So, What's up??

With the heat that's already here and the water restrictions, I think I'll be losing my sorrel this year. I am planning a big harvest of my lovage this weekend. I don't think I'll lose it, but it's going to take a good beating. It dries and freezes well so I won't be without it.

My feverfew has gone berserk with volunteers 10s of feet away all over the place. I'll need to add a proactive deadhead and collection program to my garden task list for that plant.

The dry cold winter played havok with my rosemary. Lots of central die out with life on the fringes. They'll make it though. Even the Arp variety is a borderline plant here except as annuals.

Thyme are practically indestructible and doing well. Same with the sage, except the tri-color. I think I lost one this winter.

Flower wise, the nepeta fassenii is happy in the heat, blooming nicely. The penstemons are working their way through their bloom cycle pretty fast. But the hummngbirds have made good use of them. Hope the trumpet vine blooms soon so the hummers have some more reason to hang around.

The roses are profuse. That bush just loves pruning. The ornamental onions are just starting to bloom. I have a neighbor that paints the dried heads in his yard for some extra color after they have died back.

The heat has been hard on the spittle bugs that invade this time of year. They have been essentially harmless in the past and should be less so this year.

I've had to move two perovskia as they were getting too big for their location. They'll be poor performers for the rest of the year, but better in the long run. The callirhoe is blooming a touch early, but that's OK. It'll bloom all summer. I need to dig some up and give it away as it's spread fairly well in my clay.

About the clay. For a long time, my neighborhood was dug for clay for producing bricks. The digging face is just a block away. It's been built over in houses for 50 years now, but the soil is treacherous.

As for the lawn, I grow buffalo grass. It greens late, loves heat and clay and only sips water, 2 inches a month instead of 15 for bluegrass. For early color and green, I have about 1500 crocus in it. I've mowed it twice this year, and watered once. I've had a resurgence of bluegrass, but the low water and heat should wipe them out this summer.

Phil

"Callirhoe" is the botanical name/Latin name for a flower which is commonly known as "wine cups" or "poppy mallow".



:)

cape chef,

Your garden sounds lovely, will have to get back to you with a list!

I don't know if callirhoe is a true mallow. It's a viney creeper. I also have a bunch of orange globe mallow. This is a gray leaved upright flowering plant. Similar flower, but much smaller and completely different genus and species.

Botany is a taxonomical disaster.

Phil

Oh my garden!!! :):):)

Filled with flowers. Roses, jasmines, camelias ( my favorites) ibiski, gardenias and many many many REALLY many daisies.

Do you remember this crazy fig tree I was telling you about the previous year,?it's ready, I can tell, to give me some hard time this year as well.

My tomatos are growing fast, my herbs as well, cucumbers go so and so and my green peppers are just beautiful ready to get stuffed with rice.

I have planted many eggplants ( tsakonean variety and I expect quite a feast :)

Careful, Athenaeus

Remember what happened last year with your tomato paste! :eek: Maybe you'd better do something else with this year's crop? ;)

Garden, what Garden ? we had such a dry winter in this year and a very wet late spring........May 6th we had a blizzard with 40cms of snow, which is usually about the time our leaves are blooming on the trees, my lilacs are usually out by now, too....and this snowfall was followed by two smaller ones.....granted everything is all green and starting to bloom , all the garden shops here are bemoaning the fact of our late start....(as are the golf courses, however the Ski Runs are still in full swing!!!) .we are about 3-4 weeks behind in everything......I think I will end up NOT growing any vegetables this yr and just concentrate on a few annuals to go with some perrennials......speaking of Tulips, the ones around here are JUST in bloom, usually they are up and over by end of April.......crazy Mother Nature , huh....... I can only hope our Farmers have a better go of it than me, the backyard gardener




PS I live in Calgary Alberta Canada.......just gotta love Springtime in the Rockies (-: and no its NOT a green thumb down hehehe

I have to confess I went rather tomato mad with the vegetable garden this year. Usually I've got about 8 plants, but this year my husband built big planter boxes to do raised beds and they have worked out great. So tomato wise I've got 5 San Marzanos, a yellow pear, 2 brandywines - one's yellow, the other's black (yum!) a green zebra, a cherokee purple, one called a 'Mortgage Lifter' (I love the name) that's large, smooth and pink skinned -meaty with few seeds - I can't wait. I am also looking forward to this heirloom called 'Black Krim', from the Black Sea region of Russia. It's early (69 days) with a medium sized dark, deep red fruit with green shoulders. Very disapointed the black roma seeds I saved from last year did not come up!

The rest of the veggies are - green beans (bush variety), beets, carrots, cauliflower, eggplant (Japanese and Italian), zucchini, pumpkin (for Halloween!) and of course peppers -
red and yellow bells, a nice spanish pimento, and serrano and nasty little Thai chilis for heat! Tucked in and around are an assortment of garlic, shallots, sunflowers, chives and nasturtiums...

If I can just keep the squirrels out! They are into digging everything up ( the raised beds being a very convienent place it seems) and I have had to replant a few things. They are also making away with the apples - the first year my tree has finally produced a good crop!
We have so many trees surrounding our house- oranges, walnut, avocado, lemon and lime, that it makes them greedy and wasteful. There is a constant collection of half eaten fruit scattered over my yard! So far they have left my beautiful little Babcock peach tree alone. It's groaning under it's own weight, and I will have to net it soon before the scrub jays get at it. I have a family that live in the fir tree and call my backyard home. They are so territorial and ballsy- they chase everything else away and will hop into my house to eat the dog's kibbel- I am waiting for them to start barking ;).

Flower wise, we have lots - roses, zinnias, coreopsis, foxgloves, rudabekias, portulacas, lots of lavender, butterfly weed, daylillies, a few dahlias and daisies.. had to cut back the abutilon (chinese lanterns) and honeysuckle, but they have recovered vigorously...my favorite thing right now is my 15 ft. night blooming jasmine that lives next to my bedroom window - so fragrant the air is thick at night - and my trumpet vines that are so profuse with blossoms it looks like my backyard is on fire...

FINALLY!!!!!!!

I think I'm at the point where my garden is coming up. Plenty of tomatoes because I started these indoors with grow lights early spring. It'll be about 3 weeks before they ripen.

I went and bought herb plants like you guys suggested. The old ones died indoors, even with the growlight. :)

Ah... I can't wait.

Kuan

YEAH KUAN!!!

I'm so happy for you!!! (and I mean it too) :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:
Does this mean it's warm enough to stick my toe in Minnesota?:D

Your pal Monkey;)