Monday, July 24, 2017

Monday In Bloom

07-23-2017 GW12 (49)It feels like it’s been a rough week in the garden. 

We’ve had an abundance of rain.  Some of my perennials aren’t liking that much rain.  They’re dying.  My pincushion, my lavender plants, even my columbines are looking positively dreadful.  Maybe if things remain dry over the next several days some of these drought-tolerant plants will revive.

07-23-2017 GW12 (48)My husband kind of laughed at me, running out to water when the rain was just ending.  “Uh, you do know it just rained, right?”  “Yes!  But the rain doesn’t get to my pots because of the overhang and they’re dry as a bone in the pots by the window!”  The ground was all squishy under my feet and getting my sandals and toes sopping wet, while my plants were drooping in distress from lack of water. 

And the mosquitoes!  Oh my gosh, they were awful!  It felt like walking into a mosquito nest, if there was such a thing.  Why do they like my eyes so much?!  Ugh.  There I was, trying to take pictures, and swat the @$#@#% things at the same time.  The humidity was really bad. It made breathing feel like a waste of effort.

Most of the rest of my pansies have died.  I lost another pot.  😦

It was not a good picture day!  lol 

For the most part, many plants are doing the best they can with all the extra water.  Things are still pretty much on the lush side for the lilies, and some of the pots.
07-23-2017 GW12 (3)

07-23-2017 GW12 (4)

07-23-2017 GW12 (5)

My lovely licorice / icicles plants that had just started to flower are also dying.  Seems those flowers were beacons for some butterflies to lay eggs.  I am kind of comforted about having a butterfly nursery though.  Turns out it’s the Vanessa virginiensis variety, or American Painted Lady.  I feel sort of obligated to let them do what they need to do, being a namesake and all.  Butterflies!
07-23-2017 GW12 (21)

This makes me happy.  I just love how the little verbena blossoms match the colors on the coleus leaves.  I was hopeful they’d go nice together when I set up the pot, but this is way beyond my hopes.  🙂
07-23-2017 GW12 (9)

At least the coleus and salvia seem happy! 
07-23-2017 GW12 (10)07-23-2017 GW12 (15)

07-23-2017 GW12 (11)07-23-2017 GW12 (14)

Sometimes you just get really lucky.  You get that little 6 or 8 pack of baby plants at the garden center and most of them haven’t bloomed so you don’t even know what the colors are, and you try to put them together with other plants and cross your fingers that it will look nice, but you won’t even really know for a month or so.
07-23-2017 GW12 (13)

This one loves the sheltered corner, but wishes I would be better about watering.
07-23-2017 GW12 (16)

I can’t even!  That sweet potato vine is just … wow!  This one needs a good dose of diatomaceous earth though – there were webs on the sweet alyssum!  *cue Hitchcock horror music*
07-23-2017 GW12 (17)

You can see how the caterpillars have nearly decimated the icicles plants here in the hanging baskets. 
07-23-2017 GW12 (29)

This one isn’t quite as bad, but I suspect it will be soon.
07-23-2017 GW12 (30)

And that’s how my garden is … surviving this week.  How’s yours doing?

All rights reserved by Vanessence

To see all my pictures from the garden this week,

you can click either the link or the image below.

Thanks for looking!

2017 Garden Weekly 12 | Flickr

2017 Garden Weekly 12

 


No comments:

Post a Comment