Love/hate relationships with sprinklers

This has been the week of the sprinklers.

I realized last week that a sprinkler in the front, southwest corner of the yard was puddling -- a usual sign there is a cracked or broken pipe below.   Not only that sign, however, because at a spot about four feet to the south was a large bubbling source of water.  Could it be emanating from the aforementioned sprinker?  It was time to get to work.

Digging out a sprinkler head anywhere is no easy feat after up to 30 years of root growth in the soil.  After digging and chopping through probable maple roots, I unearthed the pipes almost a foot below ground level.  As suspected, the fitting over the lower pipe had cracked.  That was a a reasonably easy fix.

When I turned on the sprinklers for that section, however, the water pressure had not changed and the secondary bubbling was still active. 

I had considered that might be another buried sprinkler there as there had been last year up the slope on the same side.  Finding that break had taken 2 days of digging and I envisioned the same difficulty.  One dig with the shovel, however, uncovered a sprinkler head lying on its side (not my doing). 

Further investigation revealed the pipe on which the sprinkler had previously been attached was now beneath an oak tree root at least 2 inches in diameter.  Remember the 30 years' growth?  When the sprinklers were laid, that tree was a sapling.  And, in fact, the sprinkler was/is at best on the property line, if not actually over it.  For that reason, and the difficulty in getting beneath that root, I decided to simply cap the pipe.  That involved a trip to Home Depot to get a cap, of course.

Cap in hand, I tried for nearly half an hour to screw the cap on.  The difficulty was the root above it.  The cap was a hair too tall to fit directly over the pipe.  I finally resorted to enlisting my husband's aid to saw through the root.  Success, the cap easily twisted on.

Another check of the sprinkler action in the section showed the leaks were stopped: Full water pressure was restored and reaching the two areas of grass that had died.  Perhaps now the new grass plugs will take hold. 

I have hope.

I will have further sprinkler maintenance as my lawn mower (man, not machine) is having difficulty maneuvering his machine over/around some of the heads, so I'll be digging again.  But not this week.

Below is a glimpse of the hanging baskets flanking the gardenia in the long garden of the front yard.  I used hot pink portulaca to replace the waning pink petunias (which still show a little color on the ground).

Living life and loving it; I wish the same for you.

A flurry of flowers

Cooler morning temperatures have enticed me into the gardens again.  That and a stroll through Lowe's garden center where color catches my eye at every turn.  Looking at my gardens with a designer's eye, I realized there was a lot of open space around my plants in the fence garden (south side).  Pleased with the growth of the blue daze I planted in the rose garden, I decided to add some to the magnolia area a few weeks ago.  They are doing quite well in the back near the fence (so are the pink begonias in front).  The magnolia itself has put out some new leaves on existing branches but no new buds have grown on the bare stems although they are there.
  

As a result of the blue daze growth, I decided to add more along the length of the garden, snaking around the existing plants.  The little blue flowers are a nice contrast to the green leaves and red flowers of the knockout roses, powder puff flowers and caladiums.

I then decided to add a few to the SE corner area.  They flank the powder puff in the middle, and are in turn flanked by the red caladiums there and the snow bushes on either side.



That trip to Lowe's also resulted in my bringing home another canna.  It's one of a tropical series in a lovely shade of pink.  I'm sure it will do as well as the others I planted more than a month ago.

Other successes in my gardens (seen below) are the snow bushes behind the pool, the blooming Lily of the Nile (all my lilies now have flower stalks rising), the trellissed roses, the clematis now intertwining both high and low with the honeysuckle, and my vegetable garden.  We have started harvesting tomatoes and peppers.

         

 

  

It's not hard to see where my retirement passion lies.  But I am a fair (cool) weather gardener and I do not relish the coming of the five- to six-month hot, humid Florida summer. 

It's almost time to fertilize the roses.  Be sure to fertilize and nourish your dreams, too.



I didn't realize how long it had been since my last posting.  My excuse is I've been very busy working in my gardens and lawn, sandwiched in between traveling, a visit from my sister-in-law, preparing for a bathroom renovation, and all my regular activities.  Who said retirement was all rest and relaxation?

Repairing the lawn has been a major focus over the past month.  I planted St. Augustine grass plugs in two bare spots on the front lawn.  Keeping them watered has been a chore.... dragging out the hose and standing for 10 minutes or so at each site.  That may not sound difficult, but when your joints don't tolerate the inactivity, it hurts.

In the back yard, I expanded the area needing sod in front of the screen door.  I added 12 more squares and have had to keep them watered as well.

More pleasant has been the addition of other plants.  I decided to add ground color around the transplanted magnolia.  There is now a circle of pink begonias around the trunk and blue daze ground cover (small round leaves with small blue flowers) behind, next to the fence.   With the pink powder puff nearby that I planted 2 months ago, there should be ample color as they grow and fill the space.

I tried to do the same color-fill in the opposite corner (SE) where I had planted the arborvitae.  I love the look and shape of caladiums so I planted one each on three sides (each is a different variety but all are red).  The outside edge/corner was still looking bare because the ixora I planted 2 years has not grown at all (it froze over the winter).  So I opted to dig it out and replace it with another snow bush since
my other ones are thriving. 

Other additions include several more cayenne peppers and two Thai pepper plants. 

I'm happy to report that I picked the first ripe tomato from one of my plants.  It was so delicious, eaten without embellishment.  Another is ripening, just orange right now.  And all the tomato plants are showing fruit, so I'm hopeful for a bountiful crop.

Also blooming is the magnolia in the front yard.  At one point, four flowers were open at once.  Below is a sample.  And there are many more buds on the tree.

That's all for now.  Be sure to stop and "smell the roses" each day.