Monday In Bloom

I think I’ve finally figured out that if I take the pictures around sunset, they turn out a little better. 

My poor pansies just can’t catch a break this season!  The leaves were looking kind of weird when I looked out my window to check on them, and when I went outside to take a closer look, they were covered in webs!  *shudder*  Ewww!  The leaves were turning a sickly yellow.  I have no idea if it’s a spider or a worm or some other kind of creepy crawly thing, but I whipped up a batch of some insecticidal-fungicidal soap and sprayed the heck out of it.  Hopefully … .

Otherwise, it was a pretty nice day when I went out to take pictures.  I was thankful for that!  We’ve had about a ton and a half of rain lately – lots of flood warnings here and our county is under a lot of water, lots of road closings and the like.  Despite all that rain, practically none of my pots closest to the walls get any of it, so I still have to water.  I can’t tell you how silly I feel lugging my watering can out when it’s been raining cats and dogs, lol.

Things are looking pretty lush with just a couple of exceptions (like my poor pansies!).  Overall, I’m really pleased with the progress this year. 

The lilies continue to be a bright spot!

The coleus, salvia, and dusty miller are just thriving!  I can’t even begin to describe how happy it makes my gardener’s heart to see how abundant these plants are getting!

I don’t think I could be more pleased with how this pot turned out.  🙂

This pot is just flooring me!  I swear, I’ve gotten that purple sweet potato plant pretty much every year for the last few years, and I’ve always put it out front in one of my hanging baskets.  It’s NEVER done half as well as it’s doing in this pot!  I’m thinking that even though the tag said “full sun to part shade” this plant does MUCH better in more shade than sun.  It’s hard to tell from this angle but it’s nearly touching the ground!  Yeah, I’m never putting this one in full sun again, that’s for sure!

Same pot from the other side.  Sometimes it’s nice to get a different view.  🙂

Two sides of the hanging planters.  They almost look like entirely different pots when seen from the back side.

And that’s how my garden is growing this week!  How’s yours coming along?

To see all my pictures from the garden this week, you can click either the link or the image below. Thanks for looking! 2017 Garden Weekly 11 | Flickr

2017 Garden Weekly 10 | Flickr

It has been a DRY week.  I was looking out at some of the trees across the street and the tops of them are looking a bit withered.  We’ve had little rain this week, although some is expected overnight tonight as I write this.  *fingerscrossed*  I missed watering because I thought it was going to rain, but it didn’t, and many of my plants started showing some real signs of distress.  Believe me, as soon as I saw that, I was out there with my watering can doing a double run!

I did manage to get a bit of deadheading and weeding done so that felt nice to get cleaned up.  A garden that looks uncared for is so sad to me.  I try not to let it happen, but sometimes life does get in the way of the best laid garden plans.

At the week 10 mark, which is about half to a third of the way through the season, things are looking pretty good, despite the dryness.  I have one lavender plant that seems to be going through some kind of transition, but aside from that, things are looking pretty full and colorful.  This makes me happy.  🙂

Ack!  Blurry!

Look who I saw while I was waiting to watch fireworks with the kids the other day!  I had to zoom in pretty far so it’s on the grainy side, but doggone if that isn’t Morticia Rabbit!  All the way over here!  And me without my shotgun!  Danged wabbit!

I thought I’d focus this week on my elevated and hanging pots.
I hoped this coleus would be taller by now, to give this pot some height.  Maybe I’ll switch it with the pot in the other corner, perhaps it needs a bit more shade.

I just love the spikes in this one!

This coleus is growing tall!

Who knew the icicles (aka licorice plant) had flowers?  I sure didn’t!  I hope they’re pretty!  These baskets are really starting to do a nice drape, with the cascading plants in them.  I love that look.

This pot stands just outside the front door so is the first thing I see when I step outside.

Lilies!  They are so HUGE!  I should probably divide them at the end of the season.

The marigolds are finally looking robust.  They add a nice splotch of color in the side patch.

The pansies are trying to make a comeback!  This pot was almost totally dead a few weeks ago.  That knot of dead stuff in the center is just where I put the deadheaded blooms, to try to compost them back into the pot for added nutrients.

Colorful snapdragons!  So bright and cheery!

That’s how my garden is growing this week!  How’s yours coming along?

To see all my pictures from the garden this week, you can click either the link or the image below. Thanks for looking!

Monday In Bloom

I popped some cupcakes in the oven and figured I had enough time to go outside and take some pictures.  As I was outside, the wind whipped up and the storm clouds moved in.  I came back inside with 2 minutes left on my timer, and when the timer beeped, the rain came down in sheets!  Just made it!

Everything seems to be doing really well now.  Everything is established and for the most part, thriving.  The pansies are trying to come back from the near death caused by Morticia Rabbit – keeping them high out of her reach is helping.  My lavender plant though seems to be dying off, at least partially.  I’ll be keeping an eye on it.  I need to do some serious dead-heading and weeding.  Not sure if I’ll be able to get to that before next weekend as we start back to homeschool this week.  We’ll see though!

