Bloom Where You're Planted-Urban Gardening in Philly: In The Yard

At last plants sitting in the yard waiting were planted today. It was beautiful outside with temperatures in the 70's. A great day to be out before the next heat wave next week. I got a lot done today and the rest saved for another day. Seven hours in the yard was more than enough. I still have the same dilemma. What to do with the yard. There is no other choice but to embrace my dappled shade garden and limited choice of plants. Actually there isn't a limited choice. There are many shade plants that flower. I have found that many like moist shade not dry.

If I can do tropical's like the elephants ear that would be okay too. I like the red impatiens and will add many more next season for color other than green. I dug up some of the garlic today. Don't know what to do with it except let it sit and see if it grows in size. I doubt it will since the tops dried up a while ago. The bulbs are real small but it was nice to see that they formed bulbs. It was my first time planting it. I will read more about how to plant it and when to harvest this fall when I plant more.

Finally gathered all the fern up so other plants in the container would have a chance to live. The spider plants are usually huge by now but not yet due to the fern. The impatiens and begonia were also too shaded and got leggy. I think the fern loves the moisture in the planter.

Take chives out of container. You can plant the container but I like to remove them. The chive will be so happy. It's been moved around for months and not planted.

Chives planted. Does it need a hair cut? I don't know anything about herbs.

Plant my seedlings and a Rosemary plant purchased during the winter.

The 2 geranium seedlings I saved. Look at the roots or lack of. This is why they didn't grow, fungus gnat larva likely.

All planted but doesn't look nice, but it will grow and fill out. I'll show you how it looks in about a week. I kept that bad looking viola in the container. Today a bee stayed on it so long. I'm going to trim it and see if it survives till fall.

Caladium left to plant and 1 canna. Three broccoli plants that were never planted. The bulbs are hyacinth that I had in the spring. hope they will make it until next spring so I can have them again. My mother bought them for me last spring and they were beautiful.

Canna squeezed into planter.

This is all that's left from the first planting thanks to squirrels or raccoons.

Caladium and vinca that grow wild in my yard put in. I'll be real upset if I go outside in the morning to see that squirrels have dug up the plants again. Even worse, ate the caladium bulbs.

My blueberry plant on the top step. No leaves. Dried up in the heat without watering. It's nice and green so it should survive.

Marguerite waiting to join the other plants. A sage plant is also waiting to be planted. Kind of late to be planting things but maybe the herbs will overwinter and return next spring.

Marguerite daisy butter fly. She survived for months not being planted and with little water. They are one of my favorites. I hope she will perk up and fill the container by the end of summer. She started out on the porch healthy and full of blooms waiting to be planted and then was banished to the yard. She's tough.

I hope they don't grow taller. They had to tie them up today because the were falling over. I also planted 2 bell peppers that had been waiting to be planted.

Lots of tomatoes are on the bushes.

Cucumber with something starting on it's leaves.

Another hosta planted. Next to it is actually a heuchera all eaten. By the time I thought to add some dust on the plant the slugs had eaten it.. There are also 3 astible surviving in the heat. When I go back out to finish in the yard I'm going to pull them up and put the roots in a plastic bag with holes to try to create a bog in the hope this will retain some moisture and they will do better. It will be interesting to see how they do. This is their second year and they lasted longer this year and grew bigger. Maybe next summer they will live all season and be large?

On another day I have to clean up this bed of dead foilage from bulbs underneath. Last fall I planted 2 veronica, a shrub, and 3 black eyed Susan's in here. Two carex were also planted. Wrong decision. The hosta covered them. The veronica blooms look strange maybe indicating aster yellow like the cone flowers out front. I read that they can also get this. Makes me not want to plant them in the ground. Too much shade may add to the problem although there is so much more light with the limbs from the trees cut. I removed dried foliage from my clematis that died. I had a light purple one that climbed the trellis and bloomed 2 times last summer. It died over the winter.

Small fence to hold up the peony and give the carex some light. Wrong decision to plant them there. Looked good last fall when every thing else was dead but not a good plan. I'm really surprised they're still living.