June 9 2013 garden report

We've had rain so in spite of the water rationing, the garden is thriving.  My two non flower crops, sugar snap peas and basil are growing. The basil is so big that I am going to make pesto before I leave for a trip on June 11. The peas are a little slow.  We had some volunteer lettuce that I put in a salad for guests Friday night.
This is not my garden.  No, my poppy refuses to blossom. this is from Paula Bailey's garden

and another from my walk through the Cherry Knolls park

I have already thinned the lamb's ear and the mums.  

so here is the garden today.

Hoping for hummingbirds. Trying to send them messages...

May 25
I heard a hummingbird. He flew past so fast I did not seem him/her. I had hoped they'd find my feeded and my hummingbird decor.  The Baileys said they've tried to attract hummingbirds for years with no success.  Since I kind of am a human hummingbird, do you think that might help???

Gardening for 2013

Well, this is an off year for vegetables. Actually, I may not do vegetables again. The soil in the garden in getting a jubilee year.  We have some peat and maybe I'll put manure in but vegetables take a lot of work and water.  And it's just me and Tom home now!  I do so enjoy watching things grow...well, I'll just have to stick to watching people grow in Christ!

Planted on May 12, Mother's Day. This year I had enough Home Depot gift cards, one from King Soopers (from Navs at UNC) and a Chase Credit gift card so spent all that on the garden. I figure about $150.  And really I did not buy much: a few perennials, petunias, miracle gro, some geraniums.  very little, really

Please not on right side of bottom picture the non-blooming poppy. I was at O Tootles the other day and saw this poppy and it was also not blooming. Made me feel better.

One month can make quite a difference

April 29 2013

May 25th

the hydrangea I thought was dead

I had spring in Europe. PTL!

I returned from Germany (flower lover heaven) on May 11.

I was able to enjoy tulips since most of the tulips in Denver froze to death in mid April when it was 8 degrees. F.

This is amazing.  The villages just come and cut their tulips and leave their Euros in a box. All the honor system. I don't think that would happen around here.

In the village of Kaysersberg France in the Alsace.  Yes, German name, French town. Alsace has bounced back and forth from Germany to France for 150 years.

Amazing primroses

And lilacs everywhere!

May 2, 2013

It's spring, well, sort of.  We just had another snow storm. Tom and I spent Saturday working in the garden in 80 degree weather. This morning it is 23 degrees F. I thought I'd do "before" pictures.

Sad, isn't it?

Spring is late, that is for sure. Despite the snow, the state is only at 47% of water level.

one thing I did that you can see in the third picture is move mums. Some have blocked the sprinkler spray. at this point my dear hydrangea is not looking good. You cannot see it in the first picture as it is far to the right. And the pictures of the roses, I just really chopped them off. They looked terrible. Part of the problem and the reason too for no tulips or daffodils, I think, was that the first snow storm was really little snow but we had 8 degree weather. Killed the bulbs.  I sure hope the next posts are better looking. Oh, and I'm not having a veggie garden this year. Two reasons: my veggies have not done well the last really 8 years. And I feel like I'll be gone a lot in the next few months.