The problem with Veronica...

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Originally Posted by carpaltunnel

Gray - wow, what a garden! You must save a boatload of $ raising all that healthy food, and it's so much better tasting than produce from the store. I hope when I etire I can go back to gardening. How do you dry tomatoes?

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I bought a used dehydrator. Seeing as how I grow so many culinary and medicinal herbs, it makes more sense (and is faster) than hanging them upside down or on screens in the shade for a few days and worrying about weather and bugs and dust and such.

here's a couple of shots of my perennial beds

http://www.specialtyoutdoors.com/misc/wallview2.jpg
http://www.specialtyoutdoors.com/misc/wallview4.jpg

OMG Irulan! I have serious garden envy coupled with a severe case of underachiever-itis! Amazing and wonderful job! :p

Emily

Beautiful, Irulan!

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Originally Posted by yellow

How's your garden? Anyone harvested any tomatoes or peppers yet?

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Down the road from you, we will have tomatoes, cucumbers and apricots in a week and a half or so. The peppers are a little slower. Our garden was planted late this year. I will plant fall lettuce, peas and radishes early next month.

On a more positive note, we harvested our first yellow squash, red tomato, and green pepper this very week. What a wonderful color combo! I can't take any credit, tho; my DH does the veggies, I'm the flower gal. :rolleyes:

Emily

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Originally Posted by Irulan

here's a couple of shots of my perennial beds

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I'm totally jealous.

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Originally Posted by SadieKate

I'm totally jealous.

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Thanks.

I find perennials very easy. Esp. since I can't seem to grow veggies.

My secrets? First, soil prep, use good amendments. Then, get easy care/hardy/ non invasive stuff. If it can't make it through winter on it's own, forget it. If they don't mind their manners and stay relatively contained in their alloted space, I won't put it in, or I rip it out. The only care they really get is regular water, occasional weeding, maybe one, maybe two shearings a season,( only certain ones) and the occasional dig up and divide. Notice I said occasional. I'm slowly filling the beds with the babies that are made out there.

Those pics are actually pretty old. I've added a natives area, and a hummingbird area.

I also get the best plants I can. We have a lovely nursery around here that has very high quality plants, and not the usual stuff. I maybe have at least 7 varieties of hardy geranium.

My biggest problem (besides weeds, drought, etc.) is deer. I live in the woods. For the first time in years, my perennials are actually still thriving in July. I don't know what the problem is; normally by now the herds have sheared them off, and taught their fawns that perennials of all sorts are their natural salad bowl. This year, nada, tho I've seen does and fawns out in the woods.

Whatever the reason, I'm not complaining! Some of the flowers I have blooming this year have never even made it to bloom time before the foliage was eaten to the ground. :o

Irulan, I'm kinda guessing you don't have deer issues?! :rolleyes:

Emily

I have a 6' fence. I did see a great deer solution in a beautiful mountain garden last weekend. He's got rainbirds on motion sensors. They spray the deer, the deer run away and don't eat anything.

I've seen those rainbird/motion sensors in the High Country Gardens catalog.
http://www.highcountrygardens.com/ca...product/99819/

I think they have a web site too. They have great xeric plants. I am fascinated with the buffalo grass because of the little mowing, water, and fertilizer it needs.