Tell The Truth Tuesday #4

 Continuing the project of several weeks ago, completion of the paint job on the second compost barrel.  I bought a rattle can of a subdued green to use as the base color.  The leaf silhouettes were done over the green base with ivory and brown.  This barrel turned out a bit better than the first.  I went over the first one with a light spray of green so it would look more muted.  
Practice helps? The second attempt is better than the first, but it looks like military fatigues fabric:  

The surprising thing learned via this attempt at beautification is:  spray painting is fun.  No wonder teenagers spray paint stuff.  I enjoyed it.
Any improvement over the originals? 

Here's something that looks fine, but holds an embarrassing secret:  the 'Sticks-on-Fire' Euphorbia tirucalli in the corner.  I originally stuck it there because it kept falling over and falling over and I was too lazy to anything but stick it in that corner.  It inadvertently worked, color-wise, with the 'Brass Band' rose and 'Kalaidescope' Abelia there on the lower left.  It also covered up some ugly but necessary pipes.  None of this is the embarrassing part.

 The embarrassing part is the size of the pot it is in.  This pot is only about 6" (15 cm) wide and 14" (35 cm) high, containing a plant over 7' (2.1m) tall.  I assume the root system has grown out of the pot's very small drain hole, and into the ground.  Actually, as I think about it, when the Euphorbia needs to be moved, I can just cut the root going into the ground--no digging required. 

 To tell another truth, I buy cheap Dahlias, not the good kind from mail order specialty growers.  I get the big-box cheapos bagged up by the hundreds of thousands (millions?) in Holland.  Four for $9.98!   I'm picky about plants, but not when it comes to Dahlias. 

 'Tahiti Sunrise' got planted along the top of this raised bed that was formerly reserved for tomatoes.  I'm giving up on tomatoes this year.  Last year, Beloved said the ones from the store had more flavor than the ones I grew.  Boy, was that humiliating.  

Extra added embarrassment in the photo:  the state of that blueberry bush in the top right corner.  Give the poor thing some N already!  The rest of the bed I planted with onion starts right before last week's wonderful rain.  Onions must be the easiest edible ever.  Plant.  Make sure there is irrigation.  A few months later, harvest.  

 Besides Tuesday truth telling, I've been back at rose pruning.  It was too rainy last week to do any outdoor gardening.  

Pruning bouquets:  The red-striped rose is 'Red Intuition'.  The orange-y one is 'Easy Does It', pale pink is 'Souvenir de la Malmaison', lavender-pink one is 'Charles Rennie Mackintosh',  floppy mid-pink buds are 'Belindas Dream'

 This is the state of the roses now: 

 Prickly 'Tamora'

 I wondered if Aloe capitata ssp. quartziticola 'Yellow Hoodie' was going to bloom this winter, but decided it doesn't have to.  Incredible cool pink foliage color, the same color as the flowers of 'Charles Rennie Mackintosh'.  Who needs flowers? 

 To end, the colorful bracts and pollen-rich cone of Leucadendron 'Rising Sun'.  It truly looks pretty sunny. 

 Check out the Tell The Truth Tuesdays at Bonney Lassie.  TTTT is about admitting we don't blog about the embarrassing parts of our garden unless there's a meme for it.