A Little August Color. .

It seems very difficult to believe that it is the middle of August. .

Not only because we have had over 7 inches of rain in the last month

(which to some of you sounds like no big deal. .

but to us in Western Kansas. .

In JULY/AUGUST. .

It is a HUGE deal!!)

But also because the temperatures for that same length of time have been in the 70-80’s and a few low to mid 90’s!!

This time of year is when we USUALLY have our multiple 100 degree days!!

Now don’t hear me complaining. .

I am NOT!! It just feels strange!!

The flowers are LOVING the weather. .

So I thought I would give you a quick tour!!

This is a little clump of purple salvia that I moved from my mom’s gardens after she moved. .

The bonus was. .

The pink sweet William in the front!

Across the sidewalk from that is my lil’ veggie garden.

The tomatoes have been a total bust!! Not sure why. .

According to all the messages in my In-box. .

Everyone else who bought these grow boxes have PHENOMENAL results!!

Grr!!

The basil and peppers have started to really look nice though. .

And the cucumber vines have grown well. .

The ones that survived the kittens did anyway!!

The three galvanized tubs that were salvaged for herbs are doing well. .

Dill compacto on the left is blooming!

I think I will let it make seed and hope that a few will come up in the straw area next spring! There is also some lemon thyme in with it. .

The chives are in the middle with a clump of regular thyme. .

And something LOVES oregano other than us. .

Cause it has nibbled the clump in the right pot down to the quick. .

It’s just now regenerating!

Grant and I are hoping to make some raised beds in the background to grow beets, garlic, and okra, and put the tomatoes back into the ground, using the grow tubs for peppers and smaller things. We also intend on moving the rhubarb and blackberry plant to the same area. .

Adding another blackberry bush and another raspberry bush as well as two grapevines.

The garden has sure been handier to monitor for this busy gardener when it is right under my nose as I leave every morning!

These little self watering tubs are working better on the flowers than they are on the veggies. .

They have just been slow to take off. .

Usually, we are eating watermelon by now. .

At least we have the promise of watermelon to come. .

Cantaloupe too!!

That will be wonderful!

The nice thing will be. .

That I will pick up the tomatoberry plants that are producing. .

As well as the established pepper and basil plants. .

And move them straight to the greenhouse in their grow boxes.

I am excited to see how that works out.

I also started some new tomatoes, some swiss chard, cilantro seeds, and Diva cucumbers. These will be my winter greenhouse crop.

The moonflowers have reseeded in several areas of the garden. .

They sure do shine in the moonlight and into early morning!
Tristan even picked one for me and brought it into the house the other morning. .
They don't last well in a vase. .
but he didn't know that!!

This was a volunteer Russian sage from my Russian garden. .

I transplanted it to the memory garden last spring. .

It is doing well here and the bees love it!

In contrast. .

Here is my Russian garden!!

Not only do the flowers love the rain. .

So do the weeds!!

This bed was cleaned out not long ago!! The Texas red yucca are just now big enough to have had one bloom on them. .

I think that in the next year or two, that color combo will be really stunning! This bed has had no additional water, even earlier in the summer when it was hotter and things seem to be holding their own.

Back to the memory garden. .

There is a HUGE patch of these cute little mini hollyhocks! Behind are all the dried blooms from the Monarda!

My favorite Grandpa Otts morning glory. .

They are rambling up the fences now!

Right down from those is this transplanted clump of Karley Rose grass. .

One of my very favorite grasses with purplish plumes and a medium height.

The patch of purple is a sedum from my mom. .

Possibly blackjack.

When we moved plants from her yard, she remembered how much I loved the black sedum and asked me to take that clump. It has established well. .

And I’m not sure that I had ever really been to her house this time of the year. .

Because the stem color has darkened dramatically. .
And I love it even more now!

Can’t wait to propagate that into some new clumps!

Last bloomer in the memory garden is this Guava ice coneflower that I got on clearance in mid June!! Loving that!

