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mxk3

I did it!

mxk3 z5b_MI
9 years ago

I actually got all my bulbs planted and most of my perennials cut down!

Still had to plant tulip and hyacinth bulbs, and with the warm-up today into the 50s, I figured I better get it done before the really cold weather sets in. Done!

I also wanted to clean up the porch/walkway area because I'm having a house full of people on Thursday for Thanksgiving and the perennials and leaf litter looked really ratty. Well, I got on a roll and just kept going and going and going...pretty much everything is cut back now except the brunnera and a few other perennials which are still green. This is such an accomplishment for me, I've been leaving a mess over winter for many years, and it just looks so much better when the beds are tidied up before the winter and snow set in.

I just had to too my own horn ;0b

Comments (26)

  • southerngardening24
    9 years ago

    Congrats! It does feel great when such a task is accomplished and it is alot of work. I got alot of that done Saturday and was going to finish up today but it rained all day. Now you can concentrate on all the thanksgiving preparations. :-) Or you could place another bulb order like I did. :-)

  • mnwsgal
    9 years ago

    Toot, toot, toot, I'm leading the parade for you! Work seems to go quickly when one is in the zone and what a great feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction to be done.

    Yesterday was 50+ here. I made a winter pot for the front door with a cheap small pine tree and pine cones, dried hydrangea blooms, etc. from the garden. Also made a swag to hang on the deck. Temps are back in the 20s with light snow today and no highs above freezing expected in the next week.

    Happy Thanksgiving to all.

  • sunnyborders
    9 years ago

    Shoulders and knees still recovering from planting spring bulbs, but totally finished on November 14, just before the ground really started to freeze.

    Problem: tempting spring bulb sales very late in the season.

    My worst experience (very unpleasant cold hand recovery) was when I once planted some spring bulbs in mid December.

    Like the garden to be cleared by late fall including for better view of the spring bulbs when they flower.

  • karin_mt
    9 years ago

    Congratulations to all for your productivity! It's nice to come here and revel in your success.

    Making winter pots is on my apres-Thanksgiving project list. I hope I actually get around to it because I love the idea. Mnswgal, feel free to share pics of yours!

  • TexasRanger10
    9 years ago

    I did it too but I'm talking about something a bit different, there is not much reason to do a back pat yet. I was cutting back a liatris and got my pinky in the way and snipped the tip off diagonally. I go up to the house, mentally absorbing the whole thing and once I sat down with it wrapped in a wad of paper towels I had a physical reaction of sweating, nausea and weirdness like I was getting close to blacking out, not sure if it was the idea of it or a physical reaction to the trauma. I sat there drenched with sweat running down and shaking, finally this all passed so I bandaged it up with neosporin and two bandages. At least its my left hand and not my thumb. Worst thing is, I know better, I've had this same similar type accident before but not quite as bad.

    Maybe some gloves would be a good idea?

    I need to look up how long a tetanus shot is good for. I'm trying to think when my last one was. Guys, I have to tell ya, I'm not having the best time of it this fall. I strained my ankle two weeks ago, I finally bought a brace to keep the motion down to a minimum because I'm sick of just sitting around and I was out there moving slower than molasses trying to clean up small spots at a time. Any productivity is good (I guess).

  • mnwsgal
    9 years ago

    Sorry to hear of your cut finger and strained ankle, TR. I know all too well that shock of getting snipped, an all not too rare occurrence for me. Gloves do help as well as being mindful of keeping those fingers folded in while cutting. " Be careful, don't crunch your finger" was uppermost in my mind while I was cutting back this fall. Happily I did not! Good idea to check your tetanus shot status.

  • TexasRanger10
    9 years ago

    My last shot was around 2005 or 06. I looked it up, five years is the time between shots so I'm going tomorrow to get one. The weird thing was I got very dizzy and mentally disoriented, had an emergency digestive issue along with nausea then a loud roaring noise in my head and I wondered if I was going into shock but couldn't think clearly for a bit and I was hot and got wet all over from sweat. The worst part passed after about 10 minutes but mild nausea lingered but I still feel rather off and weak. I haven't ever had that reaction before and it scared me. I just soaked it in hydrogen peroxide and dressed it in a new bandage.

    I'm wearing gloves from here on out.

  • southerngardening24
    9 years ago

    Texasranger, I'm so sorry that happened to you. Get some rest.

  • wantonamara Z8 CenTex
    9 years ago

    So strange â¦.take a break my dear.

