Chateau Michaelena Vineyard

[ibglowin]

Some dahlia snaps before they freeze this weekend........

They started off very slow out of the gate even on a drip system. Once the monsoons came in July, August time frame they grew like weeds. They seem to thrive on humidity in the air not just in their root system. Enjoy!

 

[rhoffart]

Very nice. Looks like you have a green thumb for sure.

 

[TomK-B]

Wow, definitely a green thumb!

 

[Runningwolf]

Awesome Flowers and pictures I love em

 

[AlFulchino]

just beautiful!

 

[Bartman]

Those dahlias are awfully pretty, but are you sure you can/want to take credit for them, instead of your wife? I don't know many "Real Men" who can grow flowers that pretty (and are willing to admit it publicly)...

 

[Runningwolf]

Bart, only a real man would be man enough to post something they did so beautifully. Have you not seen the pictures of my yard in the past?

 

[Bartman]

I knew I would stir up some reaction!

 

[rrawhide]

com'n on Bart, show us yur yard!!!!
huh
huh
huh


great job, Mike


rrawhide

 

[Scott B]

Mike - Great looking flowers!

 

[Randoneur]

That is beautiful. Good photography too.

 

[ibglowin]

Thanks guys, we dodged a bullet for another week.

Got down to 32. Tomatoes are toast but the dahlia's and geraniums plus the grape vines are still hanging in there!

 

[Robert123Carr]

Great job. Growing flowers, making wine, I think it goes together. Its all about making something beautiful from very little.

 

[ibglowin]

With the forum merge I combined my vineyard thread from FVW. Here are some pics from the end of Summer 2011 that were not showing up. Looking forward to Summer 2012!

 

[grapeman]

They look great Mike.

You might put a carriage return after every couple pictures so it doesn't go off the screen and hide pictures on you.

Are the buds starting to swell at all yet?

 

[ibglowin]

Ha! I wish I could do that, I used to do that over at FVW but you cant do that here as the pic's are all listed as attachments with no way to adjust them that I can see (let me know if I am missing something simple).......


As for buds I don't think they are swelling just yet but by the end of the week they certainly may be as the entire week will be sunny and ~60 for the high. This mornings low was a balmy 32. They say we have a BIG front moving through on Sun/Mon that could drop a foot of snow of us. I love Spring snows as they can be big but they melt so fast that I usually don't have to shovel or plow!

 

[SpoiledRotten]

Just went through this thread and Mike, I must say that you have done a fantastic work with that garden. It's beautiful! I just planted 4 muscadine vines at two corners of a swing arbor that I built a few years ago. I'm planning on putting trellis on the sides and top for the vines to cling to.

Should be nice sitting in the swing with the "ceiling fan" running and grapes hanging down all around us.

 

[ibglowin]

Thanks Randy!

I have ~40 vines planted most are in the side garden area but I have a few around the patio as well by the house. My trellis will be a TWC (top wire cordon) system that will more than likely end up looking like spokes on a bicycle wheel the way the vines went in. I have a nice little bench in the corner of that garden that is shaded by an ornamental apple tree in the afternoon. Its a nice place to sit with a glass of wine and watch the vines grow in the evening and dream about a harvest and crush someday that I don't have to drive 600 miles RT to accomplish!.

Haven't told SWMBO yet but I have my eye on the 5000 ft2 of Kentucky Blue in front of the garden. I think I could save a boatload of $$$ by plowing it all under and planting more vines on a drip system. It cost me ~$150 a month in water to irrigate that stuff in the Summer before the monsoons hit in mid July....

 

[saddlebronze]

Go for it man! I am thinking about my front lawn as well if I can get it by the war department. 20 yards of topsoil coming this weekend to add to the clay in the test plot. Daddy's gonna be busy with the backhoe this weekend!

 

[Wade E]

Looks beautiful Mike!