Berm Beauty

 Berm means "artificial ridge or embankment".

Our berm was created in the middle of our yard when I was working on the house,

before we officially moved it.  There were rocks in a circle around our two large

sweet gum trees in the front.  The problem with that?  Large weeds and small

trees grew inside the perimeter, making it look trashy.  I needed to remove all the rocks,

but where to put them that wasn't a huge distance away?  So I made a berm of rocks

between the two large trees in our front yard.

 It has taken two years (three summers) to fill in the cracks

with dirt and plant perennial succulents (I am not sure this red tipped one is perennial.)

 I saw something similar to the rock berm with succulents at

Powell Gardens near Kansas City, but this is the first time I have

tried something like it.  I am thrilled with the results.

 Last weekend I emptied the 30 gallon pond and put most

of the water on the berm (we haven't had rain in over a month.)

 All of the plants were so appreciative and looked so good today --

that I had to take some pics.

Sold This Week On Facebook Marketplace

When we bought the ostrich ferns last week off of Facebook Marketplace,

I decided I had some plants that I could be selling on FM.

I listed them on Sunday,

and by Wednesday night all of these things had sold.

I had potted them all at least a month ago,

so they all looked great by this time.

Most of them I planted in vintage containers

that I had picked up for little or nothing.

And at one person purchased a boatload of antiques besides

their plants.

Plus we sold these mid-century lounge chairs for $95 each.

It was a good FM week.

Yet Another Greenhouse Trip

Let me just confess, this is not my only trip since I last mentioned bingeing at a greenhouse.  I went back to that original greenhouse again and purchased an equal amount of goodies.  Then we had to go to Home Depot to get paint.  We waited at least 20 minutes in line to just get inside of HD, so you might as well make the most of it and buy $100+ in plants. And of course our grocery store sells some plants, and they could definitely use my support during this time.

Then a $5 coupon popped up in my email for a small nursery I had visited in February.  So yes, I did go there.  But this post is about yet another greenhouse trip. Dare I say that it is my favorite so far?

They grow all of their own plants.  They were knowledgeable and helped answer a couple questions that I had.  They had a really nice selection.

 Here is what I came home with.

And yes, I did manage to purchase a few more succulents....

but this may be the last greenhouse binge of the spring.

(No promises).

First Greenhouse Binge Of The Season

It's quarantine.  

You are surfing around on local websites and you see an obscure nursery

that is only 25 short, scenic minutes from your house.

Is there even a choice?

I love supporting small businesses....

but what I honestly love are succulents.

And she had such a nice variety

(even more than shown here.)

This is the stash that I came home with.

Some of the succulents are now tucked in my

succulent nursery.

Some plants are in the pots that flank our driveway.

She talked me into blue salvia.

We'll see how that does out in the roasting summer sun.

Some are in two planter boxes 

(they are under an overhang and rarely get rain,

so the succulents are perfect.)

First binge... more to come.

"Buying a plant a day keeps the quarantine blues away" -- ME

Wash Tub Succulent Nursery -- Part 2

 I finished my succulent nursery project.

It took five huge bags of top soil (I used top soil

because succulents don't like all the nutrition in

potting soil.) And it's cheap.

 Each container has a different type of

perennial succulent.

I don't know all the names, 

but I do know that I don't like them to intermingle.

 I may use some here and there this summer,

but most of it will be a year from

"harvesting" too much of it.

 This year I will just enjoy

watching my little babies grow.

Wash Tub Succulent Nursery -- Part 1

 We finally had a nice day.

So we worked off some of our Corona Virus Blues outside.

I got a good start on my succulents nursery.

I kind of had one at our old house, but

the different types tended to grow together if I wasn't vigilant.

 So I have eight different containers now,

for at least eight varieties.

It is on the south side of our workshop,

so it will get plenty of light.

I made holes in the bottom of each.  Check.

I put them where I want them.  Check.

I have filled each one about 1/2 full of

rocks and cast off pieces of lumber from our guest cottage project.

I am well on my way!

 While waiting for a delivery of topsoil,

I weeded and edged this area with rocks.

We planted bee balm there last year and it has spread like crazy.

(Good for the bees!)

It needs a little garden decor on the fence.

The tractor sprinkler is from my childhood.

It would follow the garden hose all over the hard.

It weighs a TON.

My Husband's Corona Virus Isolation Project #1 -- Mini Pond

 My husband may be home for awhile with the virus outbreak.

We both are definitely going to have to find projects to stay sane.

So this is his first CVI (Corona Virus Isolation) project --

a 30 gallon pond in our front yard.

 First he dug the hole.

Very hard with our rocky soil.

While we have rocks galore, none are smooth.

So he had to go to a hardware store to get some smooth stones.

The daily rains are filling it for us.

 We have had the pump forever, waiting for this project.

But he had a hard time getting the tube up through

the bottom of it so that it will come out the spout.

It still needs some touches.  We plan to add plants

and some small fish. We'll keep you updated as it progresses.

 This is part of the stone berm that the pond is connected to.

I hauled each of these stones into position a couple years ago.

The succulents that I tucked in are doing great --

they look this good after a mean winter!

I also tucked in some moss last fall.

So pretty!

January Succulent

Succulent Acres

 I was a little sad last year when we moved,

to leave behind my "succulent nursery".

The area where I carefully cultivated my succulents

that I used in my vintage pots that I sold.

Surely it would take years to establish such a

prolific succulent nursery again....

 This is my stone birdbath (doesn't hold water) that

I didn't even plant last year.  This year I just put one puny

impatient in the center surrounded by a variety of succulents.

They have all taken off, and if they survive the winter --

I will transplant them to an area all their own.

Hang on sweet little babies!

This is the area outside our mudroom door that I worked on last spring,

(while I was supposed to be working on the inside of the house.)

The bright green succulents on the bottom I had purchased

on clearance the fall BEFORE that and sat in their little pots

over the winter (somehow survived) and were one of the first things

I planted last spring (that is, a little over a year ago).

 

 

Here is the same area April 2018.

(Better camera now!)

They have spread and flourished.

 By next spring I will definitely be able to

steal bits of them for my vintage pots.

And this is my new baby nursery.

On the south wall of my shop.

Where they can bathe in full sun all day.

They have done so well, that by next year it will

probably just be a hen & chicks nursery and I will

find a larger plot for the rest of the succulents.

After all, I have five acres now.....

I could just keep going and going.....

First Plants For Resale 2017

I took in my first grouping of plants for resale.

They actually looked pretty good together in groupings.

I bought this cute homemade planter a couple of weeks

ago for $3.  I knew it just needed a bit of paint

and an actual plant.

I love how it turned out.

It seemed so happy to be holding a

cute flowerpot.

The rest that I took in to sell were terra cotta.

Most with added white paint, or already whitish.

All with cute undertrays.

All with some type of junk "decor" in them.

All mostly succulents and one flower.

All with a liner so the terra cotta doesn't
suck the life out of them.
If you are interested in my succulent planting tutorial,
click here.

Batch #4 Of Vintage Planters -- enamelware

 I am not selling as many plants this year compared to past years.

Prices are the same, same type of plants and planters.  Who knows.

So I had planted this one a couple of weeks ago.

It waited patiently at home until a few of the ones I had taken in were sold.

I love how the vintage enamelware sets off the succulents.

This is a good view of the hardware I

added for visual interest.

 

Fast forward two weeks -- same planter is shown on the left,

look how filled out it is!

The rusty hardware barely even shows anymore.

I like the look of the round sawblade in the center planter,

I wish I had more of those to use.