  • mxk3 z5b_MI
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    TR: Ouch! Did you just gash it or is the whole tip gone?

  • TexasRanger10
    9 years ago

    mxk, yea, the whole tip and part of the fingernail. I think it will heal OK, its the side part of the nail close to the bone, about the top 1/2 of the nail on one side. Diagonal cut (off). I have a bad habit of using scissors when I should be using nips, they are good for cutting a hand full of thin stems of perennials and grasses because of the long blades but then since I already have them in my hand I will inevitably start forcing them to cut something too tough, thats how you have an accident or at least thats what happened. Too lazy to go get the proper tool.

  • peren.all Zone 5a Ontario Canada
    9 years ago

    So sorry to hear about your injuries Tex! The ankle was bad enough let alone the finger too. I do know one thing for sure .. It is hard to keep a great gardener down!!
    I always enjoy your garden pics, so fabulous what you have done.

  • sunnyborders
    9 years ago

    Sorry about the injuries, TR.

    We've all got to remember that gardens can be dangerous places.

  • katob Z6ish, NE Pa
    9 years ago

    TR- I hope it heals quickly and doesn't end up being super sensitive for too long. I cut into my index last year, same story, and the scar is a good reminder to wear the gloves. I think your symptoms are consistent with the stress and sight of blood, but I'm no dr of course. I had the same happen when I sprained my ankle, and because of that they thought it was broken. The ER dr was actually a little surprised when the x rays said no!

    I just finished my last plantings and last bulbs Sunday. As I look outside at the foot of snow I can't help but feel relief but then also a little silly for ordering even more fall bulbs Monday night...

  • wantonamara Z8 CenTex
    9 years ago

    Yes gardening is a bit dangerous and our tools can change how we live permanently. I broke two fingers chainsawing in a wet fog ( a big no no) and I never went to the doctor. My husband , son of a doctor said I will do what dad would do and I believed him. The digits work real well now , but for 9 months I held a chainsaw like some ladies hold a tea cup in England with my pinky and its buddy sticking straight out daintily. I still have more plants to plant.

    I am still bringing home dirt for a new bed in my tiny pontiac vibe. Another 60 gallons in my big black 10 and 15 gallon garden pots. There are faster ways to do this.

  • wantonamara Z8 CenTex
    9 years ago

    Yes gardening is a bit dangerous and our tools can change how we live permanently. I broke two fingers chainsawing in a wet fog ( a big no no) and I never went to the doctor. My husband , son of a doctor said I will do what dad would do and I believed him. The digits work real well now , but for 9 months I held a chainsaw like some ladies hold a tea cup in England with my pinky and its buddy sticking straight out daintily. I still have more plants to plant.

    I am still bringing home dirt for a new bed in my tiny pontiac vibe. Another 60 gallons in my big black 10 and 15 gallon garden pots. There are faster ways to do this.

  • peren.all Zone 5a Ontario Canada
    9 years ago

    ("I just had to too my own horn") ;0b

    And well you should. It is such a great feeling when it is all done.
    I am not finished yet but did get a good amount done again today.More cutting back, more raking still to do but over all coming along. Thankfully the little bit of snow we had melted making the job easier.

  • mxk3 z5b_MI
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thought of you today Tex when I sliced through my nail while cutting shallots for the Thanksgiving stuffing.... *&!^%# it hurts! At least the injury isn't as bad as yours, I still have the whole digit...

  • docmom_gw
    9 years ago

    I am a doctor, and the reaction you felt is very normal. It is a bit of"shock" and it is your body's way of telling you that you need to sit down and pamper yourself, rather than pushing on to do more. Definitely get the tetanus updated, and keep the wound covered with antibacterial ointment until the skin heals over the open portion. By now, it's too late for stitches, but it still might be worth having a doc look at to see whether a skin graft could allow it to heal faster. Though, a pinky is pretty small.

