Status Of The Patio Garden: April 10, 2021
Today I’m giving you an update on the status of my patio garden. I don’t think I’ve done that since the first of April so this is the progress since then.
Yesterday I had my 17 year old grandson Riley come over after school and bring 2 bags of potting soil from my car to the patio. A guy at the nursery carried them to the car for me.
My Blue Fountain:
I also had Riley take my blue fountain back outside. His mom Kendra put it in the closet for me for the winter, but her back and hip is bad and she’s in physical therapy. So I didn’t want her to have to fool with it. Probably from working on those flip houses.
My back is still giving me fits. I walk like a robot. Monday I am beginning physical therapy myself. Last week I carried the top of the bird bath out and that was clearly a mistake.
But this has gone on long enough. It’s been this way virtually since before Christmas and I can no longer do the exercises I was given for it. And it’s getting worse instead of better. So time to intervene in some way.
My doctor did x-rays but they didn’t answer that many questions. The radiologist said: Her x-ray shows some disc space loss in her upper lumbar area but no acute abnormalities.
This is the same area where I had a disk taken out at age 30 and I’ve always had problems with it. But now the pain is going around to the side of my leg and into my right hip.
Another Medical Problem To Be Addressed:
A couple of weeks ago I went to the breast center because my regular MD referred me.
I have a small nodule between my breasts, a little to the left side. I’m told there’s nothing much to worry about. Apparently it’s pretty common. But the surgeon said it needs to come out at some point.
It’s been there for years, but suddenly began to get bigger. Now it’s slowed back down and doesn’t seem to be growing much if at all.
The surgery will take a good chunk of my savings I’m sure, since I have a high deductible. So I’m hoping to hold on and not do anything until next February. I will then turn 65 and be eligible for Medicare.
The surgeon told me that it’s elective surgery, and unless something changes or it gets red and inflamed, I might be able to skate along for awhile without doing anything.
Morning Glories:
I took two seed packets of morning glories and mixed them up and scattered them around. They began to come up in less than a week.
I’ve always been accustomed to hard shell morning glory seeds that you nicked and soaked overnight.
But these were just lightweight seeds, similar to zinnia seeds.
Lemon Balm:
Lemon balm is making a big display in the crack in the cement again. It always seems to look lush and healthy in that small space, which always surprises me.
Shasta Daisies:
Daisies I planted last year made it through the cold winter. And there are more of them below in another pot.
You can see a bit of mint coming up in the middle that I think is pineapple mint. And I will need to remove it in the next few days and replant it somewhere else.
I don’t come across pineapple mint very often and I want to keep it growing.
I bought three pots of plants the other day from the nursery. Normally I don’t buy them in this big of a pot. Instead I tend to purchase smaller plants and then pot them in a bigger pot myself.
But my back is so problematic I’m cutting corners on what I have to do trying not to cause more pain.
Petunias:
I purchased these yellow petunias, which came as a hanging plant and I took that part off.
On my patio with the wind and hot weather hanging plants would need a lot of watering and tending to.
The other two plants are a mixed pot with a red geranium, and a rosemary plant.
The cold winter killed off my other rosemary plant and I really missed having rosemary in my garden.
I will probably replant the petunias and rosemary plants at some point before it gets hot.
Bigger pots will ensure they have a better chance to make it through our hot summers. I will be able to delay doing that for a bit.
Lamb’s Ear & Hosta Plants:
This end of the blue raised garden is already pretty much filled up. Once the hostas open fully it will indeed be filled.
The Lamb’s Ear has spread out a bit more since last year I think. I just adore that plant and love how it fills up one corner of the bed.
Iris Plants:
At this end I see I have three iris flowers formed. This makes me happy because I tend to not get much out of these irises.
I can drive around town and see irises growing everywhere where they are not even tended and they bloom in abundance. And mine rarely bloom.
So that’s the status of the patio garden as of this morning. Have a nice weekend.
Hopefully it’s warm enough where you are to dig in the dirt. It’s a bit cold here today.
Brenda,
Your iris need to be thinned out frequently to bloom, perhaps that’s is the reason? Also, the corms need to be just showing above the dirt.
