Gardening Update - June 15, 2015

Another summer already! It's hot. It's humid. It's summer already!

 The flowers are cycling - long gone are the flowers of Spring - bulbs - daffodils and tulips. I "won" this year's tulip battle. It takes quick action on my part to keep the deer away from the precious tips of new blooms. I buy bags and more bags of Deer Scram at Bloomin' Garden Place and sprinkle it "liberally" around all susceptible plants. And, I still have a half-gallon of Deer Vik - a stinky, sticky mess of stuff which is applied with the left-over plastic stakes from the Tru-Green guy who visits several times a year to give the lawn a boost. After each treatment he puts out a square sign that says "Stay off the lawn for a day".

Pink Iris

The Iris are gone, too. I follow a Facebook page for Iris people. I have at least nineteen varieties - last time I counted. They are crowded and need to be separated. I've cut back their stalks and put them in a pile for Kyle and his Kharma guys who will be here to do the summer cleanup - hopefully before July 4th.

I'm keeping a Gardening Journal of all the various plants I've purchased and planted. I enjoy having several lavender plants growing out by a vignette around a bitd bath. I like coleus, too. They seem to survive the deer, but sometimes a critter - a squirrel or chipmunk - rips out my plants and tosses the potting soil out of the pot. Peg, from Family Massage Center, told me to put plastic forks - tine side up into the pot - to keep pesky pot invaders out of my pots!

I have purchased plants from Brecks and Spring Hill Nursery. I had one oriental poppy that bloomed. I put out "name tags" to make sure that the yard guys don't mistake a poppy or daisy for a dandelion. The hardy geraniums have been a challenge, too. They have a big, bunch of roots and a stump center. Only two of them have produced green leaves - three others have been moved to a "place of their own" - pots and a planter box.

The orange lilies are in bloom - another Deer Scram success! Yellow lilies are opening, roses bushes have bloomed and will bloom again, daisies aren't out yet, succulents come back year after year and many other plants shove through for another season - the survivors - bee balm, weed daisies, thistle, lamb's ear, ivy, black-eyed Susans.

Nine window boxes are filled again with fern and small pink, magenta and orange red flowers. Wow Windowboxes change the boxes four times a year. There is a watering system connected to each box.  It's an impressive sight - worth the investment!

The new shovel I ordered from QVC is the best one I've ever used, ever. It's shaped to a V and slips right through the hard earth. It's inspired me to plant more plants. I will use it today to dig holes for four Gazania daisies.