Garden journal: moving day

Today the weather is predicted to grow sharply warmer and remain so for the rest of the week. So this afternoon's exercise will be the Great Hippeastrum Exodus. I have three of the slightly larger milk crates that I think will serve well as housing for the collection, supplementing the staking I did with their higher sides. The collection will get almost full shade for a day or two and then be moved a few feet to a space where they'll get sun in the mornings but won't be subjected to the hotter noonday or afternoon sun.

I see that LJ is in full meltdown this morning. Another DDoS attack, perhaps. Fortunately, there's Dreamwidth. I should train myself to post here, but I usually read over at LJ...

EDITED TO ADD: And I see LJ is back, so I'll attempt a crosspost. I'll add that the three crates have been brought inside after a good rinsing, and the first crate (the class of 2011) has been set out. The other two crates are loaded and ready to go downstairs. Meanwhile, new growth on Franklinia continues at a stately pace. As soon as the seedling has put down serious roots in its little yogurt container I'll plunk the whole container full of soil in a much larger pot.

If I had a bigger space I couldn't lavish all this attention (and write at such mind-numbing detail) on just a few plants. I'd be too busy doing epic battle with weeds and bugs.

Speaking of mind-numbing detail: I had potted up a couple pieces of creeping jenny a few weeks ago. Today I added them to the gallimaufry in my window boxes out front, and discovered that they'd sent roots clear down to the bottoms of their little pots. I had thought that the plant was very shallow-rooted, but apparently that's only when it's creeping. Once it has a foothold it gets more serious about putting down roots. (That's probably a metaphor for something if I were the reflective type.)

While I was fussing with my plants out front I had the storm door open, using that little flit-gun-like anti-slamming device and a little keeper. The Scamp came out to help. He alerted on a couple of passing dogs and looked positively alarmed at the sound of some smallish diesel trucks. But he was definitely in Mighty Explorer mode and went after my next door neighbors' tree pits. He was still investigating the smells when I had finished my work. I called and he ignored me, so I went out and herded him back inside. Herding cats is an art form -- too aggressive and they say screw you and scamper away, too timid and they pay no attention. Today I got it right and chuckled as I closed the door.

Garden journal: empty windowsill

Today I moved all those hippeastrum out back (and then right back into the dining room when the promised warm spell didn't materialize).

This left me some empty windowsill space up in the third floor. Which is a good thing, because it's high time to pot on the 15 or so Schlumbergera that have been languishing in market packs for about nine months too long. The current plan is to keep one or two and find good homes for the rest. One can only hope that with bigger pots and more careful watering and feeding they'll bloom this fall. Who can resist the gift of a blooming plant? One can only hope. After Christmas I'll want their windowsills again for the Hippeastrums, which will have had their autumn rest.

And so it goes, the circle of life. There's a volunteer tree growing in the wisteria pit. At this early stage in its life I can't tell whether it's in the apple family or (hiss!) a young mulberry. If the latter it will die a horrible death. If the former, it may live on, but in a pot.