Looking out the west window from the kitchen this morning (working at the sink, as usual) I saw this cute little mini-sunflower that apparently shot up overnight. It's one of the wildflowers I planted a year ago that did not show up last year and so I had given up hope that any of them ever would germinate, let alone bloom. I'm sure I'm not the only one who buys those large bags of wildflower seeds that are supposed to turn 100 sq. ft. into a mass of flowers. This one little flower made my day, and a closer look revealed several buds that will be opening soon.
My Mother's Day hibiscus finally found a permanent home, and it is very happy to have root-room to grow. I'm expecting great things because I've been told that these plants get huge and bloom all summer. Since this is a "tropical hisbiscus", I doubt it will make it through the winter, but then sometimes I wonder if I myself will make it through the winter, and I always do!
I liked the contrast here between the dark green, fern-y things at the bottom of the picture and the pale green and pink of the shrub behind them. Last fall I chopped all of this vegetation nearly to the ground because it was leggy, past its prime, and ugly. It's possible that I threatened them with certain death if they didn't perform this year, because look how they responded! :-)
I took another picture of the same bush, because I am so impressed with the delicate pastel leaves and blossoms. The rains followed by a week of warm weather seemed to bring out the best in this year's growth.
These are several small evergreen bushes that keep insisting on working their way out into the pathway along the front of the house. Last fall I realized that moving them would be a major chore, probably involving more energy and more tools than I could manage, so I pruned them way back. Now look what I've done! They are back with a vengeance. (Aren't those little green fingers cute?)
Every now and then a catalog purchase pays off. This is the result of just a half-dozen tiny starts. They got stuck in the ground with not much hope that they would survive, and now they're spreading like crazy... and blooming!
The north side of the house doesn't get much sun, winter or summer, so shade-loving plants, grasses and ground covers have an area where they can survive beautifully (as you can see). We intend to fill the area with a variety of hostas and maybe some bleeding heart plants. There is already a significant amount of moss growing there on its own initiative, so I get a good laugh out of seeing instructions on "how to grow moss"!
Posts
Looking out the west window from the kitchen this morning (working at the sink, as usual) I saw this cute little mini-sunflower that apparently shot up overnight. It's one of the wildflowers I planted a year ago that did not show up last year and so I had given up hope that any of them ever would germinate, let alone bloom. I'm sure I'm not the only one who buys those large bags of wildflower seeds that are supposed to turn 100 sq. ft. into a mass of flowers. This one little flower made my day, and a closer look revealed several buds that will be opening soon.
My Mother's Day hibiscus finally found a permanent home, and it is very happy to have root-room to grow. I'm expecting great things because I've been told that these plants get huge and bloom all summer. Since this is a "tropical hisbiscus", I doubt it will make it through the winter, but then sometimes I wonder if I myself will make it through the winter, and I always do!
I liked the contrast here between the dark green, fern-y things at the bottom of the picture and the pale green and pink of the shrub behind them. Last fall I chopped all of this vegetation nearly to the ground because it was leggy, past its prime, and ugly. It's possible that I threatened them with certain death if they didn't perform this year, because look how they responded! :-)
I took another picture of the same bush, because I am so impressed with the delicate pastel leaves and blossoms. The rains followed by a week of warm weather seemed to bring out the best in this year's growth.
These are several small evergreen bushes that keep insisting on working their way out into the pathway along the front of the house. Last fall I realized that moving them would be a major chore, probably involving more energy and more tools than I could manage, so I pruned them way back. Now look what I've done! They are back with a vengeance. (Aren't those little green fingers cute?)
Every now and then a catalog purchase pays off. This is the result of just a half-dozen tiny starts. They got stuck in the ground with not much hope that they would survive, and now they're spreading like crazy... and blooming!
The north side of the house doesn't get much sun, winter or summer, so shade-loving plants, grasses and ground covers have an area where they can survive beautifully (as you can see). We intend to fill the area with a variety of hostas and maybe some bleeding heart plants. There is already a significant amount of moss growing there on its own initiative, so I get a good laugh out of seeing instructions on "how to grow moss"!
No comments:
Post a Comment