June 2012- Feels way too much like July!!

At this point I may only have rebloomers and annuals blooming before month is over. lol

Pow Wow White Coneflower and Summer Pastels yarrow

Pow Wow and the Yarrow are very pretty. I only have the regular Purple Coneflowers so far. They are getting more purple, they started out pale, almost white. There's that Royal Sunset clump you gave me at the RU in Fall 09', Pepper, it has a lot of flowers on it already. It's funny, one of the Redlily flowers is poking thru the leaves of that Persimmon tree, it looks like the Persimmon has a red flower..lol Those rocks aren't touching any of the plants, not laying on any of the leaves, I placed them down with care not to smash anything. Those Hollyhocks back there haven't flowered yet, they are "Black Hollyhocks" from seedrack.com, black should be interesting, altho, they could mean very dark maroon, we'll see hopefully. The 'Mini Penny' Hydrangea is trying to put on 3 whitish flowers. The flowers on it are supposed to be light blue eventually.

That dark red Rose seems to be doing good to me, happ, it has only gotten bigger, it has really shot up recently, the flowers on it WERE dark! I have one pink climbing Rose, it is called 'Pink Fountains', it says it only grows 8 - 12 feet, the label doesn't mention hardiness so I had to wait until I got home and Googled it to find out it's minimum zone 6b, thanks Kmart! Maybe the semblance of a microclimate here will help it live.

The 3 'Satisfaction' Lily Trees on the clothesline post/trellis are getting ready to put out some flowers. I hope they are more like the pictures from Brecks, unlike the 3 'Purple Prince's that I got from them last year, which have way more white on them than purple, maybe they'll be more purple this year. Oh well, I can't complain, I kinda bamboozled them on coupons, I only paid $2.97 for each package of three bulbs, hey, they offered the coupons so I took them! The 3 Purple princes came in one and the 3 Satisfactions came in the other. They gave me 2 completely free $25 coupons so who am I to turn them down! I told them on the phone "sorry, but I can't afford to buy anything else!" I haven't given up on the 3 Purple Princes or anything, they are doing well on the other side of the yard this year.

Here is my Chinese Wisteria chainlink fence planting again. I had to show off my Porsche in the photo! Haha! That's not a Porsche and my car is a jalopy!

Here is a big Mimosa in all of it's flowering glory in the backyard.

For anybody that remembers my lizard, Lenny, he musta ate some sand or something. I scooped him out of the terrarium today, he is deceased. He ate real well recently, and was active, on 3 dozen crickets, then just sat around for a couple days, then stopped moving, that's when I knew something was wrong with him/her. He/she is going to that big lizard heaven in the sky, I got him out of there before he decomposed or the last 3 crickets ate on him, crickets will eat anything I found out. I don't know what to do with the terrarium now. Do I get another lizard or just take my lone cactus out of there and put it in a smaller glass container? Decisions, decisions!

Here's my pink climbing Rose that I planted the other day. That's the pink Rose on the right side of the photo, on the other side of the former futon frame is a red Honeysuckle. That was the last climbing Rose they had so it looks pretty ragged still! -
Will

Last but not least, I'd like to show off my concrete succulent planter. The evening sun kinda shines on this photo funny but you can still see the 3 succulents in there and even a rock. They seem to be doing alright, one of them (on the left in the photo) has even sprouted another little sprout on it.

Sorry to hear about the lizard.... ;( You could always make it into a planter terrarium or a minature garden, they are fun. I really like the concrete planter, I have a couple of those I did that with. One the plants kept getting yanked out and I couldn't figure out what was happening, until, I realized with the high winds it was blowing a branch down from the tree every once in a while and knocking the plants out....it sure messed up a couple but I am guessing they will recover.

Well out to go play.

I've been following a thread for papercrete containers that I want to try. I need to go back and find them again so I can give them a try.

happ, weren't you the one who was making stepping stones from big leaves? I have been wanting to give that a try to, but need to find instructions on how to do it.

Will, if you have fish in your pond they will eat the skeeter larvae. There is also a product called DUNK that are round tablets that kill the larvae but doesn't hurt the fish or plants. You can also add a bit of bleach to the water. It won't hurt plants or fish either. I put it in a big deep bird bath I have. Doesn't take much.

64°/82°/59°
Isolated thunderstorms during the morning hours, then skies turning partly cloudy during the afternoon. High 82F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%.

