Ye Olde Garden

A week’s worth of gardening in one post

Yikes, gone a week without posting but not without gardening. A brief summary of what transpired in the garden in the past several days:

  • Various succulents cuttings including the Lemon Coral sedum planted in the rosemary bed
  • Added dahlberg daisies to the petunia planter
  • Cuban Gold duranta planted in front yard shade bed
  • Transplanted Victoria Blue salvias to the ends of the front yard flower bed
  • Hard pruned the Hot Lips Salvias in the front yard bed down to 1/3 height
  • Installed Magic Carpet spirea in front yard bed
  • Removed catmint from herb bed, replanted in 3″ pots
  • Transplanted golden sage, tricolor sage and dwarf mini curry plant into the herb bed
  • Removed yarrow from lily bed, installed red lantana in its place
  • Installed Tasmanian Tiger euphorbia  and Nuevo Leon salvia in blue bed
  • Sowed Summer Jewel Red salvia and Cosmic Red cosmos in the tree ring
  • Transplanted rooted cuttings of variegated lemon thyme in the tree ring
  • Returned coleus and snapdragon seedlings to the greenhouse
  • Moved some seedlings and cuttings outdoors, including the zinnia starts (which aren’t doing very well)
  • Purchased another Magic Carpet spirea from Grow It nursery

Did I mention something ate my onion chives and decapitated my Genovese basil? Pictures forthcoming!

Fitness

Weight gain/loss over the last decade

Since I get health club discounts through my work, I thought it was time to look into getting a gym membership to pursue weight training. I think that going on 13-14 weeks of cardio-resistance-core training has put me in a better position to start lifting. My energy and endurance are much better, but I still struggle just pressing my own body weight. I would love to get stronger, and of course, achieve a more sculpted look.

I haven’t had much success in getting my real-life friends and companion to join me in this journey to healthy living. My fiance is crazy overweight, no thanks to all the food I stuffed him with for the past 3 years. A friend living nearby has a gym membership but she is so frustrated with work, finances and life in general that she has fallen off the wagon. Another bud who started his journey to weight loss at the beginning of the year turned me onto Bodyrock but I haven’t heard a peep from him about where he is.

No doubt we encounter obstacles and distractions along the way, but it’s never to late to get back in the saddle.

It just took a little walk through memory lane browsing through albums to see how I’ve struggled thru the last decade with my weight. I put together a collage to demonstrate my flabby-fat self as I ballooned through life.

2003: 130-135

2005: 145-150

2006: 145-150

2007: 140-145

2008: 130-135

2010: 140-145

2011: 150-155

In 2008 I lost about 20lbs the unhealthy way: depression, divorce and anxiety landed me in the hospital where I recorded my lowest weight in the last 10 years: 125lbs. I don’t recommend going this weight loss route. 

Anywho, the photo collage motivates me to improve on my old gamer/foodie self and aspire to look fit and feel all-around better about meself. Looking forward to Saturday where I step into a gym to check out the weight training options!

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Ye Olde Garden

Storm aftermath and seed sowing

North Texas was battered by a series of tornadic storms and hail yesterday that disrupted work, power and traffic in many urban areas. I came home to a debris-littered yard, but thankfully no visible or structural damage to the house. Lots of leaves and branches on the ground which I attribute to a fierce hailstorm. Plenty of videos circulating on the net this morning of twisters tearing through railyards and truck depots, tossing trailers into the air like toys. DFW airport canceled hundreds of flights while it assessed hail damage on all airplanes. At one point the sky was as black as night during the fiercest weather conditions. Hardest hit: Arlington, Forney, and Mansfield were known touch-down spots for tornadoes…hope my fellow garden bloggers are safe.

Pictures below of the beaten and flattened plants in my garden. I barely got to see the new marigold blooms that appeared in the front yard tree ring before the petals got stripped by the fierce weather.

4/4/2012 Storm Aftermath (1) 4/4/2012 Storm Aftermath (2) 4/4/2012 Storm Aftermath (3) 4/4/2012 Storm Aftermath (4) 4/4/2012 Storm Aftermath (5) 4/4/2012 Storm Aftermath (6) 4/4/2012 Storm Aftermath (7) 4/4/2012 Storm Aftermath (8) 4/4/2012 Storm Aftermath (9) 4/4/2012 Storm Aftermath (10)

I planted 2 packets of Alaska Variegated Nasturtiums (tropaeolum maius) and Blue Boy Bachelor Buttons (centaurea cyanus) today. Crossing my fingers that we won’t get any more severe weather and wash away the seeds.

Ye Olde Garden

April Fool’s Day in the garden

No joke, I bought 4 more plants at Grow It yesterday (Saturday). I actually was looking for lobelias to add to my petunia planter bowl, but didn’t find any at the nursery. Instead I got: Magic Carpet spirea, white verbena, dahlberg daisies, and a Tasmanian Tiger euphorbia (spurge). The euphorbia is especially striking with its blue-green and creamy-white variegation.

The azaleas in the front yard bed are busting out in blooms. I’ve noticed that the Tulip clusianas are also in bloom. Checkout some of the weird color variations in verbena and Hot Lips salvia. Meanwhile, Midnight Blue is bud- and bloom-crazy.

4/1/2012 April Fool's Purchases (1) 4/1/2012 April Fool's Purchases (2) 4/1/2012 April Fool's Purchases (3) 4/1/2012 April Fool's Purchases (4) 4/1/2012 April Fool's Purchases (5) 4/1/2012 April Fool's Purchases (6) 4/1/2012 April Fool's Purchases (7) 4/1/2012 April Fool's Purchases (8) 4/1/2012 April Fool's Purchases (9) 4/1/2012 April Fool's Purchases (10) 4/1/2012 April Fool's Purchases (11) 4/1/2012 April Fool's Purchases (12)

Dandy, Furkids

Cone Puppy

Turns out Dandy has been suffering an oral infection that reached the point to where she tried to relieve the pain by scratching at incessantly. This required several frustrating trips to the vet who wouldn’t stop taking tests long enough to ease her discomfort. We finally had to demand a resolution because Dandy had reached the point of having no appetite and no interest in playing. Antibiotics made a huge difference and Dandy soon got better. However, we had to fit her with a cone collar to hinder her muzzle pawing…it was beginning to scar over until she rubbed it every way she could.

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