Thundercloud

It's 45 degrees. The temperature will slowly rise to the low 60s this afternoon as the storms move in. We've got chances of thunderstorms and rain all evening and night.

In honor of the rain, the Thundercloud Plum has decided to bloom.





This plum tree has purple-red leaves and pink blossoms. It was transplanted in the fall from the perennial bed. It's about a week late in blooming this year. I suppose it could be the cold winter, or maybe the move. In any case, another few days will show it completely in bloom. Only a few scattered branches are showing any color yet.

The Belle of Georgia peach is still blooming away. The blossoms have turned a darker color. The leaves are coming on nicely.



Before work, I'll dig out the Lagerfeld rose in the Neighbor's Corner. I'm giving it to Marty, a customer at the store. She brought me beautyberry starts in the fall and seeds for a blue milkweed, Tweedia caerulea. I've already sown them. Soon, I'll start giving away the brugmansias to people who have asked about them. I also plan to sow the rest of my datura seeds in the new fragrant bed outside the basement door. I need to spread the broken bags of soil that have been sitting in the basement for weeks first.

9:11am - I've spread three bags of topsoil and a bag of pine mulch over the newest bed. For two weeks, I've been spraying the weeds and grass here with RoundUp. I'm sure the wire grass will continue to pop up through the season. It has in all the beds I've created along the retaining wall and basement door. I'll spot treat and pull whenever I see it. Datura, marigolds, and four o'clocks have been sown here.



A splash of rain passed through as I was digging the Lagerfeld for Marty. There was a bit of blue sky a few minutes later. The sun is shining now.



The "dead" Loropetalums are blooming.



The Eastern Redbuds are opening. They're pink. I don't know why they call them redbuds.



The first of 100+ muscari has pushed up a bloom stalk. There was supposed to be a blue stream amongst the daffodils on the front slope. So far, only a handful have pushed through the soil. This one is in the crape myrtle bed.



Peonies at the end of the driveway are up. I transplanted these from Virginia last March. I really hope they bloom a bit better this year. They don't like to be disturbed.



Larkspur by the perennial bed arbor.



It's still 45 degrees. We should start to climb soon. It's going to be a rough afternoon of storms from the looks of the radar.

What's Next?

Dennis in Greensboro writes, "I've been following for a little bit of time now. A couple of weeks ago, you had in your profile that it was time for a new plan. What's next?"

Well Dennis, the new plan is to wait. Yep. I'm just going to wait and see what develops. The past few months have been about sowing seed and growing plants to put in the garden. They are in their homes now. So what am I waiting for? The blooms.

In the meantime, I can pull plants that aren't making the grade. The shirley poppies have got to go. They've looked like weeds since the first day I noticed them. Now, they look even worse. The rain has really made a mess of them. I'll continue to add rooted cuttings to the beds. I'll keep planting out maturing seedlings. I'll prune, pinch, and deadhead for a while. By the end of summer, I'll know what I need and where I need it.

This morning, I have 3 6-packs of French Marigolds that need to go into the tomato patch. I direct sowed my own seeds a few weeks ago, but like all my other attempts, I believe these were mules. Very few germinated. Even fewer have survived the 90 degree temperatures or the biblical rains. These purchased marigolds will help keep the bugs off my tomatoes. Or at least that's the plan.

So what's next for this garden? Lots of hammock time, some sweet tea, and living life in between harvests.