Monday, June 29, 2015

The Summer Garden

We had a very warm spring and it seems to be continuing in the pattern. Although there was a drought  this spring it didn't seem like it and the plants in the yard have done really well with little additional water from me. It's only a few days from July and I haven't had to take out the hose. Maybe the garden will make it through July and August with little additional water and still look beautiful. Many of the Longfield Garden bulbs have started to come up finally with one pot unmarked and I'm not sure what type of bulbs they were. My 2 elephant ears one planted in the ground and one in the planter have also finally emerged. I hope the one from last year makes a spectacle of itself again this year. It was huge last summer. Hope your garden is beautiful and you're enjoying getting your hands in the soil.

Growing nicely but not to excited about the coleus. Would have preferred chocolate mint ones in the container. May try to find a space for caladium Carolyn Whorton that has finally emerged in the yard.




Violas actually still living. The yellow ones next to these are slowing down.






Downy mildew again this year. Too many plants in a small space. There are plants behind it that are supposed to be growing on the trellis but too crowded.
The sunflower has really grown.



Lambs ear hasn't done real well with the weather this year. I'm concerned it won't come back next spring. I'd better try hard to start some seedlings or get a piece from my sister's yard.
You see how good last years sweet potato tuber did. Can't wait to dig it up and see how many sweet potatoes I'll have in the fall from this one.

Nice to see the elephant ear come up. It's little but lets see how big it can get. The impatiens are beautiful. I didn't like all the color at first but I'm adjusting to it.

Doesn't look like any new damaged leaves from flea beetles.

The coleus are being eaten. I have to put something down. We grow plants for their beauty but insects think they're food for them.

The lilies are still blooming.

The fern is doing well and still making new fronds. Thought propping it up would damage it but it's doing good.
The ornamental grass hasn't taken off at all. Maybe next year if it survives.




The picture doesn't do it justice. It's huge. The one on my porch is in bloom  with white trailing flowers. Forgot to take a picture.
It could use a larger container.
My favorite. You would think that they'd attract slugs because of the sweet smell but I've been lucky.
They finally came up. Look at the weeds in the bottom. I have to take those out or they'll suck out all the nutrients.
Lots of cucumber blooms but no cucumbers yet.
Not one tomato yet. I did plant them late though.

Don't know what this is yet.

Monday, June 15, 2015

Sunday In The Yard


This looks a mess. Was pretty with a patch of narcissus but they're done. I pulled most of the brown foliage. I'm thinking of something tall and perennial to go behind the hosta and peony. Roses perhaps. Something with color that I won't have to keep planting every year. I have planted things in the back but many didn't make it long. There were echinacea, veronica, rudbeckia and others.
The cucumber is growing and has attached to the trellis.
I have 1 tomato bloom.
I have to water the daisies before I plant them. Can't come in the yard without my mosquito protection. The insects were vicious today. 


Daisies Planted till fall when they go in the ground. One was on the ground after work, squirrels. I blame everything on them.




Took the dead fig branches from the container and put in the blackberry bush. I hope it continues to do well.


Planted in another container.

That's my shasta daisy I planted yesterday. I think squirrels were checking things out. The turned up side down nursery pot it sat on was possibly the cause. I say squirrels. 

Looks like slugs to me. I put dust down once. Time for the slug product I bought before the eat everything. I would have said the heat but I don't think so. 

One still standing. 


No blooms this year for the peony. The 3 on there dropped off or were eaten, fertilizer, fertilizer, fertilizer this year. Remembered after writing this post that last summer I had a bad problem with powdery mildew in the yard and I cut the peony to the ground during the summer. This may be why they didn't bloom. Maybe they're like bulbs that get next seasons energy from their foliage.
I have to clean up this area but on another day. After pulling weeds, cutting grass, and getting rid of a lot of plants that have died, I'm tired. The vinca will be planted today. The bins with soil are summer bulbs that haven't come up and I'm upset about that.
I'll prop up the fern, remove the pansies, and clean off and coat the planter to protect it from rain. I'm late doing it this year. Usually I do it before planting anything in it.
I would love it to grow in the ground like this. The yard did have many ferns when I moved here. Over the years they died. There were also hosta and those survived. Ferns do good in my section of the city and grow beautifully in my sister's yard.
I think the tag said switch grass. I don't like it. Hopefully when it grows it'll look better. Not at all like the grass out front. Bought on sale last fall. I'll try to remove last years growth and not damage this years.
Wash it down and put on some polyurethane. I wasn't careful this spring and let the dead flower blooms stay on the side and they stained the wood. I don't plant edibles in it so the poly won't hurt the plants. The container is also lined with thick plastic. Those seedlings are rose of Sharon from my neighbor's tree. They self sow every where.
Looks much better.


All plated for now.
That's an elephants ear. I put it in the planter. I've complained about the bulbs from Longfield Garden but when I pulled it up there were lots of healthy roots. I guess it's just taking it's time.
Planted more of these.
Smells beautiful. Can't wait to select more for next spring. 
I can't believe that saved sweet potato did all that. I could cut them to have more but I bought store bought ones waiting for this to grow. I'll dig up every one this fall and hopefully not have to buy them again. I'm not sure if this is Caroline or Marguerite. 
It's planted holes from flea beetles and all.
The sweet potato vine has been eaten before but not by this insect. This year there seems to be different insects  in the garden.
I still have to plant these or give them to my sister.



I love blue hydrangea and wouldn't change them but what was I thinking with the red impatiens and lilies. Next year hopefully a simpler maybe mono chromatic color scheme. Not likely.
I'm glad I didn't pull the lirope. It's growing nicely. The hydrangea below is getting powdery mildew although it was sprayed.


Next is my poor attempt at short videos. If they don't load you know I'm the problem. I'll try to fix it.The garden has so many sounds. Usually I can't get inside quick enough to get my camera to record. Today a bird sang although he appeared upset that I was in my garden. There are a lot of different birds this year. Although I love plants and flowers, the animals are my favorite although I complain about them. They're interesting to watch. I don't know what type of bird this is.