Whatsoever things are lovely...



Welcome to our garden, the sign says.  It really oughtta say, "Welcome, that is, unless you are a slimy black slug, or a creepy bug who likes to eat lettuce! Oh yes, and if you happen to be a pretty yellow pup who loves to chase tennis balls and dig great deep holes, this place is off limits to you too!"



I'm using an organic approach to pest control in my garden. Yellow marigolds are 'companion plantings'. Supposedly, bugs don't like they way they smell. So far, so good! I did this in response to last year's cabbage fiasco. My beautiful cabbage plants were ravaged by bugs in just a few days. This year, things are gonna be different. This year, I'm prepared. 



Though you can't see it, there are used coffee grounds sprinkled all around my plants. And I've been walking round my little pie-shaped garden with the coffee pot in hand, pouring cold coffee around the perimeter of it. Slugs don't like caffeine. I don't know why. Maybe it makes them jittery or keeps them awake at night...or maybe they start to move too fast, even begin running on their little slug feet. Why, given enough caffeine, they might even get up the energy to organize slug 10Ks and marathons with tiny screen printed tee-shirts for the participants. But the wiser slugs know that this would be a very bad thing. So they banned all coffee drinking. You just can't have speedy slugs. It's an oxymoron. Maybe I should lay off the caffeine for awhile too. Or stop writing after midnight. Slugs in t-shirts??? Is this what my writing has come to?

 



The cute little wire fence is to discourage a certain yellow lab from galloping through on her way to a new adventure. She hasn't jumped the fence; though she surely could. But she has stuck her head through the holes to retrieve her tennis ball-and to munch an egg shell or two.

Elsewhere, I've added this new beauty to my garden. Rudbeckia There are only about 2 really sunny spots in the back yard. Thought I'd try these more commonly known as Black-Eyed Susans there. A few days ago I posted some pics of some new curtain material I bought. These flowers match quite nicely. However, I'm not sure they really like where I planted them. Some of them look a little wilty. I just keep telling them that Mary Engelbreit always says you should 'bloom where you're planted.' A few of them are starting to believe me and have perked up. Others are needing some coaxing and lots of water. If you grow Rudbekia, I'd welcome your tips. That's Rudbeckia, not rutabaga. I don't like rutabaga--mom always threw one into the stew pot. They looked like spuds, only yellower. But rutabagas were sort of peppery tasting, not a bit to my liking. I don't know why she seemed so pleased when I accidentally ate a bite of rutabaga. It's like the potato soup. I hated clams; so Mom made chowder, but told me it was potato soup. For years I ate chowder-thinking it was potato soup. I wonder what other foods she duped me into eating?

In shadier locations (out under the 16 firs trees in the back), my begonias are feeling very content. I like the way that  blue lobelia contrasts with the orange begonia. I've been experimenting with contrasting colors lately. I used to play it safe with my baskets-sticking to similar hues. But that past couple of years I've been adding splashes of color from across the color wheel...yellows with pinks; blue with oranges, reds and purples. Which reminds me of an interesting gardening combination I saw last year. It was a row of  deep blue hydrangea with bright orange poppies. It was stunning.

Deep, rich oranges and greens. Like watermelon...scrumptious!

Iris are a childhood favorite. The purple ones were my favorite...I thought they smelled like purple Koolaid. We used to pick the leaves and have 'sword fights' with them.  Kids!!!
This yellow iris is leaning out over my lawn, looking for sunlight.

I can't seem to get enough of those rich Tuscan colors this year-indoors and out.

Remember my inspiration mug? Funny. Most of my plants were here before I bought that mug. I think subconsciously I've always loved these colors, but it took the mug to make me see it.