I will admit, my garden time has not been as frequent as it once was. I try and get out at last once a day to check out anything new or issues that may need to be addressed, but I am missing it! Summer classes wrap this week, so hopefully I will be able to tidy up some things. And maybe not get bit by any spiders! (The assistant and I have gotten more than a few bites lately!) A while back, my assistant editor and now apparently assistant landscape foreman, did some structural changes to the yard. We have a lovely dry creek bed running through the garden and though it contained some stepping stones to cross, it was often a lot of hopping and skipping over rocks. My assistant was kind enough to dig it up, and flatten the path so that walking would be a bit easier. (besides that’s my main path of ‘oh my gosh cover the plants’). He also designed and built a sweet little fountain/water feature. I can hear it when the back door is open, and can see it from my kitchen sink, so even indoors we are loving this addition. He also helped my parents make one for their yard out of a pretty pot, so it is above ground, on a cute little plant stand. I love the additions to the backyard, and the birds are loving their outdoor shower. Lots of rain and tons of sun have things growing like crazy. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever had such HUGE plants. Since August is here, the sunflowers are somewhat starting to bloom. This is early for them in my experience. And I don’t have nearly the crop I usually do. I planted the seeds before one of our late spring snow storms, and witnessed some hungry birds picking around, so I’m guessing it explains the lackluster sunflower showing. I have a few tall ones, but with the vast growth of the plants around them, it’s hard to see them at all. I have harvested a ton of seeds. Lupines, Cosmos, Poppies, Daisies, Pansies…. Some we have already spread some around the yard, some we have shared with friends, and my neighbor even took some. (Though some of my plants have ended up in her garden quite by accident.) I’m curious to see what next year will look like given how many things we planted and have re seeded. I know I have said it before, but I really think planting from seed gives the best results. I have never tried Morning Glory, but was given some seeds and just had to buy it a trellis to twist on. I planted these Peony Poppy seeds and found this amazing creature this morning. It has several more buds yet to open and I can’t wait to see if they are different colors. Seeds are a small investment, you can get more varieties, and you can get invested in what you grew. It's pretty rewarding. I was looking at the photos from the last post, and I would say most of the plants have tripled in size!! By far the best seed planting I did this season was from an old package that I wasn’t even sure if they would grow. This was a pack of the most amazing wildflowers. It took a little time, some love and care and they are one of my favorite things in the yard.
Enjoy some pictures from around the garden.
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Hello Friends! This garden girl has been busy writing college papers and trying to wrap up summer semester. Our backyard oasis has been busy growing and thriving. Hot summer days and lots of afternoon rain have given all our vegetation the ingredients to go crazy! This also means that the critters have been out in force as well. We’ve had lots of ants, grasshoppers (yes, we still have those pesky guys), ladybugs, aphids, butterflies, birds and squirrels. The kittens have been busy at the back-screen door, chattering at all the activity buzzing around the yard. These months are the part of the season where the first plants to awake in the spring begin to decline, and new ones take over. The beautiful Lupines have faded and gone to seed, the California poppies are mostly just foliage now, few still with buds. The bee loving Salvia have been cut and trimmed back, thought I am hopeful and optimistic I will get another round of flowers from them. The good news, from the sadness of biding some of my early spring plants farewell, is all the midsummer plants and flowers are just waking up. My Cosmo buds are coming alive. Remember the “Cupcake” variety I planted? While those are still just a few inches high, I have at least 5 that are growing and that I am still keeping tabs on. Many of the others are already blooming and are tall and happy! These Cosmos take the place of my favorites, the beloved Poppies, once all my Poppies fade away. Speaking of Poppies, the blooms are slowing down, but I still have the newest varieties I planted this season (see the Poppy post for these) to wait and see how they turn out. The Cone flowers are in bloom, which make the most amazing cut flower to bring inside to enjoy. Speaking of bringing blossoms inside, my lavender crop is wonderful this season. I have been cutting some sprigs daily to bring in, and mixed with my Candy Tuft, white Iceland Poppies and Cone flowers in a mason jar, pure love! (of course, this bouquet goes on top of a tall dresser so it doesn’t become a cat snack). The Agastache, Hummingbird Mint, that was given to me by my dearest friend, is beginning to show off its purple stalks. This flower LOVES to spread all over! It is hardy and the most beautiful lime green, which gives the garden great contrast. I lost several of my most established plants last summer during a hail storm, but have many, many additional ones this summer have popped up and they are just enormous! These transplant so well and we have put them in pots and even brought some up to the front yard. Yes, they multiply (like our bunnies around here) but they are easy to remove what you don’t want. The bunnies won’t eat them, which is why we transplanted a few to the front yard. Summer storms have been moving in almost every afternoon for the past week or so. My ability to cover up and protect my friends has diminished, due to the fact they have grown so much! The sunflowers are far past the point of safeguarding, as well as countless others. I was talking to my sweet neighbor the other afternoon, and she said something that I have been trying to keep in mind. She said how big all the plants were getting, and I said that I was having a hard time covering them when it stormed. She just laughed and said, “I think you will just have to let it be.” I have been trying to do just that. Enjoy this beautiful and peaceful place and know that if a storm comes, I have had many wonderful days in our backyard retreat. As I type this, thunder rumbles outside. Maybe I should try and cover some plants. Maybe just a few.
