I thought perhaps it is a Hollyhock, but now I am unsure. Does anyone know what this dainty flower is?
I should have given you a picture of the leaves in the first place Duh!
When I took this photo and looked at it, the line about the corn being 'high as an elephant's eye' from the musical Oklahoma, popped into my mind.
I have 21 little pots nurturing the runners of the strawberry plants. This is the least expensive and oh so easy way, to replace the spent plants in the strawberry patch. i usually pull old plants every two or three years, depending on how they look and if they are still producing plenty of fruit.
There were so many bees on the dwarf Greek oregano, that I had to be careful, and not accidentally brush up against one. I have had the misfortune to annoy a bee on the herbs once before, and felt it's wrath when it took it out on my hand. ouch!!
First pot has Flowering Kale 'Coral Queen, Viola 'Antique Shades', Superbells and a Mexican Feather Grass.
The second pot has all the same plants, except instead of the Feather Grass, it has a Variegated Moor Grass. The pots should look very attractive when the Kale reaches 12 inches high, the Violas fill out, and the Superbells trail over the edge of the pots.
Winter is always such a long time for a gardener, and having something of interest to blog about is sometimes difficult. I am on the lookout for winter plants, Kale being the first I have found. Next season I plan on planting grasses for winter interest in the garden, and great photo opportunities as they are bedecked with raindrops or snow.
There were several different shades and leaf texture of Kale, but the one which I knew would look great in the newly painted pots was one named 'Coral Queen' The one Kale would have looked kinda' lonely all by itself in the pot, so of course, I had to find something to fill in around the Kale. I settled on Viola "Sorbet' and I think the colors of the two kinds of plants will compliment each other.
Crocosmia and a double snapdragon are sharing the same plant support.
The balancing pots are very sad looking and need to go. There is a thistle reaching for the sun which also needs to 'take a hike' and the poor Penstemon on the right of the pots, needs some support. Sheesh! how did I get so far behind? oh yes! I have been to California, I have been working, and also most of my energy has gone into the vegetable garden. However, shame on me for letting this garden get into such a state.
After a few hours work
One of the reasons the balancing pots failed, is that the water from the sprinkler head had been covered by the leaves of a nearby plant which had grown taller over the summer. I took care of this problem by pushing a plant stake firmly into the ground, and wedging the sprinkler head into the top curve of the plant stake. 'Works like a charm' I also did the same with a couple of the other sprinkler heads, so they would be above the plants, and now the whole garden gets a good soaking.
Before I pulled the balancing pots.
Ta Da! all done except for raking up all the mess from the path. The large yellow pot is now a summer home for my potted hibiscus which will go indoors for the winter. There are still a couple of plants I am thinking of moving, and consideration given to new places to grow some of the annuals next year, as I realize this garden is a little shaded by the low fence, and it gets just morning sun. I will have plenty of planning and research to keep me busy during the cold winter months ahead.
May 10th What to do with this ugly stump?
May 10th Plant it with sedums.
August 19th Isn't it looking grand?
One is about the size of a baseball, and the other a little bit smaller. There are some which are about the size of a golf ball. I hope there is still enough warm weather, so at least the two larger gourds will mature.
In many parts of the world the Scarlet Runner Bean is cultivated both for it's flowers and the vegetable. My grandmother had a trellis which must have been about ten feet long and at least seven foot high especially for scarlet runner beans. When the beans were in flower the whole trellis was a mass of gorgeous red blooms, and the flavor of the beans I have never forgotten. This is why I decided to plant some this year, and even though they did not do as well as my grandmother's did, I still have had enough beans to satisfy my yearning for a taste of them.
Working in the garden where my Oriental lilies are planted, is a delight. The fragrance which wafts on the breeze, tickles the senses, and leaves one with a feeling of "life is good"
I love the little rustic building, and if I could afford it, I would have a larger version built for my garden.
The main entrance into the nursery.
I would also like to have a dozen or so of these ceramic pots.
Just love the shape of this tree as it leans gracefully over.
A gorgeous selection of plants in a large planter.
I hope you enjoyed seeing a small part of my favorite garden center.
Sweet corn -Jubilee Hybrid 'Cornucopia' Cucumbers -'Green Dragon Burpless' and the round one is 'lemon' Tomatoes- 'Black Russian', which are not as dark colored as pictured on the label, and Cherry ' sunsugar' , Pole beans- 'Scarlet runner' and Blue lake' Swiss Chard, Sweet basil,to go with the tomatoes on a chicken and basil Pannini Strawberries, and a few Blueberries for dessert.
I haven't seen very many Hummingbirds the last couple of weeks. They are moving on, and I will be sad to see them go.
The first of the 'Mini baseball sized' cabbages, although it isn't exactly 'baseball shaped, and a whole heap of delightfully sweet 'Sunsugar cherry tomatoes'
