at all even in100F temps.

In sharp contrast to Daniel’s fire safety plan a forest of trees is my landscape .
Front right /bottom is my location . You also can see the pointed top of Mt. Hood at the very top right ,along side the blue sky.

 

Beautiful @Pacnorwest , but I can understand your concerns being surrounded by all those lovely trees.

 

Oreti thank you. I have had to evacuate before and it ain’t easy with the horses and all the animals, loading up the trailer, I forgot my stuff. So now I keep emergency containers packed in the truck . There is only one way down the mountain and the road was clogged by so many trying to leave at the same time with livestock trailers in tow. Thank goodness no one had been affected by the fire, which was started by someone carelessly thrown a cigarette out a window which started a grass fire and by the time it was noticed it was a huge blaze.

You also have a pretty good size garden . Just curious have you experienced any similar conditions in your country?

 

It's not described as fragrant, but if you stick your nose into it, it smells like a tea rose. It's just a grocery store mini rose, meant to be given and discarded, so I don't know how it will perform. I washed off the old potting soil, and potted in a good potting soil. I have been using a house plant fertilizer.

We went with white, in similar style as in this video. Although I don't know the manufacturer of mine, just the contractor.



The solar reflectivity was a big issue. I lived in a house that I had re-roofed from black to white. It made a huge difference.

This my house as seen from the road yesterday. I told people I wanted a white roof and the general response was they are not attractive. Personally, I like them, and they show a sense of thoughtfulness about energy savings and other issues. The roof can barely be seen anyway. The blue line is the property line and the big fir trees are the other neighbor. The blooming wild cherry over the back roof is gone as of yesterday.



Your place is beautiful! I can see why you love it there. I think your construction materials should give some degree of safety.

I haven't done much today. Feeling ill. I might work on my garden roller stool later.

 

Oh dear, I hope you feel better soon @Daniel W .

 

Must be scary @Pacnorwest !!

We have farmland, woods and lakes opposite, and occasionally get small fires from careless people using those mini disposable BBQs or flicking away their cigarettes.

The worse ( by our standard , but not by yours ) was quite a few years back when the field directly opposite caught fire ,no idea how, but it was a hot summer and everything was very dry. We were alerted by the cattle becoming obviously very unsettled. Notified the farmer but he was happy to let it burn in a controlled manner to clear the grass/ weeds etc. Our neighbours and us weren't too happy as he didn't seem in a hurry to come and check the fire or his cattle, so our neighbours phoned the fire services and they came, but first the frightened cattle had to be herded out, by this time the farmer had arrived and herded them up our lane to the farm yard and admitted that he hadn't realised how out of control it had got!!

Our house.....pic taken on the way back from the lakes.



The lakes opposite our house



And the track to the surrounding woodlands.

 

I really enjoyed looking thru your pics. Thank you . Very nice to have lakes near by and a similar woods property. Are there fish? When a grass fire gets outta hand it burns incredibly fast. Your area is beautiful. It does have a very calming effect to live with nature and its many animals. We may live in different countries but the areas are both beautiful and familiar in many ways.

I put out a bunch of bird feeders a few weeks ago and lot of birds ar coming to fest. The swifts have fill the bird houses by the barn with tiny eggs. Soon they will be buzzing around frantically trying to fill the hatchlings lil begging mouths that pop up so fast and furious. I hope to get a couple of pics.

I used to ride my horses up and down the mountain trails it was always a pleasurable experience. When raining or winters going down the mountain we called it the slide. Muddy gooey slide then clean their hoves off in the river.. Tricky goin back up. It’s an experience to remember and a great way to get close to nature. Saw antelope, deer, and bobcats. They smell the horses and don’t scatter as quickly when they hear humans .

 

Daniel white will definitely keep your home much cooler it will reflect the heat in summer. Whatever home and garden improvement you do , always turns out beautiful.

We have torch down on other sections of the roof and a white rocky finish also helps keep the home cooler.
But on the barn the roof is similar to the style of metal roof you have chosen. Will be so nice and a great way to update your home .

Is updating the insulation included? Hope maybe you can show the process as you did the bath remodel. That was fun to watch and it made a huge difference. Just as everything you do in your garden is always a joy to see.

