Since the garden failed epically with dry, hot, unforgiving ground, I did herbs in pots. I don't know if I mentioned before, but here's progress:

I have huge bush of Basil. It smells so good - every time I water or rotate the pot, the smell knocks me out. Now it's going crazy - I'm going to harvest & freeze in a Ziploc. I was going to do the whole ice tray thing, but our freezer is small. My Italian bella BFF, Lisa, has promised me seeds of Italian Basil from the old country. Bring. It. On. :-)

I have Sage & Chives in a pot, too. The sage is getting really hardy. The chives are still under control. Since this was all a last minute thing, next year, I'll use much larger pots.

And lo and behold, the red and sweet banana peppers I saved & threw into a pot are sprouting. The pot isn't that big so the peppers will be small. I'm just thrilled to have 'em. The tomatoes, spinach and cukes died an early death. It got so hot so fast this year.

This is all I have to share 'garden' wise. My lettuce was okay, but it bolted early. I ate as much as I could. The cilantro didn't go well, either. It got really huge, but got bare & sprouted pretty little flowers. Hmmm... NOT how it looks in the store.

Live and learn, huh? I think next year I will get those pre-potted tomato plants that come all potted & staked for you. My sun is so limited with the huge trees. It's a blessing and a curse.:-)

Pictures by me.

Excellent Caladiums. Low maintenance.

 Remember me? I don't blame you if you don't.

With having fire-type heat this summer, and a garden plot that turned hard as cement, I had to let the gardening go. Everything I planted (cukes, spinach, tomatoes) died a quick & tragic death! Lol.

I do have a couple of pots of herbs though. The basil is out of control (I need to look into what to do with an over abundance of it), sage & chives share another pot. Sage is doing great; chives are puny.

The Red Gerbera Daisy

 Off the patio where I planted tiny coral bells, a huge bush of lemon balm sprouted, along with a huge leaf of something I don't recognize. The L.balm smells great and has sprouted super tiny white flowers. I've read where it can be put in tea. Worth a try.

With the rains for the past 2 days - everything got revived, but the grass is still a scream. It's like ugly yellow hay, hard & crunchy. We need rain consistently for a few days.

 I did a lot of pots this summer. They're everywhere, all different sizes and shapes. And nearly all terra cotta (pot snobbery). I'm proud of the color splashes I wanted. And I liked throwing different things in 1 pot & watch it blend.

Very Better Homes & Garden....:-)

Tons 'o fresh basil

A good blend

My 1st thriving Hibiscus tree. A bloom only for a day.

Lemon balm. Smells heavenly.

My 1st Million Belles.

A rescued Tuberose Begonia

Flowers seem intended for the solace of ordinary humanity.  ~John Ruskin

Pictures by: me

Stay a while...

Welcome back!!! Thanks for stopping by; I hope you have time for a little visit - I have lots to say :-)

If you're wondering what the blue bottle is; it's 1,000 pieces of used Ivory Soap & water. I use this to keep whatever bugs they are that love munching on my hostas & sweet potato plants. I found this idea sometime last year @ thrifty.com when looking for a cheap solution. All you need is a gentle soap (we use Ivory, so...), spray bottle from $1 store & wa-lah! This is 2nd year i've used it & it does stop the eating.

After a rain, you may have to reapply, but it doesn't hurt the plants whatsoever. Remember to do the underside of the leaves as well. Oh - & don't apply in direct sunlight or it will turn your plants filmy. Oh - & don't panic when it rains & the soap turns white. It's all good.

Stepping stone leading garden (sorry it's crooked)


See the little heart-shaped leaves? Well, those are purple, lilac & white morning glories getting started on their summer season. They come back year after year. Anything within reach, they will reach out & grab. This is perfect because it's leading up the trellis (below)

The tomatoes have gotten so heavy & bushy that it was time to stake 'em. I should've used those 90-foot tall stakes in the beginning, but... I didn't. This little stakes won't last long - in the past, the plants outgrew this height in weeks. I really dont care for the wire tomato cages. I've found that when your plants get taller than the cage, the plants bend & break :-(

This is "said" trellis. As you can see, my neighbors window overlooks my patio, so D built this for me about 5 years go. When the morning glories fill in, you can't see the window at all! Just what I was going for. It gives us and them privacy. Much. Needed. Privacy :-\

Follow me to the garden :-)


These shepherd hooks are SO adorable. Again $1.00 @ the DollarStore. I love all dollar stores. Cute/pretty doesn't have to be expensive.

The cukes are getting tall & spreading out. The rosemary gets bushier each time I snip some off for cooking. The gift that keeps on giving :-)

See how big & hearty the cabbages are? They're slowly forming into round-shape. Mind you, this is my first time EVER growing cabbage, so we'll all be surprised at how they do. Everything is trial and error - that way, I'll know better for next year.

This is the backside of my garden plaque my sis-n-law, April, made for me some years ago when i had enuff sun for gardening. April is crafty like none other. She can take anything & make it beautiful. Just one thing I love about her.






This is just a taste of the shade I have in the backyard that put my gardening on hiatus for years. After all the trees grew so tall & stole my sun, i tried growing in pots which failed cause not enuff sun time. There's the willow, birch, apple & maple trees. Keeps the yard & house cool, great for my shade garden (hostas), but no good for growing veggies. The empty lot behind me was/is a blessing.

I have another batch of super gross & yucky compost to put in the garden. Yay!!! It's easy to make quick little batches since my spot isn't that big. I think I fill up my plastic coffee canister about every 2 weeks. I think the worms really appreciate it :-)

The tiny purple flowers are Lamb's Ear that i moved from the side of the house to the outside of the garden. If you're familiar w/this, you know it never dies, it spreads & takes over everything. It blooms until summer's end & comes back year after year. If you have a blank spot that needs color, this is it. I did the same w/the Moonplant that grows crazy. Any that pops up in front is moved to outside the garden. I want everything to grow crazy wild back there! :-)

Did you notice the tiny white bloom on the pic below? That mean sweet, yellow peppers are on their way!! Yay-ness!

The watermelons are busting out! The stems are very fuzzy now. If only the sparrows would stop eating the leaves!!! What IS that? I love my outdoor, winged babies, but not when they follow behind me & pick what I've planed. If the zucchini makes it ~ it'll be a miracle. It still has it's poor, yet hearty, single leaf...

See 1 of 3 of my little garden gnomes I have to watch over everything? :-) I used to have four, but my son + a full garage = "oops, sorry mom." Sigh....

Well, thanks for stopping by, everyone. Hope I didn't keep ya too long. Please stop back again soon to see how everything's doing!

Soggy

Clearly, there's a pattern here in the Midwest: sunny 2 days, rain 5. There are showers & thunderstorms predicted everyday until next week. Everything is truly soggy to the gills. So, this means that I wasn't able to get out to the garden at all. Huge rain puddles everywhere. I think the ground is too saturated to soak it all in. We'll see what happens; looks like the sun is trying to come out now ~ yay! See ya next time.


Tracey's Pictures :-)