The first poppy bloomed on June 1. I also made a trip to Terra Greenhouses with my friend Jane (Better Safe Than Sorry), a person I met online through blogging. We stopped at IKEA first (mmm, $1 breakfast) which is another of our mutual interests. I got a new plant pot there, which will eventually make its way onto this blog when I have found what I want to plant in it.
At the nursery I had a hard time deciding exactly what to buy. I kept picking things up and putting them back. I knew I wanted some pelargonium geraniums for my urn planters in front of the garage, and I also wanted some hardy geraniums for the garden. Well, I got both, including some lovely dark Martha Washington geraniums for the urns, set off by some ordinary hot pink ones. (I couldn't find quite the right shade; I was looking for some that were a bit more purplish, but this combination works anyway.) Along with some licorice plant and bacopa for the trailing action, it should work out well, so long as Martha Washington geraniums are as drought-tolerant as their plainer cousins.
Currently the other containers by the house are filling out nicely. The lamium has started to bloom and the petunias are thriving. I even have three buds on the dahlia, so eventually even the end planter will look the way I envisioned it.
If only the backyard were equally successful. The backyard is plagued by pests that make a mess. Some pests are cuter than others, though. Jack Rabbit from last year has taken a wife and had a child, and they are eating all my pansies! So I have had to move my nice ruffled pansies to higher ground. You can see in the photo how lopsided the planter's contents have become.
Photos belong to kbgardenblog.blogspot.com and may not be used without attribution.
The other pests I am not going to show you a photo of. I will just tell you a story of how I first encountered them. One day at lunchtime I watched some goldfinches precariously perched on my honeysuckle that was poking through the lattice on the deck, quite close to the house. They were pecking at the flowers. I was delighted to watch, but I thought it odd. Sure enough, when I examined the honeysuckle closer, the whole thing is infested with aphids. Ugh! Well, I am usually a (mostly) organic gardener, but not this time! I got some insecticide that billed itself as "eco-friendly" (though only in a relative sort of way, I'm sure) and emptied the bottle.
If only aphids were cute, like rabbits.
10 comments:
Yes, rabbits are cute, but they seem to eat everything in my vegetable garden that isn't somehow protected!!
What we need to do is train rabbits to lick the aphids off the plants and leave the plants alone.
Karen, I took the same photo today of the Oriental poppies! Don't you wish they lasted longer? Your dark Martha Washington is really a stunning color and your pots look great.
Funny about the Goldfinches. I noticed one of my old garden roses had curled leaves but was too lazy to do anything about it. A couple of days later I noticed Grackles looking very comical as they attempted to hop up onto the canes and try to extract the worms. Being a much larger bird than a Goldfinch, it was tough work trying to balance themselves on those floppy canes but I appreciated them taking care of it for me!
that rabbit is adorable and your plants look great, the pic really picked up the detail of the martha washington colours!
i'm thrilled with my planter, which i'll take a pic of and send to you.
bsts
Sounds like a wonderful day!!! I have not even begun to get my annuals yet and really should get on it! I have not blogged anything either...in a funk of sorts I guess!
Oh Karen your rabbit is just too photogenic! :D
I just had a long read through your last posts to keep up with your blog and I must say I love the gorgeous tulips you've captured so beautifully and your irises are so very pretty too! I have no iris because of no more space to plant them *cries*
And in answer to your question, yes I enjoyed the Good Charlotte gig very much. We've been front row center, best place in the house and I even managed to get the set list from the stage and the afterwards get them signed by all 5 band members 8)
Karen I loved these clear photos of your garden flowers! I must get that camera you have!!Great photos particularly LoVe the rabbit!!
Pests.hummmm..drat...the buggy type!!I have never had such infestation in my garden.. I am so discouraged because I do not use chemicals because my cats roaming the garden and all the other little visitors!
I just dug the plants out and threw them out!!!YES I am admitting this...3 nesting spruce filled with ten caterpillers and aphid type covering every inch of my viburnum...leaves were nothing but lace!!!I am sure it is this unusual Spring into summer we are experiencing!! I also do most of my shopping at Terra on hwy. 5 .
**A friend of mine told me if you put *blood meal* around the soil and on top of planter soil..it keeps the rabbits and squirrels from disturbing! I went to Terra and they were sold out!! Hugs NG
Your photo's of your gardens are awesome. I love how you planted the urn. I really like the Martha Washington Geraniums. Looks like spring is thrusting forward.
Your close - up picture of the Poppy are just stunning! (:
Your blog is so beautiful!
Enjoy summer! (:
We have finally got nice weather and sunshine in Norway. (:
Oh those wascaly wabbits! What a beautiful picture of the pansy eater! :) Aphids are definitely disgusting little critters. I'm glad the goldfinches were helping you clean them up.
I adore the color of the Martha Washingtons. Your containers are looking lovely. I enjoy seeing what you've put together.
I'm planting containers this week. It's such a fun job.
I'm kind of sad that you decided to deny the goldfinches their source of protein.
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