Planting time!

Spent all day yesterday in the yard.

In the left retaining wall bed I planted orange and yellow french marigolds, one roma grape tomato, and one straightneck squash. The salvia seem to be doing pretty well; some of the black eyed susans are good, but most of the coneflowers seem to have not survived my dividing them.

In the right retaining wall bed I have planted six dianthus. The kniphofia, liatrus and pinks are doing well. I also planted 6 gerbera daisies that I grew from seeds.

In the small bed between the house and the patio I planted red salvia splendens next to the steps and two astilbe, a elle astilbe and a vision in pink next to the side steps. There are 3 garlic plants doing where there too. I also have rosemary and fennel in that bed.

I planted a asao clematis on the post for the porch swing, and 2 black eyed susan vines (thunbergia grandiflora) on the post at the pond.

I planted bee balm and yellow "harvest memories' bearded iris in the bed next to the driveway, between the aster and the other iris. I put the rest of the kniphofia plants on the south side of the yard, at the end of that iris bed.

We dug of a small bed on the south side of the house, between the ac unit and the fence. I put four o'clocks there. I also grew these and the black eyed susan vines from seed.

I put caladium bulbs in the planters on the south side of the pond, which is very shady.

I talked with the ag extension agent about the continuing problems with my gardenia. Now the leaves are quite yellow with some brown spots. He said it needed more fertilizer. He also said that if I want to keep this bush I will probably have to be a bit aggressive with the insecticide; that white flies are very difficult to eradicate and that it may also have aphids. So, I reluctantly sprayed it and the azaleas with malathion.

Next task will be pruning. Need to cut back the daphene and the azaleas.

Iris are blooming. They are one of my favorite. I took this picture last week. The azaleas have been beautiful this year.