What's Blooming Now - Zinnias 06/05/2010

All my zinnias returned from last year. If you let the flower heads dry out they will reseed. When I deadhead zinnias, I cut the flower head off and drop it in the garden. I throw away the stem and leaves. It is a good practice to deadhead zinnias aggressively. What I mean by that is you should cut the stem at the lowest point, just above a leaf node with new growth on it, and sometimes even lower. If you don't do that they get really leggy and cannot support themselves. As soon as a flower starts looking tired, cut it to encourage more flowers. Also, start spraying them with fungicide even before you see powdery mildew on the leaves. Once you see mildew they will never look good. As with any chemical, treatment should be undertaken very early in the morning or in the evening after the bees have returned to the hive. Chemicals can rub off on the bees and then be carried into the hive thereby endangering the enitire hive.

What's Blooming Now - Pineapple Lily (Eucomis Comosa) 06/05/2010

I can't say enough about these wonderful lilies. I'm a little over-eager, because they really haven't even begun blooming, and the flower stalks will grow taller. None of the flower buds have opened, but the are so cute! They really do look just like pineapples. These are very vigorous bulbs in that they multiply quickly. The bulbs are so big that they can withstand armadillos digging around them. Fun, fun, fun plants. Very unique conversation pieces.

A Day at the Farm 06/05/2010

Max's graduation Saturday and a party after. Went to the farm after that. The drought is still terrible.

• Swam in the pool Saturday evening and throughout the day Sunday.



• Trimmed the wisteria over the arbor.



• Watered as much as I could, everything is suffering.



• Weeded, weeded, weeded.



• Pulled up all the Bachelor Buttons and threw the seeds on the ground. Pulled up the Corn Cockle and threw the seeds on the ground. Saved some to seed in other places.



• Spread Columbine seed from all the dried pods in the Greenhouse Gardens throughout the Shade Garden.



• Picked dozens of tomatoes, some squash, peppers, and some cucumbers.



• Staked some plants.



• Worked in the Orchard for a while.



• Watched the birds for a long time while they bathed themselves in the sprinkler water.



• Tied string to the fence in the Orchard so that the morning glory vine can climb.



• Filled the bird baths.


• I am determined to staple chicken wire or rabbit wire around the outside of the Orchard. The armadillos make such as mess. And I plan to move all my bulbs from the my Bulb Garden down to the Orchard. The Bulb Garden looks really bad, it is full of weeds, and I cannot weed that bed effectively with the chicken wire laid down over it. So I'll dig up all my bulbs and move them to a bed that cannot be invaded by armadillos.
  

What's Blooming Now - Orange Coneflower 05/30/2011

This is one of the only coneflowers I planted that came back from last year. I have never had good luck with Echinacea. And I love it. I can't grow it, but I love it.

What's Blooming Now - Sweet Peas 05/30/2011

For the best smelling flower ever, plant sweet peas.

What's Blooming Now - Endless Summer Hydrangea 05/30/2011

Endless Summer Hydrangeas are the darlings of the hydrangea world. I am not particularly impressed. They do not get very big. I like my shrubbery to get big. They are supposed to bloom throughout the spring and summer (hence the name) as opposed to the older varieties which only bloom in the spring. Mine is not that generous. I personally like the big, old-fashioned mop head hydrangeas.

What's Blooming Now - Sunflowers 05/30/2011

I planted 3 packets of sunflower seeds in the 16 x 2 box in the Vegetable Garden. Sunflowers are such cheery flowers. They are loaded with big, fat buds. When I return next weekend they will be in full bloom. What is there to be unhappy about when one is looking at a sunflower?