In the Neighborhood

It's been a long time since we had a little walk in a part of the neighborhood. Not by my choice. I took my car to the shop and caught the bus home. But the bus detoured due to construction work and I had to get off and walk in the heat. But, I got to see what was going on in the community garden. 

Tomatoes

Sat on the bench under this tree to rest. Ladies were out in the heat tending the garden. I met someone named Susan who was very nice. She was dressed for the weather with a large straw hat much needed today. She showed me the newly planted herb garden for all neighbors to pinch or snip, and ornamental plants donated from the Philadelphia Flower Show which was in June.

Basil and something else. Doesn't look like tomatoes or peppers.

Sage in the center.

Bee balm, lots of veggies, sunflowers. and 2 large fig trees. I didn't take a picture of everything or go directly inside the garden to take pictures. Maybe I'll be back to see the sunflowers when they start blooming.

Newly renovated homes caught my attention along with plants for curb appeal. Want to know what they sold for. They were old historic homes.

 

Love the fencing.

Nothing like the color blue, so rare in flowers.

Oak leaf hydrangeas.

Didn't take a close up but petunias are in the window boxes.

Grumblethorpe a historic home. In the summer they churn ice cream and student's who grow vegetables there have them for sale at the farmer's market on Saturdays. They also have chickens which I love to see.

Back to my mess.

My nasturtiums have started to bloom and the verbena looks dry. Needs tidying up. It's supposed to be around 95 degrees tomorrow and very humid. I also have to replant a container which I just replanted. The sun has burned up everything in it this year.

Balloon flowers have started to bloom.

The sunflowers get larger with each rain. Can't wait for the head. I know the finches are also patiently waiting.

The native honey suckle actually bloomed. Our varied weather this spring killed all the blooms. From heat to frost every few days after it budded out. Maybe it will make a full recovery by next spring.

The plants get a little larger each week.

Still planting in the yard. Today 3 hydrangea. One still to plant but may wait until the fall to plant it in the other blue container. I hate to disturb what's already planted there. Hope your garden is beautiful and you're enjoying it. Because winter is coming. Did I say that. It's evening now and I see the flicker of fire flies.

Hydrangea Arborescens

It's wonderful to get plant mail. Planta claus from Bloom Box came this morning. On  my doorsteps. In the yard until time to plant. Gave it a good watering.

Oak leaf hydrangea in the center. It's also from Bloom box purchased last spring. It's been a slow grower in the yard. But I'm glad it's surviving.

 

June

Happy vacation to me. Until almost the end of August. I'm trying to prepare for knee surgery hopefully this fall and want to get my house in order. Especially my bedroom. Declutter and get a mini fridge, ice maker, and possibly small microwave for my bedroom which should help so I don't have to keep climbing up and down steps. Never thought I'd get a knee replacement, but my quality of life has become a factor along with pain all day and night every day. Not to mention the disability that comes with arthritis. I'm still gardening.

My cabbages are actually starting to make heads. This picture was taken last week. This week the tiny heads can be seen. My containers are at my sister's house. I followed the sun since there is dappled shad in my yard. Swiss chard is planted on the side. I also sowed seeds of small round carrots but only one seedling came up. 

Four tomatoes and three hot peppers. The eggplant is my sister's seedling.

My sister's lily. Such a beautiful color.

Started out with that many cabbages but let them die. What would I have done with that many any way?

Swiss chard was planted in my yard and hasn't done well with little sun.

My peppers made it and are planted at my sister's house although I had a problem with spider mites on them. They lost all their leaves and blooms but they grew back and now are making peppers.

Shade planter out front.

My dragon wing begonia seedlings. They haven't bloomed yet.

I like the ruffled edges. Color like my chocolate mint coleus seedling without the ruffles

My chocolate mint coleus seedling.

I'm lost for words for it's name. But you know what it is. (dahlias)

 

Zinnia and nasturtium seedlings.

Bee Balm

Coreopsis

Can't remember which daisy this is.

Sunflowers are getting taller.   

Hollyhocks planted last year. What is going on with that container? Don't know. Nothing has done really well in it this spring. We had a soaking rain this morning and all the plants are dry.

The yarrow gets taller each year. This is the second year since planted.

On the porch.

Hoya and ric rac cactus are back on the porch for the summer.

What is summer without a fern.

Currently reading a few pages each day. I like it. Also bought Viola Davis's new book to read this summer.

Sorry for any blurry pictures in the yard. I have a love hate relationship with my yard. It has eaten up lots of money in plants that didn't survive dry dappled shade. Finally found a hydrangea that loves it here. Our native smooth leaf hydrangea arborescens. Ordered one last year and 2 more arrive next week. Impatiens and discounted brunnera to go in the containers on the table. I'm learning that everything won't live in dry dappled shade. It has it's advantages though. It's always cool under the shaded trees and attracts loads of birds and wild life. I've heard many new unidentified bird sounds this spring. That's been exciting. Spotted the first catbird in the yard looking for insects, hopping along. Maybe it's making all the new sounds. I won't start feeding them again until the fall but until then they're enjoying the bird bath and digging for worms and insects. The yard has lots of earth worms. This spring there were lots of robins feasting.

Lady hydrangea. Love that it can be cut to the ground in fall and it grows again in the spring. Hopefully the blooms will be as large as last years.

Flower bed needs to be dug up again and the bricks lined up. Planter on the fence needs to be replanted as the pansies have died. Two box woods need to be pruned to have a shape. And I'll add a little color with impatiens and begonias waiting on the porch.

Several plants died in my blue container since planting early this spring including foxgloves, pansies, and columbine. Hopefully columbine is only sleeping until spring. I'll get around to adding impatiens, another hardy fern, and brunnera. There are also 2 oakleaf hydrangea that are doing well but growing slowly in the cedar container near the fence. Asters are next to them. They bloom in the fall. Hope you're having a good time in the soil.