PITA beds....

I'm sure everyone has them.
Deadbeat beds.
I dug this bed early last year, and planted a whole can of 'fragrant' flowers. I got a ton of weeds, and about six flowers.
I sighed.
I amended, and replanted this year with peonies. (from seeds.)
I got more weeds.
I sighed again.
So a friend was moving a few weeks ago, and I was offered a bunch of mums. I took them, cleaned out the bed again, and planted.
This is what it looks like today:
I've got clumps of mums, with plenty of space. I just have to figure out what else to plant there. I'd like color from spring to fall if at all possible.
Oh, and that yellow flower in the front? It's from the 'fragrant' collection. I haven't had the heart to dig it up.
I do really like it, but now it has no place there. Though it seems like nothing may have a place there.
This bed is by the road, next to my driveway, so it would be the first thing someone pulling into my drive would see. For the past two years, it's been more an eyesore than anything else.
And just like 90% of my yard, it's full sun. And I don't like annuals. Self sowing redeems themselves, but I don't see the point of buying something that would only last one year.
Don't get me started on the bouganvaliea or whatever we bought with NO instructions that did wonderfully through the year, and couldn't figure out why it never came back this spring. 40.00 on one plant, to last one season. Not happy.
Which reminds me, I need to replant my orchid, I lost the stem on it a year ago, and it's got great leaves, just no new growth. Time to replant.

At long last, honeysuckle gets an arbor

So Jim likes to drag me off to auctions, (then mercilessly teases me about purchases he made for me.) and this past Sunday was no exception. Now in the description for this auction, there was no mention of a garden arbor, nope, they called it two trellis' and a bridge. No matter, we got it for way less than new, and about the same cost as it would have cost Jim to build it. And since I've been waiting over a year for Jim to make mine, it was an easy way out for him, and instant gratification for me.
The arbor:
Now I bought the honeysuckle two years ago, and this spring I was treated to it's wonderful smell. It's positioned at the end of my 'garden trail' as the end game. I left the little trellis' that it came with on them, and it's a good thing too, because otherwise I think it would have collapsed on itself, and spread outward more than it already has. I'll have to trim it though, and be very careful when putting in the arbor, not wanting to destroy the roots. Though I've heard that you damn near cannot kill off honeysuckle, it took me two years to get it to bloom, I still want to be careful.
So here is my pitiful honeysuckle:
If you look, you can see it escaping along the pathway, I'll have to train it up the arbor.
A lot of that is honeysuckle, and some of it is weeds. I've had a great time this year pulling weeds from my new garden. No, really.
Eh, now that it's rained, I'll have to get out there this weekend and pull more. I know next year I will not be doing the wood mulch. I thought for sure it was what I wanted, and now I've seen some nice organic mulch, and I believe thats the way I'll swing next year. Jim also wants to rake up the gravel and lay down fabric. Which means me. We'll see. I don't like pulling all the weeds, but I'd be doing the same in a few years anyhow, right?

Proof of life

So, yes, I do realize that I've had proof for some time now, obviously. But to further compound the point:
Corn, tassles and silks, this is my most mature, and with any luck, in a few weeks, we'll be enjoying sweet corn from my very own garden!


The tomatoes are getting bigger by the day. Both the fruits and the plants. The early girls are now taller than me, and the celebrities aren't far behind. Next year I'm hoping to get my hands on some heritage seeds, so that we might enjoy a bigger variety. And revisit my youth when that was all my grandmother grew.


And the cayenne's, who've been hanging around for over a month are finally getting red! I'm so excited about these!

And the habenero's are such small plants, but when you lift them, surprise!! LOADED!


A squash that will be cut tomorrow morning, I have about four others who will be following suit in the next three to four days as well. I did cut a zucchini as well, and so far out of two plants, thats been the only one. I'm surprised about this, as I thought they would be driving me nuts by now. Though Jim told me a few have been popping up on the breakroom table, and last night another brought in zucchini muffins. So he's getting his fix of nothing else.

And one of about six cucumbers. I'm awaiting patiently so that I'll get to make my fabulous cucumber salad.

And with any luck, I'll be able to make some pickles as well. I know the tomatoes are going to drive me nuts, last count four days ago, there were over 60. And several have fruited since then. But I'm dirty and happy!