June 22, 2023 another hail storm,flooding in basement and a tornado down Joan's street

It is interesting that my two friends Laura and Joan had a lot of damage.  Their streets had so many uprooted trees.

Tom and Alex worked hard to cover the vegetables and they seem okay.  But yet again we had the flooding.  Not sure what we can do about this.  Tom of course will do it himself.  It was wild as the sirens were going off. I had a text to go to the basement.  I was in the basement soaking up water.

 

June 15, 2023 More and more rain but no hail

There is no need to water due to the rain. The grass is really green. Tom is really having a bad time getting this old sprinkler system to work but since we've had rain, no problem.  The tomatoes are growing.  I made pesto  (overdid the garlic on this batch.)

They are pretty when they open.  In past years, the stupid rabbits ate these succulents but not this year as we've seen no rabbits.  Yay for the foxes and the hawk. A third house finch next is going up in the dried roses but we'll see if the hatchlings survive.

I worked hard last fall and in the spring trying to get all the mint out.  So I've tried to make this a pretty little garden.  in the back I have hens and chickens, daisies, poppies, salva, lamb' ear.  The front has 2 dahlias, some other bulbs (those stalks), petunias.  The petunias had taken a beating with the hail

The dahlias are coming up in all four pots.  The fern looks bad but I really don't have a place to hang it because it must be kept out of the sun.

Paula's poppies and peonies, always a joy.

I've planted some dianthus and impatiens in this garden

There was a lily bulb but not sure what happened to it.  Now a dahlia is coming up.  I planted more marigolds in all the gardens, except not the veggie garden

This vine in the pot is surviving.  It has to get special watering

The one day lily plant has been great.  And the coleusus are growing.  I saw a youtube about how to keep lilies coming.  I have to cut off the bulb that appears.  

Big disappointment is the lettuce takes BITTER.  Just awful.  Laura F. said pull it out and plants beans but then those darn Japanese beetles eat the leaves.

zucchini doing well

Pulled out the lettuce in the pot as it was awful and bought some petunias there in the front.  Eliot likes the red geraniums.

The first rose.  I have 14 buds out there.  Neem oil on them as soon as the sun comes out because of the Japanese beetles

 

June 7, 2023 so much rain. 12 rose buds

 Every afternoon after a beautiful morning, the dark clouds come.  I have a rain gauge and there was about 2 inches over the weekend.  Saturday was such a gloomy day.  Paula Bailey has given me a lot of frozen tomatoes (from 2020 and further back).  I have made A LOT of bolognese sauce.  Freezer is full of sauce, some from before.  But with Alex and family coming, we can have pasta every night. 

So I am writing this, again watching the radar.  I have all these pots to cover plants.  Here are pictures:

The dahlias are coming through. I hope they bloom before we leave Aug 25

I've added some edging, from the corner area. Soon the dahlias will be bigger

This is a new cherry tomato  and the basil was one of the stripped plants but it is coming back

another stripped tomato. Added a pepper to the pot.  Might have to move it.

New basil and new tomato

New basil, one of stripped tomatoes

Note the hail and the covers

This was Thursday. I had been at Walmart. I came home and it started. I ran around like a crazy person covering plants

The lettuce on the right has been good.  And I just bought read geraniums on June 4

Added impatiens and Dianthus to this garden

Trying to be interesting!

The petunias generally are protected from the hail by the pine tree. I hate those needles but they have served a purpose

The day lilies.  Very exciting.  I learned how to keep the lilies blooming-cut off the pods.  So we'll see

see the little leaves?  I think this is a chocolate pepper. I was so excited about that pepper

The zukes and cukes were beat up but I fertilized with fish fertilizer today

I worked so hard in the fall and even this spring pulling out mint.  Still working at it.  I have transplanted a lot of that  myrtle vine.  You can see 3 of the vines here.  

I bought a daisy and poppy, both perennials

Looks nice now. The pine tree protects this garden even though the needles drive me nuts.

This tomato was a stalk. that was it

I am concerned about those darn Japanese beetles with the roses....I pulled out the Neem oil and other insecticide.