Pepper,
I have one more picture that I took the other day. When they first bloom they are dark and so pretty.

Will,
I think it's an Asiatic.
You really do well with seeds that grow into giants :o)
Looks like you'll see rose blooms soon.

Happ,
Queen Elizabeth climber?

Pepper,
Pretty combo. I have the rose yarrow and when I planted pastel seed I got blah. I like your's.

Will, Sorry about Lenny. Captivity must not agree with them. I'd do something else with it. Add more cactus. They seem to do well.

Our chance of rain today is next to nothing. I watered yesterday and can water today too. I'm still trying to save the astilbes. The 1 and 1/2'' we got over the last two weeks were God sent. I pray and he delivers just in time. Might just be a coincidence, but he never lets us go drought stricken.

Thanks happ. I might add the cactus in there to my concrete planter outside with the succulents in it. I really only wanted succulents in that though. I might make a small terrarium out of a small mason jar we have and put it in it, I do want to keep the cactus. I like how I only need to water it once a month for one thing!
I got the idea of a concrete succulent planter from you happ, I think you said you have one made outside in an old birdbath maybe.

Thanks billy, seeds have done me well. I hope some Roses bloom sometime soon. Besides the dark red one from happ that's already bloomed, I think the other 3 Roses might be too small to bloom this year.
Asiatic Lilies are nice, maybe I'll get some of those. I don't know what I'll do with the lizard's old terrarium. It needs cleaning for one thing, there is lizard poop everywhere and I believe 3 crickets still in there skulking around. I should do something before cats get in there and rearrange everything for me, they watch the crickets. If the Hollyhocks start shooting up then maybe I'll see flowers on them this year!

Thanks Crit, I've seen Dunks at the stores. I'm still kinda undecided on what I'll do about a pond or raingarden. I might get out some bleach though, the pond doesn't want to empty all the way out and there is mosquito larvae in the water. There is also footprints in the mud going down to the water, raccoons could be getting a drink. The neighbor said he has seen 3 raccoons go in our chimney up on the roof. They can't get in the house because the fireplaces are closed off, but I can hear them in there breathing and huffing around, the cats are always sniffing around by the fireplace up here! There is a fireplace down in the basement but we don't live down there, there is birds in that one. I plan to go up on the roof this Fall and put a cap on the chimney before they tear everything up. Trouble is, I don't like to go on the roof! It takes me about 15 minutes to go up the ladder and then when I get up there I scoot around because I'm afraid if I stand up I'm going to fall off the roof, my ankles aren't that good. Papercrete containers sound interesting. That Rose-Of-Sharon is really greening up Crit, are you sure I can't interest you in it? It's in this pic in the front right of the shade garden the other day. -
I can mail you a smaller ROS cutting/stick in an envelope for a stamp, I got stamps. The postage on that would be no problem for me. I learned patience is key on a ROS cutting, it never got a leaf for about 9 months after I put it in dirt. It remained outside all Winter as just a stick then greened up in the Spring, I started that cutting way back last early August. Actually, if one were to do a cutting nice, unlike the way I did, just sticking it in yard dirt, it would probably sprout up faster if it was in potting soil and notched and your not supposed to jab them down in dirt like I do.

The 'Blue Nanho' Butterfly Bush is shooting up. That's a Dwarf Mugo Pine above it. You have to keep DMP watered good after buying them from Lowes, it's one of those plants that I learned will die if you don't water it all the time after getting it from Lowes and their frequent watering schedule, otherwise have the receipt ready!

Crit see if this will open for you, I used this methold from the Garden Gate magazine http://www.gardengatestore.com/gardengatesample.pdf it is really simple to do and fun. Come on up I am going to have a class with the master gardeners sometime in August...rofl.

Will, I like the hosta garden it is really coming in nicely. I have about 6 more hostas to get planted, but right now I am running drip hoses all thru there, we are too dry, the driest I have seen it in years and years, my astillbes are crunchy BillyP, that isn't so unusual but it doesn't happen until August....so they are going to get a drip hose also.

Yes Will, I would love to have the ROS!

We got another 2" of rain last night, Praise God!!!! We needed it so bad, maybe we will catch up what we lacked in May in June! We finished the new flowerbed and I am ready to start planting in it. Have several Hosta's I need to get in the front flower bed, too.

