Wednesday, May 26, 2010

The Waiting....

For about 15 minutes yesterday, it poured. Within the hour, the sun was shining again. I'm sure the plants love it. The humidity is starting to frizz my hair.

The upper potager. The cucumbers are starting to climb. The pole beans have been twining for a week.



Tomatoes are going to need staking very soon. Still need to figure that one out. 53 stakes is a bit much for the budget. I may try the Florida Weave this year.



Blue Queen salvia was wintersown. Out of 10 containers, I have 4 clumps that survived the attack of the squirrels.



Stargazers are budding. This clump is about 5' tall this year. I didn't know they'd grow that high.



I'm not the only one anticipating the blooms on Lemon Mint Monarda. These are self sown seedlings from the one clump I wintersowed last year. As an annual bee balm, it's easy to control.



Cherry Brandy Rudbeckia made it through the winter. I'm hoping the blooms are more red this year and not so much like dried blood.



Golden Jubilee is an agastache with purple blossoms against lime green foliage. The goldfinches collect more seeds than I do.



Orlaya grandiflora, or White Lace Flower, is just getting started. This dainty annual is a relative of the garden carrot and Queen Anne's Lace, but much less likely to become invasive. The blooms resemble hydrangeas with large flowers surrounding tiny florets. I have it planted in several beds. Behind the ferny foliage, datura seedlings and nicotiana will brighten the dark corner of the perennial bed soon.



My favorite rudbeckias are unfurling. The ladybugs are already on the job, picking off the aphids and other sucking insects.



High up in the tree, a single Magnolia bloom was smelt before I ever spotted it. Down the street, the trees have been blooming for over a week. I've seen many large buds on this one. When the oak tree came crashing down, it opened up the sky giving this tree more sunlight. The smaller one at the edge of the yard still shows no signs of blooms, even though it's about 30' tall. I can't find the bloom in this picture either. Don't feel bad.



It's 63 degrees. No rain in the forecast for today. We'll see. The sky is clear. The humidity stands at 83%. The thermometer will rise to the mid 80s today. Last night, I couldn't sleep. I started researching concrete countertops. There are more options than I realized.

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Remember this poppy?



The name is "Drama Queen". How perfect is that?

10 comments:

Darla said...

Your veggies look great. You have so much variety in your gardens...Oh, what hair? Drama Queen is the perfect name for that Poppy. We are having those hit and miss afternoon showers, the last few days we have been missed..sigh

F Cameron said...

Your potager is really looking great. I know what you mean about waiting...but, oh my... Drama Queen is fabulous!

Yesterday's weather was crazy. Having been away, I was determined to work in the garden. I could hear the showers coming, they soaked me, I continued to work. It cleared up. Another one soaked me...and so it went all day long! A great time to move plants!

Dar said...

Amongst your Stargazers, are the tiny pink blooms Carion Rose? They are so dainty...as well as your White Lace that looks like it belongs on the front of a wedding gown.
I love all of the excitement around upcoming beauties.
BlessYourDay and stay comfy

Dave@TheHomeGarden said...

That is one fancy poppy! I saved my tomato stakes from last year and added a few from saplings I cut down. We have sassafras all over our slope that send up fast growing branches. I've thinned out the sassafras and used the trunks for stakes. I've considered growing bamboo in pots just to make stakes in the future!

Ben said...

Looks like you have a lot of good things to look for. Rudbeckias are one of my favorites as well. I think i could have a whole garden bed with just the many shades of colors of them :). That poppy is amazing, and the name certainly fits. Also thanks for taking the time to stop by my blog, and I also appreciate you helping me Identify the Verbena.

FlowerLady Lorraine said...

Wow, what a lot you have going on in your gardens. It is so much fun watching your progress.

I love that poppy, the name suits it very well.

FlowerLady

Kris said...

Frizzy hair? Must be time for the summer razor cut. woohahaha

Unknown said...

You have such special flowers! You're only the second person I've met who grows Orlaya, which is beautiful! And lemon mint monarda? How cool!

Anonymous said...

The garden is looking good. Good luck staking those tomatoes. I thought about trying the weave method, but I don't really grow enough plants to need it. Not yet anyway.

Lynda said...

Tom, here's another way to stake tomatoes that might work well for you.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lynda_2008/3661074926/

The tomatoes are clipped to droplines from overhead wires. We use this sort of clip. http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-5909-tomato-trellis-clips-500-count.aspx (they also sell smaller packs)

This person also has a handy method: http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=tomatoes&w=52257071@N00