Parsley

I had my first taste of it yesterday...

it was very good, spicy and breath-freshening indeed.

Perennial, evergreen.

Beans

My bush beans are coming up nicely, and I've only lost one to pests so far...

time will tell how many actually turn into bean-producing plants though!

Sweet Peas

Foolproof seeds to grow, unlike some others I've come across...

Shasta Daisies

Bloom early and all summer into fall...these are the flowers to get for low-maintenance gardening! All you have to do is occasionally pick off the wilted blooms.

Sept.08-Didn't get a rebloom this year, and the leaves all got mottled with black...don't know if this is a good sign...

Meadow sage companions

It's still trial and error when it comes to where to place plants in the garden. I think this may be one combination that I got right...shasta daisies in the front, and the white and pink flower to the back (I forget it's name).

I've been moving stuff around enough, that's for sure!

The bees love the meadow sage, they're in it all day long. Which makes it hard to deadhead!

Yarrow 'Summer Pastels'

Used to be classified as a weed, can you believe it?

The detail on these is lost at a distance, but they're really very intricate and beautiful.

That's a pincushion flower that won't stand up straight on the right.

Bee balm

This plant is getting HUGE! The lady at the nursery said maybe 4 ft. tall, but I was hoping for 6 and I've almost got it! It's going to have brilliant red flowers and it's getting ready to bloom.

That's Jupiter's Beard and pre-blooming white foxglove in the background.

mint is growing...

I'm a little embarrassed to admit, at first there was a type of clover growing in the pot, which I assumed to be mint, until the real mint came up and the imposter was recognized. Heehee. Rookie.

Rock Penstemon

Isn't it pretty? It's the first year it's bloomed for me. I'm thinking of placing it against a backdrop of lavender, as the space behind it is pretty bare after my bleeding heart is finished blooming.

Seedlings

Zinnias and Poppies coming up...

there have only been 2 casualties so far (both zinnias) which brings the zinnia count to 20, and there must be at least 100 tiny poppy seedlings starting.

coleus

Well, sadly, none of my coleus seeds survived. But I bought 3 of these for 69 cents each at the nursery which seems to be a better deal than 2 or 3 dollars for a packet of seeds that produces 0 plants. Aren't the colors on them cool?

front garden

I love the lupines in here, but I'm wondering if I've chosen a bad centerpiece plant because I know it doesn't bloom all summer. Oh well, enjoy it while it lasts I guess.

The veronica on the far right seems to be done blooming, and I'm not sure if it will come back again or not. The mexican hair grass in the forefront has developed these really cool seedheads that are quite lovely.

With the salvia, I'm enjoying the benefits of planting in the fall rather than spring, as mine is super huge compared to Mom's, which was planted in spring. Who knew it would make such a difference?

Hummingbird!!

Yesterday I spotted it for the first time...

a cute little hummingbird flitting around my catmint plants!!

so lovely!!

My Newest Enemy

The dreaded Pill Bug...also known as Slater, Sow Bug, and the deceptively endearing Roly Poly Bug.

Do not be fooled.

It is not cute, nor is it welcome in a garden where one is haplessly trying to grow fragile little plant seedlings. It feeds on tender new plant tissue, or decaying plant matter...not the mature plants as they are too tough to chew. And it is the reason why several of my sunflower seedlings have disappeared, and my cucumber shoots are suffering bites as well. I have killed a few of them on sight, but apparently the way to do it is with beer, cantaloupe or corn cobs to trap them. Unless you want to import their natural predator, the Sow Bug Killer spider, which apparently has very large fangs. 'Shiver' up the spine. If you've seen these ugly relatives of the shrimp in your garden, and you're losing tiny seedlings...now you know why.