Crazy Life

I feel like every time I mark one thing off the To Do List, I end up adding five more. I am running in circles and can not get off this crazy ride. David was in the hospital, Dallas is playing Tackle Football, and Alex is being a normal two year old. All I want is five minutes without hearing "MOM!"

Since I am so far behind on my blog I thought I would start with a few short updates. My front flower bed looks nothing like it did in April.



April

September

September

I have tried to keep the Sweet Potato Vine in check. I only planted two small starts in June but you can not tell it when you look at the flower bed. I need to dig them up sometime this week. Just one more thing on my To Do List!

18 July 2012

I actually like my front flower bed now that the giant sunflower is gone. Everything is in full bloom and looks great. Just a warning - There are a lot of pictures. 

I grew these marigolds from seed I collected last year. Dallas LOVES marigolds so I plant more than I should every year. This is only two plants.

Not the best picture but here are some of my Zinnias I grew from seed, along with Marigolds, Petunias, Russian Sage, Sweet Potato Vines, and one of my baby Ficus tree in the pot.

Cosmos and another view of my Sweet Potato. It is filling in the bare spots very quickly. I think it will become one of my regular plants for the front bed.

The bird bath that was hidden by the giant sunflower.

The other side of the bird bath. This is probably one of my favorite flowers. My Dahlia has moved three times with me and continues to look better every year.

I keep trying to get a good picture of this Zinnia but for some reason it is camera shy. So this is the best I have so far. I grew most of my Zinnias from seed this year and this one really surprised me when it opened its first flower. It is hard to see in this picture but it is almost pure red. I have a lot of orange Zinnias but this is the only red.
I love it!



I don't want to see the ground in my flower beds. I love the way it looks when the plants are mixed together and over flowing the sides of the bed. Unfortunately I have to leave a walking path through this bed. It is too big to work in without it. Maybe I will get used to it but I doubt it.

15 May 2012

I have survived the clean up and it really isn't as bad as it looked. I lost a couple of tomato plants and a lot of my potato plants. After removing the broken limbs and raking the ground, only I can tell the difference.

The buffalo grass with the dog's foot prints.

After raking the yard- it looks so much better.

A close up of some of the grass.

My hubby bought me Foxglove for the front flower bed for Mother's Day. He always buys me a new plant for the garden on special days. I don't like cut flowers - they just die. I am afraid to plant it until I know if we are staying or going. It is sitting in the flower bed looking pretty, just waiting to find a home.

We got about an inch of rain over the last week. It was a very slow, cold, soft rain that would not go away. My garden has really taken off with the cooler weather. Some of the garlic and onions are wanting to flower and I do not know what to do with them. Should I cut them off or let them flower? Back to the books!

Garlic



Onions

Fire and Ice Radish

Southern Giant Curled Mustard Greens

Stowell's Evergreen Sweet Corn

Creole Collard Greens

Tendercrisp Celery

Mystery carrots- I first planted carrots in the large bed by the backdoor, but the wind destroyed the bed and after a month, nothing had come up. I planted the second group of onions in that bed and found a new place for carrots. Now I have little carrots popping up all over the onion bed!

The new carrot bed with really little carrot plants! Yes, those are dog foot prints.



Red Cored Chantenay Carrots

 

Big Top Carrots

Broccoli, cabbage, and spinach after the dogs played. I think most will make it. I need to harvest the spinach soon.

Early Jersey Wakefield Cabbage

The potatoes, after the dogs. They are starting to perk up.

Spaghetti Squash with my first bloom!



Mr. Stripey Tomatoes

My first tomato flowers!

And my beautiful peach tree.

9 May 2012 - Garden Tour

I have spent the last two weeks trying to find a way to help my Hubby's family from New Mexico. I can't. There just isn't a practical way to help with a 5 hour drive. So, on Monday, David is put in for humanitarian orders. If the Air Force approves the move, and they should, we will move home to Dyess Air Force Base within the next few weeks. I think I am in shock. We bought a house in October and now we will have to let renters move in. It really sucks. My garden is starting to look like an actual garden. My flowers look pretty in the front yard. I can see the buffalo grass from my kitchen window. I just want to cry. But that is me being selfish - it is just a house and they are just plants. David's Mom needs us. I will go and start over - again.

Now on to happier things - a photo tour of my garden. My garden always makes me feel better.

The cactus garden is starting to flower.



My Yarrow is almost ready to bloom. It has really started to take off this year.



Corn



Spaghetti Squash



Zucchini Squash



Okra



Eggplant



Yellow Squash



The other bed of Okra.



Kentucky Wonder Beans



Potato Bed



The potato plants are starting to flower!



A visiting bee getting a drink from the water sprinkler.