Glad you got some rain Crit, nothing at my house. It was foggy this morning so I was happy about that, maybe the poor plants collected some water from the fog. I just hate driving in it tho...yuck.

I have 3 ros trees/bushes that my neighbor dug and gave me, not very big. I have had them in a pot in the ground waiting for dh to stop messing around with the pergola since he is a bit dangerous to plants, children, and animals when he is working...rofl. I bought some really really long screws and DH screwed down the boards from the top so you couldn't see it. These boards aren't going anywhere. I believe he is D.O.N.E. and I can finally start planting and finishing my potting bench.

Looks really windy outside....suppose to be 90 today...warm!

Yeah, really warm outside, wearing a sombrero doesn't help the heat on my head! I'd rather protect my skin from melanomas first tho. Sweat started getting in my eyes, I'm gonna have to locate my sweatband.

Great Crit! 2 cuttings are going in the mail today, the flag is up and the mail-lady hasn't came yet, so expect the 2 cuttings soon. Anybody else want one, they ARE pretty when they flower? I drew a little arrow which way to plant them Crit, I don't mean to suggest that you'd plant them upside down but that's really easy to do, (I've done it before), I want them to live for you, it is really a pretty shrub. They are in a padded envelope, I hope they make it there unbroken.

Thanks happ, I need to clear away some of that clutter by the shade garden. That's neat how the Ligularias are doing so good, they have big leaves, the leaves are even bigger than the Blue Angel Hosta's leaves in front of it. I tried to relocate my succulent planter, but it's too heavy and awkward, I should just leave it. At first I thought I'd try putting it in a bucket to carry it, that didn't work because the handle on the bucket didn't even clear the side of the succulent planter! THEN, it wouldn't come out of the bucket so now I have to ask for help for someone to grab the bucket while I lift the planter, there's no way I could do it by myself. I got to be careful or I'm gonna end up tipping it over and uprooting everything. I found the photo of yours today happ, sorry but mine is strikingly similar to yours! lol - http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/fp.php?pid=8800341
A class with the Master Gardeners does sound interesting! I looked at your link to Gardengate happ, there is some incredible articles and pictures there. I have one of Adrian Bloom's books Gardening With Conifers

Here is the parent Rose Of Sharon, it's still unruly but it's smaller than before after I pruned the dickens out of it last year.
Will

Left work on time today so I had another 2 hours in the garden. I weeded and weeded and put another side to the potting bench.
I think I am making progress, maybe. The ground is rock hard, guess no rain in site either.
I will try tomorrow to take a pic of the concrete planter as it looks this year. I have added things and changed things. Course now I have 3 pots of succulants...rofl. One is very small tho.

Crit I also made these birdbaths and I did post how to make them. Need a pumpkin or something round for these.

On the water garden tour one year there was a guy who made stepping stones out of cast elephant ears and also managed to make bird baths, and water falls out off ee's. I will try to figure out where those pictures are also.

I saw those custom casts at gardengate happ, very cool, I'd mess something up if I tried it, maybe I will tho. I got some Elephant Ears too, that's a good idea to do Elephant Ears. I even took a photo of my Elephant Ears yesterday. There is 4 big EE bulbs in that pot, only 2 bulbs sprouted so far, I'm not sure what's up with the other two, their not with the program.

I try to tell my friend that too, "just because your on salary doesn't mean you have to work 12 hours a day and then work on Sunday and then from home the rest of the time". I bet alot of people on salary get bamboozled on their spare time.

Crit, if your out there, as soon as those cuttings get there I'd plant them, they should be well on their way to dried out when they arrive. I didn't think until after they were mailed that I shoulda somehow got the ends of the cuttings moist.

Here is my shade garden yesterday, I took that pot of Hosta June out of there, it was hiding the Ghost Fern behind it.

The Blue Fortune Hyssop sure flowered fast, it sprouted from the base this Spring.

I hope your potting bench works out happ, I plan to eventually make this thing into one on one end, the rest of it will be covered for a lawnmower and a wheelbarrow etc. is the plan.
I couldn't find a photo of just the wood structure thing that I want to use but in this photo with the Peach Tree is the end of it that I want to make into a potting bench.