Grant’s zinnias are blooming. .

And look nice with Salvia shared by Gardener on Sherlock street. .

As well as near the goldenrod that has been blooming for about a month now!

One naked lady left. .

The clump was gorgeous. .

And there were several clumps that I found.

Those reestablish sooo slowly after moving them, that I still find new clumps each year!!

I tried to grow gladiolus this year. .

I’ve had mixed results. .

There were several that died. .

Though I’m not sure what made the difference.

I’ve had a handful that bloomed. .

Some that bloomed also had the bulb next to them die. .

Go figure!!

The pitcher pump has run water all summer!!

Seems the magical cure was to get it out of nearly all of the wind. .

I have absolutely loved it!!

My large galvanized tub. .

With purple fountain grass, lemongrass (which I STILL don’t know how to cook with) and sweet potato vine. .

There are still some purple petunias in there. .

But the other stuff is edging them out. I do like the contrasting colors and foliage!

The $2 clearance canna bulbs are starting to bloom in the pond. .
I'm hoping to salvage those in my garage this winter and use them again next year.

And this little blue pickerel water plant has also been throwing purple flowers out for about 2 months now!

The corkscrew rush has been naturalizing the pond since the pond’s inception. It looked really neat with the rain drops still on it’s stalks!

As did the backlit Mexican hats!

I love sooo much the colors of later summer and fall. .

Everything is fuller. .

The butterflies are visiting in full force. .

And the weather promises cooler temperatures (eventually)

I’m sure there will be a few more blooms to showcase before the end of the season!!

Weekly Flower Show

We had a break in the wind on Memorial Day. Unfortunately for my gardening obsession. .I was driving and shopping most of the day.  But after Jeremy took the younger two to help haul a load or two of wheat (while I was supposed to be cleaning up my house wreckage) I snuck out to enjoy a quick walkabout in the gardens. 

I have gone round and round with myself about this pond. It has been more maintenance than I prefer. .

and I say. .

 that if I had it to do over again. .

I would have probably stuck with the pondless waterfall. .

BUT. .

I'm not sure that is entirely true. 

It is definitely coming into itself. .and the sheer beauty of it (when the wind isn't blowing 40 mph) is good for my soul. The Mexican hats are goin' to town now. .as are the ratibida. You can also see the caryopteris bush (the blue one in the back) in full bloom! I have noticed half a jillion tiny caryopteris plants sprouting this spring; I'm sure. .because I watered the area so faithfully to keep the new native plants alive. I will be pulling them sooner or later. .so if you are someone who might enjoy this little plant. .let me know. .I'll be GLAD to share!! Make sure you have a space that can accommodate a 4 foot by 4 foot plant. He attracts winged creatures great and small, won't take a lot of water, and thrives on neglect. .anybody interested yet?? Sara, your "empty-slate" yard is coming to my mind!!

This bed to the left is the one that I put leftover liner in, under the dirt, to hold extra moisture for the plants like hostas that like water. I have added some small coral bells, lily of the valley, lamium, and 2 calla lilies that are coming up from a package my pastors wife gave me. This week. .I was blessed to find ONE cardinal flower on clearance at the farm store. I have looked in 3-4 different places to find it, and couldn't believe my good fortune!! I have tried it several times. .managing to kill it each time. .

BUT. .

you know my motto. .

You can't be a good gardener unless you kill lots of things first!!

And sometimes. .

DURING.

I think that THIS little garden will be the location that will be a winner for the hummingbird magnet, moisture loving, perennial plant. I'll let you know whether it lives. .

or otherwise!

I promised photos of the catkins on the variegated cattail plant. This guy is planted in a pond pot. .to help keep it under control. .they can be pretty invasive, I read! So far. .I love it!

Another view of these flowers I am smitten with. .

