Garden Glory

It has been an odd spring here in Oregon. We have had some 90 degree weather and then we have had rain. Not our normal rain, but torrential downpours and several thunder storms. As a result I haven't been able to get my normal spring yard cleaning in. The "jungle" is looking more jungly than ever. Today I spent forty five minutes cutting a trail through ivy that had taken over a path. It is hard sometimes to see the beauty of a garden when all you notice are the weeds. I tried really hard to notice the beauty today.

An awesome Hosta. Not sure of the name, but I love the color.

The lime green Hosta in this pot is called Cracked Corn I believe. It really likes the pot (I am really bothered by the hose running through this picture).

The first clematis bloom of the season.

These pansies are volunteers. I plant purple pansies in my porch planters every spring and this is what I get in the beds beneath.

Holy Hostas! I just finished telling my friend my Hostas weren't that big. Sorry Denise, I lied. I think I need to divide these in the fall.

I rescued this peony from a vacant lot. I LOVE the way it looks next to my purple Pentstomon.

I don't put cages around my peonies and as a result they flop. I am forced to cut a lot of them. I think I might do it on purpose.

Aren't they delicious?

I like to have one day during the summer where I can say the yard is perfect. Maybe it will happen, or maybe not.

Saving Money on Plants

I have multiple addictions, but one of them is plants. To be more specific, my drug plant of choice is the hosta. Here are some pictures of my hostas in all their glory last year:

Hostas aren't cheap. To be honest, plants aren't cheap, but I am. As spring hits my addiction starts kicking in and I begin to cave in. I could spend a lot on plants. Our yard is 1/2 an acre and we entertain a lot in the summer because we are blessed to have an in ground pool. We are outside all summer and plants become my decorations. Over the years I have developed some techniques to save money on plants and to feed my addiction.

Annuals- These babies add color to your yard. I could easily spend $200 (or more) on annuals a year only to see them die at the end of the season. My advice? Resist the urge. Take a look at your yard and decide where you want to make a statement. This is where you should place annuals.
In my area nursery's will often hold flat sales. This is the cheapest way to buy annuals. I can usually pick up a flat of locally grown inpatients (48 plants) for $10 at Al's Garden Center ( http://www.als-gardencenter.com/index.php?cID=261). My Fred Meyers typically has a flat sale at the beginning of May as well. The only issue with this is they are 48 of the exact same plant in one color. This works out well for me because I use a flat and a half to do my pool bed (pictured above). I buy two flats in different colors and plant them in intervals. However, if you are only doing containers one color can be a bit blah. The solution? See if a friend or neighbor will buy a different color and make some trades! Better yet, get a group of friends to go in on flats and divide them up at a garden party!

Containers- I love perusing suppliers garden centers for new and interesting annuals to add to my containers. They are so colorful and fun. However, some annuals cost $5 a pop. For this reason I choose a few pots to plant the high end annuals in. I have two Babylon bowls on the pillars in front of my house. They are visible from the street and the help showcase our front door. I have these planted with annuals year round. In the fall I have mums or pansies, in the winter I add greenery to them, in the spring it is pansies again and in the summer they are bursting with fantastic annuals.
One of the best things to do with containers is to look for perennials (plants that return year after year) you can plant in  containers. I started doing this a few years ago love that after one year in my container I can dig out the perennial and plant it in my yard. I can also leave it in the container for another year. It is a lot easier to justify spending $5 on a plant I will have for years to come. In some cases it is a plant I can eventually divide it and get more plants!

Some of my favorite plants to put into containers are:

Heucheras. They come in all sorts of lovely colors. They do well in containers and can remain in them for a year or two. After that they can be added to flowerbeds.These babies grow well in sun or shade.

Various grasses. They add height and textural interest to containers.

And of course hostas...

Plant Sales- One of my favorite ways to save money on plants is to go to gardening club sales. They are bountiful at this time of year. I have been going to some sales for 13 years and am now a regular. I have been able to buy some unique plants for a fraction of the price I would pay elsewhere. For example, I bought an excellent hellebore for $5 at one sale. I spotted the same hellebore at Al's for $35. Nice score. The other great thing about these sales is  people are knowledgeable about plants. Check out your local paper, flyers in stores, Craigslist, and garden club websites for more of these sales. Arrive early, with cash and some sort of box or container to put your plants in. If you see a plant you may be interested in grab it because things go fast at these sales.

