The right place

The key to good gardening is putting plants in the right location. For me, this is sometimes a trial and error process. Fortunately, I've hit it right with some of my new things.

I planted a Tithonia (Mexican sunflower) in front of the house. It is growing well and seems to like this sunny spot. It is the large green plant. It is an annual, but I hope to collect the seeds for next year.

The smaller plants are cleome, or spider flower. This is also an annual, but a re-seeder. I got both of these in trade from another gardener. They look happy as well.

The pink knockout rose bush finally has some buds. It was stressed badly by the move. The red knockout is blooming beautifully.

Finally, this is Grendel. She took a bad fall a month ago, and had some nerve damage. But, she is much better and only has a slight limp. Back to full kitten speed.

Wet and green

Our spring had become very dry, until this week. We've had nearly 3 inches of rain. Fortunately, my five rain barrels are full. Unfortunately, we did not get the four new ones finished before the big rain. But soon, I will have 200 gallons of rain water for the front yard.

My big perennial bed in the front yard is beginning to look like I had envisioned it. Some of the plants have taken a few years to really establish. They are looking great now. Some, such as the obedient plant and beebalm have multiplied and filled in some empty spots. A few things are now blooming, such as the speedwell, rose campion, and butterfly weed. Others are beginning to bud.



My gardenia bushes are in bloom! I can't remember them ever being this early.

For some plants, it just takes time.

At least two years ago, maybe three, I received several amaryllis plants from another gardener. He said that his spread, and he had far too many. They were very small bulbs. I planted them together in a protected spot in the front yard. Today I have my first blooms. The stems are fairly short, not more than 8", but the flowers are lovely.

The yellow bush is butterfly weed (Asclepias tuburosa). I bought it in the fall of 08, and it has just now bloomed. I thought I had lost this plant; I never saw it last year.

The Knockout Rose was a freebee that we dug up in another gardener's yard. I traded her some crocosmia for it, and a pink Knockout. The pink hasn't done as well, as the move seemed to stress it badly. But, it is perking up.