I need a computer in my garden for my random thoughts

While I am out working in my garden, there are so many things I want to jot down.  What is growing well, what is not.  I see plants I need to move and wish I had my plant inventories right there so I knew what Hosta variety I am looking at right now (tags don't always make it through the winter).

I have been doing a lot of poking around in the yard.  I set up a hose to water and then start weeding in the area I just finished watering.  Yeah, I get wet, but the weeds pull out really nice.  This is a good time of year to find the seedlings that have sprouted from the past year's fruits and seeds.  Get them while they are small or your work just gets harder.  A black walnut buried next to the house under the ferns required a shovel to extract the root from the ground and it was only a foot tall.

It is dry out there again.  I put in the final seed bed for 2013 last week so now I have to keep it moist while the seedlings germinate.  I learned something interesting about lawn establishment in regards to germination at my last seminar.  Rye grass in the blends comes up in a week so within two weeks most people throttle back on watering new grass.  Kentucky blue (the one you really want for your lawn) takes at least 21 days to germinate.  If you do not keep your area watered consistently for at least a month, you can count on losing the Kentucky bluegrass in your new lawn seed mix. If it's not an inch of rain, it's not watered.

I am enjoying the varieties of zinnias I put in this year.  One variety I will not repeat is Cut and Come Again.  The flowers are less than stunning.  I do love the Benary's Giant which puts out spectacular blooms.  The Cactus Flowered mix that came free is also a stunner.  Aster's are starting to bloom now.  I like them all.  The Sea star mix is quite lovely with the multiple petals (doubles).  One plant which hasn't been much to look at is the Cerinthe.   It was easy to grow with a cold start direct sown into flats outdoors.  The thing that is fun about it is that the bumble bees love it.  The tube-shaped flowers pull them and and the noise that comes from them buzzing their way in is fun to listen to.  I would have never thought of listening to flowers.  It also looks like it will provide plenty of seed to start next year.  It droops so it work well at the edge of the planter.  With this week's anticipated heat, I look forward to a good bloom this week.

I think it is time to move the sprinkler.  So much for today's random thoughts.