Dear Carol and Mary Ann (and all of our gardening friends),
I do believe this is the latest I’ve prepared my weekly gardening letter. As you know, it was delayed because my mom had surgery Monday, and I was preoccupied the day before. I started this letter at the hospital, but couldn’t concentrate enough to finish.
Here’s what I wrote:
I’m at the hospital. Waiting. In the 20 years since my mother’s car accident, my sister, Mom’s best friend, Shirley, and I have become professional waiters. I have a bag filled with fruit and gluten and dairy free snacks, including Vienna sausages (I know gross, but they are “safe”) and dark chocolate. Really good dark chocolate. Dark chocolate is an essential antidote to waiting I think.
But, back to the garden wherein peace doth reign.
Everything is growing, but we’re still in a holding pattern. Above, you can see the potato plants steadily growing in the compost pile. They haven’t bloomed, so I can’t rob them of new potatoes yet. Nothing else is producing, but there is promise on the vine in the form of tiny cucumbers, tomatoes and even tinier beans. I can hardly wait.
The heat is horrendous with highs over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. For my Canadian friends, that translates to 38 degrees Celsius. Every freakin’ day for over a week, and today, tomorrow and Friday will be no different. We don’t usually get this kind of heat until late July and into August. Also, this is a huge jump for the plants which enjoyed a cooler than usual spring. Hello Summer!
With the horrid temps, it seems as though all of the insects get an attitude like a teenager when reminded of his/her curfew. The wasps are especially vicious protecting their nests. I’d be glad to give them a wide berth, but I don’t always know where their nests are as they hide them under my log home’s eaves. I confess I finally brought out some spray when they wouldn’t let me water a container next to the house. Enough is enough.
Okay, I’ll admit that this photo isn’t as garish as some of the combos I’ve come up with over the years, but the red does stand out like a fire truck on parade. I love these glads up close, but like the divas they are, they don’t want to share the stage with the other flowers. Why am I putting my mistakes on display? Elizabeth from Garden Rant asked bloggers to post photos of our color combo blunders. Here are a couple more:
There are a lot of things wrong with this grouping. The colors don’t blend, and they don’t complement each other either. Also, there’s a height problem with H. ‘Killer’ having tall scapes, and H. ‘Rachel’s Tea Party’ is a much shorter daylily. Also, the flower sizes don’t work together. I’ve got to change this next year.
Although I love this garden bed, it has many of the same problems as the group in the previous photo. They just look horrid together if you think about it too much. So, I don’t believe I’ll consider it at all. Have you ever tried to move a bunch of daylilies. It’s really hard work.
Bye for now and see you Sunday, I hope. My mother is supposed to have surgery on Monday, so we shall see what we shall see.
Hope the mention on today’s (26th June) Esther’s Boring Garden Blog is ok. If not, let me know and I’ll change it.
Esther
Esther, I’m always glad for a mention. Thanks.~~Dee
Hey Dee, I love your garden and all the daylilies…and here’s a big hug for (((you))), I hope all is going well at the hospital. gail
My mom and I were discussing yesterday that her ‘End of the World’ happened 23 years ago, and since then it has been living day by day, and others may not see her taking things as seriously as they do, but maybe we should look deeper. God bless you (and yours) as you ‘wait’.
(I love your combos, I so find myself drawn to loud happy colors)
It sounds a tough time, Dee. I do hope things turn out smoothly for all your family.
I keep scrolling back to look at the pot at the top of the page. It has such lovely colours, it is both cheerful and restful.
Your garish photo – that is such a cheerful photo too! If this is quite a large bed, maybe it doesn’t ‘work’ – but, in the picture, the combination is very smile-inducing. I’m not a bright flower person. I’m not even a flower person, preferring boring old plain green leaves all over the place. None the less, I can never stop smiling if I see purple and bright orange flowers together – even if I tried to be miserable when looking at them, it wouldn’t work. Same thing with your garish photo. I may have terrible taste – but, as a small grouping, it looks delightful and fun. I hope it inspires such feelings in you too during these hard times.
Best wishes
Esther
.-= Esther Montgomery´s last blog ..MONDAY MATHS =-.
I love the daylillies, even if you think they don’t go together. If it’s good enough for mother nature, it’s good enough for me!
.-= nola at the alamo´s last blog ..Aunt Debbi’s Interview =-.
Thinking of you and your mom as you wait. Your garden looks lovely, even that fire-truck red (which I love).
Isn’t it funny that we love whatever is in bloom now “the most”…lol? I am in love with my daylilies again, and yours are beautiful. Everything looks very nice, and take care. I have some gardening books for you wait too…lol.
I love the Daylily in the garish plant combo. But I must admit, it does clash with the Glad. That thing cries out for a plain green foliage backdrop. Do you have any shrubs that look particularly boring in front of which you could stuff the Glad?
.-= Mr. McGregor’s Daughter´s last blog ..There Will Be Mud =-.
Oh, Dee, I love that container! What a find! I hope the surgery is a success and your mother grows in strength and health.
.-= Kathy from Cold Climate Gardening´s last blog ..Basil Decimation =-.
I hope both you and the veggies make it through this early heat wave without too much difficulty. I’m holding your mom and all who love her in my heart.
.-= Cindy, MCOK´s last blog ..I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream … =-.
Yes, I do think my garden has caught up with yours, at least as far as cucumbers. Mine seem to be at the same stage as yours, and my beans are blooming, too. Even temperature-wise, we are experiencing “hot” for us, too, temps in the 90’s, which we usually don’t experience until July-August.
I hope all continues to go well with your mom.
.-= Carol, May Dreams Gardens´s last blog ..What Happened To The Umbels? =-.