The Garden Blooms, With Flowers and Ticks

lavender + butterfly weed

The garden is blooming with feverfew, Shirley poppies, Pincusion flower (Scabious), Butterfly weed,  lavender, rue, nepeta mussinii, and the annuals. Jackmanni Clematis is still producing flowers, but the other clematis vines are done. I put in a new Brunnera, and a few other things in a partly shady/partly sunny bed.

I water alot.

We did get a nice rain the other day, but the containers need daily watering with the hot temperatures.

The kids were out in the field the other day and covered in ticks. None attached, but it is a harrowing experience. I was thus warned and today when weeding saw one on my leg- what can I say? ewwww. Brushed it off and was more careful about wading into the plants.

I’ve had appointments to keep which has delayed work on the pond- even though it is emptied. I still need to try to spray some foam between the pond and the waterfall to prevent water loss that was a problem when we ran the pump. That section seems to have shifted over the years, I don’t remember so much space. The water is topped up in the water plants holding tank, and the water lilies seem just fine.

 The kids are helping with the mowing and my son has been weed whacking, so I am grateful for that. While this isn’t really as much progress as I wish to make, it is a steady, though  small, improvement.

When I check on other gardens around the web, some are getting plenty of rain and some are in drought.Ohio is quite dry for this time of year. July should be the test of that.

Mown lawn, hydrangea and crabapple tree

Early morning Shirley

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© 2012 written for Ilona’s Garden Journal. An excellent blog.