Craigslist- I have picked up some great plants from the free section of Craigslist. Some people don't like plants and want bare yards. Heck, I can't blame them...gardens are work. I have saved thousands by digging plants out of other people's yards. A few years ago my dad and I dug up a beautiful maple and drug it home. The same tree would have cost me $700 at a nursery. Not only that, I saved a tree from being chopped down. I have also dug up peonies, hostas, Solomon Seal, and more. All of these plants were enormous compared to what I would have been able to get at a nursery.

Friends & Family- I have no pride when it comes to begging people for plants. I am known for saying, "If you ever want to thin that plant out I would be happy to come help you do it." As a result people are always asking me if I want something they are going to "clear out". I have also been known to go up to people's doors and ask them if they would allow me to get a start from their yard. Sometimes this works and sometimes...well that is a story for another day.

"Borrowing"- Ever been to a park, the woods, a vacant lot and noticed plants that are out of control? For example a shopping center near my home had a plant growing over the sidewalk. I began to weed a little for them and low and behold a start of the plant landed in my hands. We were strolling down the road and a little fern was growing on the side of it and I dug it up in order to protect it from the cities work crew who would eventually mow it over. You get the idea. Now before you call the police on me for stealing plants please understand I never would dig something up from private property, protected forests, etc. but some plants just need to be saved from years of neglect.

Mulching=Thriving Plants

I despise barkdust. Barkdust=death for plants.Barkdust=slivers for kids. Barkdust=fleas for dogs.
When we bought our house almost seven years ago it had layer after layer of barkdust and absolutely no live vegetation with the exception of some bushes and fir trees. It was almost impossible to dig a hole in some parts of the yard. Barkdust provides no nutrients for the soil and essentially leaches any nutrients out of it. Why do you think it helps keep weeds away? Weeds don't get water and thus they die. That's good news right? It is if you are after the weeds, but it isn't good if it does the same to plants you want to grow.
Now barkdust does have its place. Let's say I had a vacation home and when I was there I didn't want to spend my time maintaining my palatial property? In this situation barkdust is good. Let's say I was elderly and couldn't do yard work, barkdust would be great. However, if I was someone who loves plants (uhhhm me), and wants lush vegetation barkdust would not be good. You get it?
So what do you use instead? Yard debris compost. In some parts of the country it is called mulch. In my area people go to the "dump" and drop off all their yard debris. The garbage men dump yard debris here too. They take the debris and put it into huge piles (we are talking three story high piles) and let it compost. It stinks, it smokes, but in the end you get this:

People like me drive our trucks past the barkdust and get a scoop of yard debris compost for $15 a yard. Yep it is that cheap. We then drive it home and spread it on thick. I'm talking 2-3 inches thick the first time and an inch every other year after that (If my back could handle it I would do it every year). The result? Beautiful gardens. Mulch helps to keep the weeds down at first, but will eventually feed them. The good news is they are easy to pop out because the looseness of the mulch is a dream. I love the way the dark, almost black, color of the mulch plays off my plants.
Seven years later I am seeing the benefits of the mulch. I have hellebore seedlings, hosta starts and other plants are thriving. I can actually dig a hole in the soil now too. My goal is to team up with a local garden club in a few years and have people actually visit my garden. I am known to take people on tours when they drop by. My sister will roll her eyes and say, "Here she goes again, another garden tour by Dickers". Yep, mulch works that well.

Sick Chick (en)

Two weeks ago we went to Urban Farm Store and picked up two pullets. These are hens who are not laying yet, have feathers, but won't lay eggs until mid-summer.

The kids chose a Rhode Island Red (the red one) and a Cuckoo Maran. The Maran is also known as a "chocolate egger" because her eggs will be a dark dark brown.

Delia was to the moon excited about the new ladies and spent at least an hour a day in the chicken pen hanging out with her friends. Until last Saturday.

