Sunday, June 22, 2008

Gardening and More Mosquitoes

This yellow mass of #2 Perennial has taken up residence next to Mr. Stripey, the front yard tomato.

I realized today that the effect I wrote about last Sunday and that continued throughout most of the week was just the lull before the storm. Or the intermission between acts might be a better metaphor. The Spring mosquitoes may have died of heat prostration, but the teeny once I mentioned were the new summer crop. Now they are full grown and ravenous. Sigh!

On to better news, which is to say gardening news. To de-stress after returning from selling part of the farm, Suna suggested a trip to the home center to buy some new summer plants. We didn’t go hog-wild, and putting plants in the dirt certainly re-establishes a connection with Mother Nature. We bought:

  • Two lovely red caladiums
  • A Nanho Purple butterfly bush
  • Two pots of three yellow ornamental peppers
  • A big bucket of lovely yellow flowers called #2 Perennial

The caladiums are going in a hanging basket in the back yard that once held a sturdy New Guinea impatiens (Cherry Red). That plant has moved to the front bed extension and now lives in the ground. Three of the ornamental peppers also went in the front bed extension.

This ornamental pepper seems quite happy next to the New Guinea Impatiens.

The butterfly bush went at the right side of the house in an area where it may not get enough sun. Suna said that the last one burnt up in the sun, so I decided to try a shadier place. I hope I didn’t kill it by that choice. We’ll see.

Perennial #2 and the remaining ornamental peppers (You gotta love those names!) went in the original new bed in the front yard to replace some heat prostrated petunias. I imagine the other petunias will soon follow their compatriots into the compost pile.

In other news from that bed, the tomato has grown immense. It is even starting to put on those ugly little yellow flowers that are harbingers of tomatoes. One of the peppers I moved to the front has loads of blooms and a couple of fruits. All of the other peppers are still full of lovely dark green foliage, but nothing else.

It’s good to he home and have dirt on my hands. Funny how the earth can absorb all of the tension out of your body and make you whole again.


26 June Update: Added photos and captions.

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