Drowning

We have now had rain for OVER a week everyday, most days all day. My "prized" petunias are now so over waterlogged, only a few blooms remain. They turned to swiss cheese and then gooey, soggy mess. Many buds didn't make it to blooms - just rotted away. Grrrrr. I hope these rains hold off and that they have a chance to recover...

My Baby

This Rhododendron has actually turned quite nice this year! I am pleased with all the flowers and kind of think that perhaps I had something to do with it's improved health. I am also pleased with the cosmos coming up everywhere. This batch seems thicker than the ones I actually planted last year. Leave it to mother nature to one up me hmph. My tomatoes are doing well, the few cukes left are holding their own and lettuce is coming up. Even had some in a sandwich on the weekend.

A nippy day in May

I have been inspired to post an update and what better day than a cool spring day. Here is my rhododendron bush that was here when we moved in 4 years ago. It was in sorry shape and it has been my goal to bring it back to it's glory days (if it even had glory days). My efforts were for nothing last year as it didn't even BLOOM. Well, unless you count that ONE that popped out in the fall, a little behind schedule. I have been trimming off the dead branches and have watered it with miracle grow a few times, fertilized it this spring and most recently put a little grub ex around it as I have seen many grubs in the lawn and everywhere else in our yard. So, this spring it is looking much better, but still not up to par compared to the ones in all our neighbors' yards. Yes, I have Rhodo-envy.I think all my plants are stuck in a time warm and bloom later than all others in the area. Here my lilac bush, though healthy, is blooming now while most are finished.

This Rose Bush was planted a couple years ago and is doing well. This corner of the yard seems to have good soil, or something as the plants here are much better than the rhodo corner. I planted myrtle in both corners and the rhodo corner stuff seems to be hanging on by a hair, while this stuff is doing quite well.

Ring around the peach tree. I planted marigolds (good for warding off bugs with their skunk like smell) and petunias. The cosmos (dill-like leaves) grew on their own - must have seeded themselves last fall. I don't think they are technically a perennial, so this was awesome. They are popping up all over. Extra cool that I planted them from seed rather than transplanted some nursery plants.

This raspberry bush is thriving, yeah! Sophia will be very pleased this summer. It has quadrupled since I took those pictures early May.

My tomatoes look like they are about ready to be staked. Maybe later... haha.

I started planting my "mescalin salad mix" in rows and then changed my mind. Why do we NEED straight, perfect rows? I then went with the scatter method. I thinned my lettuce last year and regretted it as it didn't produce much. This time around we will see out it does without thinning. I doubt we will even get to eat this lettuce, though. If the "ducks" don't get it, surely our yard bunnies will.

This little patch is right up there with the cosmos pride. I planted "4 O'clock Mix" last summer from seed. Then I harvested the seeds as they were really easy to do and I thought, what the heck. I managed to save them ALL winter in a sand toy bucket where they hung out in our dining room. It is ultra impressive that the kids didn't scatter them across the floor. Anyway, I planted these harvested seeds and they ARE GROWING! yay me.

Ok, so this one is a little embarrassing. In the middle is the lambs ear that I transplanted to this side of the garden. Then those small ones that are neatly placed around it are actually WEEDS that I TRANSPLANTED there. Ugh! I thought they were little lambs ears popping up near the big one. I find it very interesting how weeds around plants can take on such similarities to the "good" plants. I guess I have some weeding ahead of me...

Here is my parsley BUSH. This little area is taking on a life of it's own. Just HOW big is it going to get? I don't know what to do with it even.

Here is a nice wild iris. I saw the leaves coming up and almost pulled them out. But they were pretty, so I let them stay. Today I just discovered it was actually a wild iris. yeah!

Here is my phlox. Not so perky. Here I thought these things were hardy and took care of themselves. I have been "babying" mine and this is what I get.

My summer bulbs are coming up. Not as plentiful as they were planted, but hopefully more will come up. In the back is the Dahlia's and in front are the freesia.

Lilies are holding their own with the ducks. Quack. Peony doesn't seem to be growing very quickly in front. Hmmm.

I believe these are the Tigridis bulbs I planted. I hope.

More Cosmos popping up among the petunias along Petunia lane.

Yard bunny spotted eyeing the "good corner"

Petunia Lane. A passing neighbor gave me a little petunia tip - when the bloom whither, cut them right at the base of that stem. I now walk around the yard and carefully inspect them all and nip off all the mostly whithered blooms. I have even been a little quick on the draw and perhaps picked them a little prematurely. Flower OCD.

Front step patch...