Irene, who is one of our original ladies from three years ago (we raised her from a chick), had bubbles coming out of her eye.
Here is Irene with my nephew Hudson:

I immediately went to the Internet and began researching. I found several possible diagnosis...none of them good. I quickly ran to the farm store (the day before I had become Mayor using Foursquare...I am there that often) and picked up some antibiotics.

I still didn't know what was wrong, but I knew I had to separate the chickens and antibiotics would be a good preventative measure for ALL the ladies.

After a good hour of cleaning out the main enclosure area and making a makeshift coop for the affected girl I was done. My hope is we could prevent the other chickens from contracting whatever it was Irene had. The next day she looked better, the next day she looked worse etc. My other chickens look fine. I am sad to see Irene alone. She so badly wants to be with her coop mates, but we can't risk it. We are trying to be extra nice to her, but it is hard. Hopefully she will kick this "cold". Delia is sad because she can't hang out with the chickens. I am afraid she will help to spread the sickness.

To top it off for the first time in three years we are also seeing direct evidence of RATS. I know we have had them before (coops and rats go hand in hand), but this year I have actually seen the rats on more than one occasion. They are a brazen family. So far we have killed five. They are getting a little smarter and we haven't had a kill in a week, but this weekend we up the ante.

The ladies are back to being "cooped up" because of this:

I had just cleaned this bed and cleared the brick wall. An hour later the ladies left me with this mess.

I am excited that the weather here in Oregon is finally looking better. Here are some shots I took this week:

I have cleaned some beds, but have a LONG way to go. Those darn chickens are taking up my time.

An Honest Story About Owning Backyard Chickens

Top Ten Things You Should Know Before Getting Chickens

1. They don't really stink if you have four or less even in the heat of summer.
2. You have to lock them up every night and let them out every morning. If you are on vacation someone has to do it for you.
3. They will die and if your kids (or you) can't handle the circle of life and possible carnage this may not be your cup of tea. Don't become too attached to them.
4. They stop laying eggs in the winter (or dramatically decrease production)
5. They don't lay for at least six months if you raise them from chicks
6. If you let them roam around your yard the poop will get everywhere and they will mess up your flower beds
7. They won't really save you any money, but if you sell the eggs you might break even.
8. It is easy to relax when you look outside and see chickens pecking around.
9. There is a big difference between eggs you buy at the store and eggs from your own chickens.
10. Don't spend a lot of money in the beginning. Try to do it on the cheap before making a real commitment.

Eleven years ago I told my husband I wanted chickens. My husband is not a gardener, a farmer, or a lot of other things for that matter. He is THE BEST dad, Blazer fan, teacher, and deal finder. Anyway, it took eight years of begging, but I finally convinced him to let me get some chickens. In fact one day he said, "Why don't we go get some chicks today?" I was in the car before he finished the sentence.
Three years ago we purchased our first batch of chicks. They were cute, cheep (haha), and not too much work. Here is the nitty gritty of chicken rearing:

The Purchase- We bought four chicks from a local farm store for $2.99 on April 2nd. I wanted Americaunas (they lay green and blue eggs). We kept them in the garage for the first month or so in a big Rubbermaid trough. We put wood pellets (the kind you use in pellet stoves) in the bottom of the trough. We also purchased a little chick feeder, waterer, chick food and a few other chick supplies. All told this part of the investment cost us about $40.  They had to have a warming light for the first few weeks. The kids loved to hold them and play with them. They were angels. We cleaned the trough out about once a week (more often when they got a little bigger).