The garden has been a busy place lately. Lots and lots of new flowers, some in which I don’t ever remember planting, are popping out all over. Our weather has been toasty hot. Not sure if that’s speeding things along, but we are enjoying all the changes. One of my most favorite blooms are that of the Corn Poppy. I had my first experience with these last summer as they came in a seed pack that my mom gave me for Easter. It was the seed packet that was the foundation for our little gnome garden. It is the Fairy Meadow Flower Mix by Botanical Interest. I have had great success with this brand of seed. I planted these seeds on one corner of the garden in early spring of 2016. We had the most fun trying to identify all the plants in this mix, and I will say we have seen each plant listed come up. Flowers like California Poppies, Spurred Snapdragons, and Johnny-Jump-Up. By far my favorites last summer were these Corn Poppies. They were just the most beautiful flowers, though very delicate and only lasted a day of two. They are in all shades of pink and red, some with white centers and vibrant yellow middles. Once they went to seed last summer I didn’t cut them back at all. Mainly because I wasn’t sure how to, and didn’t want to affect their ability to spread. And spread they did. Not only did almost all of this amazing fairy garden mix come back this year, but it expanded and spread to other areas of the garden. I love how small some of these plants are, as well as some that tower over the garden and act like little umbrellas. The Spurred Snapdragons were so cute and tiny and in so many different colors. And the Maiden Pinks sprouted all over this summer and are so delicate. These sweet Corn Poppies are one of those magical night blooming flowers. When I do my morning, garden walks, I can usually spot one of two that weren’t there the night before. I know what you’re thinking. How is it that I know some flowers are new? I keep track. I make several walks through the garden every day and can spot the new blooms. Pretty much everyone. And if I miss it, usually one of the boys see it. In addition to the fairy garden seed mix, I also planted a mix that my mom shared with me. She received it from a friend that brought it to her from Texas. My mom tucked it away and forgot about it. When she found it, we weren’t sure if it would be successful if we planted it, since it was a few years old. Since I didn’t have the best hopes for it, I scattered it a few places and was surprised how quickly it started to sprout. It rained and snowed and sort of gathered all the seeds in little groups, different than where I planted. My mom calls them little bouquets. The strange thing is what listed on the seeds as the contents are not what we have seen come up. I’m not exactly sure what some of these cute little flowers are, but they are super happy here. One variety I recognize is my friend, the Corn Poppy. These are much smaller than the ones in the gnome garden. I am excited for them to be in another area of the yard. My Oriental Poppy (see earlier post for more on this, called Princess Victoria) sort of bloomed and then fizzled out. I suspect it was because it bloomed so late in the season. It was the prettiest pink flower, but not nearly as amazing as I thought it would be. Hopefully, she comes back next year with a little more success. I did say Poppies are my favorite, right??
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AuthorCrazy plant girl who likes all things flowers, gardens and kittens. Together with my landscape foreman and photographer/site manager, we are watching our garden grow. Archives
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