One thing about having a crappy garden...

...no qualms about cutting flowers for in the house.

Got the Itch

We're back in the yard. Yea!

Here's Jack and Jedd getting busy with their chainsaws...



... and my first pot of 2008!

Five Years Gone

Here's a lesson I learned today: Taking a summer off your yard is like taking five summers off.

I was super sad to discover that the beds I've spent five years building are covered in strong, tenacious Creeping Charlie. After tearing them out carefully, trying to be delicate around the stuff I wanted to keep, I realized there wasn't much that falls into that category.

My roses are finally dead (but that's not too shocking... they've been suffering a slow demise for five summers). My iris, the first thing to pop color into our backyard each spring are also gone. I found only the shells of the root balls of one. They crumbled in my gardening glove.

I'm sad, but I'm also excited. This summer will basically be the start of a brand new garden. And this time, I'll have five years of experience behind me.

Technorati Schmechnorati

I'm not entirely clear why I'm doing this, but from what I hear, "claiming your blog" on Technorati is the best way to increase your readership. And since I'm pretty convinced I have a valid and entertaining perspective on hobby gardening, I'd like it to be seen. So, here goes nothin':

Technorati Profile

P.S. This advice comes to me from blog consulting firm, Purple Wren.

Three Tiers for This Pot

This is my favorite planter of the year. It's three tiers of plain, old plastic pots from the Hy-Vee filled with a multitude of annuals.

I actually did it last, filling it with all the leftover plants I had after doing the rest of my yard. Funny how that happens.

Amazing What A Little Water Can Do

These looked like hell last week, and then I watered them.

One Confused Clematis

It finally bloomed. Today's date? September 20.


UPDATE: Turns out this is not at all unusual, as clematis has a second bloom in the early fall. Huh... who knew?