Sunday morning, I had lilies!  Woohoo!

Daisies are thriving, shining steadily like a beacon. 

Snapdragons are looking bold and beautiful.

To stand by this pot, you get the sweetest scent of sweet alyssum, it’s heavenly!

The salvia are really healthy, too.  They’re very lush and full.

Yes, I’m pretty sure I over-planted this pot.  And you know what?  I don’t think I care!  lol

I love these pots! 

The hanging baskets are filling up nicely, too.  That icicles plant might be too big for these pots.  I’ve never planted it before so it was kind of a test.  At this stage, it looks nice though!

For Sue.  🙂

And that’s how my garden is growing this week!  How’s yours coming along?

To see all my pictures from the garden this week, you can click either the link or the image below. Thanks for looking! 2017 Garden Weekly 09 | Flickr

Monday In Bloom

It was actually a pretty gorgeous day, especially considering that July is right around the corner and is the hottest month of our year here.  Blue skies, mild temps, puffy white clouds – these are days that dreams are made of, few and far between here. 

Things are going pretty well in the garden.  Morticia Rabbit was back, so in desperation, I have moved all my pansy pots to the table on the patio.  Saturday night I had lots of colorful buds on my pansies – Sunday morning, I had stems.  Naked stems.  😥  And it seems to be just the pansies, not any of the other flowers.  In the meantime, I’ll have to see what kind of thing I can come up with to cover the pots to keep her out but still allow them to be visible and get air and sunlight. 

Aannnd she must have heard me talking about her because as I was in the middle of working on this post I heard a funny sound on my patio.  When I went to look out the patio door, turned the light on, guess what I saw?  Morticia Rabbit herself, wondering where the buffet had got to.  She was sitting in the exact spot she must have sat in last night while she gorged herself on my pansies.

I feel SO much like Elmer Fudd I can’t even tell you.

The coleus sure are starting to shine!  So colorful!

I love how the sweet alyssum cascades over the pot.  Last year I remember thinking it reminded me of a bridal veil. 

The salvia have started to blossom now, too.  This year I went with purple and white. 

My happy place!

Thankfully, Morticia seems uninterested in snapdragons. 

The hanging pots are getting so lush and full now!  I love how the purple sweet alyssum is kind of peeking out.

There will be lilies!  So many little budlets about to bloom!

The daisies have been reigning supreme right now – just look at all those lovely white flowers!  Aren’t they gorgeous?

I did manage to get some deadheading done on the sage.  There are indeed some new flowers waiting to bloom.  Hopefully they’ve got energy enough to do that now.

And that’s how my garden’s growing this week!  Despite the best efforts of the hungriest rabbit in the place!  How’s yours coming along?

To see all my pictures from the garden this week, you can click either the link or the image below. Thanks for looking! 2017 Garden Weekly 08 | Flickr

Monday In Bloom

It was actually a pretty gorgeous day, especially considering that July is right around the corner and is the hottest month of our year here.  Blue skies, mild temps, puffy white clouds – these are days that dreams are made of, few and far between here. 

Things are going pretty well in the garden.  Morticia Rabbit was back, so in desperation, I have moved all my pansy pots to the table on the patio.  Saturday night I had lots of colorful buds on my pansies – Sunday morning, I had stems.  Naked stems.  😥  And it seems to be just the pansies, not any of the other flowers.  In the meantime, I’ll have to see what kind of thing I can come up with to cover the pots to keep her out but still allow them to be visible and get air and sunlight. 

Aannnd she must have heard me talking about her because as I was in the middle of working on this post I heard a funny sound on my patio.  When I went to look out the patio door, turned the light on, guess what I saw?  Morticia Rabbit herself, wondering where the buffet had got to.  She was sitting in the exact spot she must have sat in last night while she gorged herself on my pansies.

I feel SO much like Elmer Fudd I can’t even tell you.

The coleus sure are starting to shine!  So colorful!

I love how the sweet alyssum cascades over the pot.  Last year I remember thinking it reminded me of a bridal veil. 

The salvia have started to blossom now, too.  This year I went with purple and white. 

My happy place!

Thankfully, Morticia seems uninterested in snapdragons. 

The hanging pots are getting so lush and full now!  I love how the purple sweet alyssum is kind of peeking out.

There will be lilies!  So many little budlets about to bloom!

The daisies have been reigning supreme right now – just look at all those lovely white flowers!  Aren’t they gorgeous?

I did manage to get some deadheading done on the sage.  There are indeed some new flowers waiting to bloom.  Hopefully they’ve got energy enough to do that now.

And that’s how my garden’s growing this week!  Despite the best efforts of the hungriest rabbit in the place!  How’s yours coming along?

To see all my pictures from the garden this week, you can click either the link or the image below. Thanks for looking! 2017 Garden Weekly 08 | Flickr