I hope that helps. Your gardens are so beautiful, I’m in Vermont so the opposite problem, the cold. Just cleaning up today, finally warm and dry enough to rake. I’ll plant herb and some flower seeds in pots this week. Have a good week, praying for your back, it’s an awful suffering. Dale
wen ir comes to hospital bills, look at your hospital’s charity type programs. I had to look it up all on my own for my local hospital. I broke my wrist and had to have surgery on it. $30,000.00 worth of bills for the doctor and all. I had Insurance through my job at the time, but my boss tried to be cheap, and we had a $5,000.00 deductible! I could not afford any of that.
I qualified as I live below the poverty line, and all my bills were dismissed. I reapply every year, and still get my treatment free. Check it out…it saved me!
Your patio is looking so pretty already. It is still too cold and windy to do much in the yard here, though we have had a few nice warm days. Yesterday I was looking at my big, for years beautiful, dark pink knock rose and noticed that it is infected with the dreaded rose rosette disease. It will die from that disease and will have to be taken out roots and all and then no other roses will grow there without getting the same disease. It is under the front window of the living room and I can’t figure out what in the world I will be able to find to plant in the same location. Our front yard landscaping will really miss that rose.
Brenda, I just wanted to let you know that I had ordered the blue fountain from Wayfair…it arrived this past Thursday and my husband and I set it up on Friday, and it is bubbling away. It is beautiful. Your garden patio is looking very well…we are also starting to do some planting for the spring and summer.
Best wishes, Charlotte Hutcheson
Your plants are so healthy! Is it the watering, the planting, or the choices that make them grow so well?
Hope your back eases up and that you can delay nodule surgery til MediCare eligible. Patio garden is very nice!!! Do you have a shaded area to sit outside to enjoy it? Maybe you are a sun lover, and shade is a non-issue! Your patio garden is like a little Garden of Eden…really beautiful. I love seeing the progress! Take Care Brenda
I am age 70 and have had Medicare for 5 years. Medicare only pays 80 % and you have to pay 20%. If you have a big hospital big 20% is still a lot to pay. If you get a Supplement which you cost you around $300 a month. Then everything is paid for. The company my husband retired from pays his supplement and his Medicare Part D. Best Wishes and Prayers your pain will get better.
Looks like it is really coming along, Brenda. xo Laura
Your flowers are at least a couple weeks further along than what’s going on in my yard, your lucky to have nurseries open. The nursery my flower buddy wants to visit doesn’t open until the end of April. There are nurseries where we could get flowers imported from out of state, but we like to buy from local growers who run their own greenhouse production – family owned small businesses. Because our weather is never certain here, we wait until at least mid-May to plant. I’m no expert, but the fact that you have pain that starts in your back and cycles down your right leg – could be sciatica.
https://www.spine-health.com/conditions/sciatica/sciatic-nerve-and-sciatica
If you are diagnosed with it, you could try taking a curcumin supplement in addition to stretching exercises. I love your fountain. Where I would like to put one (middle of my lawn) there is no access to an electric outlet unless I’d run a 20 foot extension cord – impractical. I’d put one on my patio, but because of how the patio slopes away from the house to drain rain water toward the driveway, I’d have to shim up the fountain to make it level. Not sure how I’d be able to camoflage that, I’ll have to think on it. I’ve been looking at the electric powered fountains at Amazon.
Your patio plants are looking so beautiful. I can’t wait until we can start planting here in northern IL. The only plants that can survive right now are pansies.
I’m sorry to hear you’re still struggling with back pain. I know how miserable that is. If the pain is going into your hip and leg, that’s sciatica. Which is even more miserable! I’m glad you’re going to PT. They should be able to help. They’ll give you just the right exercises to do at home, too.
If the surgeon says the nodule needs to be removed, then why is it an elective surgery? You would think if a doctor says it has to be removed, then that’s not elective.
It’s looking amazing and beautiful. May I come over to just in your garden? I promise to sit quietly and bring two very large cups of sweet tea; one for you and one for me. 😉