Sunday Stroll: Learning More

It’s been a couple of weeks since I’ve shared what’s growing in my garden; mostly I’ve been hesitant to get outside with my camera because we’ve had heavy, heavy downpours, which isn’t so great for my camera’s body (the d90 has a plastic body, unlike some of the higher end Nikon SLRs).  Meanwhile, the abundant rain has washed away the mulch in my garden, so that an upcoming project for this week will be to re-mulch.  Let me show you what’s going on, and as you follow through, I do have questions and appreciate all the help I can get.  So here is my June garden:

In the front corners of my garden, I am growing liriope, petunias, salvia splendens and salvia nemorosa, a few fading pansies, zinnia, and pincushion flowers.  Ah yes, I’m doing something new this week.  I’ve decided to include links between my plants and either wikipedia or another gardening resource so that next season I may look at my gardening log (on Green Mamma) and relearn what it is that I grew . . . just in case I forgot.  Meanwhile, for those of you hoping to find new flowers to include in your gardens, or who simply want to learn more about a flower here and there, you may simply click and find out more about each plant.  For the record, I have no affiliation with any of the sites that I am linking to throughout this post.

In my front garden box, I removed the purple pansies (they were wilting and probably outgrowing the box, though when I placed them in my back compost pile, several blossoms have stayed open) and replaced them with bright and locally grown pentas.

a close up of another budding petunia.  Dead heading works wonder with these flowers.  They continue to bloom, fade, and re bloom, which I find so rewarding.

Remember my stonecrop?  In early spring, my neighbors’ contractors stomped on these plants while working; I’d worried they were done for but as it turns out, they’ve grown up to be tall and strong.  Now if I could simply find another plant that grows well beside them . . . my salvia splendens, which I’d planted beside them (in the ground) and elsewhere around my house in containers did not do well next to the stonecrop, probably for a variety of reasons.  It is in this little plot where the rains flooded away much of the mulch, and the weather has been particularly hot, so I am wondering whether the salvia dislikes lots of sun (the containers of salvia receive partial sun).  I am debating whether to grow other flowers, shrubs, or perhaps even a blueberry bush where the salvia once grew . . . I’d prefer to keep a bit of color in this plot.

Next door, my neighbor’s echinacea is beginning to bud.  In the fall, I will probably plant these as bulbs in my back garden, though if we have another year with as much rain as we’ve had this year, these may need to go at the top of the hill in my front garden (echinacea like dryer soil).

In the back, our butterfly bush is expanding, so much so that it was knocked over last week and needed to be replanted and weighed down.  Has anyone else had experience with large bushes falling over . . . again, I think it has to do with the amount of rain and the loose soil in this raised bed, but I am open to other ideas and suggestions . . . anyone?

To double as ground cover and because it smells beautiful, I planted sage in our back garden, around our raised bed veggie garden.  Other herbs we are growing this year in containers include parsely, rosemary, lavendar, and mint.

The spotted dead nettle is spreading fast in the back garden.  I love its little pink flowers and gray leaves.   I consider the spotted dead nettle a successful grower in my garden since it likes the shade and the moisture behind our house; perhaps next year I will add more . . .

Our tomatoes (not sure on the variety) are growing!  I found this plant at the grocery store (sold by local farmers though) so that we could get a head start and enjoy a few tomatoes before my seedling tomatoes begin producing.

Our cucumber plants are spreading out . . . I can’t wait to eat these fresh and cold in a nice summer salad.

My seedling tomatoes are growing so well.  They’re probably among my most successful seeding attempt this year.  Oh, I removed the peas that I grew from seed . . . I never quite got the hang of growing peas.  Maybe I’ll try again next year?

another photograph of salvia splendens, doing well in a back garden container.

These red geraniums faded, were dead headed, and then surprised me with yet another blooming.  I think, based on seeing the photos from my garden, that I like purple and red flowers . . . it looks that way, doesn’t it?

a pink penta, which I potted in one of my awful delightful lime green terracotta pots.  At least the penta grew local (kind of makes up for the aersol paint, maybe?) . . .

parsely, which is my hubby’s favorite and will be well used this summer.  Oh, I’d like to bring my herbs indoors for the colder weather . . . has anyone had success doing a kitchen herb garden?

I thought these flowers were so beautiful . . . anyone know what they are?  My neighbors are growing them around their terrible front light pole (right now, our own awful light pole has sea grass growing beside it and I’d love to find an attractive way to disguise the pole, so I may just snag their idea for our yard).  I think these could be a variety of geranium.

And the last beautiful flower that is ever present in my garden, is my mischievous and pretty little Annabelle.  Here she is showing me one of her latest finds in our garden . . . a fallen berry or nut of some sort.

Well, thank you for strolling through my garden with me this week.  I hope you are learning something about gardening (I am), and that you might also be able to help me out with keeping my gardening going.  I love all the tips and suggestions.

See you for next week’s stroll,

Jessica