Riffing off this GardenBook post, at the end of July, my garden has its own issues.
Some tasks for spring remain undone.
Winter/Spring annuals need to be pulled.
A dire need for deadheading.
A dire need for deadheading.
I suddenly realize those Gaillardias appeared from nowhere. I didn't plant them.
A dire need for deadheading.
I repeat, dire.
And more on the way.
Some of the Dahlias are getting tired.
Other Dahlias are still going strong.
The Citrus Leaf Miners have arrived.
Clematis are to the point when the seed heads are prettier than the flowers.
A gazillion tomatoes, all of them still green.
The perfection of spring foliage is...
...long gone.
Still some pretty day lilys...
but now there is a build up of spent stems.
Some of the spring projects have already proven successful:
Others, not so much.
Some new plants look great!
Who planted that? I didn't. Well, I did in the back, 50 yards away, two years ago. How did it get here?
That needs trimming.
The warm-weather weeds are sprouting.
Monarchs are a welcome, if hungry, new visitor this year.
Dire need of deadheading:
At this time of year, best to just gather a random bouquet, and get back inside, out of the heat.
And ignore a dire need for deadheading...
...cruddy foliage...
...in order to enjoy what really matters.
Some tasks for spring remain undone.
Winter/Spring annuals need to be pulled.
A dire need for deadheading.
A dire need for deadheading.
I suddenly realize those Gaillardias appeared from nowhere. I didn't plant them.
A dire need for deadheading.
I repeat, dire.
And more on the way.
Some of the Dahlias are getting tired.
Other Dahlias are still going strong.
The Citrus Leaf Miners have arrived.
Clematis are to the point when the seed heads are prettier than the flowers.
A gazillion tomatoes, all of them still green.
The perfection of spring foliage is...
...long gone.
Still some pretty day lilys...
but now there is a build up of spent stems.
Some of the spring projects have already proven successful:
Others, not so much.
Some new plants look great!
Who planted that? I didn't. Well, I did in the back, 50 yards away, two years ago. How did it get here?
That needs trimming.
The warm-weather weeds are sprouting.
Monarchs are a welcome, if hungry, new visitor this year.
Dire need of deadheading:
At this time of year, best to just gather a random bouquet, and get back inside, out of the heat.
And ignore a dire need for deadheading...
...cruddy foliage...
...in order to enjoy what really matters.
I really don't know how you get anything done in your heat, Hoov. Your spring project in the raised bed is very nice! I like the repetition of the colors and shapes. The project you seem to think is less of a success is not evident to me - I can't see the failure... Rest easy on your (Monarch) laurels.
ReplyDeleteWell the morning is usually bearable, and after dinner right before it gets dark. The less-success just isn't there yet. Maybe next spring.
DeleteNew crop of caterpillars, the milkweed is stripped again.
I'm so glad my garden is not the only one with a dire need for deadheading. And crummy foliage that's starting to crisp up. I think my garden passed its peak and I didn't notice...Bummer. I'll just sit and watch the hummers fight over it.
ReplyDeleteYes, the hummers fight over it anyway, and the butterflies float above, toasted foliage or not.
DeleteI think your garden looks pretty normal for this time of year. I'm surprised with your heat you don't have ripe tomatoes yet. Mine are green too. I'm hoping to get some before Aug. 1. What are the tall wispy pink flowers planted with the Sea Lavender? I'm hoping you say Corn Cockle because I'm growing them for the first time this year and they opened their first bloom yesterday but don't have hundreds of flowers yet like Annie's Annuals claims. I like that bed, and I also like the varied leaf colors and shapes in the one you think is a failure. I have way too much work now too, I just keep plugging away. Summer's already 1/3 gone... it always goes so fast. We're having a pretty hot summer for here but not much compared to other parts of the country.
ReplyDeleteThe pink flowers are Cistanthe grandiflora, commonly sold as Calandrinia grandiflora or sometimes Calandrinia spectabilis, a succulent from Chile. I'm not familiar with Corn Cockle, but it looks very pretty--I looked it up.
DeleteYou are right, we must just keep plugging away at it. Summer here is milder than usual--maybe that's why the tomatoes are late.
I'm with you Hoov ! I am now comforting myself by planing for next year.
ReplyDeleteStay cool! :)
DeleteI definitely understand the heat issue and a reason for staying inside. However we are in the midst of a cool wave, highs in the low 80s, wow. Don't have a excuse not to deadhead, i guess.
ReplyDeleteI always manage to find an excuse--just not a very good one.
DeleteI spent most of yesterday cutting back and cleaning up yet left the garden feeling more than a little deflated by the volume of clean-up work still required. It was comforting to find your post, reinforcing the fact that gardens are messy. We're socked in with clouds and it's unusually cool this morning - a perfect day to work in the garden - but I think I'm taking myself to the nursery to fill some pots instead. Those I can manage (mostly) this time of year.
ReplyDeleteYes, its a bit cooler here too, what a treat, eh? It sounds like you're getting more done than me. I'm sitting wasting time on the internet. Time to get back outside.
DeleteGardens require a lot of work but the rewards are worth it, so many beautiful flowers you have. How lovely your garden box looks, the white gerbera daisy is beautiful, the gaillardia so colourful and the seed heads on the clematis are very pretty.
ReplyDeletexoxoxo ♡
So very true--gardening is worth the effort, even when the effort seems overwhelming.
Delete