Goodbye Shastas.

I pulled out most of the shasta daisies this morning. While I love the white flowers in bloom, I despise the way they flop and turn black as soon as the blooms are open. They wilt in the shade and fry in the sun. They don't belong in my garden. I left a few clumps that will eventually be removed when I've got something in mind to replace them.

In the perennial bed, I planted a few echinacea that were purchased from the clearance rack. Carla paid for them. I thinned out a few other plants and cut back the early spring bloomers. I missed the chance to collect seed from the Dame's Rocket. I'm sure they'll reseed all over.



Echinacea Harvest Moon and Summer Sky replaced the Shastas in the shrub island. The ground is so dry here. I filled the holes with water a couple of times and planted directly into the soppy mess. I'm counting on rain this weekend.



Carla came by to clean the boat. She's so funny. She noticed the crape myrtle was in full bloom. Across from it, I finally settled on a spot for the red flowering crabapple I picked up for $4.75 this past spring. I know, bad time to plant a tree. Probably too tight a space too.



The hibiscus are going strong. The Japanese Beetles are doing a real number on a few plants. This one is mostly untouched, until now that I've mentioned it.



Every morning, just as the sun appears through the trees out back, I notice this corner of the rose garden. Hybrid teas aren't for me, either. They've been given a reprieve until the fall. I plan to give them to Marty, a customer at the store. She's bringing me about 50 different daylilies. I'll probably put most of them in this bed. It's this corner that really makes me feel like I have a cottage garden in the backyard. I like the different plants, the heights, colors, textures. They just work together. Coreopsis Full Moon is a bright, butter yellow. The pink roses are smaller than normal and almost done. The agastache punctuates at the back. I had sunflowers blooming until the squirrels found them last night. Such is life.



The squash are done too. I'm thinking of planting another batch for a fall harvest. Maybe we'll get some rain before Labor Day. I've got the seeds. I just need to check the almanac for a good planting date. I'd really like to get a second round of beans too. I've only eaten a handful this year. It's been so hot and dry.



Speaking of hot and dry, today we're going to reach the mid 90s again. Tomorrow, 98. No rain to speak of in many many days. I've been watering, but I'm just trying to keep a few things alive. I don't really expect much growth. After such a wet winter, it's hard to imagine just how dry the soil has gotten. Even a foot down, the shovel stirs up dust.

It's 86 degrees already. Work this afternoon will be tedious at the store. I need another glass of water.

Fast Food and the White Bed.

The white bed is no more. It didn't work out the way I had hoped this year. Only a few struggling annual vincas remained.



The Queen Anne's Lace, host to some caterpillars for a couple weeks, had stopped blooming. I pulled them this morning after a thorough search for critters. I transplanted a few volunteer Rose of Sharon. And I planted two Burning Bush shrubs that were marked down yesterday. Everything got a good dose of water. It doesn't look much different from a distance...



I moved all the shastas into the shrub island. They'll pout for a few days until they get settled in. I'll be adding more flowers going into next year around the edges. There will be more wintersowing, after all.



I planted Blue Girl behind the cosmos in what will someday be a glorious rose garden.



WOW! This Confederate Rose has really taken off. The cosmos were hiding it from the side I normally see. It's over 3' tall. It's probably not going to bloom this year.



After lunch, I moved into the kitchen. Robert is coming Wednesday afternoon to help with some of the work. The upper cabinets needed to come out. I'll pick up the parts I need tomorrow to cap the sink supply lines. All the plumbing will be replaced in the coming week, I hope.



After.



It's 82 degrees and clouding. Rain is in the forecast for the next three days (30% or more chance). I hope we get it. I bet it rains all day Thursday while Robert and I are trying to get the cabinets moved upstairs.

730 days, 20 hours, 52 minutes ago...

I signed the papers that made me the owner of a 1946 fixer-upper. That was two years ago for those with poor math skills. On June 22, 2007, I moved into my "new" house and started remodeling the next day. Just like the gardens, this thing will probably never be finished.

Right on schedule, the A/C went out in the wee hours Sunday morning. After talking to several handymen, I've determined that it's the start capacitor on the unit outside. Turned on, it just hums. Using a long screwdriver and a quick flick of the wrist, the fan starts up with a little nudging. It should be a relatively cheap fix. Last night, I slept with all the windows open. A box fan in the bedroom window gave me a cool breeze. I'm wondering now why I will bother to repair it. When I am home, I'm usually outside or asleep. In the office, a window fan keeps the room cool enough. My body has gotten used to 90 degree days and lots of sun. 81 is more than comfortable for me. Still, I'll fix it later this week when I have more time.

Today, it was more important that I dig two holes and set the next two posts for my arbor at the edge of the driveway. It seems I bought another problem. I'm curious why there's a concrete slab 6 inches below the ground back here. I'm not curious enough to dig it up, but it did make setting the last post a real chore. There's metal mesh in the concrete, so I know it's not just waste concrete from when they built the house. Could it be a foundation for a building long gone? Or a patio?



1/2" metal conduit will span the two posts. I need to drill parallel holes once the concrete cures. I'll use small screws to hold them in place. The rose cuttings I received last week from Jim will grow over the arbor I'll start building next week.



I also moved a lavender crape myrtle. Not the best time to move it, but it wasn't getting enough water where it was.



In it's new home, I put the hose on a slow drip and filled the hole a few times. It's starting to come back. I'm not expecting it to flower much this year.



Beside the basement door, I've finally had enough of the dying yarrow. The last one was removed. If anyone wants it, it'll be sitting at the end of the driveway for the next few days. Come get it.



I planted two yellow knockout roses and another rescued hybrid tea in that spot. Hopefully these will do better than everything else I've tried in that bed.

The grass has been mowed, phone calls made, waiting for Carla and a client to come by. I may have a side job coming up soon. She wants me to design the landscaping for her yard. I plan to show her what I've done and offer suggestions for no-spray vegetable gardening. So far, still no major pest problems. The ladybugs are eating the aphids. Predator wasps are taking out other problems. Japanese Beetles are squished upon sight.

It's 81 degrees and sunny. No rain in the forecast. Maybe I'll sleep in the hammock tonight.