The red stem near the rush plant in the bottom right corner. .is a water hibiscus plant I picked up a few weeks ago (while checking the pond store in Wichita for the aforementioned cardinal plant) This is a hardy specimen that I hadn't seen before. .in theory. .it will produce a nice red, fragrant bloom in the afternoon and evening, nearly the same color as the bright, red foliage. I couldn't resist it! It is about to come out of its shock from this glorious western Kansas wind, and is producing new leaves to show it's gratitude to life.

What's NOT to love about these guys?? As nicely as they reseeded, I am thinking that I will need to move some of them to another section of the gardens next spring!! Again. .willing to share. .plants OR seeds!

This little clump of little sunflowers was just too cute and bright to remove. I also just flat didn't get them weeded until they had blooms on them. .and then it's just like. ."Why bother now??" 

Mental note to self. .cut them down before they set seed this year!!

Here they are next to this huge patch of self-seeded cosmos. I fell in love with these plants years ago when I noticed them coming up in a ditch along the highway at someone's house. They are just so light and airy. .with such a bold color scheme! Cottage garden deluxe and super simple to start yourself!! It's a must try for those of you who would love to garden. .but think you have a black thumb!!

The front flowers are NOT the ratibida from the other photos. .but the gray headed coneflower. .which are supposed to get as tall as 4 feet. They are substantially larger than last year. .and have just started blooming!

These little clowns LOVE people. .and I got tickled watching their silly antics as they followed me around the yard. Cami and I found another black and white kitten this week, probably about the same age as these guys. .and a smaller black kitten that was being moved by its mama! Lots of new life around here!

This ONE lavender bush is really blooming. I keep thinking that it would make a nice fragrant bouquet. .just haven't gotten it picked :-) This huge bush comes up from one little spot in the center. .I think I will research and experiment with taking some cuttings to root out some new bushes. Wish me luck! It smells so nice. .I would like to dry some and make little satchels of it. .maybe in a few years when I find some extra time!

My fancy daisies are blooming. .I was able to transplant a piece of this plant to another location in April. It finally seems to be settling in and doing well in it's new location. Which is great, because it is one of my faves!

These guys are funny!! They are also sunflowers. .and I have no idea how they got there. They are huge plants. .taller than this 5'10" curly headed gal. I planted some of the "mammoth" variety seeds last year. .but not here (I don't think) and none of them came up anyway. I had intended to pull these long ago, but procrastinated. .and now I just can't bear to pull them (besides, it would take me a chainsaw to get them to fall!) I'm totally intrigued now. .hope they are good blooms!

The raised rock planter  has gotten used to the wind and weather. The plants are looking better, and are starting to bloom. I am really liking the combination. .and hoping that it all lives so I don't have to redo it. .AGAIN!

Another photo of the Russian garden. .the lighting STILL wasn't great for the smaller bloomed sage. SIGH! I notice several little gallardia plants that have seeded!! The coronation gold yarrow is still a sturdy favorite of mine!! It doesn't need staking. .and it hasn't flopped over like many other yarrow plants do! Gotta getchya some!

So. .

You can see. .

Everything around this place is still growing. .

Up. .

Older. .

Taller. .

Weary. .

but more beautiful every day!!

Hope you have time to kick back this weekend and get a little rest. .

It's nearly summer now!!

Be blessed!!

The Struggling Plant Life

Or maybe it should read

 "The struggles of a plant's life". .or maybe

"The life of a struggling plant". .or what about. .

"The plants of a struggling life"

Or maybe I'll just get on with my story?

So, I had uploaded these photos to post on the other day before we were delighted with the surprise rain showers. Compared to photos from last year. .there is really not much AT ALL going on in the gardens here.

Only a few blooms. .these from the Pye Weed on the north side of the house. There are also some purple blooms from the crapemyrtle, some sunflowers blooming, one daylily, and a handful of annuals. What the heat hasn't stifled. .the big 'ole hoppers have. I have been trying not to use pesticide. .so I just look the other way.

