Pillywiggin Postscripts

A Blog for Art, Garden & Nature Enthusiasts
  • Welcome
  • Garden
  • Artwork
    • Warm Glass
    • Cool Gourds
  • Events
  • Gourds
    • Gourd History
    • Crafting with Gourds
    • Drying Gourds
    • Cleaning Gourds
  • Pilly...what?!
  • About
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • Welcome
  • Garden
  • Artwork
    • Warm Glass
    • Cool Gourds
  • Events
  • Gourds
    • Gourd History
    • Crafting with Gourds
    • Drying Gourds
    • Cleaning Gourds
  • Pilly...what?!
  • About
  • Contact
  • Blog

Hope for Hydrangeas

6/27/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
​If your hydrangeas are looking a hot mess this year you are not alone. Our last two snow storms in April really did a number on hydrangeas. The good news is your hydrangeas do not need to be replaced. Trim out the dead wood & your hydrangea will be fine. The bad news, many hydrangeas will not bloom this year. 
Picture
I know, I'm sad too. Hydrangeas are one of my favorite flowers. Years ago I bought every hydrangea I could find at an end of the year clearance sale. Each one a different variety although some were missing tags. All in 3 gallon pots, scraggly, ugly, half-dead but for $5 each I was willing to take a chance. They were originally $45! Turns out, they were a great buy. They all recovered beautifully. I look forward to their blooms and Jason's beautiful bouquets each year.
The large leaf varieties seem to have taken the hardest hit. Of the hydrangea shown below, we trimmed all of the dead wood out of the top two but they are not likely to bloom. The bottom two are planted behind our house in sheltered beds. Both had live and dead wood. I'm keeping my fingers crossed they will blossom!
Picture
Picture
Here's what they look like in bloom. Sigh...
Not all of our hydrangeas suffered. We have a spreading variety that is doing exceptionally well. It is covered in buds and honey bees! ​Our limelight hydrangea is also doing well and starting to bloom. Limelights are known to be extremely cold hardy. The jury is still out if our 3 hydrangea trees will bloom.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Luckily, Mother Nature has a way of making up for garden disappointments. It may not be a stellar year for hydrangea but our spring tulips and peony were absolutely spectacular. Check out our tulip blog posts on May 19th and May 21st then click through the slideshow below to see how our garden is doing today.
​
P.S. While I was blogging Jason made a beautiful bouquet of peony.
Picture
0 Comments

Chain O' Lakes Revisited

6/17/2018

0 Comments

 
Installation August 2017
​Watching our gardens grow is one of the many perks of our job. Last week, we revisited the Chain O' Lakes project to plant annuals, mow, weed & mulch. The bed installed last summer is filling in nicely. We can't wait to see it bloom.
Chain O' Lakes Project - June 2018
Pillywiggins first appeared on this site in 2016 returning each year to add another sprinkling of garden enchantment. Follow our progress by visiting our 2016 & 2017 blog posts "Water, Weeds & Critters" and "Working on the Chain O' Lakes" 
This summer we will be installing (3) new wildflower beds - two beds lakeside & one in the side yard. Last year we covered these areas with black plastic to kill the grass & weeds. All that's left to do is till the soil & sow the seeds. ​​
Picture
Don't spray! Black plastic is a great way to kill off vegetation without harmful chemicals. Use weed blanket or wet cardboard to help prevent new weed growth.
Picture
​​We'll be using Midwest Mix from Vermont Wildflower Farm. This mix contains 26 different wildflowers native to our region. It includes 13 annuals for 1st year color, 4 bi-annuals & 8 perennials with early, mid & late bloom times. ​Also on our to-do list, create a new lakeside perennial bed inside of an old row boat. How fun!
Picture
Wildflower patches are low maintenance solutions for problem spots with poor soils or areas that are difficult to mow. They add natural beauty and provide food for bees, butterflies & other beneficial insects. (Wildflower patches also make a great home for Pillywiggins!)
"Let us dance in the sun, wearing wildflowers in our hair"
Susan Polis Schutz
0 Comments

How Do Our Gardens Grow?

6/9/2018

0 Comments

 
Hey Pillywiggins! How do your gardens grow? We're glad you asked. We share a lot of project photos but that's just the beginning of a great garden. What about the end result? Where's that Pillywiggin magic? We get it. It's not always easy to imagine how a bed will fill in. Unfortunately, we haven't been able to perfect our Pilly-Vision Garden Goggles yet. So, we revisited two of our favorite landscape projects two years after install to snap a few photos. Take a look at these before & after shots then try to imagine what 1 Pillywiggin + 2 year's time can do for your landscape!
Eastport Market Landscape Installation 2016
Picture
Picture
Picture
Eastport Market June 2018
Picture
Picture
Picture
Revisit this project under construction.
​Click HERE - Signs of Progress​​
The Eastport Market is our favorite one-stop shop. Gas, grocery, pizza & deli take-out, hunting & fishing licenses, bait, Lp, hardware, beer cave, wine, liquor, fresh local produce, local products & more. Great store, friendly staff, close to home. Pillywiggins shop local!
​
Petoskey Project Phase I & II
​2016 & 2017

Construct Multiple Stone Beds, 2 Patios & Retaining Wall
Petoskey Project June 2018
In our last blog post "Elk Rapids Chamber Project" we talked about reusing the spoils whenever possible. The Petoskey Project had many examples of recycling spoils. We split, relocated & reused most of the existing plants and used the old landscape block to build a new retaining wall at the back of the homeowner's property. To revisit this project under construction click the links below.
  • Rocking & Rolling Boulders
  • Rock On!
  • Block Party!
  • Petoskey Project Complete!
  • Petoskey Patio Project #2
Picture
Pillywiggins often go unnoticed, but their gardens never do!
Picture
0 Comments
    Picture
    Picture

    Categories

    All
    Artwork
    DIY
    Events
    Gardening
    Nature
    Pillywiggin Adventures
    Project Pics
    Services
    Welcome

    RSS Feed

    Picture

    Archives

    December 2022
    August 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    June 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    January 2020
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016

Copyright 2012 Pillywiggins Garden, LLC | All Rights Reserved
  Pillywiggins Garden, LLC
  • Welcome
  • Garden
  • Artwork
    • Warm Glass
    • Cool Gourds
  • Events
  • Gourds
    • Gourd History
    • Crafting with Gourds
    • Drying Gourds
    • Cleaning Gourds
  • Pilly...what?!
  • About
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • Welcome
  • Garden
  • Artwork
    • Warm Glass
    • Cool Gourds
  • Events
  • Gourds
    • Gourd History
    • Crafting with Gourds
    • Drying Gourds
    • Cleaning Gourds
  • Pilly...what?!
  • About
  • Contact
  • Blog
Welcome to Pillywiggins Garden.
​Please visit often to see what's in bloom.