Sunflowers

I admit it, I'm lazy.  And, I guess, cheap.  I bought cheap bird seed at the wild bird center, you know, the kind that will sprout.  That was before I started working on the yard.  From now on  I will spend a little extra for the non-sprouting seed and cut down on a little weeding.  On the plus side, these pretty little sunflowers sprouted from that seed. My kids picked them for me the other day. We put them, along with a couple sprigs of basil, in this vase that had belonged to my husbands grandfather.  I smile every time I pass by it.

The weather was so pleasant today that I had no excuse for not getting out into the Ugly.  I didn't bother taking pictures of more weeds. Honestly, I don't understand how they grow.  There is no water in the area I worked in today, the dirt is the consistency of cement and yet there are growing, no, flourishing, waist-tall weeds.  ARG!  It did feel good to clear that area though.  Now the kids can play over there without fear of being attacked by prickly weeds. Ultimately, I would like to plant some hydrangeas and hostas there, as it is quite shady in that part of the Ugly.  I may be able to pull it off, my neighbor has hydrangeas growing in her yard so I know they can stand the heat. Ah, another project to add to the list......

Freecycle Friday

Happy Friday!  In my gardening adventures I have found that my local Freecycle group has come in very handy.  A project I have been itching to tackle has been a small water garden.  Years ago, we bought a nice blue  water pot with a bamboo fountain, plants and some goldfish.  It sat on our back patio, (when we had one), and I loved it.  Well, it didn't take long, oh, maybe 2 days, for the raccoons to find the fish in the pot.  Every night became a battle of wills to keep our little fish from becoming raccoon sushi.  The raccoons won that battle, ripping out the fountain to get the fish, it was quite a mess. My lovely pot sat idle in the corner of the Ugly for many moons, until this week!  A trip to the garden center to price water plants ($5 to $30) had me on Freecycle with requests for two water plants.  I didn't dare ask for water lilies, because they are the most expensive, I would have been delighted with water hyacinths and iris.  The first response was from a very nice woman with water lilies!  When I picked them up she had loads growing in her large pond.  They were healthier looking than the ones I had seen at the nursery. Huge green leaves and beautiful white and yellow flowers.  I took a smaller plant and can't wait for it to bloom.  The second response was for a water iris.  This sucker was over six feet tall when I went to pick it up.  The owner of this great plant suggested I cut it way back when I put it in the pot to stimulate root growth.

Here you can see the clipped iris and my new water lily.  They look a little stressed from the transplant process, but I'm hoping they will fill out in the next couple of weeks.  

Here is the water pot in my herb garden.  My herbs are growing like crazy.  It is the only thing I seem to be able to grow.  Next week I will go up to the local vector control office to pick up some mosquito fish.  The county gives away these fish to pond and pool owners to help keep the mosquito population down.  Hopefully, these fish will escape the raccoons.