It has been a LONG TIME since I updated this thread! Wanted to post here though as I think most of the gardens are documented. I'm sorry it took so long for me to get this done, too! I waited until I got back to CO and the weekend as the only internet connection I have in AL right now is my cell phone, much easier with a better connection.
I was in AL for almost 2 weeks this trip, got quite a bit done but did lose out a couple of days to rain. I managed to get the beds weeded, fairly easy since not much had grown yet this year. That was my first task and took around 3 days to get through all 5 beds, although 1/2 of a day was dedicated to shoring up several of the metal boxes in the 5th row. The guys that did that row weren't anywhere near as good as those that started with row 1 and 2! I saw that the boxes had become detached from the posts and were leaning forward on several and more were headed in that direction. I had to dig the soil out from behind the boxes, carefully avoiding the peonies, and use the gator to push the boxes back up and in place. Realized that they had attached the boxes to the posts with just 2 fence staples on some of them!!!!!I had to remove the stones from the boxes and add more fence staples—those U-shaped nails if you're not sure what they are. Put in around 6/box side from the middle of the box up to the top, shouldn't have a problem again. I didn't take any pics of that process, pretty boring, anyway.
I did document the other big task a bit better—adding more retaining wall! This was my first attempt to do the entire thing for myself, previously I built the boxes and someone else installed. Figured after the mess the last guys made mine couldn't be worse so….
First pic is the trench. Doesn't look like much but that is just over 30' long and around 2' deep by around 18" wide in heavy clay with a LOT of rock.
I used my auger to drill the holes for the posts. Had to use a pry bar and mallet to remove rock from several of the holes before they were deep enough! Not the most fun thing I've ever done…then I used a tiny battery powered chainsaw to cut the 6x6 posts to the right length. That little saw was a champ! Certainly not meant to go through something that big but it did, just had to turn the posts a few times mid cutting as it was wider than the saw blade. Anyway, got 6 posts and boxes in place, decided to get those completed and most of the soil backfilled before doing the last one for that row as I plan to set that one at around a 65 degree angle pointed back up the hill so I don't lose soil out of the side. That piece would make getting the gator in with soil very difficult! I didn't get everything finished for those 6 boxes so that will be my starting point next trip. Here are a few pics of the progress.
The first 2 boxes with rock in them are the only sections that I completely finished this trip. Can't see it and of course I forgot to take pics but I'd put 2 pallets at the end of the row last year to be able to plant more peonies. I pulled out the pallets and backfilled behind them and a bit extra, enough extra soil so none should wash away from my peonies before I get back down there.
Now to the fun part, the plants that will make all of this work worthwhile! I shared a few pics early in the first week I was there of some growth, here's an example of what some of the peonies looked like just before I left on March 13th.
Tree peony growth ranged from this:
Sorry for the sideways pic!
To this! Think I might've been racing LG's pink Ostii for first tree peony bloom to open with the bud from Pluto!
Anxiously watched for any signs of life for Elizabeth Black, finally saw the first tiny bit of growth the day before I left! Do you see it? Right in the middle of the pic! Nothing before I left on White Vanguard, another that I was anxiously awaiting.
This is Sugar N Spice, herbaceous hybrid I think?
Next up is Leda, a lutea hybrid. This is a new purchase from Lyndaker Farms just this last fall.
Wild Forest Blackberry, also a lutea hybrid that came from Adelman's, in 2020, just released from its grow bag last fall. Isn't its foliage gorgeous?
Switching gears a bit with an Itoh! This is Symphonies Pourple, 2nd year in my garden, first year with a bud!
One other experiment that I decided to start this trip is to see what difference pine straw mulch can make. Even if it does absolutely NOTHING for the beds I do believe it'll improve the appearance of that landscape fabric. I grabbed 4 small bales on my errand trip at Lowes and applied half to the tiny side of the 1st and 2nd rows. 2nd row is more of an experiment than the first as that side has no landscape fabric—if it reduces the weed pressure I might be able to slowly reduce the amount of landscape fabric. What do you all think? Does it look better?
Last pic for this post is not a peony, a rose instead. Again with the sideways pic post, sorry! I have Generous Gardener planted on either side of the cottage porch, put them in last spring. This trip I added some metal cables to train them and clipped the 1 longest cane to the 2 lower cables to start the process. I'm hoping it'll eventually grow large enough to provide a living wall of roses from late spring through fall! Big hopes for such a small start, huh?
Think this is long enough for now, don't want to bore you with pics of barely emerging peony foliage. As long as the weather stays sane we'll be driving down again on 28 March, otherwise I'll fly down next on 12 April. Hoping these last few freezes, last week through Tuesday morning, don't kill off buds as I wasn't there to protect them….if they're still viable I should be sharing flower pics then!
💃🌻
