Mother’s Day Disappointment

Every Mother’s Day our daughter and I take my mother to Dewald Gardens purchase plants for her Mother’s Day present. Dewald’s was my favorite place to go for plants, so naturally last year when we decided to put in the rain garden, I went to Dewald’s to purchase the plants. We also had agreed to participate in the home and garden tour for the neighborhood association, so we purchased many more plants from Dewald’s to redo an area of the back yard. During many discussions with Rhea, we were led to believe they would stand behind their plants and at one point when we thought the milkweed was dying; they had offered to replace it. We gave Dewald Garden a lot of free publicity, our rain garden was featured in the newspaper and now on public access and we always mentioned Dewald’s. We even put a small sign in the rain garden advertising for them during the home tour along with telling everyone how they were a great place to go and they would stand behind their plants. We believe this is part of the reason Dewald’s is one of the city’s selected gardens to purchase plants for the city’s rain garden program.

Imagine my surprise when on Mother’s Day I spoke with Rhea about several of the plants that did not make it over the winter I was told “We don’t do that.” with a shrug. My heart sank. We lost all six of the Cardinal Flowers they recommended for our garden, I had even mentioned I have had problems with Cardinal Flower in the past and was told I should have no problem with these. We lost about 14 plants in all. Anyone who shops at Dewald’s knows these plant were not cheap and some of the plants we could have purchased at Lowes, (they stand behind their plants.) for less money. Our mistake, trying to support this local business.

Turning the River Green

What a nice spring morning to go on our first bike outing. Being there able to meet friends and neighbors enjoying this tradition. Ending a fun filled day was a dinner at Marsha's home where an honorary Rivermet Gang member Karla was able to join us. The evening of fun, food and drink was enjoyed by all. We are all excited about our next outing.

So Ready for Spring!!!!!!

We went to the Home and Garden Show at the Memorial Coliseum on Sunday. It was so nice to see flowers and new ideas. Now I really have spring fever. We had a chance to speak with the representatives from the city about the rain garden program and we were happy to see they had a rain barrel on display and instructions on making them. We also had a chance to speak with Rhea Gratz from Dewald Gardens; she was excited to tell us that Dewald Gardens in on the city’s list of the places to go for information on rain gardens.

I am ready to finish cleaning up the twigs from the ice storm and dig in the dirt. I am also anxious to see if the was any damage to our rain garden from the tree falling on it and then the people walking in it to cut up the tree. I am keeping my fingers crossed.

We are looking forward to so many things. It won’t be long before we will be watching baseball at Parkview Field, going on our evening bike rides, planting flowers, going to the Patio at the Gas House, (I am having Saloon Salad withdrawal.), walking downtown for the various events, and spending long hours on the front porches of the Rivermet Gang.

What A Week!

During the ice storm, Friday morning a tree fell on the house and around our car. We were not able to get out of the drive and most of the street was blocked. Pat and Mikael spent the afternoon on Friday walking around the neighborhood as many of our neighbors checking out the damage from the ice. I worked in the basement finishing the stained glass windows I was making for Christmas presents. The city crews were great; they had the tree off the house Saturday afternoon so we were able to get out. There was minimal damage to the house. The car only has a very small dent and a few minor scratches. Compared to many we are very lucky. We had electricity and heat.

The tree did smash Pat’s favorite burning bush. I am worried about the damage to the plants in the rain garden. I am hoping that because many of the plants were dormant that they will be okay. The berm is broken down and a lot of the tree is still lying in the garden so I know we will be making some repairs to the garden in the spring. I am hoping there will be minimal damage to the plants and garden when the tree is remove from the front yard.

Backyard Bird Watching

Pat and I really enjoy watching the birds. We have a very small pond and waterfall we allow to run all winter so the birds have water. We have a couple of feeders hung from our fence. We keep the area fenced off with a small fence to keep Daisy our dog out. Daisy really loves birdseed and peanuts, but Daisy’s vet said she could get sick from the bird droppings mixed in with the seed. We jokingly call this little area the pet cemetery even though there are no pets buried there. Normally there are the usual sparrows, finches, nuthatches, woodpeckers, juncos and cardinals and of course the squirrels. We really don’t intend to feed the squirrels but they do clean up the seed the birds drop so even though they can’t get to the feeders, they get their share. Occasionally we see a hawk in the yard, but it is rare. Imagine my surprise the other morning as I was doing dishes to see a Peregrine falcon sitting on the fence. My mother was visiting so there we are, the three of us excitedly watching the falcon, trying to be quiet so we wouldn’t scare it away. After a few minutes, a small finch flew off with the falcon close behind. I thought the falcons had migrated for the winter but I went to Soarin' Hawk Raptor Rehab web site http://www.soarinhawk.org/rehab/index_msie.html and there is a falcon on the web cam. For now, the falcons are still in town, I hope we will have the opportunity to see another one this winter.

Summer's End

I always have mixed emotions this time of year; I love the turning leaves, I but hate knowing that days spent on the front porch are postponed until spring. It is now time to drain the rain barrels, take in the yard art and plants we want to save. It makes me sad to see the last of the flowers. Fall also means less time on our bikes. The Rivermet Gang and our friend Carla did ride our bikes to Foster Park one early fall day for a picnic. We had so much fun; I hope we can do more similar activities soon.

Nice weather is predicted for this coming weekend, which means riding our bikes much as possible. Pat and I usually ride our bikes for errands as well as pleasure and it is my goal not to let the cold weather keep me off my bike. I have made a commitment to being green so as well as getting some much needed exercise I will ride this winter. Pat always rides in the winter, but I plan to brave the cold also. I hope Mikael and Jay will ride with us also. If not for errands just to enjoy being out. Now that it is getting dark earlier we have cut back on our evening rides, but we still have the weekends.

I am grateful that this is such a beautiful fall. Pat and I have spent time walking in the woods enjoying the fall color. Recently a friend told us about Bicentennial Woods Nature Preserve. We took our dog and spent a few hours enjoying the trails, what a great place. I am from a small town and I had forgotten how much I enjoy being in the woods enjoying nature. Pat hasn’t spent a lot of time in the woods but he really enjoys it. I am looking forward to going back for some winter hiking.

What We Have Learned About Rain Barrels

A rainfall of 1 inch produces 872 gallons of runoff from our roof. Before we installed rain barrels and our rain garden that water went directly into our storm sewers. Collection of the rain water gives us soft, mineral free water for plants, bird baths and other non-potable uses.

I was going to tell you how to make a rain barrel until I realized there is a plethora of information on the internet on making rain barrels. Choose the instructions that best fits your needs. You can make your rain barrels from food grade drums or large trashcans. I would recommend you find the container that works for you and find the instructions that will work best for that container. I also recommend that you make your rain barrel over buying one. It is my experience the ready-made ones are over priced and use inferior components.

Here are some things we have learned since we installed our first rain barrel.

• Place your rain barrel in a location close to where you will be using the water.
• Make the stand as high as practical to increase water pressure and allow room to place a bucket under the spigot.
• Make the stand sturdy and level. A rain barrel can weigh 550 pounds when full.
• When connecting two or more barrels together, make the connection on the bottom of the barrels instead of the top. The barrels will fill evenly and reduce over flow.
• Use a splash block or hose to direct the water from the overflow away from the house.
• Use a spigot with a quarter-turn lever handle because they fully open and are easier to use.
• You can easily hide your rain barrel with screens or a trellis and vine.
• Use silicone calk to seal the pvc fittings. This will allow you to take it apart at a later time.