Pink Invader

The flower bed below our living room window in the front garden has a white coneflower Echinacea purpurea 'White Swan.'  It has performed beautifully for a number of years.

This year, the front garden rabbit ate it to the ground in the spring.  It is starting to make blooms even though it is currently only four inches tall.

'White Swan' has self seeded a bit.

Luckily, I have this volunteer blooming near the Euonymus fortunei 'Emerald Gaiety' to show you the flower.

I noticed a large volunteer this spring in the bed.

Imagine my surprise when it bloomed.

I realize this is probably a purple coneflower shared by a bird (there is a bird bath in the bed and I'm constantly pulling out little trees thanks to the birds).

A person would think a purple coneflower would be perfect for the front garden as all the blooms there are yellow, white or purple.  However, no matter how many times I say "purple coneflower," it looks PINK to me.  You may recall my confession of removing the pink larkspur from this bed.

It is on my list of plants to move.  I have just the spot for it in the back garden.  But, until the weather is better for transplanting (ie autumn),  it gets to be the PINK star of the show in the front garden.  I think it's pay back for pulling the two pink larkspur.

On a weather note, we have been around 110 degrees Fahrenheit all week!  Some plants are doing fine as long as I'm able to water them a bit.  The squash is not too happy though.  The pumpkin completely gave up.  Hoping for some rain and cooler weather soon.

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TeePees And Drumsticks

Just a couple of interesting things in the garden.

The gourds are climbing the teepee trellises.  There are also morning glory vines working their way through the foliage.  Sunflowers are also reaching for the sky in this area.

Just glad to see the gourds actually climbing this summer.

I have several Drumstick Onions or Allium sphaerocephalon blooming.  I like that they bloom later than many other bulbs.  I need to find a nice ground cover to surround their bare stems (maybe the vinca vine will make it to their space).

Otherwise, I just enjoy their sweet little purple heads swaying in the wind.

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The Oval Bed

A little video tour of what I refer to as "the oval bed."

More of the boisterous bird included.

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Veggie Video

Just a quick little video tour of the raised vegetable beds.

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Garlic Gathering

I realized earlier this week that the garlic was ready to harvest.  It just suddenly started getting brown.  There are a few green leaves in there, but it was ready and I had time.  Thursday, the garlic was harvested.

I usually have good luck with garlic.  This year, the bulbs were nice and big.  I dig under them to lift them out of the soil.  I was surprised at how deep they positioned themselves in the soil this year.  I don't think I planted them any deeper than normal.

After shaking off the extra soil, I put the bulbs on a tote lid for easy carrying.

I leave the stems until they dry completely and all the soil comes off before cutting the stems and storing the bulbs.

The garlic will lay in the shade on our patio while it dries.

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A White Yarrow

Along the back path in the back garden is a yarrow I received from a local garden club's annual plant giveaway.

This year, it has grown quite tall.

I believe it is Western Yarrow Achillea millefolium L.

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Update On The Containers

Everything is growing at Garden on Sherlock Street especially since we recently received some good rains.

I introduced these containers on May 1.  See how they've grown.

Here's a little tour of the changes in the containers.

yellow pursalane and white angelonia

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left on ground: purple fountain grass
right on ground: green sweet potato vine and dichondra silver falls

hanging baskets: jacob's coat and purple and white verbena

The baskets are not doing well.  Birds keep picking on the plants.

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yellow calibrocha, vinca vine cuttings and purple hyacinth bean seeds

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purple sweet potato vine

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vitex seeds

The vitex seeds never sprouted.  I have some cuttings of dichondra silver falls in here now and will try the vitex seeds somewhere else.

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galvanized bucket on ground: pink verbena and pink diascia

hanging baskets: spider plant and fuschia vinca

The baskets are doing great.  I moved the galvanized bucket to a spot next to the locust tree.

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purple fountain grass and creeping jenny

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galvanized bucket: coleus

clay pot by bucket: baby's tears

clay pot by water container: asparagus fern

The fern I overwintered is hiding in the back of this photo.

I moved the baby's tears and brought in two containers of a vining plant I received from Melanie at There's No Place Like Home.  (Melanie--what is it called?  It has purple on the underside of the leaves.)

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clay pot by water container: asparagus fern [again]

clay trough: caladiums
galvanized trough: wandering jew

[I don't have any life in the water container yet.]

The baby's tear are on the right.  I added plants to the water container and the fish are no longer shy.

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peach rose moss

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pink ice plant [2 of these on edge of patio.]

One hanging basket looks great.  Birds are picking on the other one!

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round tub: gooseneck loosestrife

bucket: white and purple osteospermum and wandering jew cuttings

oval tub:  variegated sweet potato vine

water jug: purple wave petunia

Look at how much the wave petunia has grown.

The gooseneck loosestrife is starting to bloom.

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trash cans: asparagus fern and yellow wave petunia

bucket: elephant ear's and begonia

[Two plastic containers on the right are just filled with sand.  I'll set something on top of them later.]

Several overwintered geraniums are enjoying this spot on the patio.

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black container: purple fountain grass and purple sweet potato vine

little clay pot: salmon geranium

[Clay pots and plastic saucer on the right are a bird bath.  The brick in the saucer keeps it from blowing away.]

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left:  rosularia serpentinica
strawberry pot: dragon's blood stone crop
front: echeveria known as topsy turvy
right: echeveria nodulosa

[Bucket in background is the one with pink verbena and pink diascia listed earlier.]

I moved this sweet potato vine in front of the kokopelli stake and put the sedum collection out on the edge of the patio to receive more sun late in the day.  I added some aloe vera plants and a cacti from being overwintered.

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