10-24-04: First freeze= 29.1 deg.@ 0400. Only dahlias&cosmos were killed, however; nicotiana&cleome OK.
10-22-04: Began planting Lilium bulbs 8' into the field past the mowed grass behind the house 100'; 16 set today
10-26-04: Finished the row of Lilium bulb planting with xxx more; all are spaced 30" apart. Bulbs are CGS'
10-28-04: Second freeze= 26.8 deg. @0800 following a clear night. Remaining annuals in the open killed.
November: Set out lifted and divided Lilium bulbs in five rows at front of main garden @ 15" spacing.
- Planted small narcissus bulbs and regular sized yellow daffodils along front edge of lily section in main garden.
- Put 25 +/- yellow daffodil bulbs across the road to finish the three rows started in 2003.
- Put 75 +/- yellow daffodil bulbs along front edge of lower border, w/ a skip in front of forsythia&further rite.
- "Sowed" 2003 CGS Gloriosa Daisy seeds between and in front of the lilies near edge of field behind the house. - Put 8 very small narcissus bulbs along bottom edge of 'wall' border underneath the apple tree.
- Put two tiny unknown lily bulbs in front, 'wall' border.
- Broadcast unknown year CGS Gloriosa Daisy seeds in area where 2003 seeds were sown (see 3 lines above).
- Set many pots of 4 kinds of mums in a trench in main garden; covered them with soil and chopped leaves.
- Brought many potted geraniums into the house for continued blooming; also put five under lights in the cellar.
- Put two large, potted geraniums in the cellar for dormant winter storage
- Brought 2 flowering, pink "Thanksgiving cacti" downstairs from the cool, long night, upstairs spare bedrooms
- A small, orange "holiday cactus" began bloomg despite situation in the dining room w/ warm not too long nites
January 2005: Geraniums by SE windows doing poorly because of limited sunshine in Dec., when the percentage of possible was only 28%. Normal for here is 38%, which is little enough. (early January)
-Poinsetta I purchased in 'bloom' before Thanksgiving continues very much covered in red; no dropped leaves.
-African violets beginning to bloom or set buds. Unfortunately, I see what I believe are 'whitefly' flying in vicinity of some shelves; will have to obtain some yellow, sticky paper traps. (1/9)
-The orange 'holiday' cactus has opened two flowers for a second blooming this fall/winter.
February: Brought a small, well budded 'holiday' cactus downstairs from a cool, unused bedroom.
-Two geranium cuttings started in the fall under flrst lites have done very well and each has a flower forming.
March 22: Orange 'holiday' cactus has begun blooming again! Nice flower on a geranium in a LR stheast windw
March 23: Large, pink 'holiday' cactus blooming again! This is regularly a Thanksgiving/Xmas bloomer.
March 28: 'Amen' for the usual "Christmas" cactus. Now all three of the 'holiday' cacti are blooming again!
March 31: Tips of crocus and daffodil leaves beginning to show. [Very little snow left in fields.]
April 8: First crocuses blooming. [Pond had "Ice Out" in the evening.]
April 17: First daffodils blooming in front of rockface of old barn ramp across the road. Martagon lilies show'g.
April 18: Huge forsythia 'Meadowlark' began to flower. This cv. is flower bud hardy to minus 20s deg. F.
April 26: "Trout Lilies" blooming along the woods road near the water tanks.
April 28: White trillium at the woods road switchback beginning to open; same for Magnolia s. in yard.
-Continue to lift, divide and replant lilium 'clumps.' Established Martagons and those planted last fall are up several inches to a foot; later types coming along, too. Lilac flower bud clusters well formed.
May 2: Put four small Martagon lily bulbs with long sprouts deeply into the front border.
May 3: Put 24 yellow pansies in planters and large pots for front of breezeway display. (Kyle)
-Lifted, divided and replanted lilies with Kyle. Put 24 in the four, old, SW to NE rows of main garden.
May 6: Planted 6 three year old, bare root Hosta x tardiana 'Halcyon' (a blue leafed hosta) in the main border
under the overhanging Forsythia 'Meadowlark.' Plants purchased from "Gorge Top" nursery, Virginia.
-Transplanted two (of the same) small phlox to the 'railroad tie' "island" of Martagon lilies and daylilies.
-Potted a large and one very tiny Forsythia "M." off-sets & 3-4 small pieces of Aster n-a 'Treasurer.'
May 9: Magnolia s.; "Jacobs Ladder" and a Japanese flowering quince all began blooming today. Hi temp = 70.
May 10:Temp hit 75 here. Planted an 18" Forsythia 'M' offset across the road by the dying dogwood.
-Lifted and replanted small phlox and asters in the main border. Mulched around the new hostas. (Kyle)
May 11: Apple blossoms beginning to open. Mowed lush 'lawn' for 4th time. Temp at farm= 82. Becoming dry.
May 13: Freeze at 28.8 F. at 0600. Some lilies hurt badly, others show no damage. Some 'burned' Hem. leaves Mowed 3 field areas for garden mulch. Planted sm pc of A. n-a 'Treasurer' behind side wall near bottm
May 14: Put 4 tiny lily bulbs w/ shoots between top two Clematis in front border. Also, one a bit further down and one medium sized bulb with broken off shoot further down again. (It should resprout next year.)
Put 20 misc. very tiny lily bulbs with shoots in a deep flat for 'growing on.'
May 18: With Kyle doing most of the work, we lifted lilies and replanted 22 as above. Also: Lifted and divided Achillea millefolium 'White Beauty' from lower border to back area across the road along the rear 20' above the rock edge, with a remaing clump stuck in the upper wall planting; moved approx. 12 "Feverfew" in the "postlight planting;" and put 3 "Feverfew" and 5 small Physotesia (Ketzes') at the rear of the back area across the road.
May 19: CGS lifted misc. phlox and one perennial aster at rear of main garden. After dividing, put 4 phlox pieces and one aster piece below the lower border stone wall, with two phlox pieces and one aster piece set in place at the back end of the right side of the old barn foundation.
May 27: Set 3 birdseed sflwr 'vols' from 6 pac to behind barn "dump."/ / Moved 4 'fancy' sfwr 'vols' to 2' apart in area below main border stone wall at left end (wet spot).// Potted 2 rooted geranium cuttings.
May 28: "Deadheaded" the last of the daffodils. Total equaled 873.