Side Garden Cleanup

With my training season winding down, and summer kicking my garden in the butt, I took some time Friday to clean up the side bed.
I just moved down the alley and cut down everything that wasn't grass or sesame plant (the neighbors will harvest those later).

Here are some photos of the alley mess...

And then a few of the cut-down hydrangea and daisies.

Both plants have new shoots, so I hope I didn't do the wrong thing by cutting them now.
As with all things gardening, time will tell...

Garden - End of July Status

The heat does not stop!
I have been gone pretty much every weekend, but one, in June and July.
These things added together mean that my garden looks like it belongs to an abandoned house that had a fire! Things are black, long tendrils of grass are shooting up everywhere, and weeds are moving in.
I don't have a big block of time to dedicate to clean-up until the weekend so I just pull up grass when I notice it.

Here's my action list for cleanup:
1. cut down the hydrangea to about 1' high. I've wanted to cut it back significantly, and since the whole thing is brown and dead looking, I figure this is a good time. There are new shoots on the stems, and I will let them grow from lower down.

2. cut down the sunflowers. They were magnificent! but now they are falling over. I will keep the heads to dry out and see if I can harvest seeds for next year.

3. the amazing buddleia in the back has fallen over. I need to replant it. Will probably do that asap!

4. trim all the dead stuff everywhere!

this is going to produce more than a bag of stuff! Every time I gather up yard waste and put it out for the "yard waste" pick-up, I wish I had space for a compost pile (canister would be too small).

In the meantime...
I got a hibiscus bloom!

Captured in the Act

When we went to South Africa in 2010 for my cousin's wedding, we took some time to travel around the country. While in the Kruger National Park, we got passed by the Google Car. I have been waiting a long time, checking Google periodically to see when those photos would show up.
When I checked on June 14, there they were!

A Visitor to the Garden

(I'm trying, Karin!)

Homage to Sunflowers!

An early bloomer:


As intended, they are peeking above the living room window.




Looking up from outside.


A sunflower forest.

Growing Season of 2012, you confuse me!

Here we are at the end of June and all the fall flowers are blooming. This has been a very strange year, and as we drive around PA, NY, and through all states between here and WI, I wonder about all the farmers. How are they getting crops through this crazy summer?

I don't know what these are called. They have amazing red flowers. After they bloom, they dry out and turn brown. They usually bloom in August, I believe. Here you can see that it is late June, blooming and dying all in one. :-(


The hanging basket.
I took this photo before we went away over the weekend. I knew 100 degrees was coming, and I wanted one last photo before it died.


and the inhabitants of the basket were hungry...


They had fledged by the time we got back.

Sweet peas blooming and dying.


The rose is losing all its leaves, and the second bloom is not as grand as it usually is.

Still Life

I made these a long time ago. I just found them on my computer, and decided to "store" them here. I find them very peaceful.











(that is a beautiful granite, and my favorite backsplash. Too bad you can't move architecture with you)

Garden - mid June

It got hot.

I don't like watching things burn.
I know I have been overwatering, and so I'm trying to avoid wetting everything every night. I need to accept the life-cycle.

So here are some new things - 25 June.
Wildflowers.
I have NO idea what they are!
...but there are 3 different colors right together.
[edited to add... my mom figured it out, they are balsam, a relative of impatiens]


Attempting a closeup:


Front garden with the Liatris.


Liatris, Rudbeckia, Yarrow


Early blooming phlox and the echinacea


Something new... a wildflower?

Garden - Blooming

Hostas are blooming...




Buddleia reaching high, and kinda leaning thanks to the rain.
This is just what I wanted it to do, reach up above the kitchen window.


Front bed alive.


Some things on spikes that are about to become something.


Side bed.
Love how the nasturtiums are starting to climb up the retaining wall.


This is my favorite; and I probably need to be better about photography to do it justice.
Lilac sage, purple echinacea, yellow coreopsis, and that peach colored rose.


The sweet peas are all the way over the top of the tower. They still haven't bloomed, and I am now worried that they will get fried in the summer son before they do.

Garden - Planning for Fall

6/7/2012
Thanks to my Mom's gift of a certificate for White Flower Farm, I have purchased two of my wish list items. Since they ship at the right time for planting, I don't have to pretend I know :-)
















This pink foxglove will go here:

















This echinacea will go between the yellows:


6/12/2012
Edited to add...
Just bought this Clematis.
I'm going to put it on the lamp post.
It blooms from May to September!!
Now I have to make a bed and figure out what to use for a support to get it going.