Fall 2014 Peony Transplanting/ Dahlia digging

Calendulas still blooming

September 23rd- I transplanted my little red Memorial Day peony which has never bloomed in the 5 years since I planted it.  I think I have been patient enough, so now it was time for a drastic change!

I dug it out of my 'wild bed' where it was just existing, not thriving at all. Too little sunshine there now that the surrounding trees have grown so tall. Maybe too deeply planted as well???  (Who knows!?)

I made a fresh little flower bed for it at the east side of the deck stairs next to my big tub.  Diligent Husband helped me to dig up patch of lawn there (in spite of his sore back. Thanks, Sweetie!)
Next I dug out a bunch of overgrown bearded irises, long in need of attention, as well as a huge nest of quack grass (which seemed never ending…). I added some good humus and peat plus a little of the original clayish soil. I tried to set the peony into the ground so the little white eye was about 1 to 1 1/2 inches below the surface. That is supposedly the optimum growing depth of a peony.  Now it's up to Mother Nature to help it grow leaves and hopefully blossoms as well.

I added a few of the original irises back in (not too close to the peony) and planted 3 or 4 in the old peony hole in my 'wild bed' at the end of the yard.

I also dug my red Thompson dahlia tubers out of my Angel bed. It is still sitting on the deck drying off  (I have been away for a few days), but it's time now to put it in a bag with peat and bring it inside.  Two down and one more to go! There's still a lot of dahlia tubers in one of my yard tubs that need to be rescued as well as 3 tuberous begonia tubers.

Black eyed Susand display their fall colours

The little 2 tone pink dahlia that I bought new this year is still alive in its pot on the deck (only because I brought it inside the house for a week during our ugly frost week earlier in September- 9th - 12th) ) and it still has a few flowers.  The poor bees are finding less and less flowers to collect nectar from. I wonder what the bees do in October when ALL the flowers are gone?  Hopefully they have a big stockpile in their hives then…

The tumbler tomato plant on the deck still has fruit ripening daily, although the plant itself is pretty much dried up.

Nahla- garden helper

Time to get outside and do some more flower bed clean up.