I amended several of my flowerbeds with composted cow maunre in preparation of Spring. I did a little planting, and I'll finish the rest in April when its warm enough to plant my tender annuals. I'm growing several plants from seed, and once the seedlings get large enough to transplant I fill my flowerbeds. Its a work in progress.

Porch Flowerbed



Front left flowerbed


Front Middle flowerbed


Front Right flowerbed

They look ready for love.

I've been so anxious to plant. I planted a rose and some Red Hot Pokers today.

Sorry this thread vanished from my home page. The beds look ready for planting but do water the beds a few times before you do so. Sometimes cow manure burns tender seedlings and watering it will carry the nitrates(pee) down. Cows do both their jobies on the same pile and urine if still there can burn. Over here we call it cooling the manure down.
Add a bit of long fiber also. If no termite problem then straw will do. Retains moisture and adds body to the soil while keeping the clay lose.
Regards,
Arif.

Thanks Arif for the tips. I bought the composted manure because I thought it was safer for young plants. The only seedlings I have in my flowerbed are Red Hot Pokers. I tried to do the least expensive thing by using leaves around my yard

Maybe the least expensive but the best . Plenty of fiber in that also. Composted is good but that does not mean it is completely decomposed but as you are giving time between applying it and planting, things should be all right, How about some classy Salvias. They don't like to much water and love heat.
Regards,
Arif.

I'm going to see if I can collect some oak leaves from a friends yard. The leaves I use are hackberries. I learned something new today about composted manure, thanks for telling me that. I love salvias. I have a 'Hot lips' salvia growing in the corner of the last picture, and I planted some 'Blue Bedder' salvia seeds in my small herb garden. I think a couple of the Blue Bedder seeds germinated.

Lucky you. So, what will your display look like this year, cannot wait to see the fruits of all this labor of love,
Regards,
Arif.

Thanks Arif. I'm trying to achieve a cottage garden look, with lots of heat tolerant colorful annuals and a few wildflowers. I'm still waiting for the ground to warm up before I direct sow some zinnias,cosmos and gazanias. I started some Pride of Barbados, senna alata and various vines indoors, and I'll plant those in a couple of weeks. I made a new flowerbed on the east side of my house for a tropical garden. I'm using plants with orange, yellow, and red that can tolerate the heat. I'm still have to buy some composted manure to put in that flowerbed, and then I'll focus on getting mulch once everything sprouts. I'm really excited about this year.

I can feel it. Good luck in your venture. Put down a few hardy things or you might end up with a full time job watering them in your heat.
Regards,
Arif.

Thanks Arif I'm hoping I don't have to water the cosmos,gazanias, POB, and senna alata frequently. I'm trying to learn from my mistakes from the past two years.

Me too learning never finishes does it . That why I like ATP, learn from each others mistakes and I don't know your age but running around with a hose pipe fulfilling plants requirements is not easy after 50 in peak summer. Trust me on that .
Regards,
Arif.

I've definitely learned a lot from this site. People are very helpful here. I'm only 25, but I don't like Summer-time heat lol. Besides the heat, I also have a lot of annoying mosquitoes in my garden. I try to walk around a lot while watering so I don't give them a chance to land on me and bite. I even cover myself from head to toe with bug spray but they still manage to find a spot I missed, bite me on my face, or through my clothes lol.

Cameron

I don't think you all have Dengue or Malaria do you or the mosquitoes that carry them? If not why worry, there are harmless vegetation mosquitoes also. I think we have grown immune to bites. Funny thing that the females need blood in order to produce progeny. How ever much we try we cannot protect ourselves from everything so why degrade the quality of life. Enjoy and let the little beasties enjoy within certain limits.
Regards,
Arif.

Last year this area had a record number of deaths and illnesses from the West Nile virus. I'm usually covered in at least 10 mosquito bites after I finish watering. Its really annoying coupled with the extreme heat. I'm usually a mosquito magnet anyways.

See if you can make a smoke pot or get hold of a smoke generator. These things have an intense dislike for smoke. A smouldering fire(garden greens) also gives off smoke but that might be in contravention of some law or the other.
Regards,
Arif.

I think my county is under an outdoor burn ban, due to the ongoing drought. I guess I have to accept the mosquitoes. I had to cover some of my plants because we had a late season freeze this morning, and tonight is going to be a repeat.

Vagaries of weather. No need to worry with a freeze or two, plants can be pretty resilient at this time of the season. Plants are Musth at this time.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M...
Regards,
Arif.

You're right about them being resilient. The volunteer seedlings in my flowerbeds are in good condition and I didn't cover them with anything. Tonight is going to be a little colder (29F) but after tomorrow, the lows will be above freezing.

If you see any tit bits missing from all that yummy green, look for slugs and snails.
Regards,
Arif.