All Things that Grow

 You've got to love summer. Everything in my yard is in full bloom right now, and I can't even justify spending a moment indoors these days. This year I decided to beautify my yard with some nice floral beds and a potted garden on our patio. The potted garden is still a work in progress, although I may need to wait until next year to perfect the skill. Up here in these hills,  the heat becomes oppressive in late June and planting for survival becomes a fools game. Last year I even managed to kill water-wise, heat tolerant plants simply by waiting to long to plant. I won't be making the same mistake again because gardening is expensive, y'all. I LOVE these Zinnias that I started from seeds. I fully intend on planting them again next season. They were super easy grow and even survived me attempting to murder them on multiple occasions.

I also have encountered a multitude of volunteer plants this year. I don't recall planting dill this year, and I definitely haven't planted sunflowers. Yet here they are, taking over my beds, lookin' so fine.

The few perennials that I did plant last year, appear to be the show stoppers this year. My Artichokes overwintered and are now producing like crazy. Word to the wise, though. If you decided to grow artichokes, then be sure to drown your crops in salt water before cooking them. I have earwigs, and they love to hide between the artichoke leaves. It's fucking gross.

The Raspberries are also cropping up all over the place. My Blackberries, long thought to have died in the great husband trampling of 2012, are not doing nearly as well, but I'm hoping that by next year they'll catch up after receiving a healthy pruning.

Gaura. I love this plant. It's the strange goth kid in class. I've planted white and pink on opposite ends of a bed in my back yard. One gets lots of water, one gets very minimal amounts. Both are doing amazing. If you have drought issues, I'd highly recommend this guy, he adds so much texture to the landscape and his blooms smell like angels ought to smell.

The Sweet broom is definitely the boss man in the bed. It was never intended to be, but I really love how wild and out of control it looks. Last year I planted three and a gopher ate two. I was pissed. But I like having just the one because it turned out to be a very distracting plant. So, thank you Mr. Gopher. This still doesn't make us cool, though.

TWINNY PEACH SNAPS!  I don't care who you are, you need to plant these guys! Look how gorgeous these blooms are. The color, the fullness, the way they look at you so longingly. I will plant these snaps forever and always. Don't over water or they will flop to the ground in a dramatic fit. Plant these! You shall not regret it.

My Mother in Law bought me a Myers lemon tree a few winters ago as a gift. It sat in a rather large pot over the years and moved all over the place while we tried to figure out where to settle down. It has yet to set a single piece of fruit. This year it finally went into the ground, and if I don't get one god damn lemon from this fucking tree, I'm going to have a full on tantrum on my front lawn. YOU HEAR THAT TREE?! YOU HAD BETTER GIVE ME SOME LEMONS OR I WILL GO COMPLETE PAUL BUNYAN ON YOUR ASS!

 Lastly, these things grow like weeds. Plant at your own risk. THE END