Moving Out- After about six weeks of living in our garage they got too big. We moved them outside to their first coop. I picked up a plastic Rubbermaid doghouse off of Craigslist for $10 and rigged a roosting bar inside. We placed the coop inside a cyclone dog kennel we had purchased for $50 on clearance at Fred Meyers. In hind sight I wish we would have purchased a taller one. The one we have is only four feet tall. We covered the top with corrugated metal I picked up off  Craigslist. At first this worked out well, but lets just say bending down to get into the coop on a regular basis was a bit annoying. When my back wasn't feeling great it was a plain old hassle. The chicks grew quickly and by July we were looking for eggs. Guess what? They don't lay them for a good six months after they hatch. We waited and waited and waited. Finally, in mid-October they started laying. The eggs were delicious and the chickens were fun to watch and care for. We learned that cleaning out the coop once a week was fine, but we could go two weeks between really good cleanings. We also learned it was a pain to go on vacation because someone had to come over and let them out in the morning and put them away at night. Guess what? Not everyone is a fan of chickens.
We are blessed to have a half acre in a Suburban neighborhood. We also are lucky to have an in ground pool. This is kind of a big thing in Oregon where it rains A LOT. Soooo, in the summer we have a constant flow of visitors. When chickens run around they poop. When they poop on the grass it gets on your feet. When it gets on your feet it gets in the house, or the pool. As a result the chickens are cooped up in the summer and we let them "free range" in the fall, winter and spring. I enjoy watching them run around the yard. It is even better when I walk outside and they begin following me.

 Delia is a chicken chaser and catcher extraordinaire.

 Howie can heard them pretty well too...

The First Winter-  One morning after a big party I went outside to find carnage. I won't go into details, but lets just say I ran into the house screaming. My husband jumped out of bed and ran outside. He thought one of the kids had been killed or something. He soon figured it out and retrieved the bodies of two ladies and buried them. The first tough lesson is don't get too attached to your chickens. I had forgotten to lock the coop up and in the middle of the night two chickens left the coop (Maybe they heard a sound? We are still not sure) and were killed through the fence. I have never forgotten to lock the coop again. Fortunately our kids were spending the night at grandmas and didn't see the crime scene. After this I keep an emotional distance from the chickens.

Year Two- In March of this year I purchased a new wooden coop. I also moved my coop and kennel to a new location. I devised a better roofing system and area for the ladies. We knew now we were in this for the long haul. I guess that is sound advice. Don't spend a bunch of money at first; wait a year to see if chicken farming is really up your alley. After a year you will know and if you decide to invest more great. If not, you haven't spent a ton for kicks and giggles.

Here is the current location of the coop...

 Different view. No one sees this except for us. It looks a bit trashy, but it was cheap.

After the loss of two ladies we decided not to get chicks since they take so dang long to begin laying. Instead we bought two hens who had recently started laying. This time we bought an Australorp and a Plymouth Rock Barred. In May when we opened the pool for the year the hens were again cooped up much to their dismay.

Taking a dust bath next to the house...

They love my rose bed for some weird reason.

 Here are some eggs...

It was in the fall of this year we began to see a coyote. My son was scared to go out after dark. One night we arrived home around 5:30. It was dark and I told him to go lock the chickens up. He started to complain. I got mad. "Drexler just do it!". He didn't budge. This conversation took place on the deck stairs. He started crying as I finally decided to do it myself. Then, he started yelling, "No mom don't". I got to the coop to find only one chicken. On my walk back I saw feathers and carnage. One body was left. My son actually saw the coyote and was trying to warn me, but couldn't put it into words. We now had one lady left. We purchased two chickens to keep her company.

This year- We made it through last summer with three ladies. One of our original Americaunas, Irene, a Plymouth and a Rhode Island Red. This fall the Rhode Island started acting funny. She was holding out her wing and walking sideways. I researched and found a few different things it could be. All of the possible diagnosis were serious and in my opinion not much could be done for her. I wasn't going to pay my vet $35 for a visit to tell me that. A new laying hen costs $12. Do the math. I had my neighbor euthanize her and we buried her.
We made it through the winter with two ladies. Irene and Dottie. They stopped laying for three months (this is normal in the winter), but recently started up again. They have a bad habit of finding new places to lay eggs. Their current nest is under the deck in a pile of leaves. We are planning on getting two new ladies (maybe three) in a few weeks. My goal for this summer is to move the coop closer to house. I have realized in the winter it can be freezing at 6:45 when I go let them out of the coop. I want to build a new surround for the coop that is covered and safer. We go out of town on weekends a lot and this would make it easier while we are gone.

There is a lot I have left out. I can certainly address the day to day basics of chicken rearing. Is it easy? Yes. Is it money saving? Not really. Would I do it again? Absolutely. Feel free to shoot me questions. I love to talk chickens.