Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary...How Does Your Garden Grow?

I think the answer to that, dear friends, is VERY WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

With the odd weather patterns this year, and the later than usual start to planing my seeds this year, my seedlings are finally starting to bloom. Every morning, it is like a small part of Christmas morning:

Opening the door...

Letting Tucker outside...

Quickly scanning the greenery...

Seeking out new blooms or blooms that have changed colors...

My Morning Glories were the first ones to spring up and get to work bloomin', and honestly, they haven't stopped yet! I have two planters filled with them, one on either side of my front door this year. I thought I was pretty smart by throwing in a trellis on each one so they could climb away - but that was not enough for the dear Morning Glories. No, they desired new and extreme heights! In the photos, you can see that they desired to work their way around the siding and up to the top of my front door. Next year, Derick says he might need to build me a skinny trellis that goes all around our door, so I can do the same thing next year - and have them grow up the sides and meet and keep crawling and climbing.

 

 

I am also very happy to report, that from my squash last year that our friends gave us, I cultivated the seeds and planted them this year and the plants are doing GREAT! I see the orange flowers on them now and the vines are still getting longer by the day! Although I said this, I think last year as well, and then the thing shriveled up and died on me. So, I might need to keep mum on that one (ha - MUM).

Another shocker, was that the cactus that I received from a "Fish Keeper Friend" last year, stayed outside during the MINNESOTA winter, appeared to be dead, has actually sprouted NEW growth this year - twice over and onto more little nubs of growth on THAT growth! I am really excited about that - because I think that the cactus flowers are one of the prettiest/coolest things ever.

I think just about all of my seeds that I planted this year have resulted in green growth so far - of the correct nature, not just weeds...

I have learned to stay away from some seeds that I would love to have full-plants of in my garden, but they are just too finicky to get started inside my house or reside out on the front patio. I have to arrange my plants in such a way as well, because we face North, and our patio faces West. As you can see by my photos, most of the plants have taken up residence near the front door - due to the plants needing FULL sunlight.

I have vowed this year to be better about my plants in the fall - to make sure that I am taking care of my Perennials this year and not just leaving them out for dead on the patio, assuming they will all come back to life in the spring. It didn't work out so well that way for me this year.

-LD