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We have been blessed with lots of rain here lately! So wonderful and has helped in keeping the garden from looking tired during this time of year. I have some cast iron plants that I have really been babying this year - b/c I didn't want to see the brown tips that I usually see on them, so I have been watering them like crazy. Well, needless to say, between that and the rain - they are happy! AND, a mystery plant is happy too - b/c about a week ago, a little sprout popped up in front of one of the cast iron plants. At first, I thought it was just the cast iron growing. Then, I thought it was a hosta - now I am just not sure. I have no recollection of ever planting anything like this here, but that doesn't mean I didn't. Any guesses of what it is?
I would love to know what you guys think!
On another note, I have been feeling a lack of color in my garden during the summer months - primarily in the back. I have roses that provide some nice color in the front, but I don't really want the kids and dogs to have to worry about the thorns in the back. In the back I have black and blue salvia that is blooming right now and a thornless white rose on the arbor and the sunflowers in the back , and the crepe myrtles...I know that sounds like plenty, but I just felt like the mixed borders needed "something." So, off to the garden center I went....and came home with a common Goldsturm Rudbeckia "Black Eyed Susan." This went to the left of the black and blue salvia - I think the yellow and blue will play well together. I also bought a "Snowcap" shasta daisy. This is a dwarf variety. Its foliage only gets 6-8 inches and the bloom only comes up about 12 inches. It went smack in the front of the mixed sun border. Common choices, but will provide some more summer interest until my fall varieties of sedums, solidagos, etc....start doing their thing.
I have also been better about later summer sewing this season. I usually forget to do this and always wish I had tried. So, this past week I put in seeds for white patty pan squash, purple pole beans, green and purple zinnias and brussel sprouts. It will be fun to see how that all works out.
And - I am still waiting on my heirloom tomatoes - ARGH!
I am happy to report that my second attempt at the petasites is working! It is growing and putting out new shoots like crazy. I suppose next year they will get larger and closer to the promised 3 feet accross...
Also wonderful is the great gunnera - 3rd times the charm on this one. It seems happy to get started in this pot - and will get transplanted if it keeps up the happiness:
I am excited to see how the loropetalum fills in in this area:
That is a beautyberry in the front left of the picture and I have great fantasies of what it will look like with a mature loro in the background.
The veggie garden is doing great and has filled in quite a bit. I am wishing I had planted at least one hybrid tomato plant - b/c I am getting tired of waiting on those heirlooms! I know they will be worth the wait, though....
The self seeding marigolds look so pretty against this blue garden art:
I am enjoying the sunflowers in the veggie gardens:
The only funny thing is that they all face away from the house, so I can't see them unless I go stand in the back of the veggie beds and turn around! HAH! Then, this is what I get to see...
Still pretty, even if I have to take a walk to see them!
This past weekend my hubby and I had the special treat of traveling to Ithaca for a friend's wedding. We have been to NYC, but had never had the opportunity to go that far upstate. Perhaps my favorite part, other than seeing some wonderfully special family friends - was to take in all the landscapes. That truly is a gorgeous part of the country! My favorite thing was seeing all the gorgeous spruce and fir trees! We don't have much luck with those down south - and if we do get them to grow, they certainly never get as big as they were in upstate NY. Here is a pict of me with a small sized one:
Also in abundance were the massive weeping willows:
The wedding took place at Cornell Plantations. We were able to go a bit early and visit the botanical gardens before the ceremony. That was really neat, because I have read about their "winter" garden. So, it was fun to see! I have posted all the picts in my photo album under "Ithaca."
It is always fun to travel, but I do love coming home. It really is silly how much I miss my plants when I am away! It was great to get back to them - and boy, did I come home to some weeds too! Its amazing what afternoon rains and summer heat can do to a garden!
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