    Martha

  • TexasRanger10
    9 years ago

    Thank you for the comments, sympathy helps and really does makes a person feel better even when its a self inflicted wound done in an act of stupidity. Update is it throbbed for a couple days but now is only painful if I bump it and a bit inconvenient trying to keep it dry. I'm reviewing some things I need to change, for example shoes. I've broken my little toe twice over my gardening 'career' and thats from wearing flip flops when I should be wearing shoes. From here on out I hope to be more careful or at least a person who has learned their lesson because most of my injuries have been from doing the wrong thing or using the wrong tool.

    mxk, I hope your cut heals soon. I've cut myself in the kitchen more often than in the garden. Domestic life is dangerous.

    docmom, thats interesting to know and its downright nice to have a doctor here on the forum. I was wondering if it was from tensing up and holding my breath, cutting off oxygen to the brain. I'm embarrassed to tell you that I actually tried to go back out after feeling less nauseated and bandaging it up to finish the cleanup job I'd started. I didn't last more than 5 minutes. Such is the mania of gardening. All I could think was "well crap, now this dad-gum cut interrupted what I wanted to do". The cut won out.

    If one must cut off the tip of ones finger, my advice is to make sure its on the opposite hand that you use and that its the pinky.

    Here's to hoping everyone had a happy Thanksgiving and practices safe gardening and uses tools as they were designed to be used. Take it from one who doesn't.

  • catkin
    9 years ago

    Nothing wrong with sharing your accomplishments!

    I'm still waiting for things to die off more before I clean up and add amendments and compost.

    This last week I stopped at a local farm with a friend. She was buying 25 pounds of yellow spuds. I noticed the farmer had 25 pound bags of daffodil bulbs for 20 bucks....silly me. Bought a bag and he offered me another one for free--they're still in the garage.....Dutch Masters...what have I done? Guess I'll dust off the shovel and dig some drifts... LOL

  • mxk3 z5b_MI
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Catkin - Wow! The large drifts of daffodils are going to look spectacular in the spring! Be sure to post pics when they bloom (not that it will motivate me to ever plant 50 pounds of bulbs, but if you are going to do the work anyway, at least let the rest of us enjoy the show too :0p)

  • wantonamara Z8 CenTex
    9 years ago

    Heres my planting daffodil story.

    I heard it one day as a kid rolling between the two disorganized banks of daffodils that appeared every year at my granddad's house. He said that the fall after he married and moved into an old colonial farmhouse on his fathers land, his dad came over with sacks and sacks of daffodil bulbs and pored up some rye risky and continued to throw bulbs down this hill while standing 10 paces apart. They then planted them where they landed. He then said it was a "Dada-ist Harp-ian experiment". I just nodded my head and said "Quite" I had heard adults say that when they wanted to sound smart and hadn't the foggiest idea about what was being talked about. He just burst out laughing while I took another tumble down the hill. I figured out what he said about 5 years later reading about Surrealism and other schools of art. I have always wanted to repeat this act of planting, but as long as I live where I live, that will not be in the cards for me. My great grand Daddaist daffies are still there crowned by the huge cherry and sycamore tree and now the grandkids have grandkids rolling between the rows.

    This post was edited by wantonamara on Sat, Nov 29, 14 at 15:45

  • catkin
    9 years ago

    mx--I will! I think they'll go into the woodland garden--because there's room and they'll brighten it up! The farmer said when he gave me the other bag *Now I don't have to plant them!* LOL!

    Wanton what a great remembrance! I've heard of that type of planting, too!

    At my childhood home, there was a 20 or 30 foot length of daffs that had been planted long before we ever moved in. It was sort of a flower fence that delineated one part of the yard from another. I remember waiting with anticipation for the flowers to bloom. I'll get my a__ out there in the next week or so and get them in the ground.

  • Campanula UK Z8
    9 years ago

    There is a little possibility that your daffs may be blind next spring as they really need a much earlier planting to get their roots going....but no worry, I have bought cheap (and late) daffs before now - they will come good the following year.

    Don't use a spade - get a decent long-handled bulb planter. I did 3000 of the buggers last year and it would have been a nightmare without a decent bulb-planter (although it was still a bit of a 'mare, just not such an extreme one).

    Yes, have also attempted the 'plant them where they land' method...frankly annoying as they land in clumps...or too far apart...and anyway, when planted, even in rows, they look perfectly fine once they are up, as long as the amounts are generous.
    Ramped down to 750 this year

  • mxk3 z5b_MI
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Camp: I've planted bulbs quite late in the season and they've always bloomed just fine. As long as the ground can be worked, the bulbs can be planted. Referring to larger bulbs that are planted deeply (e.g. daffodils, tulips, hyacinths) - in my area, it's going to be a while before the ground freezes to that depth, if it even does (some years it doesn't). I would imagine the problem would be with the smaller bulbs planted close to the surface (e.g. crocus).