The State of Our Yard - Thursday Edition

 Thursday, September 18, 2025

Dale went with me to Bachman's today and we bought some more flowers. 

It's nice to get a bit more color in the yard. 

The State of Our Yard Today

 Wednesday, September 17, 2025

I stopped by Bachmann's today to pick up some flowers for our garden. With all of the malarky going on in the world today I'm looking forward to creating something of beauty. I've meant to do more in the yard this summer in terms of planting flowers but this is the first I'm getting to it. 

Picked up some celosia (also known a plumed cockscomb) and some mums.

The celosia is the tall stuff that looks like flames and the mums have the more traditional looking flowers. Dale's always loved the garden in autumn. I do too. Even when I plant in the spring I like to go with fall colors in anticipation of late August thru October. Now there's even warmish weather into November. Although I'll never complain about pleasant weather, summer in November in Minnesota is quite sad for the overall state of the planet. 

Dale moved the lawn today.

It got quite shaggy while we were in Arizona for nearly a couple weeks and I felt I was back in the 70s when we got home on Monday. 

The daylilies are not flowering as prolifically as they were earlier in the summer but we still get a few blooms now and then. 

The ferns have held up pretty well this year and have lasted quite a while mostly due to the amount of rain we've gotten however they're starting to brown....

...although not nearly as much as the lily-of-the-valley. 

The sedums are flowering and will turn a brilliant auburn red as we progress through fall. 

Bought a few gourds at Bachmann's too but these will stay in the house for now as the squirrels will gnaw them mercilessly. 

MEA Weekend 2024 - Raking and a Cigar

Saturday, October 19, 2024

Dale and I got some raking in today and we were pretty proud of ourselves because of it. 

We filled up a few leaf bags. 

Earlier we stopped at Bachman's for some mums.

Got 'em potted the old green pots which are starting to crumble. Oh well, I guess you could say  it's just a more rustic look. 

Maybe we'll stop again tomorrow and get some more. 

Rewarded myself with a cigar after the yard work. 

Had a Hoyo de Monterrey Excalibur #1, one of my favorites. 

More Flowers

Sunday, June 25, 2023

Dale and I stopped by Bachman's today and bought even more flowers.

First Daylily Bloom & More

Friday, June 23, 2023

First day lily flower appeared recently.

I've done a lot of yard work this summer. So far it’s been a lot of raking out of gardens and weeding but I’m moving on the the planting flowers phase. Today I went to Bachman’s for some annuals. On top of the cart pictured below is a flower called celosia. Dale really likes this kind so I picked up a lot of it. Much harder to see underneath are some snapdragons.There’s also some dusty miller down there which is hidden from view. Also got some potting soil. 

Celosia. The following is from the University of Minnesota Extension website: “Celosia is a member of the amaranth family and is a very common plant in Minnesota annual gardens due to their ease of care and wide array of flower structures and colors.The name Celosia originates from the Greek word for “burning” due to the flame-like flower heads. The species used for flowering annuals is believed to be native to the Mediterranean region or East Africa and also commonly known as “woolflowers”.Leaves of this plant are edible and have a spinach-like taste while the plant is young but after flowering, the leaves turn bitter.”

July Planting 1

Don't know that I've waited until July for my first venture to Bachman's to buy plants. There wasn't much left in the way of annuals but I found some nice perennials.  The plant on the left with the yellow flowers is called rudbeckia or Denver daisy. The red flowers on the right belong to a plant called gaillardia or Arizona red shades.

Flower Shopping

Dale and I went to Bachman's to buy some flowers yesterday. It's not over yet...

Starting to Plant Some Annuals

I found these at Bachman's and they are called superbells or calibrachoa. They need full sun and are supposed to last until the first hard frost.

Marigolds

Bought some orange marigolds today at Bachman's and planted them in the front yard planter.  The top left photo shows yellow marigolds from the backyard planter.  Illustration is by Mary Cicely Barker.

Trip to Bachman's

I'm so late getting started with planting this year.  Things are starting to brighten up just a bit.  Whatever the purple stuff is, it sure looks pretty. 

Seed Packets

I went to Bachman's today and noticed the seed packets have been put on display. It got me thinkin' about spring...

New Mums

Just bought these at Bachman's the other day. I really love the color.

Mums

Found these at Bachman's this past weekend.

Deb's Grasshopper

Deb and I were both out in our respective yards this afternoon. As I was planting some ornamental kale that Dale and I had picked up earlier at Bachman's, I heard a scream. "Deb?", I said as I jogged over to her side of the yard. She was laughing by the time I got there and said, "Oh, sweetie, it was only a grasshopper." She had been weeding and it had jumped out and startled her. Of course I had to get a photo and I think it turned out rather well if I do say so myself. (P.S. Don't fret over the peeling paint on Deb's basement window as the painters are coming tomorrow. I actually think it adds some rustic charm to the photo.)

Trip to Bachman's

Stopped by Bachman's today to get a few annuals and boy are they cleared out. Found a few coleus left and grabbed 'em. Also found this butterfly on a plant there. Very pretty.

Daffodils

My friend Noel and I stopped by local garden store Bach-

man's yesterday. It's been a few weeks since I've been there and it is encouraging to see that they're putting out more flowers and yard/gardening supplies. I took this photo of daffodils there. We got to about 55 degrees and eventually got some sun by afternoon. Lots of rain in the morning and early afternoon.