This little doll has been one of the highlights of our week. Tristan was the first one to spot him. .and now we all look for him (or her) on the lilypads when we are near the window. I can't tell you how excited we are for the new friend to enjoy! The fish are getting HUGE!! The little 3 inch yellow koi that I bought at Pet Smart earlier this summer is probably up to 8 inches long and is getting very meaty!! The goldfish are growing by leaps and bounds too!! I am anxiously awaiting the clearing of the algae so we can watch them from the house. We all enjoy feeding them and watching the "feeding frenzy" happen. They dart and jump for the food, and are quite entertaining!

The plantings are settling in. .both inside and outside the pond. And I can't even imagine what I hope it to look like in a few years of development!

I planted many of them directly into the pea gravel instead of in pots, to look more natural. The big rush and variegated cattails went into fabric pots, to help control their growth! They are firmly anchored by now, and I was glad to see that they seemed to stand up very well to the high winds of the storm the other day.

This gray headed coneflower is one of the new plants that went around the pond this spring. They are xeric natives. .but I have been pouring the water to them this summer in the hopes of keeping them alive. Out of 29 plants. .I have lost 3. Hoping that High Country Gardens will stand behind their replacement clause. .but I wouldn't blame them if they didn't in this terrible, horrible, no-good, droughty-hot summer!

And here is my epic failure of the summer. . .

This WAS the baby blue eyes dwarf blue spruce tree that I got in Topeka last fall. About a month ago I noticed that it seemed to be dying before my eyes in the matter of a few days. .way less than a week. Initially I thought it was the extra heat from being on the south side of the house, close to the aluminum siding. By the third day, I was looking at it from the deck and noticed a bagworm. .and then two. .waving in the wind. I immediately picked them up and doused the tree with Sevin (according to the info I found on the internet). The next week, I spotted two more bags. .and Sevin'ed them again. I've seen no sign of life since. There are still a few tufts of blue/green needles. .but I'm not holding my breath that it will live. I also called my sister, who found bag worms on BOTH the spruce trees she purchased from the same nursery. Hopefully, she got hers treated in time. The people at the nursery told her she could have gotten the bag worms from anywhere. .and she told them. .that it was quite ironic that her sister also had bagworms on HER tree from THEIR nursery. .that was planted 5 hours away. Ya win some. .and ya lose some! Next time I will be more vigilant!!

The most exciting yard work I've gotten to do lately was re-arranging my front porch to make room for Devin's new table.

Looking forward to fall!!

Have a great week. .I know I will!!

Gardening on a Whole New Level

I've been pretty excited about all of the new possibilities for plant and animal life that the new pond has brought. This week has moved that excitement to a sense of success and amazement!

As I moved the water lily to a little deeper water earlier this week, I noticed a big, fat bud creeping toward the surface. Tuesday morning, the bud had made it out of the water and I snapped a picture before going to work.

It has bloomed the last 3 days. .but was always closing back up by the time I got home from work. Today I was home in time to witness it for myself. The edges of the flower are a little crisped from the horrid heat (it was 104 degrees yesterday), but beautiful in it's own rights.

There was also a bloom on the water hearts today too. .it didn't like the heat and was completely gone by this afternoon. I had read somewhere a comment by a water gardener, who noted that their water lily had been in the pond for 3 years before it bloomed. So I was afraid mine wouldn't either.

And to top the excitement of the water lily, as we rested by the pond last night (the first night in many that we were able to be home), we had the pleasure of watching two bluebirds make a nest in this bluebird house. 

My pictures aren't that great. .but they are what they are. Those two worked for at least a couple of hours hauling stuff into the nest. I am not sure if they are nesting, or if they are feeding babies. I haven't been brave enough to take a flashlight and go peer into the hole. 

Regardless, this nest is one of the closest to the house, so they are easy to observe and I'm sure it will soon become apparent. I enjoyed watching them at the pond this evening while I ate supper. The pond has been worth every penny spent, every sore muscle achieved, and every frustration endured. 

God's creations continue to awe and amaze me daily!

Thanks for sharing in my environmental excitement. .

Have a wonderful weekend!