Ardent Garden

The Meadow Sage is blooming now and will continue to bloom into fall. YAY! This is another good hummingbird plant for you!

Apricot Cosmo & Celosia

Sad little Coral Nymph Salvia after only 5 minutes outside. (I’m not exaggerating)

It amazes me how fast these plants grew! I planted them only 4 weeks ago! The Cosmo is 9″ tall, the Celosia is 6″ tall and the Salvia is 3″ tall! The Cerise Queen Yarrow isn’t in the picture because I gave it to my neighbor before I took the pictures, but it was equally impressive. I’ve got them outside during the days to harden them off for planting. Except the Salvia, I’m not sure what I will be able to do with it if it’s going to flop like that after 5 minutes in the heat. I’ll have to think about that one.
The second yarrow plant and the pansy are still in the unit because they are growing REALLY SLOWLY. I did start some new seeds in the spaces that are open now.
I started:
Fried Eggs
Blue Pimpernel
Four O’clocks
Green Zinnias
Clary Sage

Just had to update to say UGGH. I love my Aerogarden, BUT, the pump is so touchy!! It’s not working now so I’ll have to fiddle with it until it starts working again. bah. That’s one thing that could seriously use some improvement Aerogarden!

Picture Source: Wikimedia Commons

A male black-headed grosbeak! Not the new feeder, though he’s too big for that one. I’ve never seen one around here, usually I see them several hours south at my Mother in law’s house.

Ever so slowly, this iris is sneaking out of it’s papery wrapping. And if you put your nose REALLY close to it you can smell the tiniest of whifs of it’s perfume.
For some reason it reminds me of that Bjork song “It’s Oh So Quiet”. Makes sense to me.

Don’t forget that you MUST let your tulips and daffodils and other spring bulbs run their course! Let their foliage turn yellow before you cut them back, or they won’t have enough energy stored up for next year’s show!
I myself am resisting the urge to jerk them all up and make room for some colorful annuals……

What is so funny to me about this picture is that I didn’t even SEE that little bugger until I was reviewing the photos on my camera! That’s how tiny he was. I was just trying to take a picture of the Siberian Wallflowers and totally missed him and his buffet! I tossed out the wallflower seeds last year, but because of the 500 sunflowers towering over them I didn’t notice if they came up or not. They obviously came up this year, but are so tiny and sparse that they really aren’t that fantastic. Lovely orange color though!

I found this cute little plant yesterday and HAD to buy it. Despite it’s delicate appearance the tag SAYS it does best in full sun. We will see! I planted it today in full blazing sun.
It’s actually baby’s breath!

Remember a few weeks back when I was blubbering and drooling over this cute little bird feeder? Well guess what arrived on my door step last week?

My Mom is so sweet! She ordered it for me for Mother’s Day! It really does look lovely on my shepherd’s hook, just as I suspected it would!! The green is so much prettier than their website shows too! Oh, and it was packaged very nicely, and wrapped in such pretty paper with a beautiful rafia bow!
Anyhow, I’m tickled pink with it! Thanks again Ma!

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This Salvia is ready to start blooming and I cannot wait! Last year it bloomed beautifully all summer. One thing that confuses me is why people call it sage around here…….I will have to look into that.
Ok, so after going to several garden centers and looking around, all of them are labeled as Meadow Sage….I sense a bit of research coming. Stay tuned.
Oh, and Happy Mother’s Day!

I just like this picture.