For the sun flower seeds I am cutting out the bottom of the flimsy pots. I am putting in the ground. Adding soil and three seeds and a pencil. The pot protects from the seeds getting eaten.
Not all days are good days in the garden. Sometimes things look pretty rough, but right now everything is blooming nicely. Here you can see orange Asiatic lilies, daylilies, purple salvia, Snow-in-Summer, ornamental alliums or walking onions, garden phlox, and iris foliage. There may also be some Silver Mound artemisia mixed in with the Snow-in-Summer.
The orange Asiatic lilies are the dramatic stars of the bed. They grow upright with glossy leaves climbing the stems like little green ladders. Asiatic lilies are hardy perennial bulbs and usually bloom in early to midsummer. They like full sun to part sun and average watering, especially during dry spells. After they bloom, I can deadhead the spent flowers, but I should leave the green stems until they yellow naturally because the bulbs are recharging. Mulch helps keep the roots cool, and they can be divided every few years if they become crowded.
Important note: lilies are extremely toxic to cats, even the pollen.
The purple salvia is probably ‘May Night’ salvia. Salvia is an absolute pollinator magnet. Bees treat it like a tiny airport terminal. It likes full sun and is drought tolerant once established. If I cut back the flower spikes after the first bloom, I may get a second flush of flowers. It can also be divided every few years if it starts to get woody in the middle.
The daylilies are almost indestructible. They spread steadily and thrive in Indiana gardens. They like sun to part sun and moderate watering. I can remove the spent flower stalks to keep them tidy, and divide them every four or five years if they start flowering less.
The white and silver mounds in front are Snow-in-Summer mixed with Silver Mound artemisia. They add a soft, silvery edge to the bed and make the bright flowers stand out even more. Snow-in-Summer likes sun and well-drained soil. It can spread, so I may need to trim it back when it gets too enthusiastic. Silver Mound artemisia also likes sun and good drainage and does not want wet feet.
The upright onion-like clumps with round buds look like ornamental alliums or walking onions. They add excellent vertical texture, like little garden exclamation points. They prefer full sun and well-drained soil and are very drought tolerant once established. I should leave the foliage as long as possible so it can feed the bulbs.
There is also garden phlox coming along and iris foliage adding height and structure. Even when the irises are finished blooming, their leaves still help hold the shape of the bed.
This is the kind of garden moment I like: not perfect, not finished, but full of color, texture, bees, bulbs, and possibility. A dental office garden is not where one necessarily expects drama, but the lilies are absolutely giving a performance.
I love the way Peanut, the purple flower, and the yellow flower looked in this picture. Summer must be amazing for Peanut because everywhere sprouts flowers that to him are probably as big as trees are to us. The purple flowers are dame’s rocket (Hesperis matronalis). They are considered invasive in Indiana and across much of the Midwest because they spread aggressively and can crowd out native spring wildflowers, which is probably why you do not really see people selling them openly.
The yellow flower, of course, is a dandelion. I do wonder how the purple flowers got there.
One little identification note, just because it is useful: dame’s rocket has four petals, while garden phlox has five, which is one of the easiest ways to tell them apart.
Indiana native plant sources often suggest downy phlox as a good alternative. (Indiana Native Plants Finder)
No one looks stupid when they are having fun. —Amy Poehler. I remember Bryan Moll making fun of my garden back in 2000 when I started. I don't see you laughing now, Brian! I don't care if I spell his name wrong because he mocked me!
Chewy, Peanut, and I had two walks. One was the usual one around the park, where my project is filling the hole with branches. I love the inevitability of gradualness. I enjoy seeing what I have created. That is what the garden is—a testament to hard work and consistency. Hard work and consistency, together with some luck, build great things in life. I can do all things if I am consistent and work hard.
I did a lot of gardening. I dug up daylilies in the backyard around the flower pit and moved them to the south side along the fence. I dug up hostas along the fence and moved them further west. I have so much to do in the back and so many seeds to plant. I really hope that they take! I have so much gardening to do, and I have to take care of flowers at Dr. Cho's office too.
Here are the flowers at Dr. Cho's:
While I was gardening, Corinna stopped by, and we had a chinwag. She brought over some things for the June 7th yard sale. An hour later, Becky stopped by, and we walked and talked while we looked at my flowers. I LOVE it when people drop in! I love it when people check to see how we are. Happy times!