Rufus will need a time out when the roofers come. At least it set my dogs into orbit. It was almost two weeks to redo the torch down sections. Removal and replacement. They started at 4:30 - 5AM to beat the summer heat and quit at 12noon or so. It was a scorcher on the roof in July with torches processing the seems on the torch down. I hope we never have to do that again. They were also careful with the garden plants and ponds near by. They didn’t leave anything behind not a spec of trash well maybe a few beer cans up on the roof , it was extremely hot that was the summer 2020. It was torture for us too… sounded like a rodeo up on the roof.

Are you still planning on the concrete deck remodel ? Boy you are on a roll ! We have concrete damage just ignoring to for now to many other things to get done. That’s the problem in PNW we have such a small window of good weather to get outdoor projects accompliched.

 

Daniel— mind how you go, mate. Still, if you are able to ge something done; however small, it is one job less. This is what I tell myself when I am aching from head to toe from over-doing it. How is your work schedule going, BTW?

 

I have not done very much in the allotment this past week because of “things”. However we saw on the weather app yesterday afternoon that it could freeze in the night, with a little wind, we had to get out to the lottie to protect our blossoming strawbs.

We made the two new beds and bought two different type of plants to fill them, last fall. This frost threat; however small, must be taken seriously. We were resting after an exhausting Cousins’ Day the day before, but there was nothing for it but to head out and just get on with it.

Here the tender ladies: The northern bed.

The southern bed:


Northern bed covered:


southern bed covered:


A weird sight in the reeds: A carp.


The beetroot plantlets that I planted-out in about a week ago are holding their own:


I still have two trays here at home. They are seconds that will be used to complete rows or fill in gaps in the seeded rows.

Whilst on an inspection of the flower garden, I noted this Helleborus:


What seed pods, eh? I was chatting with Loggie about my solitary Helleborus setting seed. I wonder if any new plants will come from this.

Mel— your pics really are fun to look at. It is so interesting to see how things are going there. Your plantlets are looking good. Your porch is a great setting. I just cannot wait to see how they will do. Congrats on getting them in their one gallon containers.
Do I see Chionodoxia ? I have them also called Scilla.

Looking good Daniel. I admire your work, mate.

 

@Oreti, you live in a beautiful area!

@Pacnorwest No new insulation this time. The attic has insulation already. The new roof will have a ridge vent system which it currently doesn't have. I was thinking about attic exhaust fan, but will wait and see how the ridge vents work.

I might wait on the patio concrete. This is a lot for me to handle. Only the roof and wildfire risk mitigation are really important. Plus, none if the concrete companies have called back yet.

Back to the garden, I converted another steel pantry rack into a plantmobile for the larger plants. I didn't intend to keep so many! It's the pelargoniums, mandevillas, dahlias, and a couple of others. We are in a mode of nights mid 40s (around 6 C) and days about 70 (21C). I don't know if it really helps to bring them in at night.

@Sjoerd good job on covering your strawberries for the frost. Chapeau! Looking at yours, influenced me to try them again. Even without the berries they are cheerful, attractive plants. It would be nice to have the berries as a treat. Do you know your varieties?

The tomato plants and dwarf dahlia seedlings need up-potting. Maybe today. Time for some coffee, first.

 

Daniel— yes, I know them. The northerns are ‘Daroyal’, and the southern ones are ‘Verdi’. I am a bit particular about my veggie choices and do quite a bit of research before even getting them. So when a final decision has been made, the name of the various veg and fruit are sort of emblazoned in the memory…at least for a few months. Haha.

The Daroyal’s are a known sort which are vigorous, dependable and somewhat resistant to some diseases. Heavy producers. Sweetness level 4 out of 5.

The Verdi’s are a trial, and thus unknown to me. They have good credentials, but before recommending them to repeat myself or for others they must first go through my trial and observation. Chortle. I can laugh at myself, but that is the way I am.

 

@Sjoerd, if our Helleborus are anything by go by then you most certainly will get seedlings popping up.!!

I've just cut all our fading blooms off quickly before their seed pots explode!! We get seedlings sprouting everywhere.

If you want more plants then keep a close eye on the pods and as soon as they start to dry out and show signs of splitting open cut them off and sow in trays straight away. Then just leave them in a shelter spot outside. It will be a couple of years before they bloom.

 

Tied up a few clematis. Found homes for three of those I had on the window sill of the shed. Treated the lawn with feed and moss kill.