Ants

Ants can be beneficial or harmful in the garden. First they irrigate the soil and for the most part don't harm the plants. Some are predacious on a wide variety of insects. However some ants like carpenter ants are harmful not to the garden itself but to any wood used for structures. Even smaller ants can cause a wide variety of problems in the house. Some can inflict painful stings as well.

Rose of Sharon

Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus) is a true beauty. The name is a little confusing as it isn't a rose at all, it is really a Hibiscus. It is a medium sized ornamental bush with showy blooms throughout the summer. There are several bloom colours to choose from and the blooms can be either single or double petal. The blooms attract hummingbirds, butterflies and small insects. Rose of Sharon

My Plants Have Issues!

This is meant to be a tongue in cheek expose. I just spent an hour or so trying to whip bed #2, the herb bed, into shape. The weatherman was wrong again so despite the promised cooler temperatures it is still hot and humid. These were some of my thoughts as I worked. Sorry no pictures today.My Plants Have Issues!My plants have some serious issues! Where can I find a plant psychologist? I

Attack of the Monster Zucchini

The zucchini plants have decided to take over the garden. There is a little competion from the tomatoes and beans but so far the zucchini are winning.Zucchini PlantsI have five zucchini plants this year. I'm averaging three to four zucchini ranging in size from six to eight inches daily. We eat a lot of zucchini! The two zucchini plants in bed #5 are smaller than those in this picture of bed

Weird Flower!

My daughter sent me a photo of one of two weird flowers growing in her garden. It appears to be a mutant form of a black eyed susan.Weird FlowerThe flowers were part of a wild flower perennial shade mix from Alymer Seeds. The other black eyed susans appear to be normal. Two of the flowers appear to be mutants. The entire head is about the size of an average palm. The centre is about two

Zucchini & Tiny Tim Tomatoes

My vegetable beds are looking good for the most part with only a couple of minor problems. The peas are beginning to wind down. The beans are showing signs of a healthy harvest. The Kentucky Wonder pole beans despite my concerns over a couple of plants with yellow leaves are making daily progress and are looking quite healthy with lots of flowers. Most of the bush beans have flowers and small

Garden Delights

I've made several entries regarding vegetables so thought I would share some of my other garden delights. As I was going through the flower pictures so far, I realized most of my flower choices this year have been in the warm tones.Asiatic LilyLilies are about the easiest perennial to grow! We have Tiger lilies (a common wildflower), naked ladies (Amaryllis belladonna), Stella de Oro daylilies

Peas and New Beds

The vegetable garden beds are really enjoying the rain and heat. We've had very hot weather with high humidity that has resulted in thunderstorms later in the evening or sometimes throughout the night. Beans & Peas: Bed #3The beans and peas are growing by leaps and bounds. Bean varieties I'm growing include Kentucky Wonder pole (green & yellow), Romano pole, Edible Snow, Little Marvel, and