Gardening log: I put mulch on the cardboard I had placed underneath the Korean fir. I now need to move plants away from the circumference of the tree and make a new path. Challenges, challenges. I also need to move the plants in the flower pit to around the air conditioning unit. Then I will plant ground cover around the fire pit. I do love my gardening!
No gardening because it rained. I did put some cardboard under the Korean pine because there are too many weeds under there. I hope it works and it doesn't kill the tree. I need to get the plants out from under the big evergreen tree. I also need to weed-whack under it. It is a cold day today and rainy again. At the weekend, it is supposed to be warmer, and I look forward to that!
Gardening log: I
Gardening: Yesterday, I asked the neighbors—the twenty-somethings—if I could plant in their yard so they don't have to mow. “Hey, neighbors!” I called to the twenty-somethings next door. “Can I plant in your yard so you don’t have to mow?”
“Yes!” they replied enthusiastically. “Please do!”
“I have too many daylilies,” I explained, “and I want to make room for other plants.” I ripped some daylilies out from around the fire pit and planted them next door. Today, I have to plant and water some new seeds I got. EXCITING BUSINESS! If I am here every weekend, I can plant every day because I will be here to water the seedlings.
Yesterday, I went over to Judy's, and she called her car insurance to come and fix her car. They jump-started it, and she kept it running in the garage. We were going to go to a vintage porch party, but we ended up hanging out at her house, and I did some gardening. I also brought over some ice cream that we both enjoyed. “You made me happy!” she said with a smile.
The Gardening Log: Yesterday, when I came home, I mowed the front yard. Tomorrow is the backyard. I planted sunflowers and cosmos around the fire pit. Tomorrow, I need to rip out some more daylilies to make room for additional plants. I also need to get planting with the elephant ears and cannas. Where will I put them?
Gardening! I moved some plants around. I put the lilies under the tree, out in the open. I also dug up a sunflower from a pot and moved it to the garden. I staked it as it was looking pretty puny after the move. It will readjust. I also weeded and weed-whacked. I have some more weed-whacking to do today.
Never underestimate, "The inevitability of gradualness."Sidney Webb, 1st Baron Passfield. One of my favorite quotes I live by: things erode by gradualness and also grow by gradualness. My garden did not exist when I moved in 26 years ago, and now it is huge. It is a testament to gradual efforts. I am doing the same thing when I purge my belongings, when I clean, etc. When I weed, when I nurture friendships, and when I cut them off slowly (like with Eric). Nature is gradual most of the time.
My garden is a testament to the usefulness of my efforts. My life is a garden I tend. I prune, water, and feed different parts of my life.
As for gardening, I did some weeding—lots of weeding—and also some trimming and deadheading. I was talking to Judy while I was doing it when a strange woman came and parked in my driveway. Then she asked me if she could trade plants with me. I told her I was on the phone and to put her number in my mailbox. Then she hung out in my front yard, looking at the plants. It was unpleasant. I do not appreciate people parking in my driveway. I am enjoying my peace. I think I am going to put up a no trespassing sign. I also need to tell people not to park in my driveway. Just because you want something doesn't mean I am going to give it to you. What is to stop people from taking what they want, though? That is why I am nice.
Yesterday, I dug up a bunch of flowers from the bed next to the pathway and moved them under the bird feeder. I then spread cosmos seeds where they had been. I hope the birds don’t eat them! I have birdseed to refill the feeders so the birds aren't focused on the seeds I’m trying to grow. If I manage to plant all the seeds I bought by the end of the month, I’ll be happy. It’s not even mid-May yet, so I’m optimistic. No freezes are forecasted. I had to dig up the metal edging to remove plants and couldn’t put it back correctly, so it looks a bit janky. Eric said he would help me with it when he visits.
That’s all for now!
Yesterday, I did a lot of weeding while I was on the phone. I really want to get busy planting some seeds. Mother's Day is the prime time to get them in the ground! A cosmos paradise is what I want.
Yesterday was a good day. I spent a whole lot of time gardening. I planted the rest of the sunflowers along the south side of the house. I...
