Let me first say, my yard is looking pretty good. The sod took wonderfully (woohoo!) and I'm really happy with the side bed I built along the sidewalk. But every season I learn something new and this season has been a doozy!
There is a fine line between underwatering and overwatering and apparently I have yet to get it right. Our front yard is relatively small, but in order to hit all of the new grass I have to move the sprinkler three times and there is just no avoiding hitting the flower beds. Not to mention, it's only the beginning of June and we're already nearing 100 degree weather.
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| Red Riding Hood Dipladenia |
So how are the annuals faring? Not well. The petunias were doing great until recently, but now they have turned brown and are rarely producing flowers. The gerber daisies are actually doing okay, but are also not producing flowers as often as I would like. My initial thought was, not enough water, but then I talked to a local gardening guru who told me I was overwatering and not fertilizing enough. This gave me pause because whenever I used the old finger in the dirt trick to determine how wet the soil was, it felt really dry to me. But I took the nourishment advice and fertilized. It didn't really change much. What I have noticed though is that everyone else's annuals are doing great, so I've decided the problem must be with my soil. Bring on the composter! And I will, very soon.
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| Sad annuals and Salvia |
The perennials are being overwatered. I completely admit that. They're doing okay at this point, the plumbago and the purple heart are really happy right now. They love the heat, but the hibiscus would like a couple days to dry out. All the perennials are bushy and blooming, some are just a little droopy and not growing as fast as they could. The salvia is nice and green but the flowers are starting to look a little weathered and they're in the same bed as the annuals which didn't get a lot of soil treatment prior to planting so I'm going to go ahead and blame the dirt again.
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| Tradewinds Hibiscus |
So while the watering has been a frustration, I have found a new love in seed planting. About a month ago I was given a plastic bag with Cosmos seeds in it and told to just throw them down and stomp on them a bit. I have to say, I was less than optimistic that anything would happen, but low and behold they took off like crazy. They aren't big enough to bloom yet, but they are so cute and in another couple of inches or so we should be getting some happy little orange flowers. I also planted some basil and marjoram seeds in a container in the kitchen and I am a seed convert. There is something so satisfying in counting the seedlings as they pop up from the soil. So next season, I plan on starting seeds in the house and then transplanting, by then we should have the garden beds built in the backyard. Vegetables and herbs, oh my!
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| Cosmos Seedlings |
It's a slow process, but a fun one. Right now I'm obsessed with getting a composter and a rain barrel set up, and it's important to have projects on the horizon.
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Butters Loves Basil
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