Variety is the spice of life

Ok, so I think my planting is almost done... Maybe. For now. Went out and treated myself to some more b-day/ mother's day plants, yay me! Filled up the pots on the driveway with Marigolds as they have been most successful there over the past couple of years. They are pretty, but stinky, so this is a good location for them. My late blooming tulips are still in blooming which adds some nice variety here.

Here my ducks are feasting on the lilies I planted last year. the lilac bush and tree I planted a few years ago are doing really well. Wahoo! Still don't have very many blossoms yet. maybe next year...

Here we see my new "creeping phlox" that I hope will some day creep around a nice section of my garden. Planted a new rose bush here and transplanted some daffodils and iris' over here.

This is my "herb garden". The parsley has taken care of itself (probably why it is doing so well) - I left it over the winter and it just started growing again on it's own. I bought these basil plants and hope to make pesto at the end of the season.

This is the rest of my vegetable garden. MUCH less extensive than last year. Just have three tomato plants and about 6 cucumbers. Not banking on much for the cukes, but we'll see...

Here grows my Myrtle, Daffodils, petunias and some iris'.

Petunia lane.

I really like the variety here - late blooming tulips, iris leaves popping up, newly planted petunias, a few marigolds and some sweet woodruff.

More petunias...

And last but not least, we have the rose bush, peony bush, myrtle, petunia, daffodil, marigolds and cosmos that seeded themselves last fall. Yay spring!

Some close ups of my new tulips and daffodils.

Most favorite tulip.

Coming up and melting

I am enjoying the heat so far today (ask me again I feel about it tonight when it is time for bed and the house is a million degrees. Then I may feel more like the flowers below.)These guys are ok as they are in shade most of the day... Happy myrtle. Yeah! They are surviving the transplant.

I am surprised at how quickly this peony is shooting up.

Happy flowers here. I think this is my favorite part of the yard at the moment.

Tulips are in full bloom on this side of the front steps. Daffodils weren't so successful for some reason. I may have butchered the bulbs when I was planting the hyacinths last fall...

Round 2

Ok, so round 1 last year didn't go as well as hoped. Lawn is still lumpy and patchy with dirty and moss. My vegetable garden didn't exactly flourish. New approach: throw my heart and soul into the lawn in the fall and focus on the flower beds now. I am going to skip the wimpy vegetable garden and try get some perennials going instead. I much prefer pretty, nice smelling plants anyway. I went to town planting bulbs for spring last fall. Unfortunately a bunch started coming up THAT fall and though the stalks are turning green I think I was mistaken to trim them in hopes new shoots would come. I think the yellow stalks may have turned green and even flower. Anyway, I am kind of pleased with the new bed on the west side of the house. I am glad the tulips and daffodils are all in bloom and like the variation in daffodils. They are flopping over, though, and I rather them stand tall and more full. Baby steps. I planted a ground cover "Myrtle" in the corners of the yard and hope they take off and eliminate the need for mulch there. I like the bulbs coming up there - Hibiscus? I planted some petunias along the fence to take over when the tulips and daffodils pass their season. I bought a couple rose bushes for the south side of the house and planted some summer bulbs - Freesia and Dahlias. I swear I planted dahlias last year from seed, however, they were in bulb form at the store. Do they start as seed and grow bulbs? I am hesitant to dig up the ground in that area this year as I think I hit a bulb when my first shovel went in. Wait and see?
South wall: New Tulip

YAY! I bought peonies last year and they didn't do anything. I believe this is a peony as this has sprouted up in both locations I had once planted them...

I will pretend these ducks are to blame for my stunted daffodils. I see some lilies coming up though!

One of my favorite new daffodils.

I wish I saved the tops of the bags when I planted last fall so I would know what kind of daffodils I planted...

New corner plantings include more daffodils and tulips and Myrtle ground cover. Planted those hibiscus' around the tree (I think)

Northeast corner, similar plantings.

Late bloomer.

So, it is safe to say that my gardening/ landscaping projects this year were pretty much a big flop. Grass is still lumpy, veggies didn't grow and flowers were late and sparse. In my defense, I didn't really put all that much effort into it after the beginning of July. Until then, it actually all looked promising. My raspberry bushes are actually doing better NOW than they were all summer. They are still producing red, tasty raspberries everyday. I go out and pick 3-9 berries as a special treat for Sophia, who LOVES them. Another late bloomer is my rhododendron plant. It didn't produce a single bloom all spring or summer and then. POOF. Out popped a bright red flower at the end of September. Better late than never, right? The buds are looking promising for next spring too...