This message was edited Jun 5, 2012 10:33 AM

That slab behind the peach tree looks perfect for a potting bench.
Is this an old photo, did you tear the water fountain all apart? Surely not, it was looking so nice.....
The elelphant ears and cannas and stuff work well in a rain garden.....course we haven't had any rain and you would probably have to water them...rofl...
Some ee's are slow to wake up, but I would dig around and check the bulbs, that is a little too slow me thinks. unless you just potted them.

Pepper have you had the coneflower for a long time? I haven't had any luck with any of the coneflowers except double decker. I purchased a couple of tiki torch, they died, then white swan bloomed ok for a few years but never spread much, and not sure it made it. I did read an article that said where folks make a mistake about hybrid cone flowers is they treat them like cone flowers and the hybrids are not that sturdy.....

I am thinking my potting bench will be about 14 feet long, just guessing as it stands right now. I have to put some additional supports for the sink it weighs a ton, cast iron and big (I will be so happy to get that in place, I am sick of seeing it on my wagon), then a section for a metal trash can to catch dirt thru the furnance grate, and the rest just room to move around! Bottom will have doors to hide the plastic pots and to keep them from blowing all over the yard...I can't seem to recycle them cause I am afraid I will need them...rofl.

I just bought the white ones a couple weeks ago. I do have some other hybrids and they have lasted longer than I expected. But they haven't spread out and taken over like the normal ones do. That I really like.

I added the big TropiCanna to the shade garden, I hope it looks okay, I never thought about that, thanks happ. That Canna is 4 feet 2 inches from soil to the tip of the tallest leaf, it is getting big! That's okay, I like that, and there is little sprouts still coming up from that big Canna bulb. I sure would like to plant it somewhere, but I'm afraid it would get too cold over the Winter and not come back.
Eek! I see you said Cannas work in a raingarden I was thinking shade garden..oops... I'll take it back out tomorrow, I should probably get it back in the sun.

Elephant Ears is a great idea for a raingarden, thanks happ. I just love to use stuff that's already here, in the house and out, thanks for suggesting Elephant Ears for a raingarden.

Rofl.. oh, happ, it's still there, that big birdbath/fountain is just in pieces, I want to move it to another spot about 20 feet away sometime soon when I get some help. I just want it to be more visible from the street side for the lawn police!

I gotta water my Purple Coneflowers every day, they droop like they're really suffering, I wish they'd hurry up and get established! There's my 'Mini-Penny' Hydrangea trying to get in on some blooming action, in the front. That Hydrangea is supposed to be light blue!

Here's my Peppermint plant, hanging on the fence. -

Here's what I plan to make the potting bench out of. This old bridge, it washed into this yard in 1998 from the neighbor's yard. There is a very small stream in the back yard but on that day in 1998 it became quite a rushing river! Back in the day, the elderly lady didn't get along with the neighbor and when that bridge washed in, she wouldn't give it back, it has been here ever since. Anyway, the left 2/3's of it I plan to have covered for the lawnmower and the wheelbarrow and shovels and stuff, the right third I plan to have a small table for a potting bench. Back to that little stream, it's usually dry even. Then, it was an unusually rainy day, eleven people even drowned, unfortunately, in the flash flooding. I was friends with my friend then but I wasn't living here, she said that was the only time the water came up to the house, but not in it. She said there was all kinds of stuff just swirling in the water that day.
You plan yours to be 14 feet, happ? That's a big potting bench, that would be nice, I can't wait to see a photo of it.
Will



This message was edited Jun 5, 2012 10:52 PM

Hehe.. It looks like those Elephant Ears don't get enuff water, with the leaves all furled up but I water them every day! I've nearly emptied my rainbarrel from watering!

Here is my 'Luna Red' Hibiscus in all of it's glory and the Rose-Of-Sharon behind it. -

One of my 2 Banana 'Basjoo's has got 3 pups this year, now if the whole thing will come back every year, I'd be happy if just one sprout came back the next year! -

There's the deep hole of my waterpond. See the footprints in the mud, anybody recognize them?

Last but not least is my seedy Wisteria planting! -

Here is that Rose-Of-Sharon in flower last year. It's quite a bit smaller now. It was rubbing on that window at nite sometimes and it sounded like somebody was breaking in!
I can get cuttings if anybody wants one, a stamp is no problem, it's on me, I got plenty of stamps. Here it is. -

Will, the canna will work in the shade garden too. It may not get as tall and may not even flower but it will still provide a punch of color.

