Summertime And The Gardener's Are Busy

In the mist of our second storm. Last night a tornado went through Burlington New Jersey and ripped up trees and damaged homes. We had heavy rain, winds, thunder and lightening. While watching the news tonight it showed the damage. I've been blessed where I live and have never had a tree uprooted or damage due to a storm. Hopefully round 2 won't produce any tornadoes. Philly is having another heat wave. The temperatures are supposed to cool off tomorrow and the next few days. Maybe I can get something done outside then. Today I came home from the garden center and deadheaded some flowers, swept the sidewalk and took some pictures outside. When I came inside I was soaked and wet even wearing light cotton clothing. The weather has been brutal. The plants and flowers are actually surviving except the black eyed Susan I planted against my better judgement. It's alive but looks horrible. Such a beautiful plant to loose. I hope the roots live and it comes back in the spring. I will probably pull it before my front is judged for the garden contest and put one of the perennials I just bought in it's place for the day. Come on people in contest do this all the time. First I have to keep them alive without planting them in the ground until judging.

The yellow coneflower in the bed, my favorite will be disposed of due to aster yellow. Don't really want to throw it away but my book on perennials says that aster yellow can be transmitted to other plants and why risk everything in the bed for one plant. Surely the judges will see that the plant has aster yellow. Coneflowers can be planted in the same spot without transmitting the disease according to what I read. I bought 2 others on sale today. Actually to me, they weren't on sale because last week when I went to the garden center one gallon coneflowers were only $9.00. Today they were I guess one quart in size. I bought them because perennials are now getting scare with the nearing of the end of the season. I missed out on ornamental grass in large tubs I planned on buying today. They were sold out and I don't think there will be any more of them until next season. Around the end of September last year I did get plants dirt cheap and will look for some around the same time this year. I go to look at plants enough to not miss anything. Hopefully whatever I plant in the fall will survive unlike last fall when most of the perennials I planted didn't survive our harsh winter. Can't blame myself for the weather.

In a weeks time the sweet potato vine has started to take over and trail down the planter. It also has new growth in another direction. My daughter will hate this. She complains every summer that she can't get up the steps for the flowers. It would be ugly if she damaged my sweet potato vine. She knows how I feel about my plants. Just joking. I picked my first 2 tomatoes today. I looked out the window and saw the plants bent over from the storm last night. A large part may not survive but plenty of the plant will. The elephant ear is growing larger by the day. I love it. It will need to be dug up in the fall and stored until spring and hopefully survive for another year.

It's like it grew over night and I can't capture how large the leaves are.

Of course I have to show my dragon wing begonia seedling. Growing bigger, no bloom yet though.

The canna doesn't look pretty in the pot, oh well. It couldn't be in the center. I have one in bloom in the yard. Wonder how long it will take for this one to bloom. Will save the one in the yard to squeeze in some where if it's still in bloom when the judges come.

The impatiens are doing well.

I just knocked all the soil and plants out of the pot on the bottom step. My daughter might have sat on the steps and moved the pots because they are not in the place where I put them.

Chocolate covered cherry coleus seedling. Not as pretty as I thought it would be. I won't order this seed again. I do tend to like darker coleus's.

Creme brulle coreopsis is living. Hopefully the daisies are in bloom for a while.

Poor thing. The canna looks bad too. A waste of money but I did it.

She had a slow start but not now.

Look how thick the stalk is.

My coleus seedlings still not planted. I should have kept them inside for house plants. Too late. I don't like to bring plants inside once they've been outside.

Hosta still not too damaged from slugs, heat, and lack of water.

Bleeding heart still surviving in the heat.

First red cherry tomatoes to go in my salad tonight.

Gladiolus. I don't normally like them but the color drew me and they were really cheap. I need to put them in a larger vase.

Veronica for out front when something dies probably the black eyed Susan. It's pale pink.