Gardening Drivel - Part One

Prepare yourself.

Drivel ahead.

This cement planter belonged to my beloved Aunt Jean.

This year I filled it with three different Plectranthuses.

I love the textures.

One of the things I'm enjoying so much, in getting ready for this garden walk, is the feeling that so many loved ones are with me.

Aunt Jean's planter. Flowers from friends. Cement chickens from friends (thanks Linda!) The camper table staged with dishes from my friend Donna, the clothespin holder from a faithful reader, Sharon.

Things like that make my soul happy.

These photos are in random order, no rhyme or reason.

It's the good the bad and the ugly, my friends.

It's been a weird season so far.

We've had some serious rain.

The perennials love it. They are chest high. The annuals haven't seemed to enjoy it as much.

The vegetable garden is hydroponic.

This is a photo of the back of the house, looking west.

Do you see that blue lagoon peeking out?

We'll talk more about that later.

It does not make my soul happy.

This actually hurts my soul.

Yes friends, this is in my yard!

16 days til the yard walk - and I've got this.

A few hours will fix it right up.

Mulch covers a multitude of sins.

I have a few shrubs and some daylilies to pop in there.

Fixin' some fences - it'll be good.

Standing on the east side of the back yard, facing west.

Are you as surprised as I am, that I in fact know East, West, North and South from my house?

You should be.

This is on the east side of the house, and it covers up some of the pool.

It doesn't look like much here, but in real life - it's quite lovely and tranquil.

Facing east in the front.

Bridal Wreath Spirea taking over.

Very moist shade.

Mosquito heaven.

Dahlia carnage.

I finally caved, and in the cloak of early morning darkness, applied some systemic insecticide.

I apologize in advance to any bees that happen to visit.

It was a cost/benefit analysis.

Bees lost this one.

More carnage.

More systemic insecticide.

I'm sorry world.

I'm sorry bees.

Full frontal view.

It's prettier in person.

I walk around criticizing this area all the time.

It's getting a complex.

Don't even get me started on the zinnias.

Half of them look like this.

Gnarly, blackened, twisted.

Sounds like a few people I know.

Another area that looks better in person.

Why do I keep apologizing for my garden?

Walking to the back porch.

Love this area - it looks awesome in 'real life'.

The Penstemon was a show stopper.

This is my 'free' garden'. I used starts from all over the garden to plant this.

Gotta love it.

There is still ivy residue on the house from pulling it off last year.

I thought I was going to have to wire brush the back of the house and repaint before the walk - and now - eh, I don't care.

Funny how fatigue and lack of time can change so many 'have to do's' isn't it?

Next to the garage - I love the Boston Ivy growing all over.

This area makes me happy.

A few weak spots - but all in all good.

I'm realizing that sometimes I have a tendency to plant too many 'onesies and twosies' of things - instead of doing a more dramatic mass planting.

Gardening is like life.

You learn as you go - and hopefully you grow.

Not sure what's going on with the annuals that I planted here to fill in an empty space - they just aren't growing, despite all the rain and fertilizer!

The back porch photo from the last post.

I liked it so much that I put it here again.

The cats love the window box.

I've planted it twice now.

I'm saving the rest of the pictures for Garden Drivel - Part Two, cause I have a feeling ya'll look like this now -