Thanks Pepper, I'll keep that in mind. I need to get it tied to a pole or something, it hit me today that a brisk wind will break the Canna's stalks. Just curious Pepper, when you had the TropiCannas did you have them planted outside with protection or did you bring them inside for the Winter?

Will, you might put the ee in a bigger pot so it can hold more water if you are watering everyday, they are heavy water users and feeders. The canna looks good in the shade garden against the wall. I have never had a canna bend over from the wind. If the wind got strong enough I would think it would blow the pot over more than likely. I don't think blue Hydrangea will stay blue unless you have the soil just right....I have given up and just let them stay pink. Too much work trying to keep them blue.

Your bridge will make a great potting bench, you just need to stick some legs under it. Yeap the my potting bench will be 14 feet, I think the sink alone is almost 4 feet. It is the old kind with the built in drain board and sink. Tried to get it up on the potting bench by myself, but it was a no go, DH is gonna have to help. I didn't work on it last night except to try and lift the sink, I was busy weeding, watering and watching the ducks run around.

I am with you pepper I sure which the hybrids spread even a tenth as much as the regular cone flowers.

The wind won't break the cannas. It might bend them over but the wind has to be ferocious for that to happen. Also I would dig up most of the cannas but leave 1q or 2 in their spot to overwinter. I have had them come back before. So I would do both and see what happens. If the ones left out don't come back you still have the ones you brought in.

See the dry stream-wanna-be? It's hard to see but it runs between the arbor. See the dark red Rose from you happ, on the right side?

Remember that little trailer that was in the driveway happ? I'm finally putting sides on it. Man, it'll be nice to have sides and not worry about my lawnmower and stuff falling off on the interstate!

How do you like this temporary wind block I made for the 'Purple Prince' Lily Trees?! That stuff is just trash, I hope I don't need to leave it there very long!
Will

Oh, it has happened to me before, the wind broke my Canna last year, I remember I was bummed right out! From my experience the wind can break a Canna. See my posts from last Summer around Aug. 14th - http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1204534/ I'm not trying to be nasty Pepper, you know I love my gardening friends! : )
Speaking of the Canna, I tied it up loosely to my former glider frame. That pot must weigh 40 or 50 lbs, I don't think the wind can take it even with those big leaves.
I only have 1 bulb tho Pepper, I better try to keep it alive. I guess I could have 5 now since there are 5 sprouts, when I planted it tho it was just one great big bulb.

I went to my bank today and I saw a genuine mulch volcano in their parking lot!

The 'Satisfaction' Lily Trees are blooming, they are kinda pretty!

Here is my Elephant Ears today, the leaves are getting more abundant and bigger too. I don't think you can see it in the photo but there is a new sprout coming up from another bulb. I think they're just gonna take their sweet time coming up! But, thats 3 of the 4 EE bulbs that are in there now I'll be watching for the last one. Thanks happ, but my record of emptying out big pots like that hasn't been so good lately, I tried that with a big pot of Coneflower seedlings and everything fell apart in my hands, the seedlings all perished. I might have to cut that pot off when the Elephant Ears get big.

I might try to get feet under that bridge also to slow it down on rotting. That bridge thing weighs a ton though, it has a metal angle iron frame under it. That thing is in that spot to stay unless I got about 3 or 4 people to help me move it, I'd guess it weighs about 500 lbs. The potting bench and stuff there is definitely on my list of things to do someday. Some non-windy day soon I'd really like to get that dark red shed spraygun painted before it falls apart!

My rainbarrel is almost emptied out, it just got filled up about a week ago!

There is gonna be a ton of blackberries this year! I just hope I get to some before the birds get them. The Missouri Dep't of Conservation bundle of 25 of them worked out well, they spread FAST! -
The P. Bissettii Bamboo is really sprouting up in the kitty litter jugs. -
Here's a shot of the whole 'Satisfaction' Lily Trees from Brecks. -
Here's my striped Wandering Jew and my Asparagas Fern, a couple of my houseplants. -

Will, don't hesitate to whack them blackberries back down to size when needed. It won't hurt them none. It'll keep them where you want them too. Well, in theory anyways. LOL

I'm gonna have to whack a few of those Blackberries, they are creating a sort of thicket, it is incredible how they've multiplied. That area right there started out as 3 plants, now it looks like there is 30 in there.
I'll get a photo of them soon, it is quite a sight.

