Why I Oughta...

One of the thing that's been on my mind over the past few months is the concept of 'legibility' in the garden.  I wrote up a post about it - when I first came across the concept.  I also included it in my 2025 to-do list .  Part of legibility are 'entrances'.  Entrances to garden spaces.   One of the primary entrances to our garden is along the side of house via the boardwalk.  In my 2025 to-do list, I mentioned 'planting up the boardwalk' as something I wanted to get done.   Over the past few years, I've planted a few things there - but nothing has worked.  Ferns.  Hostas.  I think it is too dry and too dark.   But, I'm trying again.  This time...with an Ajuga.  Bronze Beauty Ajuga.  Here's the six-pack of groundcover that I bought: Along the screened porch, there's a long, thin bed.  Below is the before/after of planting these six plugs: I watered them in and they looked flat that first day....

A few days ago, I posted some photos showing the big peony arrangement that I successfully stored in the fridge for about a month and talked about how peony blooming season is so short.  In addition to cutting and storing some peonies for later this Summer, I also cut and put out on the counter a couple of vases full of peonies when they were blooming.   I've been working on the Disneyland Roses a bit more this early Summer, too.  Paying attention to them water-wise.  And, spraying them with both an insecticide and fungicide as often as I remember to do out there.  That's produced Floribunda rose stems that are *knock wood* holding more leaves and having less pests than last year.   One of my 2025 goals was to continue to have countertop arrangements with cut flowers .  Here's a round-up of a number of cut flowers we've had on our counter the past six weeks or so. We have white double 'Duchesse de Nemours' peonies in the back .  And some...

I've been holding on to a couple of dahlia tubers that I potted up weeks ago.  In one two-gallon nursery pot was a pair of Pablo Gallery border dahlias ( That is also home to a tiny Zinnia seedling that I tucked into the middle.  I was experimenting with 'thinning' out my Zinnia seedlings to see if I could succesfully pull one out and transplant it.  Seems to be working... ).   I originally set out the large variety of dahlia tubers (that I started indoors) in early June - after the last threat of frost .  I planted five Pablo Gallery border dahlias in the patio bed in back.  I put another one in the side yard.  And, gave one away to my Mom.  That left these two to find a new home.  After sitting on them for weeks, I decided to plant them up in the front yard.  In the back of the Island Bed. These photos are from late June, despite this post going up in early July.  Here, below, are the Pablo Gallery dahlias showing some growth...

Six-weeks-or-so ago, I planted twelve (12) Versa Gold coleus in the front yard Island bed.  They came in six-packs as small little plugs .  Fast-forward to this week, below is a photo showing the current state of the coleus (as bedding plants).  They've filled-in, puffed-up and branched-out.  I pinched the buds off of these about a week ago to help them continue to bush-out a little bit.   I have come at really like coleus as bedding plants in this bed - as this is my second year with them.  

This post is going up in early July, but these photos are from a week ago - in late June.  The combination of the pink blooms from a pair of Stachys 'hummelo' paird with the long, white barrel-shaped blooms on the Little Henry Sweetspire erupted together.  At the same time.  They're both planted in our front yard, right along the front walk from our driveway.  Below is a look at the Little Henry Sweet Spire Spirea in full bloom: And, tucked right in front of the shrub are a pair of Stachys Hummelo with their pink blooms standing tall on the top of stalks.  I *really* need to plant more of these. Stachys monieri 'Hummelo' with Little Henry Sweetspire Spirea It was humid out when I took this photo, but below you can see them working together: Stachys monieri 'Hummelo' I also should expand this bed out this Fall - with the 'lazy bed' method.  Noted for my [Fall 2025] task list.  

Peonies are Nat's favorite flower.  But, in our garden, peonies have a very short window.  They all bloom at the same time and the blooms don't last long.  Like a flash of petals, only to fade-away quickly.  That's why I was excited to come across the advice of how to cut and store peonies at the "marshmallow stage" by cutting them, wrapping them in paper and plastic wrap and tucking them in to a long Summer's nap in the cold climate of our fridge.   I wrote this post showing my process back in mid-June .  I cut-up-and-preserved two big bunches of peonies.   This week, I took one of the packages out of the fridge.  I cleaned up the leaves, cut the stems and put them in water.  They perked up and looked like the perfect peonies that we see a month-ago when they are fresh cut from the garden.   Below are a couple photos showing this peony arrangement on our counter - IN JULY.  Yes...July.  That's pretty great....

Not everyday can be a garden winner.  This week, one of the four Oklahoma Salmon zinnias just went and died.  I started with four plants that were in one pot .  After thinking about it, I dug them up and divided them to give them a little space .  Today...there's now three left.  The photo below shows the brown, dead one in the center/right.  Overwatering?  Underwatering?  Disease?  I have no idea.  The other ones are doing just fine (for now).   One of four Zinnia plants just up and died.