Chrysanthemums

Yesterday: High: 94, Low: 74, freaking hot and still no rain

Yesterday DD and I headed to the garden center. Now is apparently prime plant buying time at Houston Garden Centers, because they are trying to get of their summer stock to make room for fall stock in about a month. Mine had beautiful little 6″ chrysanthemums in pink and yellow for $1 each. $1. Sure most of them had been aggressively deadheaded to make them look nice, but that didn’t make them bad plants. They were originally $4.99 each, so I got 5 for the price of one.

Of course, in accordance with Murphy’s Law, I did not get what I actually went for – something to make divisions in my new square foot bed and trellis. I’m going to check the garage and see if we have anything in there I can use. If not, off to the home center.

Yesterday: High: 93, Low: 75, no rain

Yesterday: High: 93, Low: 75, no rain . . . waiting to see what weather TS Gustav will bring

Society Garlic

Yesterday: High: 93, Low: 73, no rain officially, but we got a small but emphatic storm in the late afternoon.

This is another gift plant. When I first started to create a garden in my backyard, I asked all my friends for any plants they might be trying to get rid, cuttings, seeds, anything they thought might grow. I got this bunch of society garlic from my friend Pat, who was dividing a huge clump she had in her garden. It seems to expand slowly, but surely, staying grassy and green the whole time. I’ve had this clump for almost 2 years now, and this is the first bud stalks I have seen on it. I took this a few days ago, and the flowers are staring to open now, a pretty white, unlike most society garlic.

Yesterday: High: 93, Low: 75, 1.35 inches of rain officialy, but none at our house

A girl and her gardenia

Yesterday: High: 94, Low: 77, no rain

Let me tell you a little story. Once upon a time there was a little girl . . . Naw, that’s not how the story goes. It’s more of a Cliff’s Notes kind of a story. Girl moves into new home with her parents. Home has huge forest-like backyard with lots of cool bushes in backyard. Mom didn’t know and girl didn’t know, but quite a few were small gardenias. They didn’t bloom for over 5 years though, so no one knew that’s what they were. Then they bloomed. At first just a few flowers. Then over the next five years, more and more and more blooms came, until now during May, the whole backyard is bathed in perfumy white.

Fungus

Yesterday: High: 91, Low: 73, no rain anywhere

Who would have thought peppermint would have allowed something this big to grow in its pot? This is about the size of my fist.

Pfffff . . . 90% chance of rain my butt . . . Got it done, though. Basil is nicely repotted waiting to become pesto, maybe next week.

Blah, blah, full of hope and promise, blah, blah, crops to come, blah, blah, blah . . . ain’t it purty, though?

Perfect Weather

Yesterday: High: 95, Low: 75, no rain

So the past two days have been perfect weather to go out and add another bucket of pre-compost (kitchen waste), and a nice thick layer of soil to my raised bed to prep for fall planting. And I’ve been sick with a stupid summer cold. Figures, doesn’t it? It’s hasn’t been raining, so of course I am stuck inside feeling yucky.

I even had my husband cook dinner last night. I mean actually cook it, not just order pizza. He did pretty good. Just took a long time. So I am hoping I can get myself organized to get out there before it gets too hot or before that 90% chance of rain hits.

But I still feel yucky.

Yesterday: High: 91, Low: 76, no rain