Boy, these Lily Trees are really putting on a show. The flowers are huge! I'd guess they are roughly twice the size as regular Lily flowers. In this photo, that is my hand for scale and my hand isn't that big, maybe average.

Today, at Lowes, I bought a whopper of a planter for my hardy waterlilies to float in, (it is 24" wide at the top) and a soil tester for $3.47. I aim to find out what the deal is with the area in the front yard that is giving my plants such a hard time. Those waterliles were without a home since I drained the waterpond, this planter should do the job for a while. The new planter is the one on the right, the waterlilies are in that white trash barrel on the left.

The Purple Prince Lily Tree is about to bloom incredibly too, a little behind their brethren, the Satisfaction Lily Trees.

The Luna Red Hibiscus is about to put on a flower show too.

Will, if you cut your blackberries will you stick them in some dirt for me? I would love to have starts. I will make it to Independence honest...rofl.
It is so darn hot out there now. I have dug a huge hosta and now I have no where to put it.....guess I will split it and put it in pots for a plant swap//sale. I believe it is blue angel or one of the biggies. I am redoing the strip by the driveway and it was too big and too close to the hydragna. I have planted empress wu in that bed now and it will get 4ft...so excited but I have moved it away from everything else so it has lots of room to spread out.

We need rain so bad.....I havent mowed in weeks and now the weeds are dying. I am spreading 2 more soaker hoses thru the hosta beds tomorrow. All the astillbe are now crispy and some of the hostas leaves are looking burnt.

This message was edited Jun 9, 2012 1:26 PM

Sure happ, I'd be glad to do that. Actually, I've tried that and they died. If you'd like to try a fresh cutting, I'd even give you the pruners when you come. There is plenty to try on, more pops up all the time.
I have some photos, the Blackberry thicket is THICK! In the first photo you can see some of the sprouts all over the place. I have to move some other plants now, the blackberries are in them.
For example, that's a Hydrangea in that photo to the right, in that photo, it is swamped by Blackberries. In the second photo is the cluster itself, it is in the background, that's all a Blackberry bush cluster!
The birds oughta love it. I'd dig up a plant for you happ but it's nearly all root suckers.
I also have a SpiderPlant and a striped Wandering Jew for you when you come happ, those 2 have grown nicely.

I know the feeling about not mowing in weeks! I haven't mowed here in a month.
Will

This message was edited Jun 9, 2012 5:49 PM

Hey everybody, come back!
I guess I'm gonna have a light pink Hydrangea myself. There is no sign of the blue. Hey, check this out, we got our mailbox told what's what last nite. It was smashed flatter than a pancake, I've already replaced it, coincidentally, there was another one just like it already here, it was even new. Ironically, I was even up last nite when it happened, at 2am. I told my friend, she was asleep, that I heard voices and some noise outside, but she said it's probably nothing, so I didn't go out there, well, it was our mailbox being told what's up! A neighbor also got their's bent over, but not smashed like ours, theirs is reusable, they just need to straighten the support back up. Our support didn't budge but the mailbox itself got beat up bad. I changed the mailbox this morning around 10:30am, the mail had already came and was in the mailbox! The only day the mail has ever came before Noon and it's in our smashed up mailbox! I took a photo of it before I changed it, here it is. See the neighbor's bent? You can't really tell it in the photo because it's bent the going down the street way. -
I plan to erect this trellis divider thing that we have here for the Purple Prince Lily Trees to climb on, here it is. -
Here is the Purple Princes, they are some shining stars, wish I had this done in time for their blooms. I plan to put the support for that divider in concrete so it doesn't budge for the Purple Princes. -
I want to get them tied loosely to the divider after I get it there, hopefully tomorrow.
I haven't heard from Crit, I hope the Rose-Of-Sharon cuttings got there okay and they got planted soon after they arrived at her house, they had to be getting dried out.
It is nice to have my rainbarrel filled back up! -
See my new big planter for the waterlilies? And there's those light pink Hydrangea blooms. -
I had that wrong about not mowing in a month. That was since I tried mowing last, when I bent the blade. Actually, it's been over 2 months likely since I last mowed, what grass there is is pretty tall.

I'm still here!! Just been busy keeping up with spam on this site. I've had to report several in the past week.

