Well, the last month was crazy, being the end of school, but now I am ready for a full summer of relaxation and enjoyment in the garden. Here are some random garden thoughts.
Overwintered Pots
I threw all my pots into the garage and forgot about them last fall. Some of my pots were situated by our garage's south facing windows. Amazingly enough, when I pulled the pots out in the spring, many of my annuals had overwintered and were already in full growth (with some already in full bloom)! I have wave petunias, small petunias, calla lilies, dahlias, geraniums, spikes, and even gerbera daisies still alive. So. . .I cheated and just left a lot of things potted up from last year. I threw in some osmocote, so hopefully they will still have enough nutrients to bloom.
I decided that I have been planting too many pots, so I planted eight less pots this year. I needed something to do with my leftover pots, so I decided to create a tower effect out by my maple tree as a kind of funky yard art. This is how it turned out:
It's a Beautiful Time in the Garden
Quite frankly, the yard is simply gorgeous right now. I have tons of iris blooming, along with lilacs, so there is a wonderful fragrance outside. Everything is green and beautiful, with none of the brown, tired look that things sometimes begin to get late in the summer. I love this time of year!
The Vegetable Garden
Yesterday I finished planting my garden. I put in zucchini, yellow summer squash, asparagus, cosmos (self seeded everywhere!), cilantro, bell peppers, hot peppers, onion sets, parsley (again self seeded), green beans, Brandywine, Early Girl, Sweet Million, and Roma tomatoes, two kinds of pumpkins, cucumbers, and Zinnias. I already have rosemary, marjoram, oregano, sage, and chives growing out there. I was a little sad that I was too lazy to get any lettuce planted, but you can only do so much. My little garden looks pretty good; I am excited for the bounty in the fall.
Spring Flush Time!
I have buds everywhere getting ready to burst forth. I should have a spectacular spring flush any day now!
We have had a very unusual, cold, wet spring. As a result, all of my plants have been getting a slow start. I have many rose bushes just full of buds, sitting there, waiting to open. It is making me so impatient! The following bush is the English Rose, Pretty Jessica, just waiting to wow me with hundreds of flowers:
I have had some peonies start to open. Here is a hot pink beauty for you:
The biggest ladybug to visit my garden yet:
My baptisia finally in bloom after three years!
This is my monster antique rose, Reine des Violettes (Queen of the Purples). Just so you have an idea of how big she is, this is an eight foot pillar wrapped with Reine's long limber canes. When she finally blooms, she is going to be spectacular!
