August already?

There's a lot happening in the garden. So much so, that I can't seem to keep up with posting. Last weekend, I suited up and weeded the back of the yard. There must have been 150 SF of weeds; some of them the size of trees. This fall, I'm going to set the perennials in motion, so that they will be on auto pilot next summer. I just don't think I can do much of this anymore. Life is so busy!


I shaped up the circle around the dogwood tree and built it back up. I reorganized the plants around the base as well. To the left of the photo are Irises that I moved about 1' away from the deck. Last year I transplanted some in that relative location, but they sprouted right up against the fence which is a waste because you can't see them from the yard and it's difficult to weed back there. I literally just moved the entire plant and root ball along with it. It hasn't wilted so I think I did good.


Do you remember this?

Well, here's a hint.



For the 3rd year in a row, my dahlia made it! I was a little nervous this year because I put the bulbs that I dug up in the basement without a bag or any peat moss. I just left them in a container and I was afraid they dried out. But she made it!

As for the veggie garden, I'm seriously going to do a raised garden bed next year and pots. They were so much more rewarding in terms of harvest and far cleaner to deal with. I'll make a patch for corn and cucumbers in the back, but as for the other veggies I'm going to plant in a raised bed. I've been observing the sun's movement across the yard to see where is the best place to locate the raised bed. We'll wait and see.


Last year, my carrots were a wash. The soil has to be really soft and even (no rocks or hard soil), so I did them in a container this year. It was perfect! I'll do this again next year.


As you can see I have lots of red chili peppers. I don't know why I grow this since we can't use them much. They are pretty spicy and only need 1 or 2 at most. I'd like to think that they keep the animals away. In the lower right hand corner, you'll see a little pumpkin. These were cute, but I am not sure I will plant the large pumpkins again. They take over the yard.


I've been using my bell peppers for salsa and stir fry, but here are a few that are starting to turn red! The plant could use a larger container as well, but this will do for the year.


I have this one lemon cucumber vine that is a monster! And there are tons of cucumbers! It seems that the afternoon shade prolongs the life of the vine.

Before & After

It's been cloudy and drizzling the last few days which is a great opportunity to weed. The rain has been really good to the plants too. We also decided to mulch today which will keep the weeds away and retain moisture. As much as I dislike mulch, I found it really difficult to keep up with all the weeding last summer.

I'm a sucker for before and after pictures, so here are some:


Last Year: Bought the boxwoods at the end of the season last fall for $3! I transplanted some lamb's ear and extended the "curved" garden area.


Today: The boxwoods have new growth and I realize the one on the far right is a different type of boxwood from the others. The pink Peony and Siberian Irises will eventually tower over the bird fountain. Since I transplanted them last year, it's likely they won't come up strong until next year. The bird fountain was a wedding gift from our Best Man. The autumn joy is another transplant which will add color to the garden when everything else is finished it's bloom.


2 1/2 Weeks ago:




After: I pulled the Firecracker plant back because it's very invasive and was swallowing up some other flowers. I may have to pull it back every year or move it completely to somewhere in the back of the yard. The Kansas peony is my favorite in a deep fuschia color. It's very tall this year! The white lilies were also a gift and have multiplied a great deal.


2 1/2 Weeks ago:


After: The line I drew is that I need to extend the garden bed some more. I divided the daylilies and autumn joy and spread them around.

It's a Watermelon!

Break out the cigars! It's a watermelon! There are 2 of them and although they are small now, we hope they will grow up to be big watermelons! We're curious to see if we can get it to grow square like the Japanese do.



Another striata zucchini. They really are monsterous. I prefer the smaller, sweeter ones. Their plants are also overwhelming to the garden bed.


Brussel sprouts


To my surprise, the pink dahlias are still going strong with lots of blooms. I cut them often and place them in the house as a centerpiece.


So are the pom pom like yellow dahlias.


Lots of tomatoes! Approximately 18 tomatoes per plant.


Lambs ear that I bought during the garden tour I did in the early summer.


Our cactus is doing really well on the dry side of the house!


And what is this beautiful flower?! Oh, it's me! The cosmos behind me is over 6 feet tall.