Also have catapillars in the garden and have been taking a few pics of them. And now my grandma has a sick rose so I have to go over there tomorrow to take pics so we know what to do with it. On top of that I've been working, dealing with flat tires, and trying to catch up with certain friends who it seems like I can never catch up with. lol

Will post pics tomorrow if I remember.

I have a few pics to post, I thought I had posted a pic of the gazebo but I don't see it, maybe I posted on another site.....who knows...rofl.

Here is the potting bench with my furnace grate in it and a pic of the top of the pergola.

Walked up to the water garden last night and big huge bull frog jumped in, he about scared me to death!
Bull frogs and my little fish are not a good combination. DH and I went out about 11pm and tried to net him but DH missed him...I am so worried about my fish... DH is suppose to be trying to net him today but I bet he doesn't get him, so think of me tonight around 10pm trying to catch this frog to release down at the big lake...

Always something.

Pepper, you've been busy too!

Your Pergola is really coming along happ! Hope you caught the Bullfrog!

I got a few pics to show again.
Here is a butterfly on my 'Nanho' Butterfly bush that I got from Pepper last year. It already has a flower on it. That butterfly wasn't even on there when I walked over to get a photo of that bush, it just landed before I took the photo, I guess to be in the photo.

Here is the post that I put in concrete today and I'm gonna attach that divider to it for the 'Purple Prince' Lily Trees, hopefully tomorrow.

Here is my 'TropiCanna' getting big and my pot of Elephant Ears. -
Will

Here is my Fall Mums blooming in June. -

Here is my regular Lilac growing along in the red pot.- Left of it is a big pot of Blue Flag Iris that I got from Imames. It looks so nice in the pot maybe I'll leave it there. In the back left is a Witch Hazel by the fence.
I'll probably take that black plastic landscape edging out of there, that was just busy work, it doesn't look right.

Ooops, Lilac and stuff! -

Here is a photo of a Hydrangea, a Purple Coneflowers and a RedLily. -

Internet went wooky on me yesterday so just getting back on computer. Need to take more garden pics. I have a lily blooming that is just gorgeous!!

A wooky internet!! Better than spooky!! Let's see the gorgeous Lily, Pepper!

I finished up a little on that divider trellis thing for the Purple Prince Lily Trees! Their just tied losely with twine, so the wind doesn't blow them down. That's a Hollyhock down at the end by itself, it's been bad! Just kidding, It's a 'Summer Carnival' Hollyhock that I grew from a seed packet last year. Here's a photo of the packet from last year. - There's another plant of it on the other side of the backyard from that packet. I got some "black" Hollyhocks with them, this should be interesting. I wonder if any of them will actually be those colors they said or just flower in time for them to have reverted back to the regular maroon Hollyhock color?! Oh well, the joys of being a novice! The old maroon color Hollyhocks are pretty too.

I've spent some time over at my Grandparent's putting down some red mulch for them in their front yard. I couldn't take the sight of it all neglected anymore, they have some decent plants in there and it was starting to look so downtrodden. I put in 7 bags of that mulch, ideally it would've had one more bag, but it's way better than before. Here is a couple photos of that job. -
Will

Will that looks a million times better at your DGP. I have never tied my lilies up and some are over 5 feet tall, they take all the horrible winds up here fine. The only problem I have are trumpet lillies bending toward the sun if they decided to start growing in the shade. Wish the asiatics and orential lilies spread like the big trumpets do.....

No rain yet, I was sure hoping. Well better get out and start playing before it gets too hot.

BillyP must be one busy person right now. Miss her.

Thanks happ, it does look much better there.
I'll probably get rid of the ties holding up the Lilies and stuff eventually, I just have this thing about the wind blowing them down and that's it, no more plant. I have a bad habit of not putting the bulbs deep enuff in the ground initially. I believe I read that the Lily Tree bulbs should be 5 or 6 inches deep, I have them like a half inch deep. The Purple Prince Lilies can't be too sturdy with the bulb that close to the surface. Next year I plan to have dug them up and planted them deeper. I also need to dig up a Satisfaction bulb this Fall and replant it back in line with the other two.

I was in my car earlier and it sprinkled enuff to run the windshield wiper one time and the sun was out so I figured we weren't getting much rain, and we didn't.

Billyp must be busy, I miss her too.